GATES ARE OPEN
SUNDAY, AUGUST 23 · JENNERSTOWN SPEEDWAY · JENNERSTOWN, PA
Gates open at one. The last four bands standing play for $6,000, the crowd helps decide it, then Jim Donovan & Sun King Warriors open the night up and headliner The Amish Outlaws close it down. Eight and a half hours of live music on a race track.
August 23 is in the books. Thank you to everyone who showed up, played, worked and cheered. Here is everything that made up the day.
SEE THE RUNNING ORDER$30 in advance, $35 at the gate. Kids 12 and under get in free.
128 bands entered. Four played the live finale at Jennerstown Speedway on August 23, 2026, scored by the judging panel and the crowd ballot. Here is the final order.
2026 Champion
7 Mile Run
Creekside, PA
Winner of the $6,000 grand prize and an 8 hour recording session at Tonic Recording Studios.
2nd place
Twisted Fate
Jeannette, PA
3rd place
BombChele and The Bangs
Natrona Heights, PA
4th place
Touchdown and a Handshake
Latrobe, PA
Congratulations to 7 Mile Run and thank you to every band who entered year one.
SIX ACTS, ONE STAGE
Eight and a half hours of music and you never have to walk to a second stage.
A VOTE THAT COUNTS
The internet round is over. The winner gets picked in the room, by the judges and by you.
THE KIDS ARE FREE
12 and under get in free with you. Inflatables from Hogues Fun Factory and carnival games run all afternoon.
FOOD ALL DAY
Food trucks, local vendors and makers, sweet treats and cold drinks.
THE BEER GARDEN
Cold and close to the stage.
ON THE TRACK
The stage sits on the racing surface. You are watching from a place you normally have to buy a race ticket to stand on.
YOU ARE IN
GET THERE BY 1:45
The finalists start at two and they go back to back. Show up at four and you missed half of what you voted for all summer.
YOUR VOTE HAPPENS AT THE TRACK
Nothing from the online bracket carries over. Whichever band you backed since June needs you loud and in the building.
BRING
Sunscreen, cash for the vendors, and the kids. Chairs and blankets are welcome if you want to sit close to the stage without hiking back to the grandstands. Nine hours outside in August is a long time to be caught without sunscreen.
BRING SOMEBODY
Every ticket you buy puts these bands on the biggest stage they have ever played. Send this page to whoever you already told about it.
206 Somerset Street
Jennerstown, PA 15547
Thank you to every fan, band, crew member, vendor and sponsor who made August 23 happen at Jennerstown Speedway Complex. See you next year.
Presented by West Media Group and Jennerstown Speedway. Radio partner Audacy Pittsburgh, Y108, WAMO, 93.7 The Fan.
rtr@westmediagroup.com #RockTheRaceway
OFFICIAL SPONSORS & PARTNERS
Full Throttle. Full Volume.
Advance
$30
Available now
Day-Of
$35
At the gate
VIP
$75
SOLD OUT
Kids 12 & Under
Free
With ticketed adult
VIP tickets are sold out. General admission is still available. Tier prices step up automatically as Advance allotments sell out. Tickets are sold through Showslinger. You will be redirected to a secure off-site checkout to complete your purchase.
Jennerstown Speedway Complex sits in Jennerstown, PA (Somerset County), in the Laurel Highlands roughly 60 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. The complex includes a grandstand, hospitality pavilion, outdoor stages, on-site concessions, and ample free parking. Primitive camping is also available.
Largest grand prize claim based on publicly announced grand prizes for battle-of-the-bands competitions held in Pennsylvania during 2025 and 2026, including the NEPA Philharmonic Rock the Raceway ($5,000 grand prize), Vinyl Philadelphia Rock the Raceway ($5,000 prize pool), Sherman Theater Rock the Raceway ($800 first place), and the Dollar Bank Rock the Raceway ($500 to $800 first place). Comparison excludes college-only competitions and global brand competitions whose grand prizes are not awarded at the Pennsylvania regional level.
THE RUNNING ORDER
1:00 PM
Food trucks, vendors, the beer garden and the kids area are all going the minute you walk in.
2:00 PM
Touchdown And A Handshake, Twisted Fate, BombChele & the Bangs and 7 Mile Run, back to back until about 5:40. Judges score them live.
6:00 PM
First place takes $6,000. The judges and the crowd decide it together, and your vote only counts if you are standing there.
6:30 PM
Opening for the headliner. Founding drummer of Rusted Root, the guy behind "Send Me on My Way." Seven pieces, three of them on percussion.
8:00 PM
Six guys from Lancaster, three of them actually raised Amish, in full garb, playing everything from country to hip hop. Ninety minutes to close the place down.
Individual band set times posted the week of the show.
THE COMPETITION
Four bands out of the 128 that started. They play back to back starting at 2 PM, the judges and the crowd score them live, and first place takes $6,000 plus an 8 hour session at Tonic Recording Studios.
COMPETINGA high-octane five piece out of Latrobe blending their own originals with the classic rock anthems you know by heart. From the Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Festival to Fort Ligonier Days, this is a band that knows how to command a local crowd.
COMPETINGA five piece, full out 80s rock cover band that has spent 15 plus years playing the biggest and smallest rooms across Westmoreland, Allegheny and Washington counties and into Ohio.
COMPETINGA six person Pittsburgh powerhouse fusing the anthemic energy of pop punk with the sonic weight of hard rock. They cut their teeth in East Hills dive bars and South Side clubs, and their live shows are carefully orchestrated chaos.
COMPETINGA six piece hard rocking, high energy country band out of Indiana County, 10 plus years in and opening for more than 30 national acts at rooms like The Palace Theater and Star Lake. Their latest EP dropped May 30, 2026.
THE NATIONAL ACTS
Not part of the contest. Once the winner is crowned at 6 PM, Jim Donovan & Sun King Warriors open the night up and headliner The Amish Outlaws close it down.
HEADLINERSix guys from Lancaster, three of them actually raised Amish, in full garb, playing everything from country to hip hop. They close out the night.
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OPENERFounding drummer of Rusted Root, the guy behind "Send Me on My Way." Seven pieces, three of them on percussion. They open the night for The Amish Outlaws.
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