Midwest Racing Archives

1972 - Andy Hampton Proves He Still Has What It Takes

2012-02-13T17:53:00.000-06:00

Andy Hampton in victory lane after winning the 1972 ARCA Royal Triton 300 at Daytona Speedway

Daytona Beach, Fla. (February 13, 1972) - For Andy Hampton, who admits he’s in the twilight of his career, winning a race at famed Daytona International Speedway “is something your grandchildren can remember after you’re gone.”

“It really doesn’t mean that much to me, other than showing the younger drivers that you still have what it takes to win. But it means a lot to my seven children back home,” the pudgy, graying, 43-year-old campaigner from Louisville, Ky., said Sunday.

Hampton, who with his four sons operates a “soft sell” used car business when he isn’t racing, had just won the ninth annual Royal Triton 300 stock car race at Daytona - a race he dominated like no other driver in recent years.

He broke away from the other 39 starters with the dropping of the green flag and, except for brief pit stops, was never out of the lead. He paced the field for 104 of the 120 laps. Hampton, frequently turning the awesome 2.5 mile tri-oval at speeds above 178 miles per hour, averaged. 199.175 miles per hour for his 300 mile trip - an outing he said was made “just a little bit tough by high winds.”

Iggy Katona, a 56-year-old veteran from Willis, Mich., finished second, while Red Farmer of Hueytown, Ala., a comparative youngster at 37, was third. Both trailed Hampton by more than five miles. Dave Sisco of Nashville, Tenn., and Charles McWilliams of Walton, Ky., were fourth and fifth, respectively, far off the pace.

Andy Hampton #2 on his way to winning the ARCA-sanction Royal Triton 300 - FloridaStockcars.com photo

Hampton was paid $4,300, a small sum as auto racing purses go these days, but still the biggest on the ARCA circuit each year. The money, however, wasn’t the big thing for the winner.

“I have a lot of trophies scattered around the house in Louisville,” he said, “but the one I took for winning at Daytona back in 1968 has a special place all by itself. This one will go in beside it, something for my children and grandchildren to scrap over when I'm gone.”

The race, favored by mild, clear weather, drew 23,500 spectators and most of them were still around when Hampton completed his 2 hour, 9 minute and 20 second chore, though it was obvious from the halfway point who the winner should be.

Asked how much longer he expects to race, Hampton smiled and said, “Well, all you need is a pair of strong arms, 20-20 vision and enough sense to stay out of trouble.”

Results –

1. Andy Hampton
2. Iggy Katona
3. Red Farmer
4. David Sisco
5. Chuck McWilliams
6. Kenny Reiter
7. Blackie Wangerin
8. N.D. Copley
9. Harold Fair
10. Jesse Baird
11. Dave Dayton
12. Leroy Austin
13. Kenneth Kalin
14. Freddie Holbert
15. Bob McCoy
16. Jim Tobin
17. Charlie Paxton
18. Charlie Thomas
19. Len Blanchard
20. Tony Schiller
21. Hubert West
22. Buck Newland
23. Gary Weinbroer
24. Coo Coo Marlin
25. Lem Blankenship
26. Kenny Black
27. A. Arnold
28. Paul Feldner
29. Mickey Flora
30. Jim Osgar

1973 – Opperman Takes Fair Victory

2012-02-11T08:52:00.000-06:00

Tampa, Fla. (February 11, 1973) – Jan Opperman scored another flag to flag victory in the Winternational Sprints at the Florida State Fair on Sunday.

Opperman, who won the opening feature on Thursday, then flipped and damaged his car on Saturday, came back to lead green to checkers during the Sunday afternoon matinee. He was helped by a slick track with a narrow groove that made it all by eliminated any passing.

Finishing runner-up in the 30-lap main was Wib Spaulding of Granite City, Ill., who started on the inside of the front row and remained in the second spot the entire race. Thad Dosher of Topeka, Kan., was the biggest mover of the afternoon, starting in the sixth position and finishing third.

Results –
Heat One - Kenny Weld, York, Penn.
Heat Two – Dick Sutcliffe, Greenwood, Mo.
Heat Three – Cliff Cockrum, Benton, Ill.
Match Race – Jan Opperman, Beaver Crossing, Neb.
Consolation – Doc Dawson, Kansas City, Mo.

Feature -

1. Jan Opperman
2. Wib Spaulding, Granite City, Ill.
3. Thad Dosher, Topeka, Kan.
4. Jerry Nemire, Toledo, Ohio
5. Dick Sutcliffe
6. Doc Dawson
7. David Ross, Jetmore, Kan.
8. Kenny Weld
9. Jerry Camfield, Argenta, Ill.
10. Tom Corbin, Farmington, Mo.
11. Ray Lee Goodwin, Kansas City, Mo.
12. Don Mack, East Grand Forks, Minn.

1974 - Marcum Top Drumbeater

2012-02-09T17:46:00.000-06:00

Daytona, Fla. (February 9, 1974) - John Marcum, one of auto racing’s few remaining Barnum-class impresarios’, arrived in Daytona Beach a few days ago wheeling a new Continental Mark IV and bringing his usual supply of chocolates and silver dollars.

“Two years ago you’ll remember, it was half dollars. I have to go along with inflation,” said the silver-haired, well-kept veteran of 46 years in a sport he once thought would never make it.

The candy? “Well, it’s costing more now than it used to, but the lady who makes it is an old friend. I'll give away about 600 boxes.”

Silver dollars and chocolates aren’t Marcum’s only identifying graces. Not by a very, very long shot. There is the brightly-stitched maroon jacket. It matches the Continental’s color.

And, of course, there are the $125 alligator shoes. Before he leaves Daytona, a few friends will be added to his mailing list, to receive the shiny alligators. They will be inscribed “made especially for…”

And there is the same diamond cluster ring, the same solid-gold watch, the gold key chain, the brown-feathered hat, ties right out of the latest fashion box, bows and four-in-hands in colors you wouldn’t believe.

Marcum, a throwback to the early days of racing, when he was both a driver and a huckster at short, dirty, back-yard ovals, is president - and czar, chief sultan and benefactor – of the Midwest-based Auto Racing Club of America.

His drivers, including 55-year-old Iggy Katona and 47-year-old Andy Hampton, will lead off Daytona International Speedway’s “Speed Weeks” program with a 300-mile race on Sunday.

If you take chief drumbeater Marcum’s word for it, his race will be the best of seven scheduled during week of high speed capers at the 2.5-mile oval.

“My boys get to a big speedway like this only once a year. They get their adrenalin flowing when they see the ‘Big D’ and you can’t blame them if they drive a bit over their heads,” Marcum said

“I started turning down entries two weeks ago. When the list got up to 45 or so, with only 30 starting positions available, I began turning them back.”

“The outsiders, the big boys from the other circuits, like to run my big races because they think my country kids like Iggy and Andy are easy pickings.”

