Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic
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The Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic is an Australian
dirt Dirt is an unclean matter, especially when in contact with a person's clothes, skin, or possessions. In such cases, they are said to become dirty. Common types of dirt include: * Debris: scattered pieces of waste or remains * Dust: a genera ...
Sprint car racing Sprint cars are high-powered open-wheel race cars, designed primarily for the purpose of running on short oval or circular dirt or paved tracks. Sprint car racing is popular primarily in the United States and Canada, as well as in Australia, New ...
meet that takes place at the Sungold Stadium Premier Speedway in
Warrnambool Warrnambool ( Maar: ''Peetoop'' or ''Wheringkernitch'' or ''Warrnambool'') is a city on the south-western coast of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 census, Warrnambool had a population of 35,743. Situated on the Princes Highway, Warrnambool (Al ...
,
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...
every year in late January. The classic traditionally takes place one week before the Australian Sprintcar Championship. The event was first run in 1973 and was won by Ian "Zeke" Agars from
Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
, who drove a
Straight-six The straight-six engine (also referred to as an inline-six engine; abbreviated I6 or L6) is a piston engine with six cylinders arranged in a straight line along the crankshaft. A straight-six engine has perfect primary and secondary engine balan ...
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-powered supermodified to victory in the 40 lap final. Sydney racer, ten time Australian champion Garry Rush, has the best record in the event claiming seven victories. During the 1980s and early 1990s Rush had a rivalry with American driver Danny Smith who won the Classic six times during roughly the same period. Rush also noted in 1984 that the race has more prestige than the traditional Australian Sprintcar Championship because it is open to all drivers, not just Australians (as is the rule for the Sprintcar Championship), and is the most important race of the year for Australians because of its all-comers format. Because of its mid-summer date, when the North American season has not started, drivers from the United States will often arrive to race in the December and January races on the Australian Sprintcar Tours. Ten Americans have won the Grand Annual, including World of Outlaws series champions
Danny Lasoski __NOTOC__ Danny "The Dude" Lasoski (born February 3, 1959) is an American sprint car racing driver from Dover, Missouri. Sprint car racing Most of Lasoski's sprint car experience is in the World of Outlaws series, winning the WoO championship ...
and
Donny Schatz Donald R. Schatz (born August 10, 1977) is an American professional sprint car racing driver who competes full-time in the World of Outlaws, driving the No. 15 Ford for Tony Stewart Racing. Schatz is a ten-time champion in the World of Outlaws w ...
. As with the Australian Championship, drivers from
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have dominated the event with 18 wins. The home state of Victoria had to wait until the 20th running of the event to have a home winner with Warrnambool's own
Max Dumesny Max Dumesny (born 12 July 1959, in Nullawarre, Victoria) is an Australian professional Sprintcar driver. Dumesny was born and raised in Victoria but has resided in Nelson, New South Wales since the mid-1990s, although his Sprintcar carries t ...
winning in 1992. The race is regarded as the largest car count in sprint car racing. In the 2015 meeting, 107 cars participated, compared to the previous August's
Knoxville Nationals The NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals is an annual sprint car event held at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa. An Associated Press writer called winning the event "sprint car racing’s premiere title". It is nicknamed "The Granddaddy of Th ...
, where 105 cars were entered.Americans Laud Warrnambool Sprintcar Classic, Speedcafe.com
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Winners since 1973


See also

*
Sport in Australia Sport is an important part of Australia that dates back to the early colonial period. Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules football, Rugby league in Australia, rugby league, Rugby union in Australia, rugby union, Soccer in Au ...


References

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External links


Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic winners
Auto races in Australia Speedway in Australia Sports competitions in Victoria (Australia) Warrnambool