What I Learned On My Trip to Williams Grove

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What I Learned On My Trip to Williams Grove

By: Pete MacDonald

Friday afternoon I took the 2 ½ hour ride west to what is probably my favorite race track Williams Grove Speedway for what was supposed to be night one of the Morgan Cup with the World of Outlaws. With the expected rain on Saturday a very healthy crowd came out on Friday, there weren’t many bare spots in the grandstands and the infield was packed as well.

When you think of some of the best rivalries in sports you automatically think, “Brady vs. Manning”, “Yankee’s vs. Red Sox” or maybe “Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier”, right? They don’t have anything on the rivalry that takes place in Central Pennsylvania three times a year when the Pennsylvania Posse takes on The World of Outlaws. The fans get into it, the drivers get into it and even the media are getting in to it now. It’s an atmosphere that is rare to find these days that every race fan needs to take in at least once in their life.

The race fans in Central PA have it made, you guys get to see 410 Sprint Cars twice a week with six race tracks within 90 minutes of each other. Those same race fans are probably the most enthusiastic fans I have ever seen in 25+ years in this sport, especially when the World of Outlaws come to town to take on their hometown Pennsylvania Posse. Fans carry flags and make banners that support their local drivers, something that seems to be more of a lost art over the last decade or so, they bang cymbals and climb on top of the catch fence to “salute” some of the invading drivers. The only other race track I have ever seen with even close to that fan enthusiasm is Bowman Gray Stadium in North Carolina. The place went absolutely nuts when Fayetteville, PA’s Lance Dewease picked up the $8,000 win over the 41 cars that entered the pits that night turning Victory Lane into more of a party than anything.

Donny Schatz’s new car is sharp, and I mean sharp. The former Bad Boy Buggies have rebranded themselves as Bad Boy Off-Road forcing the scheme change from Black and Red to Black and Fluorescent Yellow, and anybody that knows me, knows how much I love fluorescent yellow on a race car. Schatz and yellow race cars go back a long way to the late 90’s.

Also, the pizza at Williams Grove is on point. Probably the best I have ever had period, not just at a race track.

The fact of the matter is this, if you get the chance to head out there, even if it is for a regular Friday night show, take it. It is beyond worth it, it’ll show you that short track racing is alive and well.

I can be reached at racersguide@gmail.com or found on Twitter @PMacDonald51. Thanks for reading!

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