By Larry Boos
ROSSBURG, OH (Sept. 16) – Open wheel action of nearly every shape and size will fill the on-track menu during Eldora Speedway’s 30th annual Four Crown Nationals, while plenty of off-track activity will whet even the heartiest race fan’s palate.
Kicking off the slate on Thursday (Sept. 23) will be the Jack Hewitt Roast in the Eldora Ballroom. While the legendary and colorful Hewitt vows to have the final words that night, confirmed ‘roasters’ include Larry Moore, Charlie Swartz, Shirley Kear, Rick Nichols, Bob Hampshire, Brent Kaeding, Dave Darland, Darryl Guiducci, Billy Shipman and Dick Mahoney. That list could swell before Thursday. Gary Lee will serve as emcee for the event, with the doors opening at 6:00, dinner at 7:00 and the roasting to commence at 8:30. Tickets need to be purchased in advance at (866)709-2020.
Friday will swing back to the famed one-half mile clay oval with a full program for the travelling World of Outlaw (WoO) Sprints, along with hot laps and time trials for the USAC (United States Auto Club) Midget and Silver Crown divisions. Jason Sides is the defending WoO Four Crown winner.
Saturday afternoon will find the traditional USAC driver autograph session from 3:30 – 4:30, followed by Saturday’s busy agenda which includes time trials for the USAC Sprint division, followed by the preliminary heats, B-Mains and main events for each of the premier USAC divisions. Brad Sweet (Midget), Jerry Coons, Jr. (Sprint) and Dave Darland (Silver Crown) are the defending champions.
Thrown into the mix this year is the debut of ‘little e speedway’. USAC’s .25 Midgets will open this new facility with a Dirt Nationals event. Expected to attract nearly 200 entries, the agenda calls for practice on Friday; followed by heats and lower mains on Saturday afternoon and then the main events on Sunday afternoon.
Completing the full menu will be the annual appearance of VARC (Vintage American Race Cars) with their static display throughout the weekend, and on-track appearances.
The full run-down for the Four Crown Nationals may be found on Eldora’s website www.eldoraspeedway.com.