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 Dietrich 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.
MITCH SMITH MEMORIAL WINNERS
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
- Williams Grove Speedway on Nov 15, 2024
- Article Date: 6/29/2014