From Nick Graziano
WARRNAMBOOL, VIC (January 11, 2022) — Say Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic to any Sprint Car driver and you’ll see the same level of joy and excitement in their expressions as if mentioning the Knoxville Nationals. To them, it’s equally special… just down under.
DIRTVision, the premier source for dirt racing broadcasts, will live stream Australia’s biggest Sprint Car event from Premier Speedway in Warrnambool, VIC, featuring stars from the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series tour to fans across North America, Jan. 21-23.
“It’s a big deal,” 2019 Knoxville Nationals champion David Gravel said. “I did it early in my career before I made a name for myself. The people are so welcoming in Australia. The Classic is a huge party. It’s a lot of fun. They pack the place completely full. Had a lot of good memories there. A lot of fun. It was a good getaway.”
The Grand Annual Classic first ran in 1973 and has grown into the most prestigious Sprint Car event in Australia, regularly featuring more than 100 of the best Sprint Car drivers across the world. Among those on that list is several World of Outlaws stars who found glory during the Classic:
Jac Haudenschild (1981-82)
Danny Smith (1983, 1985, 1987-89, 1996)
Jack Hewitt (1991)
Brooke Tatnell (1995, 1999, 2009)
Danny Lasoski (2000)
Donny Schatz (2001-02)
Joey Saldana (2003)
Kerry Madsen (2005, 2007-08)
Shane Stewart (2010)
Tim Kaeding (2014)
Kyle Hirst (2015)
James McFadden (2017, 2020)
“It’s Australia’s version of the Knoxville Nationals,” Schatz said. “Going there you hear all about it, all the hype. The venue, the fan interaction, it’s the closest thing for us to Knoxville Nationals. It’s also a lot of fun. There’s a lot of cars, they split the nights up, run one night, and then come Saturday you have the alphabet soup.
“Very fortunate to have won it a couple of times. I’ve always enjoyed going. It’s always been a great event. [Premier Speedway] has always been a fun racetrack. It’s definitely a destination.”
Last year’s World of Outlaws Rookie of the Year James McFadden has been on a tear through Australia this winter, picking up four wins already. Before rejoining the World of Outlaws tour with Roth Motorsports at Volusia Speedway Park, Feb. 10-12, he’ll attempt to write his name in the history books again and win his third Grand Annual Classic. Last year’s Williams Grove National Open champion Carson Macedo has also been competing down under during the “off-season” and is expected to challenge for his first Classic title.
“The Classic is definitely a race that is on the top of my list to win,” Macedo has said. “I enjoy the event every year. The atmosphere of the whole thing is like nonother. It’s one of the toughest races in the world, but I know for sure we will put our best foot forward.”
All three days of the 49th Grand Annual Classic – airing live at 1 a.m. (ET) – will be available to DIRTVision FAST PASS subscribers. CLICK HERE to get your DIRTVision FAST PASS subscription today.