LAUREL RUN, Pa. — One by one, when the light turns green, engines begin to roar, and each driver is off to the races at the Giants Despair Hillclimb in Laurel Run. It's a sight that Lenny Sawicki of South Wilkes-Barre is all too familiar with.
"My father brought me at his age, two and a half, when all of the houses were here, we used to sit on the porches. Then I brought my kids at his age, and now I'm bringing my grandson," said Lenny Sawicki.
Sawicki has been coming to the annual Giants Despair Hillclimb for more than five decades.
But when the race didn't happen last year because of the pandemic, he was disappointed.
"It's like a family reunion," Sawicki said. "I come up here, and I see people that I've seen for 60 years, and it's just nice, and I thought it would be nice for him to come up."
Now - to give you perspective, the Giants Despair Hillclimb is one mile in length with five turns. Race officials tell Newswatch 16 the average time it takes for a driver to get to the top is about 58 seconds, but some of those drivers are looking to push their luck and break the record of 38 seconds.
This year marks the 115th Giants Despair Hillclimb.
More than 100 drivers from all over showed up to the race.
Including a first-year driver, Jeff-Isreal Jr. of Nuangola.
"I've always been into racing. I got family into racing, and it's just always been a dream of mine so, my bother-in-law asked me at a family get-together if I would drive the car, and I said year," said Jeff-Isreal Jr.
Others like Bob Feist of Wilkes-Barre have been participating for 10 years.
"It's really exciting for us. It's a hobby for a lot of guys, and it gives them something to do, then, like you said, go to work 40 hours a week. You have something to look forward to," said Feist.
And looking forward to the finish line is the payoff for many of these drivers.
"All the local guys look forward to it all year long. You know it's like their weekend in this area, you know," said Bill Feist, Vice-President of the Hillclimb Association.
You can catch more races on Sunday starting at 9 a.m.