MECHANICSBURG, Pa. — At 56 years old, Lance Dewease is still finding new ways to accomplish things for the first time.
On Friday, the beloved PA Posse patriarch made history in one of the most unique ways imaginable. Leading all 10 laps of a rain-shortened affair at Williams Grove Speedway, Dewease’s $10,000 score in the Champion Racing Oil National Open preliminary matches the shortest race in World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series history.
Earning the pole position after a dominant dash win, the Kreitz Racing No. 69k team rolled out for the scheduled 25-lapper plenty aware of the impending weather.
Dewease quickly took command of the field over outside polesitter Sheldon Haudenschild and survived a restart for rain on lap seven that bunched the field up.
“I honestly didn’t know it was raining when they threw that first caution,” Dewease noted. “It was getting pretty greasy under the yellow and I was throwing out my thumbs down, but we buzzed it off and it was actually fine. I think we would’ve been alright to finish the whole thing had that red flag not come out.”
That final straw in Friday’s program came when third-running Brent Marksbiked on the cushion in turn three and went flipping wildly out of the ballpark. The 2019 National Open champion sent the Murray-Marks Motorsports No. 19 end-over-end-over-end before crashing through a Hoosier Tire billboard and coming to a rest against the outside fence.
Creating a lengthy red flag scenario as crews removed Marks’ machine, extensive rain continued to fall and worsen the racing surface while cars sat idle. Another attempt was made to liven up the track following a brief break, but drivers and officials agreed that it was simply not in shape to finish the race.
Deeming the race complete on Lap 10 of 25, Dewease officially scored his 19th career World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series win and the 110th of his career at Williams Grove Speedway.
“I gotta give my hats off to Mike Hess,” Dewease acknowledged. “He is one of the best race directors I’ve competed with in any organization. He tried his absolute best to get this show in for racers and fans, but Mother Nature just didn’t want it finished. I honestly didn’t know that had a rule where we could call it complete before halfway, but I certainly won’t complain. I’ve been at this a long time and never won a 10-lap feature before. It’s pretty nice at my old age.”
Friday’s victory marks the fourth consecutive for Dewease and the Kreitz No. 69k at the half-mile. A fifth-straight win would also mean a fifth National Open title for “The Fayetteville Flyer,” coming at a $75,000 tune and making him the second-winningest man in event history.
“This race is absolutely awesome right now,” Dewease continued. “We’ve won our last four here now, and I couldn’t be happier. I know it doesn’t look too good for tomorrow, so hopefully, we’ve got a plan in place to finish this deal out.”
The finish:
Feature (10 Laps — Shortened w/ Rain) – 1. 69K-Lance Dewease [1][$10,000]; 2. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [2][$6,000]; 3. 41-Carson Macedo [4][$3,500]; 4. 39M-Anthony Macri [6][$2,800]; 5. 2-David Gravel [3][$2,500]; 6. 49-Brad Sweet [7][$2,300]; 7. 1A-Jacob Allen [8][$2,200]; 8. 15-Donny Schatz [14][$2,100]; 9. 5-Spencer Bayston [12][$2,050]; 10. 13-Justin Peck [11][$2,000]; 11. 11-Buddy Kofoid [10][$1,600]; 12. 48-Danny Dietrich [9][$1,400]; 13. 24-Rico Abreu [13][$1,200]; 14. 71-Cory Eliason [16][$1,100]; 15. 18-Giovanni Scelzi [20][$1,050]; 16. 5W-Lucas Wolfe [15][$1,000]; 17. 83-James McFadden [17][$1,000]; 18. 1S-Logan Schuchart [24][$1,000]; 19. 8-Freddie Rahmer [26][$]; 20. 44-Dylan Norris [18][$1,000]; 21. 11T-TJ Stutts [22][$1,000]; 22. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss [25][$]; 23. 27-Daryn Pittman [23][$1,000]; 24. 5C-Dylan Cisney [21][$1,000]; 25. 3-Ayrton Gennetten [19][$1,000]; 26. 12-Brent Shearer [27][$]; 27. 19-Brent Marks [5][$1,000].