The ARCA regulars, indeed, were easy pickings last year. A 40-year-old short-track upstart named Charlie Blanton, from Spartanburg, S C., came in and took all the gravy. It can be added that Blanton’s entry was turned down this year. Marcum slyly confides that the defending champion’s entry arrived after the deadline.

“There are rules, you know, and I make my people abide by them,” the 60-year-old, well preserved veteran from Toledo, Ohio, said with a wink.

Marcum swears he prints a rule book each year for his short-track circuit. But he also admits he changes not only the technical rules but the race rules anytime he thinks they need changing.

“I have changed them from one race to the next, even just before a race,” he acknowledged, “but only for the good of my boys. They call me a crotchety old so-and-so, but they never leave me until they get ready to go for bigger money and some of them come back after trying other pastures.”

Marcum proudly points to the fact that Benny Parsons, a two-time ARCA champion, went on to win the Grand National title in the richer, more prestigious National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing series last year.

Marcum and his wife Mildred - he calls her “Grandma” - are majority owners of ARCA.

She’s the treasurer, the chief money-handler. Frank Canale, a short-track expert, is chief aide to the couple and has the title of vice president. There is no board of directors to interfere with they way they run the show.

Marcum, despite attempts by “Grandma” to restrain him, not only tosses the silver dollars around at the wink of an eye, but he frequently pays off on birthdays, too.

“He doesn’t remember my birthday month,” Mildred remarked. “So about every three months or so, I get a $50 bill with a note, ‘Buy yourself a present.’”

Marcum doesn’t admit to being wealthy. “I’m comfortable,” he will say. “I could quit tomorrow and never have to work again. But I’d go crazy doing nothing, and pretty soon Grandma would have me committed.”

Marcum drove a sprint car in the Midwest in the late 1920s and early 1930s. He quit as a driver shortly after a race at Daytona's old beach-road course in 1936.

“Bill France, who also was driving, intimidated me and I turned upside down in a dune,” Marcum recalls. “There I was, hanging upside down and the only thing I could see was a wooden sign stuck in the dune. It said, ‘Danger, watch for rattlesnakes.’”

France later founded NASCAR and Marcum worked for him before going back to Toledo and forming ARCA in the early ‘60s.

Marcum explains his love for fine cars and clothes, and his generosity to drivers and friends by saying he was poverty-stricken as a youth.

1965- Barton wins third leg of IMCA Winternationals

2012-02-07T18:23:00.002-06:00

Tampa, Fla. (February 7, 1965) - Fiery driving and fiery tempered Buzz Barton, the buzz bomb of Tampa, won the third feature race in the series of Florida State Fair and IMCA Golden Anniversary events Sunday afternoon.

It was an endurance run for the 48-year-old Barton and his face was almost as red as his flaming shirt as he crawled out of the Thomas Offy after completing the 30 laps.

“Man, I’m all done,” was his comment, although he managed a smile to collect the Pepsi Cola Trophy and a kiss from lovely Cookie Benken, the Golden Girl Speed Queen.

Gordon Woolley of Waco, Tex., driving the Honore Bardahl Chevy in which he won the opener last Wednesday, rode a comfortable second. Jim Moughan, Springfield, Mo., was third in the Lancaster Chevy.

Barton took the lead early in the race on sheer grit and energy, wrestling through the soft dirt thrown to the top of the track. After that he came down in the comfortable middle groove on the turns and gunned it just hard enough to build a big lead and keep it.

Heat winners were Russ Laursen of Cumberland, Wis., in a Chevy; Ralph Quarterson of Greenville, Pa., in a Chevy; and Carl Williams, Kansas City, Mo., in the Wilson Chevy. Williams broke his own track record on the eighth lap, with a time of 3:45.29. Saturday he set a record of 3:46.39.

A heavy rain early Sunday morning made the track tacky and heavy at the start of the afternoon of action, but it smoothed out to a slick center groove by the end of the heats.

Results –

1. Buzz Barton
2. Gordon Woolley
3. Jim Moughan
4. Bill Brown
5. Sam Sessions
6. Jim McCune
7. Larry Dickson
8. Keith Thomas
9. John Myers
10. Carl Williams

1965 – Daytona ARCA 250 Captured by Iggy Katona

2012-02-06T17:40:00.002-06:00

Daytona Beach, Fla. (February 6, 1965) - Iggy Katona of Willis, Mich., a 47-year-old veteran of Midwest tracks, won a wild and confused 250-mile Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) championship race Sunday.

He survived spins, smashes and penalties, which weeded out six others who led at various stages, and finished two car lengths in front of Andy Hampton of Louisville, Ky. Benny Parsons of Detroit finished in the bunch with Katona and Hampton but was one lap behind and placed third. All three drove 1964 Fords.

Six caution flags flew a total of 29 of the 100 laps around the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway. This slowed the pace to 132.684 miles per hour compared to the ARCA record of 154.103 miles per hour set by Nelson Stacy of Daytona Beach last year.

The ARCA drivers, more accustomed to shorter Midwest tracks where they race in the summer, nevertheless put caution aside and thrilled the crowd of about 10,000 by running full tilt when turned loose.

Four sensational crashes sent one driver to the field hospital. He was Rich Clement of Chicago, who was treated for bruises and released. Clement crashed into the outside concrete wall coming off the west turn.

Jack Bowsher of Springfield, Ohio, who started in the pole in a 1965 Ford, led for several laps but was penalized for passing the pace car on a regrouping of the field during a caution flag. He would finish fifth.

Harry Pick of Cicero, Ill., took a similar penalty of several seconds holdup in the pits and was fourth in a 1964 Mercury.

Results –
1. Iggy Katona
2. Andy Hampton
3. Benny Parsons
4. Harry Pick
5. Jack Bowsher
6. Ralph O’ Day
7. Blaine Kaufman
8. Junior Spencer
9. Danny Byrd
10. Harold Smith
11. Clyde Parker
12. John Baker
13. Mike Brown
14. Johnny Ditch
15. Dick Freeman
16. Jack Shanklin
17. Jerry Norris
18. Ed Grady
19. Rich Clement
20. Tony Bolick
21. Gene Ploughe
22. Don Arnold
23. Jack Pickens
24. Willie Schweibert

1965 - Woolley wins IMCA Winternationals season opener

2012-02-04T12:01:00.001-06:00

Tampa, Fla. (February 4, 1965) - Gordon Woolley, the balding race driver from Waco, Tex, turned the tables on Lady Luck at the Florida State Fair on Wednesday and picked up an $805 paycheck for winning the inaugural feature, the consolation and taking second in a special match race.

Last year, Woolley started the season at the fair with a bad crackup and it proved a portent of the rest of the season which saw him involved in several more accidents before he and a doctor agreed that he must quit for the rest of the year.

A crowd of 6,100 fans watched the host of new race stars run through 51 time trials in quick order in the early afternoon, opening the Golden Anniversary celebration of the International Motor Contest Association.

Wednesday, it was a smiling Woolley who posed with Speed Queen Cookie Benkin and car owner Hector Honore to receive the Pepsi Cola Trophy.

