AMERICAN rising star Danny Holtgraver is looking to extend his honeymoon with a victory in his maiden sprintcar race in Australia at Allansford’s Premier Speedway on Saturday night.
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Holtgraver, who was married on the weekend, opens his Australian tour in the highly anticipated Sprintcar Racing Association of Victoria series twin feature that has attracted 60 drivers.
Holtgraver, 25, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvannia, will drive for Queensland team owner Reeve Kruck during a tour Down Under that also includes next month’s Lucas Oil Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic at Premier Speedway.
He is one of two Americans joining Australia’s leading sprintcar drivers for the event. Sacramento’s Kyle Hirst is the other.
Holtgraver is a hot-shot back in the United States, having finished third behind stars Dale Blaney and Jac Haudenschild in the All-Star Circuit of Champions national points score this year as well as winning at the famed Eldora speedway during the Ohio Sprint Speedweek.
Premier Speedway general manager David Mills said Holtgraver and Hirst, a winner in Australia last season, added depth to an already deep field of drivers.
“It’s a cracker,” he said.
The field includes two-time Classic winner, Mount Gambier’s Steven Lines, another former Classic winner, Sydneysider Ian Loudon, dual Australin champ James McFadden, another former national champion in Robbie Farr and the hottest driver in the country this season, Warrnambool’s Jamie Veal, who has won six feature races.
“It’s a very good Easter Trail-type field, good interstate cars and some Americans. It’s a great shakedown before they get into their month of money.”
Mills said many of the drivers were using the meeting as preparation for the World Series Sprintcars round at the track on January 1 and then the Classic.
He said the twin-feature show, which was washed out last season after attracting 73 cars, was becoming a feature on the calendar.
In its fourth year, the twin-feature event sees those who finish the first 20-lap A main sent to the rear of a second 20-lap feature. The winner of the opening feature could pocket a maximum of $6000 if they backed up and won the second feature and claimed overall points honours for the night.
The sprintcars will be supported by 40 formula 500s, contesting the annual Jack Willsher Cup. That field includes Australian title holder Brock Hallett, of Queensland, and cars from Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania.
grbest@fairfaxmedia.com.au
