PORTSMOUTH, Ohio — The richest race of Cometic Gasket Ohio Sprint Speedweek takes center stage Friday night, with the running of the third annual Dean Knittel Memorial at Portsmouth Raceway Park.
Set to pay an impressive $15,554 to the winner, the Knittel Memorial’s top prize outpaces the traditional Ohio Speedweek finale, which has paid $10,000-to-win in years past.
This year’s Speedweek closer, the fifth annual Justin Snyder Salute to the Troops event, will be held at Sharon Speedway and will award a $6,000 check to the victor as part of a two-day weekend at the track.
But in terms of money awarded, Speedweek 2020 is all about the Knittel Memorial, held in remembrance of the late 12-time Tri-State area track champion who died in March of 2018.
Not only does the winner’s payout exceed that of any other Ohio Speedweek event this year, but every position and bonus awarded throughout the night will end in $54, a nod to Knittel’s car number.
Knittel, a feared competitor in his iconic No. 54 supermodified, appropriately began his career in 1954. His successes were such on the local level that NASCAR opportunities followed.
However, true to his roots, Knittel chose not to follow the NASCAR path in order to care for his family.
“He had an opportunity to go bigger,” J.D. Knittel, Dean’s son, said of his father in 2018 to the Portsmouth Daily Times. “He was approached when he was younger to get up into NASCAR, but he didn’t want to leave his family. So he stayed right here in the local area.”
Dean Knittel’s multiple titles at Atomic Speedway in Chillicothe, Ohio, propelled him to induction in the inaugural class of the Atomic Speedway Hall of Fame back in 2010.
This is the first time that the Dean Knittel Memorial will be held at Portsmouth, as well as the first time it will be runduring Cometic Gasket Ohio Sprint Speedweek. The prior two runnings were at Atomic.
Spencer Bayston dominated the inaugural edition, driving the Swindell SpeedLab No. 39 entry, while Aaron Reutzel (2019) took top honors in the second running last September.
Hot laps for the third annual Dean Knittel Memorial are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m.
SPEED SPORT’s Ohio Sprint Speedweek coverage is presented by Cometic Gasket Inc., a leading worldwide supplier of gaskets and engine sealing solutions for the automotive performance, powersports, original equipment and remanufactured engine industries. No matter what you ride, Cometic Gasket can seal your machine so you can focus on the finish line.
Since 1989, Cometic has been living, breathing, and eating powersports. As a proud supporters of GNCC, AMA, NASCAR, and other race-teams across the country, Cometic understands what it takes to put everything on the line with one goal in mind. When you earn your living racing at the highest level against the best in the country, engine failures simply aren’t an option. Champions across the world continue to use Cometic Gasket for their engine-sealing solutions. Whether they’re driving a Gen-6 stock car or riding a top fuel motorcycle, Cometic Gaskets are the reliable source in extreme conditions.
For more information on Cometic Gasket Inc., visit www.cometic.com.
