The Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic is an Australian

dirt Dirt is any matter considered unclean, 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 * Du ...

Sprint car racing Sprint cars are Open-wheel car, open-wheel race cars, designed primarily for the purpose of running on short Oval track racing, oval, circular dirt track racing, dirt or paved tracks. Historically known simply as "big cars," distinguishing them fr ...

meet that takes place at the Sungold Stadium Premier Speedway in

Warrnambool Warrnambool (; Eastern Maar, Maar: ''Peetoop'' or ''Wheringkernitch'' or ''Warrnambool'') is a city on the south-western coast of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. At the Census in Australia#2021, 2021 census, Warrnambool had a populati ...

, Victoria every year in late January. The classic traditionally takes place one week before the

Australian Sprintcar Championship The Australian Sprintcar Championship is a dirt track racing championship held each year to determine the Australian national champion for winged sprint car racing. The single championship meeting runs in either late January or early February and ...

. The event was first run in 1973 and was won by Ian "Zeke" Agars from

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

, who drove a

Straight-six A 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 balanc ...

Holden Holden, formerly known as General Motors-Holden, was an Australian subsidiary company of General Motors. Founded in Adelaide, it was an automobile manufacturer, importer, and exporter that sold cars under its own marque in Australia. It was ...

-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

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 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 ...

. As with the Australian Championship, drivers from

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

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 Maxwell Stewart 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 Sprint ...

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 ...

, where 105 cars were entered.Americans Laud Warrnambool Sprintcar Classic, Speedcafe.com
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Winners since 1973

james McFadden Cory Eliason Jamie veal

References

{{Reflist

External links

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

Winners since 1973

See also

References

External links