MECHANICSBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — The biggest weekend of the sprint car calendar in Central Pennsylvania has arrived: the 59th annual Williams Grove Speedway Champion Racing Oil National Open, sanctioned by the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars Series.
The 40-lap feature pays one of the largest prizes of the entire season at $75,000 to the winner. The Saturday A-Main total purse exceeds 130,000 dollars. The National Open concludes the racing schedule at Williams Grove for 2021.
The first race was back in 1963 and eventual Indianapolis 500 champion Gordon Johncock of Hastings, Mich., won the very first 100-lap affair.
In 2020, Donny Schatz won the National Open, billed as the biggest spring car race in the nation. It was his sixth career victory in the event, the most among all drivers.
According to a race recap from Williams Grove, Schatz was the third and final leader in the hotly contested 40-lapper. A lap 12 restart saw David Gravel pull the trigger for control over Logan Schuchart but after locking down to the low side in the third and fourth turns, Schatz reeled in Gravel to make a low side, first turn winning move as the leader was entering traffic on lap 21. After a stoppage for fuel on lap 25, the restart saw fifth starter Kyle Larson come to life and when Schatz entered traffic with seven laps left he closed in for the win. Larson pulled a banzai run through the third and fourth corners as the pair raced to the checkers by blasting the outside line in the turns before pulling to Schatz’s outside in turn four however just as it appeared that he would edge in front his mount jumped the cushion.
Past National Open Winners
- 1963: Gordon Johncock
- 1964: Larry Dickson
- 1965: Henry Jacoby
- 1966: Lou Blaney
- 1967: Bobbie Adamson
- 1968: Bobbie Adamson
- 1969: Gene Varner
- 1970: Johnny Grum
- 1971: Kenny Weld
- 1972: Kenny Weld
- 1973: Kenny Weld
- 1974: Steve Smith
- 1975: Kenny Weld
- 1976: Steve Smith
- 1977: Van May
- 1978: Kramer Williamson
- 1979: Smokey Snellbaker
- 1980: Allen Klinger
- 1981: Steve Smith
- 1982: Lynn Paxton
- 1983: Lynn Paxton
- 1984: Doug Wolfgang
- 1985: Doug Wolfgang
- 1986: Doug Wolfgang
- 1987: Joey Allen
- 1988: Kenny Jacobs
- 1989: Stevie Smith
- 1990: Steve Kinser
- 1991: Stevie Smith
- 1992: Steve Kinser
- 1993: Don Kreitz Jr.
- 1994: Steve Kinser
- 1995: Mark Kinser
- 1996: Lance Dewease
- 1997: Sammy Swindell
- 1998: Billy Pauch
- 1999: Mark Kinser
- 2000: Donny Schatz
- 2001: Lance Dewease
- 2002: Lance Dewease
- 2003: Steve Kinser
- 2004: Donny Schatz
- 2005: Donny Schatz
- 2006: Doug Esh
- 2007: Donny Schatz
- 2008: Cody Darrah
- 2009: Greg Hodnett
- 2010: Sammy Swindell
- 2011: Jason Meyers
- 2012: Donny Schatz
- 2013: Fred Rahmer
- 2014: David Gravel
- 2015: Stevie Smith
- 2016: Danny Dietrich
- 2017: David Gravel
- 2018: Lance Dewease
- 2019: Brent Marks
- 2020: Donny Schatz
Admission prices for Saturday’s National Open are $40 for adults and $20 for youth. More information can be found on Williams Grove’s website by clicking here.
