Defending Mitch Smith Memorial Winner at Williams Grove Speedway, Alan Krimes!
Williams Grove Speedway
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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Mechanicsburg, Pa –After a first round of PA Speedweek action on Thursday, July 5, Williams Grove Speedway will honor the memory of one of its finest stars with the running of the 24th annual Mitch Smith Memorial as part of the 22nd annual PA Speedweek series for sprint cars this Friday, July 6 at 7:30 pm.
The prestigious Mitch Smith Memorial will pay $10,000 to win the 30-lap affair out of a purse worth more than $33,000 and will include an awesome fireworks display.
Known affectionately to most as the “Linglestown Leadfoot,” Smith was one of the most electric sprint car stars to ever grace the Cumberland County oval and the Central Pa region with his talents.
Perhaps his biggest claim to fame was his trumping of the world-renowned USAC sprint car stars when they came east to Williams Grove Speedway in 1971.
For comparison purposes, USAC was in 1971 what the World of Outlaws is to sprint car racing today.
They just simply didn’t get beat.
Except by Mitch Smith in Central Pa in 1971.
The USAC’ers were furious.
The PA drivers and fans were famous.
At the end of his four-decade career in 1978, Mitch Smith had amassed 179 overall total career feature wins including 27 in a sprint car and nine in a super modified at Williams Grove alone.
Smith drove for owners like Mary Flack in the Flying Tiger, John Regester, Gary Wasson and Al Hamilton in the famed No. 77.
After being felled by a massive heart attack in 1988, Smith was posthumously inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1995.
And Williams Grove will honor his enduring legacy and talents for a 24th time this Friday with the Mitch Smith Memorial.
Both Fred Rahmer and Lance Dewease have each won the Smith Memorial four times in their careers.
Rahmer took wins in 1994, 1999, 2004 and 2005 while Dewease took victories in 1992, 1995, 1997 and 2001.
Don’t miss this timeless classic sprint car race meant to honor this timeless star of sprint cars at Williams Grove Speedway!
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MITCH SMITH MEMORIAL WINNERS
1989 Stevie Smith
1990 Joey Allen
1991 Don Kreitz Jr.
1992 Lance Dewease
1993 Keith Kauffman
1994 Fred Rahmer
1995 Lance Dewease
1996 Keith Kauffman
1997 Lance Dewease
1998 Todd Shaffer
1999 Fred Rahmer
2000 Don Kreitz Jr.
2001 Lance Dewease
2002 Greg Hodnett
2003 Greg Hodnett
2004 Fred Rahmer
2005 Fred Rahmer
2006 Jeff Shepard
2007 Greg Hodnett
2008 Doug Esh
2009 Daryn Pittman
2010 Daryn Pittman
2011 Alan Krimes