April 18, 2010

$30,000 TOMMY CLASSIC APRIL 23 AT WILLIAMS GROVE

     MECHANICSBURG, PA -- The Tommy Classic for sprint cars is set for
Friday evening, April 23, at Williams Grove Speedway.
     Friday will mark the 28th annual running of this event, which was
originally called the Early Bird Classic when it was begun in
1983.                                                                                                       
While the race has undergone several name changes over the years the
underlying goal  remains the same:  to offer the speedway's regular
competitors a sizable early season payoff.
      A $30,000 purse will accomplish that goal and should ensure a 
field of the best sprint car racers in the East.
     The night's competition will begin with qualifying at 7:30.
     Heat races and a B-main will fill the field for the 30-lap Tommy
Classic which will pay $6000 to win.
      Past winners of this early season event include Bobby Allen, Randy
Wolfe, Doug Wolfgang, Dave Blaney, Don Kreitz, Jr., Kenny Jacobs,
Frankie Kerr,  Kevin Gobrecht, Stevie Smith, Dave Ely, Greg Hodnett,
Fred Rahmer, Doug Esh, Craig Keel, Brian Leppo and defending champion
Lance Dewease.
     This year's race will once again honor the memory of the late Tommy
Hinnershitz, a Hall of Fame sprint car driver from Oley, Pa.
     Few racers are able to achieve first name recognition in sprint car
racing, but in the Keystone State during his racing career and
throughout his retirement, racers and fans alike referred to the
diminutive Pennsylvania Dutchman only as Tommy.
     He was a legendary performer who won 19 races at Williams Grove
Speedway including the first ever run at this historic half-mile back on
May 21, 1939.
     Hinnershitz's accomplishments on the national level are too
numerous to mention.  But they can be remembered once again on April 23
with the running of the Tommy Classic.
     In addition to Lawrence Chevrolet points, the Tommy Classic will
also be the first race in the Goodyear Diamond Series, a package of
special events which offers a separate point fund.