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40-565: In late 1937, car owner at that time, Emmett Shelley convinced Williams Grove Park Owner Roy Richwine to build a speedway across the street from the park and on May 21, 1939, Williams Grove Speedway held its first race. The race was won by Tommy Hinnershitz . The speedway ran "big car" races under the American Automobile Association (AAA) sanction as well as select American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) Pro Flat track races in its first few years of operation. In 1942,

80-560: A Late Model series in 1988, with the first race held at the speedway. The inaugural event was won by Larry Phillips. Notable Drivers: Lynn Paxton, Keith Kauffman , Doug Wolfgang , Bobby Davis Jr, Jim Nace, Van May, Bobby Allen Notable Races: National Open, Summer Nationals, Twin 20s, Early Bird Championship Racing at the speedway saw a new youth movement. Now familiar names like Kreitz, Rahmer, Shaffer and Dewease were just beginning to find victory lane, but were doing it nearly every week. The popularity and following of sprint car racing in

120-532: A daughter Jean in 1939 and a daughter Carol in 1943. Hinnershitz began racing in 1930 with a 1914 Model T at Reading Fairgrounds Speedway . The car cost him $ 25; he won his first race and $ 75 earned for the victory. He later was quoted, "Boy, I was really rich then. That was the best investment I ever made in a race car." His early career saw successes at Williams Grove Speedway and Reading Fairgrounds Speedway near his home in Pennsylvania. He joined

160-432: A generational shift in racing from open wheel to flathead-powered "fendered" cars. Big cars were still a very popular attraction on select Sunday afternoons, but Jalopy Stocks became the weekly division on Fridays. These pre-war coupe's flathead engines were quickly replaced by OHV (overhead valve) power plants as post-war auto production increased and renamed Modified Stocks. Stock Cars also made numerous appearances including

200-429: A great amount of downforce to help the car turn and maximize grip, both in the corners and on the straightaways. The cars also have smaller wings on the nose to provide more downforce to the front wheels. Sprint cars use "quick change" rear ends. This allows the teams to quickly change the gear ratio for different size tracks. Most cars use a torsion bar suspension system. Different size bars either soften or stiffen

240-570: A handful of appearances on Saturday’s in the first few years of the series. Sunday Enduros were held once a month throughout most of the decade. In 2008, speedway owner Morgan Hughes died. He left the speedway to his family for his daughter, Kathleen, to run. Notable Drivers: Fred Rahmer, Don Kreitz Jr., Lance Dewease, Keith Kauffman , Todd Shaffer, Greg Hodnett, Chad Layton, Pat Cannon, Cory Haas, Frankie Herr, Mike Lehman Notable Races: National Open, Summer Nationals, Mitch Smith Memorial, Twin 20s, Triple 20s, Early Bird Championship The new decade saw

280-491: A large crowd in a race won by Johnny Mantz . At the end of the 1940s the National Roadster Championships were held at the speedway, which would help greatly influence the future of racing in the next decade. Notable Drivers: Tommy Hinnershitz , Ted Horn , Joie Chitwood , Jimmy Chann Notable Races: AAA East National Championship, Indy Sweepstakes, National Roadster Championship The 1950s saw

320-526: A major evolution of the dirt track racing centered in Central Pennsylvania. The Flathead-powered coupes of the 1950s gave way to Modified stock cars and their more powerful engines proved a boon to The Grove with its long straightaways and tight turns Originally built on stock frames, the full-sized prewar coupe-bodied Modifieds were powered by OHV V8 engines. Drivers like Bobby Hersh and Johnny Mackison Sr. were frequent visitors to victory lane in

360-479: A set of rules and a points system to crown a champion of his series. In 2003, Johnson sold the series to Boundless Motor Sports Racing, later renamed Dirt Motorsports and currently World Racing Group (WRG). In 2004 WRG extended its subscription-based streaming service ( DIR TV ision ), to the Outlaw series. It originally offered radio broadcasts of all races, and added video streaming to select races, until reaching

400-412: A sprint car is 105 inches in circumference. In contrast, the left rear tire is only between 90 and 98 inches in circumference, depending on the track size and conditions. The difference in the tire sizes is called stagger. The more stagger the car has, the sharper the car can turn, but at the expense of straight line speed. Sprint cars do not have starters, so push trucks are used to push the cars to start

