Eastern Motorsport Press Association
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Picture

Kenny Brightbill

Picture
         Although he scored 441 victories at 41 different tracks during his long and illustrious racing career, Kenny Brightbill is most noted for his dominating performances at the Reading Fairgrounds. 
 Between his first Reading victory April 17, 1970 and June 24, 1979, the next to last ever race at the famed speedway, Brightbill won 135 times!  In that ten year period, there were 480 feature races (Remember, Reading ran twice weekly, Fridays and Sundays; opened early in the spring and ran later in the fall). 
 Brightbill’s Reading record:  135 wins, 303 top-five finishes, 352 top-tens, and four championships---1974, ’76, ’77, and ‘78! 
 But that’s not all, he won the Eastern States 200 in 1980, Super DIRT Week Syracuse 200 in 1988, four track championships and 43 victories at East Windsor, 37 wins at Susquehanna, 30 victories and two titles at Bridgeport, 29 wins at New Egypt, and the 1978 championship at Flemington.
 He also went dirt late model racing, registering 13 victories.  And even made six starts in NASCAR Winston Cup races, with a best finish of tenth. 
 What enamored fans to Kenny Brightbill was that for much of his career, he did things his way, not beholden to a track or sanctioning body, and preferring to build---rather than buy---his own cars his own way,
 Welcome to the EMPA Hall of Fame “The Shillington Slingshot” Kenny Brightbill.
 
 
 



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  • Home
  • History of the EMPA
    • History of the EMPA-The 1970's
    • History of the EMPA- 80's
    • History of the EMPA- The 1990's
    • History of the EMPA- The 2000's
    • History of the EMPA- The 2010's
    • History of the EMPA- The 2020's
  • EMPA Application
  • EMPA Hall of Fame A thru L
  • EMPA Hall of Fame M thru Z
  • Convention Sponsors
  • Convention Hotel Info & Room Reservations
  • Convention Photos
    • Convention Photos 2016
    • Convention Photos 2017
    • Convention Photos 2018
    • Convention Photos 2019
    • Convention Photos 2021
    • Convention Photos 2022
    • Video acceptance speeches from Jan 2022 convention
  • Convention Contest Rules
    • Pocono Raceway/EMPA Writer's Contest
    • Brice's Auto Parts Inc./NAPA Auto Parts EMPA Photographer's Contest
    • Dirt Track Digest.com./EMPA Video and Broadcast Contest Rules
  • Award Winners
    • EMPA National Driver of the Year
    • Junie Donlavey Spirit of the Sport award
    • Richie Evans North East Driver of the Year
    • Ace Lane Photographer of the Year
    • Jim Hunter Writer of the Year
    • Newsmaker of the Year award
    • John Blewett lll Young Gun award presented by New England Fuels
    • Jerry Reigel Outstanding Contribution to Sprint Car Racing award
    • Promotional Effort of the Year
    • Ernie & Marilyn Saxton Service Award
    • Pocono Raceway Writer's Contest Judges Comments by Year
    • Honda Video Contest Winners by Year
  • Newsletter Archives