On their way back from the Georgetown Speedway, Sean Weiss saw his new trailer and everything in it, including his modified, go up in flames. It destroyed everything.
Weiss had just competed on Saturday in the Short Track Super Series event at the Delaware dirt oval. On their way back home Sunday morning, they saw smoke in their rearview mirror, 40 miles away from their home in Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania.
“Sean thought it was a smoking tire,” Sean’s father, Chuck, said. “I was checking the gauges but saw nothing wrong. When we got out of the truck, we noticed that the smoke was coming from inside the trailer. Sean opened the door, and we saw that the fire was burning near the front of the trailer, near the tire rack. I knew there was a jug with about four gallons of racing fuel near there that could ignite. All we could do is retreat. I yelled, ‘Save the truck!’”
Chuck uncoupled the trailer’s gooseneck as Sean pulled their 2019 Chevrolet Silverado diesel crew cab truck away from the fire.
“Within seconds the hydraulic jack line blew,” said Chuck. “We were lucky that we got the truck uncoupled.”
Last year, Sean had hoped to race Florida Speedweeks. However, he destroyed his modified in a flip at Georgetown Speedway. For the second year in a row, their aspirations of competing in the Sunshine State were dashed. This time, though, they lost more than a race car.
“We can’t fund building another new car this year,” Chuck said. “Our loss was $140,000 to $150,000, for the car and trailer. I look to the bright side. Neither one of us were hurt. We saved the truck. And thank God, we didn’t have the hauler parked next to our house when it burned.”
The trailer is impounded while they await an investigation from a fire investigator and insurance adjuster. Sean Weiss and Chuck Weiss appreciate the outpouring of concern from the racing community.
“I cannot respond fast enough to say thank you to all the people offering to help us,” said Chuck. “Until I find out what insurance will cover, I don’t want to speculate on what we will need. I’ve told everyone when you have really good used parts for sale in the offseason, call me first. I’ll keep everyone posted on our progress and let them know if we need anything.”
To follow for updates, visit their Facebook page at facebook.com/seanweissmotorsports.
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
Photographers
The Outside Groove contributor from Macungie, Pennsylvania, has covered the sport since 2012. Sabo serves as the official track photographer of Grandview Speedway in Bechtelsville, Pennsylvania. Photography is a family ordeal for Sabo. He shoots with his daughter, Abby, at Shellhammer Dirt Track in Shoemakersville, Pennsylvania. At Grandview and other venues Sabo travels to, he and his father, Stephen “Poppa Pepper” Sabo Sr., capture the night’s action with their cameras.