440-469: Is owned and operated by World Racing Group , and was rebranded when the World of Outlaws Late Model Series was introduced. The Sprint Car Series has been sponsored by Monster Beverage 's NOS Energy Drink since 2019. The series is a national tour of high power to weight, custom fabricated sprint cars. The race cars feature large adjustable wings on the top and large rear tires that transfer their power to

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480-697: The NASCAR Grand National division in 1954. On the open wheel side, sanctioning changed from AAA to the newly formed United States Auto Club (USAC) in 1956. Champ Cars ran at the speedway yearly until 1959 for the Indianapolis Sweepstakes race. AMA Motorcycles and Midgets were also recurring divisions throughout the 1950s. Notable Drivers: Tommy Hinnershitz , Johnny Thomson , Johnny Mackison Sr., Dick Tobias Notable Races: Horn/Schindler Memorial, NASCAR Grand National, Indy Sweepstakes, Midget 100 Lap Championship The 1960s saw

520-600: The 1950s, he became one of the first drivers to have a car sponsor. He carried the Miracle Power fuel additive sponsorship while racing with an Offenhauser race engine. Hinnershitz retired from racing in 1960 three hours after witnessing his friend Johnny Thomson die at a Allentown Fairgrounds race in Pennsylvania. "I had been thinking about retiring for several weeks," Hinnershitz was quoted. "But I won't say what happened to John didn't help me make it definite. I quit for two reasons. One, I didn't approve of some of

560-478: The 1970s, modern Sprint Car racing and Late Models were the weekly divisions along with Midgets, Street Stocks and Limited Late Models making routine appearances throughout the decade. In 1972, 4 July weekend Jim Adams won both features of a double header in a Late Model Friday night and another win Saturday night at Selinsgrove for three feature wins in 24 hours. By 1970, Jack Gunn was in his 3rd year of promoting

600-410: The 1980s, more drivers were migrating to the area and the local talent was arguably at its best. Each week was a "who’s-who" of sprint car racing. With the newly formed World of Outlaws making regular appearances at the speedway and claiming to have the best talent in sprint car racing, a new rivalry was beginning. Through this, the term "Pennsylvania Posse" was coined for the regular sprint car drivers at

640-727: The AAA in 1932. Hinnershitz raced his midget car with a boat outboard motor at the 1/6-mile, 45-degree Nutley, New Jersey , bicycle board track Velodrome in the late 1930s. Hinnershitz's passed his Indianapolis Motor Speedway test in 1939 but did not qualify for the race. He won the first feature at Williams Grove Speedway , a AAA Sprint car race. Hinnershitz won the AAA Eastern Sprint Car championship in 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, and 1955. AAA stopped sanctioning racing and USAC took over sanctioning for 1956. He won USAC Eastern Sprint Car championship in 1956 and 1959. In

680-586: The Sprint Car touring divisions, the All-Star Circuit of Champions and World of Outlaws , which would add even bigger races to the speedway’s schedule. Notable Drivers: Kenny Weld, Mitch Smith, Smokey Snellbaker, Kramer Williamson , Bobby Allen , Lynn Paxton, Jan Opperman , Steve Smith, Gary Snellbaker, Bobby Goodling, Ed Spencer Notable Races: National Open, Horn/Schindler Memorial, Summer Nationals, Twin 25s, Williams Grove Late Model 100 In

720-475: The World of Outlaws to designate legal tire compounds for a circuit among different compounds available to competitors, as the tire must suitably respond to the track surface. Tire technicians will reject certain compounds at certain circuits if they are unfit for the surface or may provide an unfair advantage. The series' cars have a large top mounted wing with sideboards that face opposite directions to help produce

760-408: The area led to a plea for more racing which meant an earlier start to the season. Late February/early March races were being scheduled, which allowed more drivers out of the area to come into town before their season would naturally begin. The depth of weekly talent at each area speedway led to the formation of Pennsylvania Speedweek in 1991, a week-long series of higher paying races as a way to showcase

800-415: The best drivers in the region. Williams Grove held the first race in the series on July 3, 1991 which was won by Steve Smith. 358 sprint cars were now a very promising division, drawing large car counts and acting as a development division for the 410 sprint cars. Late Models were having less weekly races at the speedway in large part because of the growing 358 sprint car division, but had a large presence when

