Williams Grove World Of Outlaws 54th Annual Champion Racing Oil National Open This Week Has Storied & Historic Past
Saturday Open pays $50,000 to
win!
9/25/16
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Mechanicsburg –
Sprint car fans in the East
will gather this Saturday night to see the 54th running of the
Williams Grove Speedway Champion Racing Oil National Open for sprint cars
sanctioned by the World of Outlaws Craftsman sprint car series, going
40-laps in distance and paying $50,000 to the winner.
The National Open has a grand history that dates back to
its inception and first champion in 1963.
Eventual Indianapolis 500 champion Gordon Johncock of
Hastings, Mich., won the 100-lap affair in a contraption that had what
looked like a wing atop its roll cage.
And this too would soon come to pass, as sprint cars would
begin taking over dirt tracks in the east, including Williams Grove
Speedway.
Ohio USAC standout Larry Dickson scored Open round two
in 1964.
Western Pennsylvania invader Henry Jacoby of Franklin
took 1965.
The name of Blaney graced
the National Open winner’s circle in 1966 as family patriarch Lou took Open
laurels decades before his sons Dave and Dale would compete on the scene.
Bobbie Adamson, becoming a region name, took back-to-back
victories in 1967 and 1968 before a virtual unknown named Gene Varner from
Selinsgrove drove a back-up Gary Wasson No. 5 to an upset win in 1969 after
a distance of 150 laps.
The decade of the 1970’s
dawned with Altoona flyer Johnny Grum picking up the Open win.
The first of three consecutive wins by Midwest
transplant Kenny Weld took place in 1971.
All three of Weld’s wins came aboard the Bob
Weikert No. 29.
Another transplant, The Bandit, Steve Smith Sr., took wins
in 1974 and again in a rain-shortened 122-lap race in 1976 while The
Original Outlaw, Bobby Allen drove to a win in 1975.
Texas native racing brother Van May took the 1977 version
of the National Open before the Pink Panther struck in 1978 with a Kramer
Williamson 100-lap win.
Smokey Snellbaker drove to
victory for Charlie Lloyd in 1979 before the grandson of a coal miner named
Lucas, Allen Klinger of Hegins kicked off the 1980’s with a 40-lap victory.
Steve Smith Sr. returned for a third Open triumph in 1981.
Lynn Paxton went back-to-back in 1982 and 1983 and stunned
the racing world after his second 75-lap win by announcing his early
retirement from the sport in victory lane.
Three more in a row for
owner Bob Weikert came at the hands of South Dakota driver Doug Wolfgang
from 1984 – 1986.
Wolfgang got stunned, denied and passed by Joey Allen for
the victory in 1987.
The Mouse, Kenny Jacobs of
Holmesville, Ohio, took another win for Weikert in 1988.
The year 1989 found the first true World of Outlaws
National Open contested as the yearly sanctioning began with Stevie Smith
taking a victory to carry on his father’s tradition.
Technically, the 1978 National Open was considered an
outlaws race as well although no outlaws drivers competed in the event.
One of if not the
greatest sprint car driver(s) of all time, Hoosier Steve Kinser took his
first National Open checkers in 1990.
Stevie Smith returned for another Open win, both for car
owner Al Hamilton, in 1991, and now at a distance of 50 laps.
Kinser was again the
champion in 1992 before daytime specialist Don Kreitz Jr. drove to victory
under the Sunday sun in 1993 after 40 laps of action.
Steve Kinser was again the winner in 1994 before outlaw
cousin Mark Kinser took 1995.
The locals went back in
front in 1996 with Lance Dewease and No. 461 car owner Walt Dyer.
Sammy Swindell won his first
National Open in 1997 on a night that had fans returning to frozen
windshields on their cars by the time the race ended.
Persistent rain forced a
non-sanctioned event in 1998, won by modified turned sprint star Billy Pauch
in a mount owned by John Zemaitis.
Mark Kinser returned for victory in 1999 before one of
today’s outlaws stars and champions, Donny Schatz took his first win in 2000
as part of what would become a historic record in National Open competition
in another 13 years.
Dewease returned the laurels to the PA Posse turf with
back-to-back wins in 2001 and 2002, for car owners Joe Harz and Al Hamilton,
taking $25,000 and $30,000, respectively on both accounts.
Steve Kinser was again the
winner in 2003 before Schatz returned for two in a row in 2004 and 2005.
The first $50,000 to win National Open was scored by
Lancaster’s Doug Esh in 2006 and as it turned out it was the richest and
shortest Open in history when rains hit on lap 26 of 40.
Schatz was again the winner in 2007.
Thanks to more persistent
rain, another unsanctioned event in 2008 saw future outlaws and All Stars
star Cody Darrah drive to victory.
Greg Hodnett took a hugely
popular National Open victory for the PA Posse in 2009 driving the Jim and
Sandy Kline No. 22.
Sammy Swindell got the
second Open win of his career in 2010.
West coast flyer Jason Meyers took the 40-lap, $50,000
laurels in 2011.
The 2012 version saw North Dakota’s Schatz surge for an
unprecedented fifth career win in the prestigious classic National Open.
With the $50,000, 40-lap
victory, Schatz became the winningest driver in National Open history,
breaking a four-win tie with Steve Kinser.
In 2013, the grand career of local driver Fred Rahmer
of Salfordville was capped off at Williams Grove with his first and only
triumph in the lucrative, prestigious National Open as Rahmer led the final
31 laps of the 40-lap feature before the veteran retired from the sport at
the close of the season.
Connecticut driver David Gravel took the $50,000 win in
2014 but not without controversy.
The outlaws flyer was overtaken by local favorite Stevie
Smith during the last half of the race before the slightest of contact from
a closely following Gravel found Smith spinning in the first turn with six
laps to go while Gravel retook command for the victory.
And then Stevie Smith got redemption in what was to be the
first three-day National Open in history in 2015.
After three consecutive days
of rain stopped the event dead in its tracks, a break with the weather on
Sunday allowed a raindated Open to be completed with Smith taking the lead
from Danny Dietrich on the ninth tour to lead the final 31 circuits and beat
Schatz to the line for victory.
Saturdays
National Open action
begins at 6:30 pm.
Admission prices for Saturday’s National Open are $35 for adults and $20 for
youth.
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.