“I believe things will change this year,” said Woolley, 42, and IMCA champion of 1963. “I started bad here last year and wound up bad. Maybe this good start means that I'll get the championship back. I know Hector would like to have it back.”

Second in the 20-lap sprint feature was Jim McCune of Toledo, Ohio in the Smith Special. McCune was second ranked driver in IMCA in 1964. Third place went to Dave Lundy, 31, of Pittsburgh, Pa., in the CAE Chevy.
Results –
1. Gordon Woolley
2. Jim McCune
3. Dave Lundy
4. Jim Moughan
5. Johnny Moyers
6. Larry Cannon
7. Bill Brown
8. Greg Weld
9. Wib Spaulding
10. Buzz Barton

The Hawkeye Futurity

2012-02-01T18:20:00.001-06:00

Tom Custer (76) and Jim Moughan (2) lead the field to start at the 1967 Hawkeye Futurity at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa.

By Kyle Ealy
Des Moines, Iowa – The word “Futurity” is defined as “a race or competition for which entries are made well in advance of the event”. That definition turned into a dream for a former Huron, South Dakota auto racing promoter.

The Hawkeye Futurity, held annually from 1955 until 1970 at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa, would be considered the biggest and richest event on the International Motor Contest Association (IMCA) sprint car circuit.

The idea behind the Hawkeye Futurity was considered brand new in dirt track racing circles and was actually conceived in 1952 by Gaylord “Lefty” White, then a partner with Al Sweeney in National Speedways, Inc.

White wouldn’t live to see his dream become a reality, passing away unexpectedly in 1954, but plans for the one of kind event were never abandoned. Instead, they were given even further impetus by his partner, Sweeney, in cooperation with the race supervisors for the Iowa State Fair Board, and fittingly, the meet was dedicated to White’s memory.

Modeled after the horse racing “Futurities,” entry fees had been paid into the purse by car owners and drivers starting in 1952. That money was matched dollar for dollar by National Speedways for the next three years and the money was held in escrow in a Des Moines bank. By the time the first event became reality in 1955, L. B. Cunningham, the Iowa State Fair secretary, noted that the purse had reached the neighborhood of $10,000, quite the hefty sum back in this time and it was by far the richest purse ever paid in Iowa racing history.

When the inaugural race started on June 5, 1955, a total of 21 states were represented in the entries, with the state of Missouri leading the way with 11 cars and Illinois second with five. Other states represented include Minnesota, Indiana, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Ohio, Texas, Virginia, Kansas, South Dakota, Arizona, Oklahoma, Iowa, Colorado, New Jersey, Oregon, California, Michigan and Florida.

The inaugural race was marred by the death of 29-year-old Bob Slater of Kansas City, Mo. Slater, the 1954 IMCA national champion, would slam into a retaining wall on the sixth lap of the race and die instantly before more 10,000 horrified spectators.

Slater spurted to an early lead in the 100-lap feature race, but Leland “Bud” Randall of Fairmount, Ind., overtook him quickly. Slater fought back into the lead and was comfortably holding the top spot when his car went out of control and slammed into a retaining wall, bouncing back quickly on the speedway and landing on its wheels.

Photographer Les Burianek took this shot of Bob Slater right before he was killed at the 1955 Hawkeye Futurity. This spectacular shot was seen in newspapers all over the country. - Courtesy of John Burianek

The race was stopped when the accident happened and resumed again at the sixth lap when the track was cleared. It was slowed by two other minor accidents in which the drivers suffered no Injuries

Slater was pronounced dead on arrival at local Des Moines’ hospital. His wife, who was in attendance that day, was hospitalized with shock. Slater, it was said, died of head and chest injuries.

Randall would lose the lead on lap 26 to Bobby Grim of Indianapolis who was then overtaken by Jud Larson of Austin Tex., at the halfway point of the race. Larson would go on to win the 50-mile event in a time of 45 minutes and 51 seconds.

Larson claimed $1,680 in prize money, plus another $225 in lap and special prize money. Twenty drivers were in the feature race, which was held at the start of the day’s program because of threatening rain.

Jud Larson, shown here in the Tom Randol Offy, would win the the Hawkeye Futurity in both 1955 and 1956. - Bob Mays Collection

Slater had held four of the distance records on the fairground track, including the 25, 20, 15 and 3 ½ mile events. Slater also held the IMCA half-mile track record for a 25-mile race, which he posted almost a year to the day in Des Moines on June 6, 1954. He also held the IMCA 15 and 7 ½ mile records. His reckless, “go for broke” driving style would be sorely missed.

On June 10, 1956, it would be Jud Larson again in victory lane in the Hawkeye Futurity. Larson, now operating out of Kansas City, outhustled Bill Chennault, also of Kansas City, to secure his second straight victory in the big race. Jack Jordan of Alhambra, Calif., Jerry Blundy of Galesburg, Ill., and Vic Ellis of Rockton, Ill., would take the top five spots on the afternoon.

Larson, still recuperating from burns he sustained in a crash in September of 1955, set a half-mile track record in time trials with a car he borrowed on a commission basis from Jimmy Campbell of Bates, Mo., only hours before the big race.

Larson added $100 to his $750 Futurity purse by racing around the track in 23.55 seconds to beat the former record of 24.10 set by Bobby Grim of Indianapolis in a 1953 spring meeting. He also picked up another $75 as a heat winner and another $25 as a lap leader at the end of 15 miles.

The same crowd of 10,000 that watched Larson speed to victory also witnessed one of the most spectacular crashes in years at the Iowa State Fairgrounds track. Walt McWhorter of Wichita, Kan., spun end-over-end in a six-car crash on the opening lap of the 5-mile race. McWhorter suffered only a bruised shoulder and minor scratches.

Before another capacity crowd of 10,300 at the Iowa State Fairgrounds, Bobby Grim of Indianapolis, Ind., the defending IMCA national sprint car champion, would break Larson’s stranglehold of the event on June 9, 1957, winning a race delayed nearly two hours by a muddy track. A record 48 cars entered the meet.

Grim pushed his big car through the 25-mile feature race in 23 minutes, 5.53 seconds to take his first victory in the Iowa racing classic. Second place went to Cotton Farmer, Fort Worth, Tex., and third to Jerry Kemp, St. Louis Mo. The $1,010 purse money Grim won would be split with Hector Honore of Pana, Ill., who owned the speedy Offenhauser that Grim drove.

Fourth-place finisher Buzz Barton, Tampa, Fla., threatened to protest his placing, claiming he passed Kemp just as the starter gave winner Grim the checkered flag. Leon Rubble of Linton, Ind., would round out the top five.

Despite the muddy condition of the track, only one accident occurred during the afternoon. During time trials, John Parker of Shakopee, Minn., flipped his car on a turn but was not hurt in the mishap. The best time trial turned in on the afternoon was by Don Carr of Detroit, Mich., who turned a lap in 25.41 seconds. In the feature race, Carr led briefly but was forced out by engine trouble.

