The highly anticipated 60th annual National Open at Pennsylvania’s Williams Grove Speedway will commence on Saturday night, after remnants of Hurricane Ian postponed the event three weeks ago.
As the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series closes in on the final four events in a grueling 10-month schedule, the championship is still up for grabs.
Amid a title hunt, lies a $75,000 money bag to the winner of Saturday’s 40-lap feature.
Championship Hunting
Looking for his fourth consecutive title is Kasey Kahne Racing driver Brad Sweet. Piloting the No. 49, Sweet holds a 54-point advantage over David Gravel.
Gravel has shaved points down over the past few races, which included a victory in the final race at I-80 Speedway last week. However, Sweet’s consistency has maintained the gap.
• In July, Sweet scored his first career victory at The Grove, winning the Summer Nationals finale in his 53rd attempt at the half-mile track.
• Gravel heads to the Mechanicsburg, Pa., track with plenty of experience. The Big Game Motorsports driver has eight victoriesat the historic half-mile track, along with an average finish of 5.75 in four races at The Grove this season.
Outlaws To Watch
Despite being out of the championship picture, third-place points runner Carson Macedo looks to finish off his impressive, series-leading 11-win season with another victory at The Grove.
The Jason Johnson Racing entry looks to become only the seventh driver to score back-to-back National Open victories, after winning the prestigious event last season.
Reigning Knoxville Nationals winner Donny Schatz has his sights set on a seventh National Open win, piloting the No. 15 Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing machine.
• Schatz has 21 victories at Williams Grove, including his most recent in the 2020 National Open.
Though it’s been a trying year for the TSR crew with finding speed, the team has made major strides since their victory at Weedsport (N.Y.) Speedway in July.
• Since his victory at Weedsport, Schatz’s average finish of 6.08 in 23 starts could be a sign of things to come, as the 10-time champion looks to finish off the season on a high note.
The National Open preliminary event may have only been 11 laps last month, but 29-year-old Sheldon Haudenschild could be a favorite this Saturday, after finishing second.
• Haudenschild boasts a victory and sixpodium finishesin his last eight starts at The Grove
PA Posse Reigns Supreme
Lance Dewease has been nearly unbeatable at Williams Grove lately. The 56-year-old has earned victories in six of the last nine sprint car races at Williams Grove, including July’s Summer Nationals opener in his 300th World of Outlaws start.
The driver of the No. 69k has 110 career victories at the historic track.
With a win on Saturday, Dewease would break a tie with Steve Kinser (4) for the second-most wins in National Open history.
• The PA Posse can’t be talked about without mentioning Brent Marks and the No. 19 Murray-Marks machine.
After scoring victories in the Historical Big One and Kings Royal within 48 hours at Ohio’s Eldora Speedway in July, Marks has been one of sprint car’s top competitors this season.
Marks holds three victories this season at Williams Grove, including a $15,000 payday during Pennsylvania Sprint Car Speedweeks in July.
Marks, who won the National Open in 2019, has won five World of Outlaws races this season.
• Finally, the winningest driver in the country this season, Anthony Macri, resides in Pennsylvania. Macri has won 23 winged sprint car features this year and swept the Oct. 7-8 World of Outlaws doubleheader at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway.
Track Champion To Be Crowned
At the conclusion of Saturday’s event, the 2022 Williams Grove Speedway Lawrence Chevrolet 410 sprint car track champion will be crowned.
Point leader Freddie Rahmer holds a 140-point lead over Danny Dietrich for the title.
• Dietrich has claimed three victories at The Grove this season
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