No. 8 car owner Rich Eichelberger gets first ever owner's crown
Mechanicsburg - Freddie Rahmer of Salfordville earned the 2023 Williams Grove Speedway Lawrence Chevrolet 410 Sprint Car track title last Saturday night with his runs in the Champion Oil National Open and National Open Preliminary make-up race, both sanctioned by the World of Outlaws.
The hard-fought track crown was the third of young Rahmer's career at Williams Grove but a career first for car owner and veteran driver Rich Eichelberger of Dillsburg and his No. 8.
Rahmer took previous crowns aboard his father's No. 51 sprinter in 2017 and in 2020.
Just like last season, Rahmer fought with Danny Dietrich for the title and laurels in a championship chase that again, just like last season, came down to the final races and laps of the year.
But where it was Dietrich coming out on top last year, it was 27-year old Rahmer in the 2023 edition.
Rahmer competed in all 20 shows at Williams Grove during the year, ending the season with an average feature finish of 6.8.
To his credit were a pair of wins, on May 19 and June 2, along with a trio of runner-ups and third place finishes plus two sixths, two sevenths, one eighth, one ninth and two tenth place finishes.
Team wrenches Matt Stover and Harold Lieb have been named recipients of the Davey Brown Sr. Mechanic of the Year Award.
Freddie Rahmer now joins a list of other three-time track champions including Todd Shaffer, Lynn Paxton, Smokey Snellbaker, George Speck and Tommy Hinnershitz.
The top five in the points following Rahmer and second place Dietrich was Devon Borden, TJ Stutts and defending champion Lance Dewease.
Special awards for the 2023 season within the 410 sprint ranks were also recently announced.
Earning Rookie of the Year honors was Cameron Smith, who ended up 10th in season points.
Justin Whittall earned the Sportsmanship Award.
And Troy Wagaman Jr. was voted Most Improved Driver of the 2023 season by virtue of earning his first two Williams Grove wins ever after being named the pilot of the Mike Heffner No. 27 machine.
Wagaman ended the year seventh in the speedway point standings.
Danny Dietrich did earn the 2023 Hoosier Diamond Series crown at Williams Grove Speedway aboard Gary Kauffman's No. 48.
It is Dietrich's first crown in the Williams Grove series that dates to 1999.
