The Kings Royal is a major

sprint car 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 ...

racing event held annually at

Eldora Speedway Eldora Speedway (nicknamed "The Big E", "Auto Racing's Showcase Since 1954," and "The World's Greatest Dirt Track") is a high-banked clay dirt oval. Located north of Rossburg, Ohio in the village of New Weston, Ohio, it features permanent and ...

near

New Weston New Weston is a village in Darke County, Ohio, United States. The population was 136 at the 2010 census. New Weston is home to the Eldora Speedway, a half-mile clay oval race track. History New Weston was founded in the 1880s during the constr ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. Regarded as one of the world's most prestigious sprint car races, it awarded a $175,000

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winner's prize since 2019.

History

First run in 1984, the Kings Royal saw Eldora Speedway promoter

Earl Baltes Eldora Speedway (nicknamed "The Big E", "Auto Racing's Showcase Since 1954," and "The World's Greatest Dirt Track") is a high-banked clay dirt oval. Located north of Rossburg, Ohio in the village of New Weston, Ohio, it features permanent and ...

offering $50,000 to the winner of a 40-lap event.

Steve Kinser Steve "The King" Kinser (born June 2, 1954) is a former professional sprint car racing driver. He has won 20 championships in the World of Outlaws (WoO) series. Kinser left the World of Outlaws in 2006 to compete with the National Sprint Tour s ...

won the inaugural race, which sees the winner seated on a

throne A throne is the seat of state of a potentate or dignitary, especially the seat occupied by a sovereign on state occasions; or the seat occupied by a pope or bishop on ceremonial occasions. "Throne" in an abstract sense can also refer to the mona ...

victory lane The following is a glossary of terminology used in motorsport, along with explanations of their meanings. 0–9 ;1–2 finish: When two vehicles from the same team finish first and second in a race. Can be extended to 1–2–3 or 1–2–3– ...

while adorned with a crown and robe and carrying a scepter. Kinser leads all drivers with seven Kings Royal victories. The event is considered to be one of the most prestigious sprint car events held worldwide, and is considered to be a "Crown Jewel" event. From its inaugural running through 2018, there was a standard $50,000 winner's purse; the 2019 running saw a boost to $175,000 for the winner's prize. The Kings Royal is Eldora's largest event each season, drawing over 30,000 spectators. In 2014,

Kerry Madsen Kerry Madsen (3 December 1971) is an Australian sprintcar driver that has raced with the World of Outlaws in both his home country, and predominantly the United States. For years, the Saint Mary's, New South Wales, Australia native has drive ...

became the first Australian to win the Kings Royal. Beginning in 2016, a preliminary full feature, the "Joker's Wild", was held on the Thursday before the Saturday Kings Royal; on the Friday of race week an additional event, "The Knight Before the Kings Royal", is held. No driver won back-to-back Kings Royals for the first 33 years of the event, until

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 ...

did so in 2017; in 2018 Schatz won again to become the first driver to win three Kings Royals in a row. The event lost its annual status after the 2020 event was canceled because of the global pandemic. In 2021, the Kings Royal was run as a double feature. The night before the Thursday feature was the Joker's Wild event. The Thursday event was the first feature (new ticket). The Friday event was the Knight Before event. The Saturday event was the second feature. Because of weather issues, the two features were run on the same Saturday, with the Thursday feature running in the afternoon and the Saturday feature running in the evening. The Knight Before was run on Sunday. The 2021 event saw the start of a nine-year sanctioning agreement with World Racing Group, promoters of the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series. For 2022, the event will retain its four-day format. The calendar calls for the Joker's Wild on Wednesday, Historical Big One on Thursday, Knight Before on Friday, and the 39th Kings Royal on Saturday.

Winners

References

External links

*{{Official website, https://www.eldoraspeedway.com/kings-royal-week/ 1984 establishments in Ohio July sporting events Sprint car racing Recurring sporting events established in 1984 World of Outlaws Saturday events