Bobby Grim, behind the wheel of Hector Honore's Black Deuce, would win the Hawkeye Futurity in 1957 and 1958. - Bob Mays Collection

Just like Jud Larson in the first couple of Hawkeye Futurity’s, Bobby Grim would go out and prove that winning the prestigious event again was no fluke. On June 8, 1958, the 33-year-old Indianapolis hotshot won his second consecutive race. Driving the signature “Black Deuce”, Grim won the event in 22 minutes and 58 seconds to nip the mark of 23 minutes and 5 seconds he set the year before.

The winner was one lap ahead at the halfway mark and was never pressed. His victory put him back in the lead in the International Motor Contest Association’s rating, ahead of Don Carr. Carr, for the second year, couldn’t finish the feature race here. This time he spun and tagged the wall, sending him and his battered car to the infield earlier than expected.

Cotton Farmer of Fort Worth, Tex., would place second, veteran Herschel Wagner of Hickman Mills, Mo., would be scored in third and Vern Chamberlain of St. Paul, Minn., would grab fourth.

The race was almost marred by tragedy. Ken Gottschalk, a 28-year-old St. Louis, Mo., speedster, came out of a spill with only a black eye and sprained shoulder alter his car flipped end over end and rolled almost the entire length on the east curve on the very first lap.

You could say that Pete Folse “backed” into the winner's circle of the 5th annual Hawkeye Futurity on Sunday, June 7, 1959.

Folse, of Tampa, Fla., was running third for most of the race, but the two pace setters, Arnie Knepper of Belleville, Ill., and Herschel Wagner of Hickman Mills, Mo., would both drop out with mechanical woes, making it clear sailing for Folse, who was now behind the wheel of Hector Honore’s “Black Deuce”.
Folse would finish several hundred yards in front of up and coming driver from Lennox, Calif., Jim Hurtubise. Folse’s winning time in the race was 23 minutes and 48 seconds.

Pete Folse of Tampa, Fla., piloting the Bardahl Special, would win the Hawkeye Futurity in 1959 and 1960. - Bob Mays Collection

Following suit with the two previous winners of the Hawkeye Futurity, Folse would come back on June 19, 1960 and successfully defend his title, collecting $700 for the victory and another $200 for setting fast time.

Driving the Honore Offenhauser, Folse was clocked going around the half-mile in 22 minutes, 28.72 seconds, a new record for the event.

Bob Hewitt of Mount View, Calif., suffered back injuries, face cuts and possible internal injuries when his car rolled at the conclusion of his time trial. The car rolled three times and pinned Hewitt. Track officials said roll-bars on the car kept him from being killed.

Emmet “Buzz” Barton of Tampa, Fla., driving the beautiful red and white #52 Lempelius Offenhauser, would come from behind to win the 7th annual Hawkeye Futurity on Sunday afternoon, June 11, 1961. Barton, who started in 17th position, would make his way through the field and close with early leader and two-time defending Futurity champ Pete Folse. After a caution, Barton would speed past his Tampa rival and breeze to an easy victory.

Jim McElreath of Arlington, Tex., would grab second behind Barton. Harold Leep of Wichita, Kan., and Gordon Woolley of Waco, Tex., would earn third and fourth respectively with Colby Scroggins of Eagle Rock, Calif., coming in fifth.

The race, before some 9,700 fans, was marred by only one accident. Jerry Blundy of Galesburg, Ill., crashed into the west retaining wall on the 19th lap when the steering arm on his car broke. He was thrown 25 feet from his car, but did not suffer any serious injuries.

It was same car in victory lane at the ‘62 Hawkeye Futurity but a different driver behind its wheel. Harold Leep of Wichita, Kan. won the 25-mile race on June 24, driving the same Lempelius Offenhauser that Buzz Barton had won with in ’61.

Leep covered the 50 laps in 24 minutes and 36 seconds in capturing the $600 top prize. Leep moved in front at the 13th lap and was never headed. Bill Horstmeyer of Stoughton, Wis. finished second in an Offy and Gordon Woolley, of Waco, Tex. was third, driving Leep’s former Chevrolet owned by Chet Wilson of Wichita.

The 1962 IMCA national champion Johnny White of Warren, Mich., was already enjoying a banner year when he pulled into the Iowa State Fairgrounds on June 2, 1963 for the 9th annual Hawkeye Futurity. White, driving the #1 Sid Weinberger Chevy, became the first man in racing history to turn a lap at 100 miles per hour at Winchester (Ind.) Speedway in early May. A little over a week before the Futurity, White won the grueling Little 500 on the paved quarter-mile in Anderson, Ind.

Johnny White of Warren, Mich., is shown accepting his trophy in victory lane after winning the 1963 Hawkeye Futurity.

Before a crowd of 8,500, White would set the tone for the afternoon by eclipsing a 25-year-old world’s record, winning the 8-lap first heat in a blistering 3 minutes and 21 seconds, breaking the old mark set by the late Gus Schrader in 1938. In the 30-lap finale, White covered the field, winning in 13 minutes and 56 seconds over Gordon Woolley, Bill Horstmeyer, Jerry Richert and Dale Reed. White would collect $500 for the win.

The Hawkeye Futurity had been graced with skilled drivers, spectacular crowds and great weather for the first nine years, but it would take two years for the race to happen again. The 1964 event would be rained out and the event (for some unexplained reason) wasn’t even scheduled in ’65. In September of that year, Al Sweeney released a statement assuring everyone that in 1966, the Hawkeye Futurity would be back on the IMCA sprint car schedule.

But even the ’66 event was almost canceled…

An early morning rain on Sunday, June 5th had turned the newly refinished fairgrounds track into a muddy quagmire. Sporadic showers threatened to wash out the entire program but after a two-hour battle officials managed to get the first race off. The crowd, estimated at 5,500, was by far the lowest in the history of the event.

Jerry Blundy of Galesburg, Ill., dominated the 1966 Hawkeye Furturity, setting a new qualifying record and winning the 30-lap feature in record time. - Bob Mays Collection

Jerry Blundy of Galesburg, Ill., would race to victory through the muck and mud, collecting a $590 payday for his efforts. The 40-year-old air conditioning engineer beat Jim Moughan and Chuck Lynch, both of Springfield, Ill. Blundy, who started in the front row alongside Moughan, headed his Illinois rivals by five car lengths most of the way in an accident-free race. The remainder of the field was a quarter mile or more back from the familiar # 33 red Chevy.

Bill Puterbaugh of Roxana, Ill., was a surprise in fourth place. He qualified badly and did not place in any of the preliminary heats. But he managed to slip into the last row of the field for the 30-lap feature as the alternate.

Blundy was something of a surprise himself, turning in a dominating performance despite the track conditions. He set fast time in qualifying (27.39 seconds) and then wheeled to a track and Futurity record of 12 minutes and 53 seconds in the 30-lap main event. Since it was the first time the 15-mile feature had gone without a yellow flag, the time was well under the 14 minute and 54 second time set by Johnny White in the ’63 race.