840-481: The bodywork while Bobby Abel built a tube-framed Bug that weighed only 1200 pounds. The modern tubular framed integrated roll cage Sprint car emerged from these and similar developments and that basic design has now dominated both dirt and pavement racing for more than 50 years. On October 20, 1963, the "Biggest Race in the East," The National Open was born. Eventual two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Gordon Johncock would be

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880-527: The dirt tracks they race on. The series travels primarily the United States, but has sanctioned races in Canada, Mexico, and Australia. The series was founded in 1978 by Ted Johnson, a former midget racer from Madison, Wisconsin . At the time sprint car racing in the United States lacked a true national series. Johnson organized the World of Outlaws sanctioning body and established a national schedule,

920-491: The early 1960s. By 1963, the Modifieds continued to evolve, now with still-recognizable stock bodies which had been narrowed, chopped and lightened. In 1964 the first Bugs (30 x 90 frames) Super Modifieds appeared. These featured drastically cut-down and sometimes custom bodies on narrowed stock frames. Kenny Weld shortly built a Modified for Bob Weikert featuring light torsion bar front suspension and down-force wings as part of

960-594: The end of the 'big block' Sprint cars which, with a nod from Gambler frames, were king at The Grove until Ted Johnson threatened a boycott of Williams Grove if his Outlaws had to compete with the 520 ci aluminium engines used by the PA Posse's top teams. The main division would become 410 ci Sprint cars with aluminium blocks for national touring series but, for a time, PA's local racers were limited to iron block motors for local weekly racing. A new weekly attraction, 358 sprint cars, were added in 1989. The World of Outlaws began

1000-451: The engines. Sprint Cars only have an in/out direct drive with a fixed gear ratio, no reverse gear and no clutch. Source: Note: Includes all full-field preliminary race wins. Those with a yellow background indicates Knoxville National winners. Updated November 9, 2024. Source: Here is a list of top paying and more popular race events each year. Most are two days or more. Final night features are usually based on points earned on

1040-573: The first winner of the Open. Ray Tilley would obtain a record that is still in place today by first winning 17 races in 1965 and then breaking his own record with 21 wins in 1966. The late 1960s saw another evolution in racing at The Grove, with the switch to a weekly program of Sprint cars. Late Models were also a featured division for a few years Notable Drivers: Ray Tilley, Bobbie Adamson, Mitch Smith, Bobby Hersh, Johnny Mackison Notable Races: Horn/Schindler Memorial, National Open, Spring Championship In

1080-684: The full calendar in 2018. Select races are broadcast on delay nationally on the CBS Sports Network with MavTV showing the Knoxville Nationals since 2013. Previous broadcasters include The Nashville Network and Speed Channel shown live or on delay. A WoO Sprint Car must weigh at least 1,425 pounds (646kg) with the driver in the car. The mandated 410-cubic inch engine (6.7 litre) produces over 900 horsepower, uses mechanical fuel injection and must run on methanol fuel. The series' specification tire manufacturer works with

1120-497: The most events in the history of the speedway with two nights of racing throughout most of the season. The Saturday Night Series had expanded to a 15+ race schedule. In May 2011, to expand the rivalry formed between the World of Outlaws and Pennsylvania Posse, the Morgan Cup challenge was formed. The winning faction (World of Outlaws or Williams Grove Speedway) of the race was given the Morgan Cup trophy to keep at their facility for

1160-539: The names of Ray Tilley, Lynn Paxton and Mitch Smith for spots on the All-Time win list. In 2006, the speedway expanded its racing program to two nights a week to incorporate the continuation of racing divisions from the closing Silver Springs Speedway. While most of the divisions from the former speedway had raced previously at Williams Grove, the "Saturday Night Series" officially began on April 15, 2006. The Super Sportsman, 358 Late Models, Street Stocks and 4 Cylinders made

1200-493: The national touring series STARS made their yearly appearance. Notable Drivers: Don Kreitz Jr., Lance Dewease, Keith Kauffman , Todd Shaffer, Billy Pauch , Fred Rahmer, Cris Eash, Jeff Shepard, Mike Lehman Notable Races: National Open, Summer Nationals, Twin 20s, Early Bird Championship, Mitch Smith Memorial Most records were broken in the new century, not only because the cars were getting faster but also because Fred Rahmer, Lance Dewease and Don Kreitz Jr., were now surpassing

