Williams Grove Speedway will continue the revival of a decades long event this Friday night, June 16 at 7:30 pm when for the second year in a row it brings back the Ted Horn/Bill Schindler Memorial race, sanctioned by the USAC Silver Crown Series.
The event was discontinued after the 1974 race that was won by Bruce Walkup of Downey, California.
And then last season, USAC and Silver Crown returned to the oval in a much-heralded appearance to revive the race and the Silver Crown stars and the race did not disappoint with Chris Windom of Cantonville, Ill., taking the prestigious championship event chased by the furious charge of Indiana's Bryan Clauson.
First run in 1939 and known at Williams Grove as the Sweepstakes Race, the maiden winner was Vic Nauman of Lebanon, Pennsylvania.
Over the years various circuits including AAA from 1939-1941 and again from 1946-1955 sanctioned the race.
CSRA sanctioned the race in 1945. The USAC East Series conducted the event from 1956-1960 and then the USAC National Sprint Series sanctioned the event until it was discontinued in 1974.
The race first took on the Memorial theme after Ted Horn of Cincinnati, Ohio, was killed in a racing accident at the Duquoin Illinois State Fairgrounds in October of 1948.
Bill Schindler's name was then added after Schindler's untimely demise in a racing accident at Allentown, Pennsylvania, in 1952.
Schindler, a native of Middletown, New York, competed in the Indianapolis 500 during his career and scored a pair of victories at Williams Grove Speedway.
Horn, also an Indy 500 racer and a AAA circuit champion, was a 14-time Williams Grove winner during his career.
The USAC/ARDC Midgets will compete at Williams Grove on Friday night along with the USAC Silver Crown Series.
Schindler was the very first ARDC Midget Series president when it was founded in 1939, and he held the position through the 1946 season.
The USAC Silver Crown cars will compete in the 100-lap Horn/Schindler Memorial paying $8,000 to win out of a $34,000 purse, in honor of the late racing greats.
Prior to 2016, Silver Crown itself last competed at Williams Grove Speedway back in July 1981, when Eddie Leavitt of Kearney, Missouri, scored the win.
Adult general admission tickets are $30 with youth ages 13-20 admitted for $10 and ages 12 and under admitted for free.
- Williams Grove Speedway on Nov 18, 2024
- Article Date: 6/11/2017