Daryn Pittman has been selected to drive the Kreitz Racing No. 69K for the the 61st running of the National Open on Sept. 29-30 at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa., team owner Don Kreitz told FloRacing on Wednesday.

Pittman, an 86-time winner with the NOS Energy Drink World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series, has never won the prestigious event that pays $75,000-to-win.

Kreitz’s baby-blue No. 69K, on the other hand, is the Crown Jewel’s reigning winner with driver Lance Dewease, who was let go from the team last month. Kreitz also won the event as a driver in 1993 and again with Dewease in 2018.

“I’ve always liked (Pittman). He’s always someone that drove clean, yet doesn’t make a lot of mistakes on the track and doesn’t crash a lot,” Kreitz said. “He times good. He does everything right, like an old-school racer, more along the lines of Lance. He was one of the calls we got, and I was debating between five or six guys. We confirmed it late last night just texting back and forth.”

Pittman’s first appearance in the Kreitz-owned No. 69K will be on Sept. 15 in Williams Grove’s Billy Kimmel Memorial. The Owasso, Okla., veteran “can only do those three races because of his business,” Kreitz said, alluding to Pittman’s ownership of Ultra Shield Race Products.

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“So I asked him to come in then instead of the tune-up race (on Sept. 22) in case the tune-up race rained out,” Kreitz said.

This fall marks Pittman’s 19th attempt to win the famed National Open, a pursuit that began in 1999.

He’s finished second five times in the event, first in 2002 with the Donnie Woodburn No. 21 team, then 2011 in Mike Heffner’s No. 27, and again in 2013 and ’18 with Kasey Kahne Racing. Pittman also finished runner-up in 2019 with Roth Motorsports.

Kreitz, who last month hired five-time Port Royal Speedway track champion Logan Wagner to drive the car predominately at the Juniata River Valley half-mile, said his race team could run more events outside Williams Grove and Port Royal with either Wagner or another driver.

“I want to get through the Tuscarora 50 and the National Open. We might run a couple events after that with a different driver.”

Wagner’s No. 69K debut on Aug. 5 was a successful one, as the 2021 Tuscarora 50 champion and former Zemco Racing driver finished second from the 17th-starting spot.

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“We’re really happy with him,” Kreitz said. “He’s very nice. A clean-cut kid … I shouldn’t say kid. He’s 30-something. He’s very nice, very easy to work with. Does a good job on the track. He’s aggressive when he needs to be aggressive and otherwise runs good, clean laps, and passes guys. He said the car was good, probably the best car he’s ever driven there. He was really happy. We’re happy. We’ll see if we can make it a little better for him this weekend.”