Story By: SHAWN BROUSE / WILLIAMS GROVE SPEEDWAY – MECHANICSBURG, PA – A truly rare event at Williams Grove Speedway is coming up this Friday night, April 15 when the oval hosts the Spring Sprint Special and Hoseheads.com Kids Easter Night.
The Spring Sprint Special will feature three classes of open wheel racing headlined by the Lawrence Chevrolet 410 sprint cars.
Also in action will be the USAC East 360 wingless sprints and the IMCA PASS 305 sprint cars.
Provided by www.hoseheads.com, the first 150 youth ages 12 and under that enter the frontstretch admission gate will receive FREE Easter candy.
Gates will open at 5:30 pm with racing action slated for 7:30.
The chance to see three sprint car divisions in action at Williams Grove is unique for the track as two divisions of sprinters at most have been regular fanfare at the oval for as long as most can remember.
The 410 sprint cars will be racing in a $5,500 to win, 25-lap main event in the Spring Sprint Special while the USAC East cars compete for $1,500 to win.
Both the USAC and IMCA PASS sprinters will compete in 20-lap features.
Allentown upstart Briggs Danner recently kicked off the 2022 USAC East campaign when he scored the season opener at Bridgeport, New Jersey.
The 20-year old USAC standout will be bucking for his first Grove win when the wingless cars hit the track on Friday.
Steve Drevicki scored once at the track last season in USAC East action.
In 305 sprint action at Williams Grove last year Austin Reed scored the only show completed.
To date in 2022 in 410 sprint car action at Williams Grove, Justin Peck and Dylan Norris have proven victorious.
Norris’ win was a career first for the teenager on March 25.
Adult general admission for the Spring Sprint Special is set at $20 with youth ages 13-20 admitted for just $10 while kids ages 12 and under are always admitted for FREE at Williams Grove Speedway.
All Stars Tommy Classic Coming In Two Weeks!
The first big event of many this season at Williams Grove Speedway for the Lawrence Chevrolet 410 sprint cars is coming up in two weeks, on Friday night April 22 when the All Stars Circuit of Champions Sprints invade for the Tommy Hinnershitz Classic.
The annual Tommy Classic will be the first race of the season in the Hoosier Diamond Series at Williams Grove, paying $6,000 to win the 30-lap affair.
And it will also serve as the first opportunity this season for a tour of invaders to move in and challenge the Williams Grove regulars known as the Pennsylvania Posse on Grove home turf.
The race is meant to honor Tommy Hinnershitz, known as “The Flying Dutchman,” from Oley, Pennsylvania, who holds the distinction of winning the first ever race held at historic Williams Grove Speedway back on May 21, 1939.
California’s Kyle Larson pocketed the Tommy Classic loot last season while on his way to claiming the 2021 NASCAR season title.
Larson also copped the classic in 2020.
The late Craig Keel won the first Tommy race in 2007.
No one has won more Tommy Classic races than local Lance Dewease who is a three-time victor.
The All Stars will be heralded into Williams Grove by defending series titlist Tyler Courtney of Indianapolis, Ind.
Others expected to invade include Cory Eliason, Hunter Schuerenberg, Justin Peck, Zeb Wise, Kyle Reinhardt and more.
Peck already has an unsanctioned win at the track this season after taking the Williams Grove season opener on March 18.
The only All Star to ever win the event was Aaron Reutzel in 2019.
The 2022 Tommy Hinnershitz Classic will be a sprints only program, getting underway at 7:30 pm on April 22.