LEWISBERRY, Pa. - Soccer moms, here's your chance to become Danica Patrick. Or even Dale Jr.
A speedway in York County continues to highlight one of the most functional inventions in modern history.
The minivan.
What's left to say about the older ones, really?
High maintenance? Yes.
But high-performance?
Still a 1994 Plymouth Voyager with 134,000 miles on it has been awfully good to Daryl Sipe of York County. The van is his racing machine.
How does it handle on a racetrack?
Minivans handle the way you'd expect them to. "The front wheel-drive (ones), they'll go in...they have a tendency to go straight in the turns..." said Sipe with a laugh.
Sipe is a master of minivan racing at Susquehanna Speedway Park (SSP) in Newberrytown, Penn. The track claims its the first one in the country to run a regular minivan division, beginning in 2005. It may be the only one running a world championship race, as well.
Sipe won that race in 2011 and has been the minivan track champion four times.
At SSP, minivans -- those marvels of machinery -- hit speeds of...50 miles an hour. But that may be part of their appeal.
"If you look Grandma's got one; Mom and Dad have one," said Brian Rehbein, who sponsors Sipe's van and also races cars at SSP. "So the kids in the stands can relate to what they really are."
But don't expect to pick up the groceries or kids in one of these racing minivans once it's done at the track. Racing minivans have no seats (other than the driver's); no dashboard and no windows, either.
"You take the van off the road; strip it down; put a cage in it and you're good to go," said Sipe.
Good to go racing because minivans are cheap and the parts are cheap, too, according to Sipe. He also believes anyone can race one, as well.
In fact, Sipe is handing over the keys this season to his son, Zak, even though the 17-year-old has no racing experience of any kind. "
I'm just going to go out there, do my best and hope for a win," said Zak Sipe.
Daryl Sipe won't race minivans this season because the schedule interferes with his other race car commitment. He also runs in the Road Warriors Division, which is for front-wheel drive cars with street-legal tires.
The season opener at Susquehanna Speedway Park is April 14.
Daryl Sipe has done his best for years and now holds a title no knew even existed --world champion minivan driver. He admits he didn't grow up dreaming to become one, either.
"No, not even close," said Sipe, who's 42 career wins at SSP rank second all-time in any division. "But (minivan racing) was a lot of fun when I tried it and I stuck with it."
These days, old minivans don't die. The lucky ones get to go racing.
Some video used in this story is courtesy of FASTRAX Video.
