Former racing champion Donnie Allison will be present. On Friday, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series is making its second visit to Delaware with the Melvin L. Joseph Memorial at Georgetown Speedway.
The country’s top Super Late Model stars will compete for a substantial $19,049 prize for 49 laps around the gradually banked four-tenths-mile oval.
The renowned Allison— an inductee into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2024— has been appointed as the Grand Marshal for the Melvin L. Joseph Memorial.
Allison, a member of the "Alabama Gang" and ambassador for the sport for over 50 years, will be available to meet fans and share stories from his career.
Allison will sign autographs from 5-6 p.m. in the grandstand area on Race Day. He will also speak to the crowd before Opening Ceremonies.
Allison was the 1967 Cup Series Rookie of the Year after beginning in Modifieds and progressing to the top level of auto racing. Allison claimed victory in the 1970 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, N.C., and finished fourth in the Indianapolis 500 the following weekend, the best combined result in the two-race crossover that remains unmatched to this day.
Of course, Allison is primarily known for his role in NASCAR’s most famous moment involving his brother Bobby: the 1979 altercation with Cale Yarborough in the Daytona 500 during the first nationally televised NASCAR event. I was there to witness that race and the fight.
Donnie Allison is credited in the record books with 10 wins, 28 poles, and 78 top-five finishes on the Cup level, not to mention numerous victories on the short tracks of the Southeast.
Last August, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series had its exciting debut at Georgetown with Ricky Thornton Jr. securing a thrilling win. Thornton is currently leading the standings as the series returns on April 26.
The Lucas field will be augmented by NASCAR Cup Series star Ross Chastain, who will sign autographs at 6 p.m. and intends to participate in the event with a Ken Adams-backed Super Late Model.
Andretti has F1 plans for 2026
Andretti Global is continuing to prepare as if it will be competing in Formula One from 2026 and would be “100 percent” prepared to join the grid, according to former Nazareth, Pa., resident Michael Andretti.
In January, F1 announced it had turned down the proposed Andretti-Cadillac F1 entry for 2025 or 2026, stating the team would not be competitive or contribute commercial value to the sport. It left the possibility open for 2028, by which time Cadillac’s parent company, General Motors, has pledged to develop its own power unit.
Andretti disagreed strongly with F1’s evaluation of its entry, which had already received approval from the FIA, and stated that it would continue its efforts to join the grid at a rapid pace.
Recently Andretti officially unveiled its new Silverstone satellite factory, which it plans to utilize as the European base for its F1 team. The 48,000 square foot facility will collaborate with its planned global headquarters in Fishers, Indiana, where the F1 car would be constructed and manufactured, as well as with GM’s base in North Carolina.
Andretti F1 employees went to a speech by Michael Andretti, the CEO and chairman of Andretti Global, and his father, Mario, the 1978 F1 world champion, to celebrate the official opening of the site.
Michael Andretti stated in his speech that joining F1 would fulfill their goal of competing in every top racing series, expanding beyond its participation in seven series including IndyCar, Formula E and Supercars.
He told The Athletic that the start of the factory was a significant step to demonstrate their dedication to F1, as well as aiding job creation. The team has already hired talent from many existing F1 teams and plans to increase its current staff of about 120 to 400 at the new facility in the future.
Andretti believes that getting approval from F1 would speed up the hiring process. He mentioned, “Once the people hear that it’s approved, the ones that are sitting on the sidelines are going to start jumping real fast.”
“We need that to happen sooner than later, obviously, because we still have a big job to do. But in the meantime, we’re pretty far down the road.
“I think you’d be amazed to see how far we are with car development and things like that. It’s been really impressive.”
Before the rejection by F1 in January, Andretti disclosed that its extensive preparations included testing a prototype F1 car model in the wind tunnel. It also plans to have a full-scale prototype F1 car designed by the end of this year.
Asked if an F1 car would be ready to race for 2026, Andretti said: “Absolutely, 100 percent. No question.” He added the team was “100 percent planning” for this eventuality.
The existing 10 F1 teams have always been hesitant about Andretti’s ambitions, fearing the financial impact a possible dilution of the prize money could have on their business models.
Force in contention
The last time John Force, the most successful driver in NHRA history, won a race was three days before his 73rd birthday: May 1, 2022 in the 4-Wide Nationals in Charlotte, N.C.
Recently at Firebird Motorsports Park, Force gave himself an early 75th birthday present, capturing the rain-postponed final round of the Lucas Oil Winternationals, originally contested in Pomona, Calif., but which was rescheduled to be part of this weekend’s Arizona Nationals.
