MECHANICSBURG – Williams Grove Speedway is mourning the sudden loss of venerable sprint car driver and car owner Bobby Allen of Hanover.

The legendary Allen passed away unexpectedly Sunday at the age of 81 after fielding his two cars in the 63rd annual National Open at the track on Saturday night.

Although he had spent the last several seasons on the road touring with the World of Outlaws sprint cars series as a car owner for his grandson Logan Schuchart and son Jacob Allen, the elder Allen’s name was for decades well known at Williams Grove Speedway.

Bobby Allen owned 36 sprint car wins as a driver at the historic oval having scored his first on May 23, 1969.

For a time early in his career he was teammates with the late Lynn Paxton while both drivers sported sponsorship from Roy “Shorty” Emrich however for the majority of his career he owned his own sprint car and his familiar No. 1A became synonymous with his name.

He was the 1975 Williams Grove National Open champion at a distance of 150 laps.

Allen finished second in the prestigious event three other times.

In 1976 Allen won four sprint car features in a row at Williams Grove.

The final four wins of his driving career at Williams Grove Speedway were victories over the World of Outlaws spanning the 1986 and 1989 seasons with the final win coming on June 2, 1989.

Allen remained active as a driver at the oval into the mid 1990s while at the wheel of his own car as well as one owned by Jim Walker.

The elder of the two brothers, Allen also owned his brother Joey’s No. A1 that claimed the 1987 National Open.

An accomplished world champion go-karter, Allen was the first driver to relocate to the sprint car hotbed of Central Pennsylvania from Florida in the 1960s while chasing the lucrative purses the area offered.

He eventually drew driving acquaintances Steve Smith Sr. and Richard Lupo north along with his brother Joey.

Along the way Allen picked up the moniker of “Old Scruffy” due to his appearance and he became known as “The Original Outlaw” for his nomad-like tendencies during the early days of the outlaws circuit when from his shop in Pennsylvania he would suddenly appear at high-dollar races across the nation, in an effort to steal the loot in an upset.

Allen was also considered the leader of “The Hanover Gang” for decades, referring to a band of sprint car hot shoes from the area including himself along with Smith, Steve Siegel, Van May, Cris and Darran Eash and others.

After leaving the seat as a driver, Allen began fielding the No. 1S 358 sprint car in the area and at Williams Grove for his grandson Logan Schuchart where the current outlaws pilot garnered a pair of wins before moving into a 410 sprint car owned by Allen.

Currently ranked fourth in World of Outlaws series points with two wins on the season, Schuchart recorded four 410 sprint car wins at Williams Grove for Allen’s stables over the years, his most recent coming in the World of Outlaws Summer Nationals in 2023.

Schuchart rode home seventh for Allen in the National Open Saturday night while the Allen mount of Ashton Torgerson failed to qualify.

As a driver Allen also claimed the Williams Grove Speedway 1983 Jack Gunn Memorial and Early Bird Championship.

Allen won the 1978 and 1982 season opener at the track.

Bobby Allen was the 1990 Knoxville Nationals champion and an inductee of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame.

The staff and management of Williams Grove Speedway extend its deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Bobby Allen.

Allen left an indelible mark on the sport and Williams Grove Speedway, one that will live forever in memory and the annals of history.