MECHANICSBURG, Pa. – Lance Dewease dominated at Williams Grove Speedway on Friday night to score his unprecedented 100th career sprint car victory at the famed half-mile, paper-clip-shaped dirt track.
The milestone was a goal the National Sprint Car Hall of Famer never really thought about until recently, after he became the track’s all-time win leader.
“It’s a number that this speedway has never seen,” Dewease said in victory lane. “I just thought if I could race long enough, I could get here [to this threshold]. I love racing at this place. I always have.”
Dewease got there in style, too, after starting fourth in the 25-lap feature and jetting to the lead by the second corner after the green flag came out.
With one swoop through the middle in turn one and then to the outside in the second corner, Dewease swept his No. 69k past front-row starters Jeff Halligan and Danny Dietrich.
But once he was scored as the leader, Dewease had to deal with six restarts, thanks to numerous cautions that plagued the first 12 circuits of the race.
Dietrich tried a slider for control on a lap-eight restart and got alongside Dewease, but Dewease held his ground and maintained control. When Dietrich tried that same move again on a lap-12 restart, Dewease made sure to hold him down low as the pair set their cars into turn one, preventing his challenger from setting up another attempted pass.
During the second half, which ran non-stop, Dewease poured on the speed and blasted to more than a straightaway advantage before entering slower traffic with four laps to go.
The traffic forced Dewease to back off his blistering pace before taking the win by .912 seconds over Dietrich and Jeff Halligan.
“My old body don’t like sittin’ in that seat that long; my back hurts,” Dewease said of the lengthy event and enduring all the restarts.
“But we’re not done; we’re just getting’ started,” he added after being asked about reaching the 100-win milestone at Williams Grove.
With the win, Dewease also took the season point lead in the chase for the track title. It was his first victory there since June 26 of last season.
In stark contrast, Dewease’s first win at Williams Grove came in the Mitch Smith Memorial on July 10, 1992, while wheeling the Walt Dyer Masonry No. 461.
Behind Dewease, Dietrich and Halligan, Alan Krimes finished fourth in the main event, followed by Devon Borden, who ran as high as third at one point.
Sixth through 10th went to Brad Howard, Landon Myers, Brandon Rahmer, Dylan Norris and Kyle Moody. Heats went to Halligan, Dietrich and Howard.
Derek Locke led all 20 laps of the accompanying 358 sprint car main to continue his domination of that class at the track this season.
Locke has won all three 358 sprint car events contested at the track this season, pushing his career win total at Williams Grove to six.
Chad Criswell followed Locke to the finish, ahead of Brett Wanner, Kyle Denmyer and Chris Frank.
The finish:
410 sprint cars (25 laps): 1. Lance Dewease, 2. Danny Dietrich, 3. Jeff Halligan, 4. Alan Krimes, 5. Devon Borden, 6. Brad Howard, 7. Landon Myers, 8. Brandon Rahmer, 9. Dylan Norris, 10. Kyle Moody, 11. TJ Stutts, 12. Lucas Wolfe, 13. Doug Hammaker, 14. Chris Arnold, 15. Justin Whittal, 16. Bryn Gohn, 17. Jordan Mackison, 18. Robbie Kendall, 19. Jared Esh, 20. Freddie Rahmer, 21. Hunter Mackison, 22. Tim Shaffer, 23. Chase Dietz, 24. Steve Buckwalter.