The rivalry between the World of Outlaws and the PA Posse has been going on since Ted Johnson brought the World of Outlaws to Central PA on their very first trip back in 1978. The Central PA drivers always wanted to win on their home tracks and the Outlaws always wanted to beat them. In the early days, the World of Outlaws drivers even had to conform to the smaller Central PA wing size with no front wing. The Central PA teams were also running unlimited cubic inch big block motors at the time. The World of Outlaws didn‘t run them, but I do remember Karl Kinser building one for Steve Kinser just to compete with in Central PA.
Central PA is one of the only regions of the country where the World of Outlaws drivers would get booed, and sometimes still do. The regular weekly fans always want to see their local drivers win. They will even cheer for local drivers winning an Outlaw show that they might not cheer for at a weekly show.
After a few years, the Central PA race tracks changed their rules to conform to World of Outlaws rules. The wings were changed to larger on top and one on the front. The big block motors were gone and the 410 c.i. engine was the standard. The rule changes actually chased a few Pennsylvania car owners and drivers out of the sport because they believed the big block motors were cheaper to build and maintain.
The early rivalries between Steve Kinser, Sammy Swindell, Smokey Snellbaker and Lynn Paxton were classic and went on for years. There were times that a few of the World of Outlaws drivers ran fulltime in Central PA, like Bobby Davis Jr. and Doug Wolfgang. PA fans cheered for them when they ran locally, but when they came back as Outlaws the fans wanted them to lose. Some drivers, like Keith Kauffman, Steve Smith and Bobby Allen, were on both sides of the fence.
The rivalry continued through four decades with drivers like Bobby Davis Jr. winning for both sides of the rivalry. There were Mark Kinser and Jason Meyers winning on the Outlaws side and Fred Rahmer and Don Kreitz Jr. carrying the torch for the Central PA teams.
There was, and still is, an emotional energy in the pits and stands for a World of Outlaws race at any Central PA track.
Lance Dewease, Danny Dietrich and Greg Hodnett continued to carry on the tradition for Central PA, with Donny Schatz stepping up to be a force with the Outlaws.
There was, and still is, an emotional energy in the pits and stands for a World of Outlaws race at any Central PA track.
It is also interesting that usually the final finish has five Outlaws and five Posse drivers in the top 10. The full field is usually split, also with half Outlaw and half posse.
The first visit by the World of Outlaws to Central PA this year went to the Posse, with Lance Dewease taking two victories and Danny Dietrich winning one. One lone victory went to Outlaws driver David Gravel. The Morgan Cup is in Central PA at Williams Grove Speedway until an Outlaw wins it back.
The rivalry has been going on for five decades and is about to start the sixth decade next year. They will be back in Central PA a few more times in 2019 and the shows are always worth the price of admission because the drivers always seem to step it up a little on both sides.