“Right now, I’m alive,” sad Force, driver of the PEAK Antifreeze & Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car. “I was going to quit this morning and walk out the gate. And now I’ve changed my mind. I told Prock (young teammate Austin Prock), ‘John don’t quit.’”
The 156th win (4.033 seconds/318.24 mph) of Force’s legendary career came against one of his chief rivals, four-time Funny Car champ Matt Hagan (4.048 seconds/283.61 mph).
“I’m really excited to have pulled this off,” Force said with a big smile on his face. “I didn’t imagine there’d be drivers like Prock, Robert Hight, like Hagan, like (Ron) Capps. I mean, I’m too old to even race these kids. It’s exciting. I give it all I have and push the limits wherever I can.”
The 16-time Funny Car champion then thanked John Force Racing president and 3-time Funny Car champ Robert Hight, who has been sidelined this season.
“Robert, thank you for all you’ve done when I’ve been struggling, helping me get new glasses, doing everything to get this old man back in the game,” Force said of Hight.
Force won the race and dedicated it to his late friend and former sponsor, Frank Tiegs, who died in February. Force still keeps a sticker from one of Tiegs’ companies, Flav-R-Pac, on his race car to honor his late friend. Force was one of about 1,700 people who attended a Celebration of Life in memory of Tiegs in Kennewick, Wash.
Force has entered the 2024 season with a renewed level of inspiration and motivation, still eager for his 17th NHRA Funny Car championship (his last was in 2013).
Force will turn 75 on May 4th, but he’s driving – and now winning – as if he was back in his 30s.
“I better take it now,” he joked when asked if Saturday’s win was an early birthday present to himself. “I just realized I’m going to be 75 in another month, May 4, and I’m doing some serious thinking where I’m going. But my mood’s changing right now.”
Force remains the most popular driver in the sport, a position he has held for nearly 30 years. While he’s thought about retiring, Saturday’s enthusiastic cheers and standing ovation from fans in the sold-out crowd may encourage Force to stick around longer.
“Probably the best thing about today was the sold out crowd, yeah, I love that,” Force said. “I told myself, ‘How bad do you want to win?’ I was mad, mad at myself. I started saying you just need to get out of the seat, you’re just too old for this stuff.
“Or you get out there and fight the fight. And I did, things went right and I got the win. So I’m excited.”
Although the win came at Firebird Motorsports Park, it was the conclusion of the Winternationals race that started two weeks ago in Pomona, Calif. As such, it will be credited as the eighth time Force has won the Winternationals in his career.
“What I’m saying is that to have a day like this, first of all at my age, I can’t remember the first (win). I think it was in Montreal (June 28, 1987). But then you get something like this and all of a sudden, your life’s back. I can see my wife looking at me at the other end (of the track) with the two (grandsons). I can see that gleam back in her eye ‘cuz she was happy for me.
“She knows what I go through in the middle of the night, setting up in the bed and she’ll say, ‘John, the race is three days away, go to sleep.’ I’ve done it all a million times. And boy, it gets old. But then this fixes you.
“You know, I just can’t believe I’m still doing this. But man, I love it so much. And if I quit, that’s what really scares me.”
So Force tells himself simply, “Don’t quit. I don’t want to do that.”
Grandview docket
Racing coming up at Grandview Speedway includes this Saturday — T.P. Trailer Modifieds, T.P. Truck Equipment Sportsman — at 6 p.m.
The April 19 racing program at Williams Grove Speedway was cancelled due to rain showers and inclement weather. They return to action on Friday, April 26 with the first Yellow Breeches 500 race of the season for the Lawrence Chevrolet 410 sprint cars.
There will be Limited Late Models racing in a Topless 25 event, with a $2,500 prize for the winner.
At Lincoln Speedway, you can watch 410 Sprints and 358 Sprints at 6 PM on Saturday, April 27.
Bridgeport, NJ Speedway is hosting a show on April 27th featuring Modifieds, MASS Sprints, Sportsman, NEWS Sprints, Street Stocks and Rookies, with warm-ups starting at 5 p.m.
Ernie Saxton, a contributor for MediaNews Group, has a long history in auto racing. He co-founded the Eastern Motorsports Press Association and was the public relations director for Grandview Speedway for 47 years. He is recognized in multiple halls of fame for his work in promotion and journalism related to the sport. He has announced races at more than 100 tracks and is the only person to have announced a race at Madison Square Garden. You can email him at [email protected].