1240-458: The new drivers and their driving philosophies. Two, my hands were gone. I simply couldn't grip the wheel well enough." He held 39 track records at his retirement. A. J. Foyt was quoted in his biography A.J. : "Of all the drivers on dirt Tommy Hinnershitz stands out in my mind as the best. Man, he had that sprint car up on two wheels, one wheel up on its side, whatever it took. And he almost never turned it over." Hinnershitz continued to work in

Williams Grove Speedway - Misplaced Pages Continue

1280-400: The racing field for several more years as an Indy car mechanic. He died on August 1, 1999. Hinnershitz was nicknamed "The Flying Dutchman", "The Flying Farmer", and the "Oley Dirt Farmer". World of Outlaws World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series , originally known as the World of Outlaws (often abbreviated WoO ) is an American national touring dirt track racing series. It

1320-532: The speedway halted operation due to World War II until after its completion in 1945. In 1947, a year after the continuation of racing, major improvements at the speedway were made including lighting for night racing, a pedestrian tunnel at the entrance to turn one and the "famous" bridge across the backstretch. In 1949, the American Championship Car Racing National Championship would make an appearance, drawing

1360-454: The speedway to signify that there was a "new sheriff in town." While drivers such as Steve Kinser and Sammy Swindell were tearing up the national scene, Central Pennsylvania proved to house the toughest challengers. The names of Lynn Paxton, Bobby Davis Jr., Keith Kauffman and Bobby Allen among others, were leveling the playing field. The 1980s also brought on the classification of sprint car racing by engine size. Unfortunately, it also spelled

1400-415: The speedway. He was instrumental in bringing the best talent to the area to race each week, many who decided to stay and call Central Pennsylvania home. In 1972, new ownership came to the speedway when Morgan Hughes came from New Jersey to purchase the park and speedway. The Hughes family is just the second family to ever own the famed speedway. The 1970s also brought a new era into racing with the formation of

1440-491: The suspension. Torsion bars, and specialty shock absorbers are the key ingredients in the handling of sprint cars. That coupled with the wings, tire stagger, light weight, and enormous horsepower make these cars some of the fastest race cars in the world. The monstrous power-to-weight ratios of Sprint Cars can exceed that of Formula 1 cars in the right circumstances. Sprint Cars have a very distinct stance since they have two very different sized rear tires. The right rear tire on

1480-731: The year. In 2013, the All-Time winningest driver at the speedway, Fred Rahmer retired after winning his first National Open. In 2015, the National Open was expanded into a 3-day event, making it one of the richest events in sprint car racing. Notable Drivers: Fred Rahmer, Greg Hodnett, Don Kreitz Jr., Lance Dewease, Kevin Nouse, Frankie Herr, Gene Knaub Notable Races: National Open, Summer Nationals, Morgan Cup; Mitch Smith Memorial, Twin 20s, Early Bird Championship The speedway has had numerous races broadcast on national television. It has been featured in many books, magazines and documentaries. It

1520-662: Was active through the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s on dirt , asphalt and boards , driving "big cars" (later known as sprint cars ) – at that time slightly smaller versions of Indianapolis cars that could be raced on half-mile dirt race tracks. During his 30-year career, Hinnershitz captured 103 American Automobile Association (AAA) and United States Auto Club (USAC) sanctioned victories, and won seven AAA/USAC East Coast sprint car championships (1949–1952, 1955–1956, and 1959). He also raced in national Championship car (30 AAA and 4 USAC) events. Hinnershitz mainly raced his own cars (not for other owners), serving as his own mechanic. He

1560-419: Was also featured in several video games, including the games Dirt Track Racing 2 , Dirt Track Racing: Sprint Cars and World of Outlaws: Sprint Cars 2002 . 40°9′19.11″N 77°2′0.79″W  /  40.1553083°N 77.0335528°W  / 40.1553083; -77.0335528 Tommy Hinnershitz Thomas Paul Hinnershitz (April 6, 1912 – August 1, 1999) was an American racing driver . Hinnershitz

1600-513: Was one of the first drivers to have car sponsorship. Hinnershitz was known for racing wearing overalls , which drew in fans at fairgrounds races in Corn Belt states such as Iowa and the Minnesota . Thomas Paul Hinnershitz was born on a farm near Oley, Pennsylvania . He farmed a 63-acre (25 ha) farm on weekdays and raced on the weekend. He married Betty Selmen in 1935. They had

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