The first World 100 was held in 1971, with Bruce Gould of Milford, Ohio, taking the victory. Verlin Eaker won the event in 1972, representing Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Floyd Gilbert of Lockland, Ohio, secured the win in 1973.
Early winners included Ed Sanger in 1974, representing Waterloo, Iowa, and Joe Merryfield in 1975, from Des Moines, Iowa. Charlie Hughes won in 1976, hailing from Dalton, Georgia, and Doug Kenimer followed in 1977, also from Dalton, Georgia. Ken Walton won in 1978, representing Viola, Iowa.
Larry Moore won the event in both 1979 and 1981, both times representing Dayton, Ohio. Jeff Purvis secured victories in 1983, 1984, and 1986, all while representing Clarksville, Tennessee. Billy Moyer achieved multiple wins throughout his career, taking victories in 1991, 1993, 1994, 1998, and 2000, all representing Batesville, Arkansas. Scott Bloomquist also had a successful run, winning in 1988, 1990, and 2001, representing Mooresburg, Tennessee. Donnie Moran won in 1989, 1992, 1996, and 1997. Jonathan Davenport has also had a strong showing, winning in 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020, and 2021.
In 2018, both Friday and Saturday’s racing were rained out and rescheduled for Columbus Day weekend in October. Results from Thursday were carried over, and drivers ran Friday’s schedule on the morning of the World 100, resulting in a double-header. Tim McCreadie won the event, becoming the first driver from New York to win the World 100. In 2020, due to Ohio regulations during the pandemic, the event was modified into the Intercontinental Classic, reduced to 67 laps and held behind closed doors as a pay-per-view event. The winner’s purse was reduced to $50,000.
The corpus does not contain information about the deaths or retirements of any drivers associated with the World 100.
Billy Moyer holds the record for the most World 100 wins, with five victories. Jonathan Davenport has won the race four times, including both editions held in 2021. Scott Bloomquist and Donnie Moran have each won three times. The long-form study of driver performance trends at the World 100 belongs to dedicated motorsport statisticians rather than this article’s corpus.
The corpus does not contain information about drivers competing in series beyond the World 100.
Hudson O'Neal became the youngest driver to start on the pole at the World 100, at 17 years old in 2017. Bobby Pierce won the event in 2024.
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