News

by Chris McWilliams on May 17, 2011

The Remains of Doug Esh's Sprint Car (Photo Source: World of Outlaws)

 

There are not many tracks on the World of Outlaws schedule with as much history as Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, PA.  The Outlaws versus Pennsylvania Posse battle at Williams Grove are always some of the best races of the season as drivers put on a great show for the fans.  Last Friday was another great race where Posse driver Daryn Pittman took home the win.  Part of the great history and character of Williams Grove is the big blue pedestrian bridge on the back stretch.  However, the bridge has a low clearance for the winged sprint cars as the fly underneath it.

The Damage Sustained by the Williams Grove Bridge (Photo Source: Williams Grove Speedway)

 

In the Outlaws A-Main on Friday night Steve Kinser made contact with Doug Esh on the backstretch which sent Esh into a wild series of flips ending when his sprint car slammed into the pedestrian bridge and fell to the ground.  The stunned crowd looked on and hoped for the best as safety personal tended to Esh’s mangled sprint car.  Luckily Esh emerged from the wreckage uninjured and walked away but the car was a total loss.  His Triple X Chassis sprint car was severely bent up on the front end where it made contact with the bridge but the driver’s compartment remained intact allowing Esh to safely make it through the spectacular accident.  The pedestrian bridge also sustained some damaged as Esh’s sprint car bent up the underside of the bridge.  Doug Esh was very lucky as when his sprint car hit the bridge the impact was in the front of the chassis.  If his sprint car would have sustained an impact like that in roll cage area the results could have been much worse.  For the time being the iconic pedestrian bridge still stands at Williams Grove but it seems to have become a liability with the speeds and accidents that today’s sprint cars are capable of.

http://www.onedirt.com/news/doug-esh-flips-into-the-spectator-bridge-at-williams-grove/