White, was in the pits on that Sunday afternoon but as a car owner. Paralyzed from the neck down as a result of a 1964 race crash, White’s luck wasn’t much in his debut as owner. His Offenhauser-powered rig was piloted by Jay Woodside of Topeka, Kan. Woodside would make the big show but exit early with a blown piston.

The highly-anticipated duel between IMCA point leader and defending national champion Jerry Richert of Forest Lake, Minn., and his rival Rollie Beale of Toledo, Ohio would never materialize as planned. Beale, the recent winner of the Little 500, went to the sidelines with his Kenny Lay-Don Harrell Chevrolet on lap 18 and Richert was forced out on the twenty-fifth lap with overheated engine as a result of a mud-clogged radiator.

The Black Deuce had more years on it that the Hawkeye Futurity did itself. The famous car was introduced in 1952 and the first Futurity took place in 1955. It was considered practically an antique among the current sprint cars competing then. Once it got ahead of a field of cars, though, there was no catching the old buggy that was the pride and joy of Hector Honore.

When Honore and his sprint car pulled into the state fairgrounds on June 4, 1967, the car had seen victory lane over 400 times in its career. Honore believed it had a few more wins left in it. He believed that Jim Moughan, the runner-up in the '66 Futurity, was the guy who could get one in the Hawkeye Futurity. Honore was correct on both accounts.

Jim Moughan of Springfield, Ill., took Hector Honore's Bardahl Special for one last victory lap, winning the 1967 Hawkeye Futurity. - Bob Mays Collection

Despite a broken front axle and more yellow caution lights than you’d see on an Interstate 80 detour, Moughan took the Black Deuce to a hard-fought victory in the 11th annual Hawkeye Futurity.

Moughan, a 37-year-old interior decorator, toured the 30 sun-baked laps in 15 minutes and 39 seconds. The defending champion, Jerry Blundy, was a close runner-up. Or, as Moughan put it later, “I could hear him coming. That was a lot of competition behind me.”

A crowd of 6,600 watched the program in ideal weather, which was a real switch compared to the last couple of years. Des Moines Register sportswriter Ron Maly said it best, “It had rained so much in previous Futurity races that folks were wondering if anyone would know how to drive on a dry track.”

Moughan got off to a great start, touring the half-mile in 23.95 seconds, but things turned from sweet to sour in a hurry. The Black Deuce’s front axle broke after the qualifying run and no one was quite sure if repairs could be done in time. Moughan, in fact, was so uncertain that he borrowed a car from Bill Myers of East Alton, Ill., and attempted to qualify that, which he did in the time of 24.85 seconds.

Moughan’s pit crew, headed by the tireless Honore, sprang into action when the Black Deuce limped in. The axle was replaced in about an hour and Moughan had it back in time to race in the second heat. He finished seventh in the eight-car race. The four-car match race was next for Moughan – and he managed a second place showing behind Blundy, but in the 10-lap consolation, Moughan took the win over Blundy.

Now he was ready…

Starting on the front row alongside fast qualifier Tom Custer of Rock Island, Ill., Moughan waited patiently while two first-lap spinouts delayed the feature and then shot into first place, never letting it go after that. Another spin on the thirteenth lap caused the yellow to light up again, but if anybody hoped to stop Moughan from winning by then he’d have needed a stop light and a police escort.

Ray Lee Goodwin of Kansas City, Tom Corbin of Carrollton, Mo., and Lee Kunzman of Guttenberg, Iowa would follow Moughan and Blundy across the finish line.

It was the fifth career Hawkeye Futurity victory by the Black Deuce. Pete Folse and Bobby Grim had steered it to 2 victories apiece and now Moughan grabbed one for the thumb. Honore’s car had now posted 426 feature victories, 746 heat race triumphs and has been responsible for 201 track records.

After two successful Hawkeye Futurity’s, the event would come to a standstill once again. The race, scheduled for June 9, 1968 became a dark mark on the IMCA’s calendar of events with the untimely assassination of Robert Kennedy that shocked the nation. The Futurity was cancelled, and rightly so, when newly appointed President Lyndon Johnson declared a day of mourning.

Part of a grand old lady returned to haunt the Hawkeye Futurity on Sunday, June 8, 1969.

Jan Opperman of Hayward, Calif., won the 30-lap feature before an estimated crowd of 5,500. His Chevrolet - powered sprint car had the frame of the machine the late Bob Slater drove in winning the 1954 International Motor Contest Association championship. It was also the same frame on the sprinter that he was killed in during the 1955 Hawkeye Futurity.

Opperman, 29, led all the way in the feature and pocketed $500 for winning the feature. Second place, worth $400, went to Dick Sutcliffe of Kansas City, Mo.; Jay Woodside, also of Kansas City, finished third; Roy Bryant of Wichita, Kan., was fourth, and Bill Utz of Sedalia, Mo., took fifth.

The "Original Outlaw" Jan Opperman dominated his opponents in winning the 1969 Hawkeye Futurity. - Bob Mays Collection

Still, Opperman was never in danger of being passed. He mentioned after the race that the softer tires gave him a better bite than the regular tires.

There were few changes in the 30-lap feature until the last five laps. Jerry Blundy of Galesburg, Ill., Earl Wagner of Pleasantville, Iowa and Kenny Gritz of Lincoln, Neb., all saw their chances to finish in the top five end within that brief period. Blundy was running fifth and Wagner was fourth when Blundy tried to pass going into the third turn on lap 28. Blundy apparently lost control and hit Wagner. Blundy rammed into the wall and both cars were eliminated.

Gritz was a surprise performer. He qualified fourth fastest, finished second in the match race for the six fastest cars, and started the feature in the second row. He was in second place until Sutcliffe and Woodside passed him on the twelfth lap. He was still in fourth place when he spun out on the twenty-fifth lap.

Unfortunately for Gritz, it would be the last Hawkeye Futurity he would ever compete in. Two months later, Gritz would win the Knoxville Super-Modified National Championships at the Marion County Fairgrounds, then a couple of weeks later, lose his life in a race-related accident at the Nebraska State Championships in Lincoln.

Jerry Richert of Forest Lake, Minn., erected a one-half lap lead in the early stages of the Hawkeye Futurity sprint-car feature on June 7, 1970 and it would turn out to be a good thing.

Just after he took the white flag, Richert’s engine went sour and to the estimated 5,200 fans in attendance, it appeared he wouldn’t make the checkered flag. But Jerry nursed the Chevrolet-powered racer along and won the 30-lap event by approximately 150 yards over Dick Sutcliffe.

The victory was worth $500 for Richert, who missed most of last season while recuperating from chest surgery and to that point in the ’70 season, had won only one other feature; at the Florida State Fair in February.

After years of trying, Minnesota's Jerry Richert would finally win the Hawkeye Futurity in 1970. - Bob Mays Collection

Richert, the four-time International Motor Contest Association champion was in tears as his family gathered around to congratulate him. The kisses from his wife and two young daughters were probably more appreciative to Richert than that of the speed queen in victory lane.

