By Tony Veneziano

The winners list of the Ronald Laney Memorial King of the 360s at East Bay Raceway in Gibsonton, Florida, is a who’s who of the sport. From a pair of Hall of Famers to a World of Outlaws champion, accomplishments abound among the past winners of the season-opening classic.

The 2018 edition of the Ronald Laney Memorial will hit the track as part of the 42nd annual Winternationals at East Bay on February 15-17.

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To gear up for this year’s season-opening event, we're looking back at past winners and their racing resumes to help set the stage for what is always one of the strongest fields of the season for any sprint car event.

Mark Smith

The owner of Mach 1 Chassis in Pennsylvania is the defending King of the 360s, taking the crown last year over Canadian Thomas Kennedy. Smith won the event for the first time in 2015 and became the fourth driver to win the event twice, joining Gary Wright, Terry McCarl, and Wayne Johnson. Smith has won at numerous tracks in Pennsylvania, including the famed Williams Grove Speedway, Lincoln Speedway, Port Royal Speedway, Selinsgrove Speedway, and BAPS Speedway (Susquehanna), among others.

Terry McCarl

McCarl, who is National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee, is also a two-time winner of the event, taking the checkered flag in 2006 and a decade later in 2016. McCarl, who hails from Altoona, Iowa, is a seven-time track champion at Knoxville Raceway and claimed eight titles at the former Huset’s Speedway, where he is also the winningest driver in that track’s history. McCarl has over 300 wins in his career, including 12 with the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series. He has won at 68 tracks in 21 states and Australia in his career and has been victorious with 20 different sanctioning bodies.

Wayne Johnson

The 2000 ASCS champion, won his first Ronald Laney Memorial King of the 360s crown in 2010 and followed that up with another triumph in 2014. Johnson is third on the ASCS all-time win list with 50 victories. He is also a two-time winner of the 360 Nationals at the famed Knoxville Raceway. The Oklahoma native also has won the Short Track Nationals at I-30 Speedway in Little Rock, AR, and the Canadian Sprint Car Nationals at Ohsweken Speedway.

Gary Wright

Wright, a 2011 inductee into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame, won the inaugural King of the 360s event in 1999. The Texan posted his second victory in the event in 2007. Wright, who is a four-time champion with the American Sprint Car Series (ASCS), is also that series' winningest driver. Wright earned four World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series wins in his career as well as 29 triumphs with the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions.

Sport Allen

The Florida native, who is primarily competes on the pavement now, won at East Bay in 2003. Allen is also a past track champion at East Bay and is a past winner with the USCS across the southern part of the country.

Jeff Shepard

Shepard picked up the win in the King of the 360s in 2001. He ended his career with over 75 wins, including nearly 40 with the All Star Circuit of Champions. Shepard also found Victory Lane four times with the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series.

Ronald Laney

Laney won the Kings of the 360s in 2000 and tragically lost his life in the event the next year. Since then, the event has carried his name and thus his legacy lives on. The Texan had one ASCS win in his career and also competed a couple of seasons with the World of Outlaws Gumout Series.