MECHANICSBURG, Pa. — The start of the 61st annual Champion Racing Oil National Open weekend at Williams Grove Speedway drew the biggest event field of World of Outlaws Sprint Cars to the oval in a decade on Friday night as some 58 cars entered competition.
And the preliminary night feature field was on the track taking its parade lap when heavy drizzle that turned to rain hit the speedway, forcing the cars back into the pit area.
The resulting postponement of the main event has set up a spectacular 61st annual Champion Racing Oil National Open finale on Saturday night, now offering not only the 40-lap, $75,000 to win National Open but also the make-up feature held over from Friday night.
General admission gates will open at 4:30 p,m, with practice laps getting underway at 6:30.
The entire 61st annual Champion Racing Oil National Open racing program will then be spun off followed by the 25-lap make-up main to conclude the big night, worth another $10,000.
The make-up main will take the green flag with 30 cars slated to be in action.
Tyler Courtney and Brad Sweet will share the front row for the green flag in the concluding Open feature.
Both main events on Saturday night will pay full points toward the 2023 Lawrence Chevrolet track title that will be decided with the final checkered flag of the night, coming in the make-up main.
Gravel set fast time over the 58-car field with a lap of 16.101 seconds, just .012-thousandths of a second off of the one-lap track record of 16.089.
Dewease was second quick, shy of the track record by .088-thousandths of a second.
Heats went to Gravel, Courtney, Rico Abreu and Brown.
James McFadden won the B Main and Ryan Smith took the C Main.
Smith also won the non-qualifiers race.
Courtney earned the pole for the feature by claiming the dash.