Richert also received $100 for his qualifying run, $50 for winning his heat and $15 for the trophy dash position. Sutcliffe was paid $400 in the feature, third-place finisher Jay Woodside took home $300, Jerry Blundy $200, and Eddie Leavitt $150.

Blundy made several attempts to pass Woodside for second place, who was driving a car owned by Hank Smith of Mount Ayr, Iowa but the IMCA point leader was unable to accomplish the feat.

Richert, who had things his going his way most of the afternoon, said he didn’t know what happened to the engine. “The temperature started rising about midway in the race,” he said. “Then, just after I took the white flag, it started missing. It may have been the magneto.”

Richert was the fastest qualifier with a 24.12 second clocking around the half-mile. He easily won his 10-lapheat race after starting last in the field He also started last in the five-lap trophy dash, an event for the six fastest cars, and finished second. He started in the third row of the feature.

The track condition was dry-slick and under those circumstances, there was little passing and few changes in the top five after the first lap. However, Dave Ross of Jetmore, Kan., was not content to sit back. He put on an excellent driving performance, starting back in the eighth row and finishing in sixth place.

The last hurrah for Hawkeye Futurity would come on Sunday evening, May 30, 1971. The grand race, however, would not be at the historic State Fairgrounds this year but two hours East at Hawkeye Downs Speedway in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

And while the crowd was a disappointing (2,299 paid) for the sprint car classic, few could have been disappointed in the racing itself.

Earl Wagner, the “Pleasantville Plumber”, and Jerry Blundy, the defending IMCA national champion, had everybody on their feet as they raced wheel to wheel in a fierce duel for the final 10 laps on the half-mile dirt oval.

Wagner, piloting a new Chevrolet-powered sprint, won by a car length and in the process established an IMCA world record of 11minutes and 46 seconds over the 15-mile distance. The old mark of 12 minutes and 25 seconds was set by Pete Folse and his Offenhauser at Kansas City in 1961.

Earl led all the way, but by the 15th tour it was a three-car battle including Dick Sutcliffe of Kansas City and Blundy of Galesburg, Ill. Sutcliffe was forced to drop back on the 18th lap after peeling a right rear tire. Then Wagner and Blundy went at it.

Several times Blundy went low going into the first turn and actually was even with Wagner coming out of two, but Earl had the groove and couldn’t be pulled from it.

“Yes, I'm a full-time plumber; I just have to take time to go racing," remarked Earl Wagner after winning the very last Hawkeye Futurity in 1971 at Cedar Rapids, Iowa. - Bob Mays Collection

“That Jerry sure was pushing me,” drawled Wagner, “and I want to tell you I was getting super tired.”

“I've only been in the car four or five times and I've had trouble getting used to it. It just didn’t fit me. They’ve really worked hard on it and tonight it was great.”

“It’s not that the car was bad before - it just didn’t feel good to me. So tonight we changed the rear shocks and jacked some weight around and that did the job.”

Wagner, who also won the second heat, pocketed $500 for his efforts in the feature, while Blundy earned $400. Sutcliffe had to settle for eighth in the feature. But he did win the trophy dash and the third heat and set fast time in qualifying with a 22.26 second clocking.

Dick Forbrook of Morgan, Minn., won the first heat and Dick Jones of Whitewater, Wis., topped the consolation. The seven-event program was accident free.

The Iowa State Fairgrounds was the stage; names like Larson, Grim, Folse, Blundy, Opperman and Richert were the artists. For 15 years they created excitement, drama, tragedy, thrills, and sheer brilliance. The Hawkeye Futurity was an act like no other.

Bravo…

Special thanks to Bob Mays and Lee Ackerman in writing this story - Kyle Ealy

1973 - Melton Gets Fairgrounds Racing 6th Year in Row

2012-01-26T17:21:00.001-06:00

Des Moines, Iowa (January 26, 1973) - Homer Melton will again promote weekly stock car races at the Iowa State Fairgrounds this summer.

The Milan, Ill., promoter was awarded the contract for the sixth straight year when the Iowa State Fair’s board of directors met at the Fairgrounds.

His proposal was for the fair to receive 40 percent of total income after sales taxes and he will pay a $5,000 purse, up $800 from the money paid weekly at the end of last season.

Melton was one of four groups still in consideration for the prize. Eight groups had originally submitted bids and four were eliminated at a December 14th meeting.

Others remaining in consideration were Denny Murray and Tom Spagnola, both Des Moines used car dealers; Keith Knaack of Vinton, racing promoter there and at Waterloo, and Bob Hilmer of Dysart, the 1972 late model stock car champion at the Fairgrounds.

Knaack and Hilmer had proposed a $4,500 purse and 35 per cent of total income after sales taxes or a $5,000 purse and 30 percent. Murray had offered a $5,000 purse plus a weekly contingency fund - of $1,000 and would have paid the fair 40 percent of total income, less taxes. Spagnola had guaranteed the fair $65,000 or 40 percent, whichever was greater, and would have paid a $5,000 purse with an $800 contingency fund.

Iowa State Fair Secretary Kenneth Fulk said the board considered six criteria in making the decision: managerial ability, knowledge and experience in auto racing, promotional plan, financial responsibility, purse offered and percentage to the fair.

“Homer definitely had the most experience in racing,” Fulk said. “And I used a point system to score the candidates. Homer won, although not by much.”

Before the board made its decision, there was considerable discussion about contingency funds, which would have meant a $5,800 or $6,000 weekly purse, and how it would affect the racing program.

Melton and Knaack both voiced opinions that large purses would draw big-name drivers from around the Midwest and they would push out the local talent. Also it was felt that the cream of talent at other Iowa tracks would be drawn to Des Moines and the smaller tracks would be hurt.

Harry Duncan of Columbus Junction, Iowa, a board member for many years, said this had to be avoided. Murray wanted to put most of his contingency money on the lower end of the purse and pay more drivers.

This is apparently what Melton will do. He said he will meet soon with a committee of drivers and set up the purse breakdown for 1972.

He at first indicated the winner of the 25-lap late-model feature would receive $600 this season and the winner of the 15-lap sportsman feature would be paid $300. But this is subject to change. The late model winner received $500 and the sportsman winner $225 at the end of the ‘72 season.

Spagnola was disappointed that his bid was not accepted and he said he felt he had the best offer. “I guess they thought I was trying to buy the track,” he said of his offer to guarantee the $65,000. “I learned some things and will definitely bid again if given the chance.”

Murray said, “I believe the board made a fair decision. I believe that my bidding will make the Fairgrounds a better place to race and I am happy that it has had the effect of raising the purse.”

Melton has acknowledged that he was worried about losing the promotion opportunity. “I am happy that the fair board has the faith to again give me the opportunity,” he said.
Melton has been in auto racing promotion for 17 years.

