By Tony Veneziano
Mechanicsburg, PA-September 30, 2010- With a $50,000 top prize on the line this weekend in the National Open at the famed Williams Grove Speedway, along with precious points in what is the tightest four-way battle in World of Outlaws history for the title, in addition to an eight-race win streak by the Pennsylvania Posse hanging in the balance and the cameras from SPEED capturing all the action on Saturday night, the level of intensity will be ratcheted up to a whole new level at the half-mile. Adding even more luster to the weekend, 10 spots in the inaugural Morgan Cup to be held in May of 2011 will be on the line, as the Top-Five World of Outlaws finishers and the Top-Five Pennsylvania Posse finishes in the finale of the National Open on Saturday night will earn a spot in the special 12-lap dash to be run next spring at Williams Grove Speedway.
The Morgan Cup will pit the 10 drivers against each other in a 12-lap dash for cash at the legendary half-mile with a $10,000 total purse and bragging rights on the line for the winner. The Morgan Cup, which is made of Sterling Silver, will be displayed in the office of the winning driver’s affiliation. If a World of Outlaws driver wins, the Morgan Cup will be on display at the World Racing Group Headquarters in Concord, North Carolina and if a Pennsylvania Posse driver wins, the Morgan Cup will be on display at the Williams Grove Speedway Office.
“It’s definitely something that will be pretty unique and will add even more to the excitement that already exists when we go to Williams Grove,” said World of Outlaws driver Lucas Wolfe, who hails from Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania and raced weekly at Williams Grove for a few years before hitting the road. “It’s always great to see new ideas and changes coming to help keep the fans interested. It should be fun and hopefully we finish toward the front this Saturday and are part of that next spring.”
A coin toss will determine the starting lineup for the inaugural Morgan Cup, with all the World of Outlaws cars in one line (either inside or outside) and the PA Posse cars in the other row (either inside or outside). The inaugural Morgan Cup will take place following the A-Feature on the Friday night in May of 2011 when the World of Outlaws visit the legendary half-mile.
Currently drivers representing the Pennsylvania Posse have won eight straight races against the World of Outlaws dating back to last season, with Greg Hodnett leading the way with four wins during that span including the 2009 National Open and this season’s Summer Nationals. Donny Schatz, the four-time and defending World of Outlaws champion, was the last World of Outlaws driver to win at Williams Grove, taking the finale of the 2008 Summer Nationals.
The World of Outlaws first sanctioned a race at Williams Grove Speedway during the series inaugural 1978 campaign and have competed at the track each and every year since. Steve Kinser, the 20-time World of Outlaws champion, leads all drivers with 37 wins at the track in series events. A total of 26 drivers have won A-Feature events over the years at the track in World of Outlaws sanctioned events, with 14 being considered members of the Pennsylvania Posse.
The Morgan Cup honors Morgan Hughes the late owner of Williams Grove Speedway who passed away in 2008. Hughes owned the race track and amusement park across from the speedway for over 25 year and made many improvements to the facility during his tenure including the installation of a state-of-the-art Musco lighting system in 2008.
The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: Armor All (Official Car Care Products), Chizmark & Larson Insurance , Goodyear Tires (Official Tire), SuperClean (Official Cleaner-Degreaser), VP Racing (Official Racing Fuel); in addition to contingency sponsors, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts, KSE Race Products, Penske Shocks , R2C Performance, Racing Electronics, S&S Volvo; Engine Builder’s Challenge participants Don Ott Racing Engines, Kistler Engines, Shaver Specialties and Speedway Engines; and Chassis Builder’s Challenge participants J&J Auto Racing, Maxim Racing and XXX Race Company.