The announcement from management at Williams Grove Speedway the other day should get the attention of sprint car and modified stock car fans throughout the area.  The legendary track will host one of the four legs of the Carquest Tony Stewart-Dave Blaney Four Race Series on Thursday evening, June 5.
Other racing facilities participating in the series include Lebanon Valley Speedway, West Lebanon, NY; New Egypt, NJ Speedway and Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio.
NASCAR Winston Cup champion Tony Stewart, former World of Outlaws champion now Winston Cup racer Dave Blaney and Busch Series star Mike McLaughlin will take part in the Carquest Champions Challenge Cup at Williams Grove in big block modifieds against some Central Pennsy sprint car racers, who will be representing the Pennsylvania Posse.  Members of the local team will be announced in the next few weeks.  It is expected that Fred Rahmer, a former modified racing champion who has often said he has no interest in racing a modified, will change his mind and be part of this special event.  Stewart, Blaney and McLaughlin will join Stewart's Winston Cup chief Gregg Zipadelli and TV personality Matt Yocum in a pre-race autograph session.  Race fans in attendance will have the opportunity to purchase raffle tickets for rides around the half-mile clay oval in the Dave Blaney Outlaw Driving Experience two-seat sprint car.  Money raised from the raffle will go to Zippy's Crusade for Kids, a charity backed by Zipadelli.  In addition to the Champions Challenge Cup race, a complete program of sprint car racing will be presented as part of a two-day event in which the drivers will have an opportunity to win $10,000.  The Thursday night program will be a point race for the Cindy Rowe Paintless Dent Repair track championship. The first four finishers will be locked into the final two rows of Friday night's feature, which will be starting positions 21-24, with Thursday's winner starting dead last. Yes, that is correct, the Thursday night feature winner will start last on Friday night and that should make for a very exciting show.  If one of the four drivers can win on Friday night his victory will be worth $10,000.  I suggest you call about tickets for this event NOW at 717.697.5000.
    THE FOLKS WHO RUN WILLIAMS GROVE SPEEDWAY made a joke of it when they had to call off their Friday night show. "At least it was not snow," said a spokesperson.  After losing five of its first six dates in 2003 to snow-related cancellations, Williams Grove Speedway was RAINED OUT on Friday night.  The Early Bird Sprint Car Championship will be presented on Friday night, April 11th. The winner of the 30-lap feature will take home $6,000 from a purse of nearly $30,000. With that kind of money being offered it ALMOST makes me want to find a sprint car ride. Anyone got an opening for a 240 pound racer with no experience but a lot of determination?
With the late models on the track for their hot laps, a steady rain began which halted the action much to the chagrin of the stock car fans in attendance. Those fans were looking forward to watching an outstanding array of late model talent assembled for the ONLY scheduled appearance of the popular stock car class at Williams Grove this season.  Among the 39-car late model field were such standouts as UDTRA national champion Rick Eckert plus Davey Johnson, Gary Stuhler, Scotty Haus and others.
"We would like to thank the late model teams for their support of this unsanctioned event," said promoter Alan Kreitzer. "We hope a suitable date can be found to bring them back to Williams Grove this season.
There were also 32 sprint cars in the competition area for the second part of the doubleheader show. Current Cindy Rowe Paintless Dent Repair point leader Cris Eash was there along with Lance Dewease, Fred Rahmer, Greg Hodnett, Keith Kauffman, Todd Hestor and a host of others.
All the sprint car racers are expected to return for the running of the Early Bird Sprint Car Championship on Friday night, April 11th. Racing starts with time trials at 7:45 p.m.
    MIDDLESWARTH POTATO CHIPS, quickly becoming the racer's potato chip in Central Pennsy, has announced a regiment of product giveaways slated for upcoming dates in the 2003 Middleswarth Potato Chips Susquehanna Valley 410 Sprints Series at Selinsgrove, PA Speedway.
Mark Smith claimed the first race of the five event series on March 28th.  The Middleburg, PA firm, which sponsors the two-car team of Keith Kauffman and Todd Hestor in 410 sprint car competition, will give away 3,000 bags of chips to general admission fans during coming events. A total of 1,500 bags will be distributed at both the 2nd Annual Jan Opperman Memorial on May 4 and at the Pennsylvania Sprint Speedweek Final on July 6.  However the May 4th Opperman Memorial will also include an additional promotion courtesy of Middleswarth.