1938 - Challenge of Gus Schrader to World Carries $5,000 Side Bet

2012-01-24T19:43:00.002-06:00

Chicago, Ill. (January 24, 1938) - Gus Schrader of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, five times world dirt track racing champion, has issued a challenge “to any driver in the world” for a series of match races on dirt with a $5,000 side bet.

Backed by the Racing Corporation of America which contends it stages 75 per cent of all dirt track racing in the United States, the 48-year-old veteran will defend his title either on half mile or mile tracks - or both.

Schrader has been racing 24 years. He holds approximately half the dirt track records in existence and for five years has been the kingpin of the racing circuit under the sanction of the International Motor Contest Association.

If his challenge is accepted, it will be the first similar series since Sid Haugdahl defeated Ralph De Palma three out of five races at Ascot in 1923.

The sandy-haired Iowan won his dirt track title against the toughest sort of opposition. Racing for the RCA, which now is headed by John A. Sloan Jr., “Gloomy Gus” met picked drivers on a circuit, traveling to 41 cities from Massachusetts to Montana and Minnesota to Florida.

Sloan is the son of the late J. Alex Sloan, pioneer-racing promoter, who broke with the American Automobile Association to found the International Motor Contest Association. J. Alex was credited with making Barney Oldfield famous; he picked Leon Duray off a street corner and made him a threat in the 500-mile classic at Indianapolis, and gave first opportunities to Tommy Milton, Sid Haugdahl and others.

Sloan and his troop operated before 2,545,821 spectators in 1931 and completed their fourth consecutive year without a fatality either to driver or spectators.

“We have plenty of crashes, but few fatalities,” Sloan said. “When there's a crash our drivers know what to do. It’s the inexperienced driver who begins to panic that causes most of the trouble around a racetrack. We won't let them race until they’re ready for fast competition.”

IMCA’s big day last year was at the Minnesota State Fair, where 161,484 paid customers flocked into Minneapolis and St. Paul, breaking all attendance records for dirt tracks.

The Minnesota fair topped the list last season. Des Moines, Iowa was second, Atlanta, Ga.; third with Topeka, Kan.; Oklahoma City, Okla.; Springfield, Mass.; Sedalia, Mo.; Spencer, Iowa; Shreveport, La.; and Ionia, Mich.; also in the first 10.

Spencer, Iowa, a little town of only 5,000, drew 15,000 fans in two days.

1974 - Invitation for drivers to race at West Union

2012-01-19T17:42:00.001-06:00

West Union, Iowa (January 19, 1974) – Larry Sommerfelt, the latest driver turned promoter, announced recently he was going to head late model street stock racing at the Fayette County Speedway located here starting next season.

Sommerfelt, a regular driver in the stock car class at Tunis Speedway in Waterloo, Iowa, for many years, said he was amazed by the tremendous response from the West Union people associated with the Fayette County Fairground.

“Public response is good,” commented Sommerfelt. “We plan on running on Friday nights and any driver is welcomed to come and participate with us,” he concluded.

The new promoter stressed that the race track will pay on a percentage basis to be announced later. Sommerfelt said there’ll be a women’s race every week along with a trophy dash as well as a novelty race on the program.

The new promoter held a meeting in October at West Union when rules were discussed. The association plans on having a $250 claim on the engine. This means the short block only, no carburetor, headers, clutch, flywheel, distributor, fuel pump or bell housing. These rules were adopted to hold the cost of racing to a minimum.

The one-fourth mile banked dirt track expected to drop the green nag in the middle of May 1974. It is located on the south edge of West Union.

Cars must be 1955 through 1974 and American made. No quick changes are allowed. Only original type suspension will be permissible. A seven inch maximum tire width, which may be cross-grooved along with stock ignition, must be used. The race cars must have four wheel brakes and engines must be in original stock position and cannot be crossbreed. There will also be a two-barrel limit on the engines.

A field of 25 cars is expected for the upcoming season.

Gordon Woolley: Even an Outlaw can win a Championship

2012-01-15T10:47:00.000-06:00

Photo from Big Car Thunder, Volume II - Bob Mays Collection

by Lee Ackerman
Omaha, Neb. - The dictionary defines an outlaw as “someone outside the law.” In auto racing, the term has usually been used to describe someone who did not run regularly with sanctioning bodies but just ran where ever he wanted to. One of the first drivers that I can remember that fits that description to the letter was Gordon Woolley.

Woolley started racing jalopies in the 1940’s in his home town of Waco, Texas and moved on from there. He would later become known for his black boots, scarlet driving suit and yellow helmet. But he was best known as a “real racer”, one who would race anywhere and everywhere with anyone and the miles he put on his vehicles to get from racetrack to racetrack showed it.

For years he drove all over the country as a driver for hire. He would be would be gone for weeks at a time. It was said that he always returned home with two suitcases; one filled with all the money he had won and the other with dirty clothes.

Woolley began racing with IMCA in 1960. The IMCA Sprint car series was a stepping stone to USAC and the Indy 500 back in those days. He would finish 10th in points that first year with IMCA winning at Northwest Missouri State Fairgrounds in Bethany. In 1961 he finished 11th in points after a serious accident in mid-season winning at Meyer Speedway in Houston. Consistency, but no wins got Gordon an 8th in IMCA points in 1962. During these years Woolley would race many other places as he was too independent to be tied down to one circuit.

Woolley started the 1963 season driving the Chet Wilson Chevy. As was tradition, the IMCA Sprint Car season started at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa. On February 9, Gordon qualified sixth and then finished third in the second heat. He was running second to Pete Folse in Hector Honore Offy when Folse experienced a problem and Woolley shot by and took the win. It would be the highlight of the four race meet for Woolley and he left Tampa in seventh place in the points after Folse won the last three races.

By the time the IMCA Sprint series raced again on the Winchester High Banks on May 12, Woolley had switched rides and was now behind the wheel of the Colvin-Young Chevy. He would finish fourth in his first outing in that car. Five days later at Illiana Speedway he would qualify third and finish third. On May 25 at Sun Valley Speedway in Anderson, Indiana it was the 15th running of the grueling “Little 500.” Gordon continued his consistency and came home third.

At Des Moines on June 2 he ran second to a Johnny White in the Weinberger Chevy in the Hawkeye Futurity. A sixth at Dayton and a fourth back at Winchester and another runner up to White and Woolley was still holding down third place behind White and Folse. White made it four wins in a row at Hawkeye Downs on July 4 and was starting to build a substantial lead over Folse and Woolley.

After 17 days off, the series went to Winchester again with Woolley getting a fifth and White tenth. On July 26 the series entered the fair stage and with races almost daily. In fact they ran at both Champaign, Illinois and Minot, North Dakota on the 26th. Folse won at Minot with White third and Wooley fourth at Champaign. Folse won again at Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin on the 28th with White second in the Lempelius Offy. Wooley would finish 10th in the Goodrich Chevrolet.

