Williams Grove Is July 4th PA Speedweek Stop, 10G To Win Mitch Smith Memorial Slated
6/29/14
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Mechanicsburg
–
Williams Grove Speedway will host the biggest event of the 24th
Pennsylvania Speedweek series this Independence Day, Friday, July 4 at 7:30 pm
when it hosts the 26th annual Mitch Smith Memorial for sprint cars,
paying a hefty $10,000 to win out of a purse worth over $30,000.
The Mitch Smith Memorial will be
the second 2014 speedweek date slated for the track after Williams Grove began
this year’s speedweek on June 27 when Danny Dietrich took an exciting victory
worth $5,000.
Friday’s Mitch Smith Memorial
will use time trials to set the field as do all speedweek events and the feature
will be 30 laps in distance.
A special holiday fireworks
display is also slated during the program.
The Saturday
Series 358 late models will also be on the July 4 racing card.
The
Mitch Smith Memorial began in honor of the late star in 1989.
Known affectionately to
most as the “Linglestown Leadfoot,” Smith was one of the most electric sprint
car stars to ever grace the Cumberland County oval and the Central Pa region
with his talents.
Perhaps his biggest claim to fame was his trumping of the
world-renowned USAC sprint car stars when they came east to Williams Grove
Speedway in 1971.
For comparison
purposes, USAC was in 1971 what the World of Outlaws is to sprint car racing
today.
They just simply didn’t
get beat.
Except by Mitch Smith in Central Pa in 1971.
The USAC’ers were furious.
The PA drivers and fans were famous.
At the end of his four-decade career in 1978, Mitch Smith
had amassed 179 overall total career feature wins including 27 in a sprint car
and nine in a super modified at Williams Grove alone.
Smith drove for owners like
Mary Flack in the Flying Tiger, John Regester, Gary Wasson and Al Hamilton in
the famed No. 77.
After being felled by a
massive heart attack in 1988, Smith was posthumously inducted into the National
Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1995.
Fred Rahmer and Lance Dewease have done the best in the
Smith Memorial over the years, each owning four victories.
Already a winner at the track this season on two occasions
including just last week, Danny Dietirch is the defending winner of the Mitch
Smith Memorial.
Aside from Friday programs
at the oval, the Williams Grove Speedway Saturday Series, offering racing action
with the Super Sportsman, 358 late models and street stocks at 6:30 pm is in
full swing.
Saturday Series adult admission is JUST $5.
And please remember,
kids ages 12 and under are always admitted free at Williams Grove Speedway!
Keep up to date on all the latest
speedway news and information by visiting the oval’s official website at
www.williamsgrove.com or by visiting the oval on Facebook or via
Twitter.
1989
Stevie Smith
1990 Joey Allen
1991 Don Kreitz Jr.
1992 Lance Dewease
1993 Keith Kauffman
1994 Fred Rahmer
1995 Lance Dewease
1996 Keith Kauffman
1997 Lance Dewease
1998 Todd Shaffer
1999 Fred Rahmer
2000 Don Kreitz Jr.
2001 Lance Dewease
2002 Greg Hodnett
2003 Greg Hodnett
2004 Fred Rahmer
2005 Fred Rahmer
2006 Jeff Shepard
2007 Greg Hodnett
2008 Doug Esh
2009 Daryn Pittman
2010 Daryn Pittman
2011 Alan Krimes
2012 Stevie Smith
2013 Danny Dietrich