Woolley got back on track at Lacrosse, Wisconsin winning in the Colvin-Young Chevy. White responded by winning one of two shows at Knoxville, Illinois. Woolley beat Folse at Eldon, Iowa. Then a strange thing happened. Johnny White bolted to USAC and Gordon Woolley ended up in the Weinberger Chevy. In his first outing in the car he won the feature at Ionia, Michigan. That same day, Folse won at Springfield, Missouri. Suddenly the IMCA championship had become a battle between Woolley and Folse. Could Woolley give Chevrolet an IMCA Championship or would the Hector Honore Offy win its eighth championship in nine years.

Woolley won again at Wausau, Wisconsin with Folse fourth. Woolley lost a wheel the first day at Sedalia but came back to set a new track record on the mile and run second to Al Unser in the feature. Woolley now had a 241 point lead.

From this point in the season the wins for Woolley and Folse slowed down as the competition got even stronger as big name drivers migrated to the Midwest to run the busy fair season. In fact, Folse would not garner another IMCA feature win the rest of the season. On August 24 Woolley would pick up a big win at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines. New Mexico’s Al Unser would take home the 50 miler on the mile at Sedalia the following day.

Woolley would continue to pick up wins during the busy big fair season winning on September 5 at the Nebraska State Fair in Lincoln and then again the following week at Topeka and finally on September 15 at Muskogee, Oklahoma. Woolley would pick up one last win this time on the paved facility in Nashville, Tennessee and coast to the 1963 IMCA Sprint Car Championship. His win would give Chevrolet their first IMCA Sprint Car Championship and would bring to an end the long reign of the Offenhauser.

By this time in his career, the lanky Texas was averaging 60,000 miles a year going to and from race tracks. He preferred the dirt tracks to the high banked paved ovals of USAC. He did get a chance in USAC Sprints in 1964 but it was short lived. “I got out of the car to get a drink of water, and when I got back, the owner had another driver sitting in the car.” said Woolley.

In 1964 Woolley also would get an offer for Indy in the Dayton Walther car but it didn’t work out. “My chance didn’t work out. I guess I wasn’t suppose to race at Indy. A lot of guys I knew never got a chance to take the rookie test. I know I could have raced if I hadn’t hurt me eye.” Woolley recalled later.

Woolley would return to racing in IMCA finishing 13th in the IMCA standings in 1964, picking up a win and then 3rd the following season in Hector Honore’s Black Deuce registered several wins and also picked up a CRA win at El Centro in the Pop Miller car.

Woolley would continue to race with IMCA off and on throughout his career but also you could find him hitting more outlaw shows as well.

Photo from Big Car Thunder, Volume II - Bob Mays Collection

In 1972 Woolley would race his final Sprint Car race at the Devil’s Bowl in Mesquite, Texas, although he would continue to drive stock cars in the Waco area. The World of Outlaws did not arrive on the seen until 1978 and before that there was Jan Opperman, Bobby Allen and others. But before them there was Gordon Woolley, “A True Outlaw.”

Special thanks to the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum for letting me use some of their materials for this story.

1973 - Irv Janey Is USAC’s Top Rookie

2012-01-13T19:10:00.002-06:00

Milwaukee, Wis. (January 13, 1973) - Irv Janey of Cedar Rapids has been selected stock car rookie of the year for 1973 by the United States Auto Club.

Announcement of the honor came Saturday night at the annual awards banquet at the Pfister hotel here. Janey was presented a plaque on behalf of USAC by Al Miller, auto-racing editor for The Cedar Rapids Gazette.

“This is my biggest thrill in racing,” Janey said. “And that includes winning the IMCA title in 1972. There is only one winner and you get only one chance to win the award. I’m just very pleased. I just wish my dad (Ed) was alive to see this.”

Irv’s closest competition for the award came from Bob Whitlow, the ex-Detroit Lions football player. Janey is the second driver from Cedar Rapids to win rookie honors in the last five years. Verlin Eaker was chosen in 1969.

The 31-year-old Janey, who was sidelined for a month and missed three racing events after being seriously burned in an accident at Michigan International Speedway last July, finished 11th in the point standings. But Irv and car owner Marty Sixt of Iowa City both finished eighth on the point-fund money list and received $708 a piece.

The total point-fund melon was $35,000 and the biggest slice ($3,161) went to Butch Hartman who won an unprecedented third straight stock car championship.

Ramo Stott, another Iowan from Keokuk, was second in the point derby and second in the point fund, claiming $2,164.

Janey, whose ride was a 1973 Dodge Charger under the Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. banner, had his best finish with a fifth place at Lacrosse, Wis.

“But we were competitive all season,” he added. "I thought we ran with the best on the half mile and mile and a lot of time we were running in the top three before something went wrong with the car.”

Janey and Sixt announced they would run the full USAC schedule in 1974. However, this year Irv will have two Chargers at his disposal - one for asphalt and one for dirt.

1968 - Frank Winkley named new Downs’ race promoter

2012-01-12T16:28:00.000-06:00

Cedar Rapids, Iowa (January 12, 1968) - Frank R. Winkley of Minneapolis, Minn., well-known promoter of Auto Racing, Inc., under the International Motor Contest Association banner, today was named race promoter at Hawkeye Downs by the All-Iowa Fairboard.

Winkley, 60, was awarded a one-year contract by the fairboard. He replaces Homer Melton of Rock Island, who governed racing at The Downs for three seasons. Under Winkley, The Downs’ may continue to operate as a regional division of IMCA.

“Wink’ is no stranger to the Cedar Rapids track, having promoted annually for the last several years programs involving late model stocks, midgets, sprints and super stocks.

“I think Cedar Rapids has the finest racing plant in the Midwest,” Wink said. “With the avid racing fans here, I see no reason why this shouldn't be one of the top racing areas in the country.”

“I've been promoting racing for 30 years and I think I understand drivers and fans. The drivers like to make money and race fans want to see racing at its best. We need cars to get the public and when we get the crowds, the drivers will start making money.”

The Downs will continue to operate on Saturday nights. Most of Wink's other promotions’ tentative plans involve Sunday afternoon dates (aside from the fair), so he expects to be at the Cedar Rapids locale two-thirds of the time.

Bernie Carlson of Minneapolis, one of the nation's outstanding flagmen, will serve as starter at the Downs. Carlson was tabbed “the best man I've got on my staff” by Wink and he'll run the show when the latter is absent.

Winkley plans to promote at least one major racing event each month. In fact, the 1968 campaign will get the green flag with the Hawkeye 200 for late model stock cars on April 28. Another major event will be the World 100 for super modifieds on May 30.

Tentative plans call for the regular Saturday night programs to start May 4.

Who Can Remember These Tracks? Part III

2012-01-08T09:24:00.001-06:00

Waterloo, Iowa

Converse, Indiana

Great Bend, Kansas

Monticello, Iowa

Branson, Missouri

Urbana, Illinois

Ottumwa, Iowa

Lacrosse, Wisconsin

Austin, Minnesota

1973 - Florida State Fair Auto Races To Be Bigger Than Ever

2012-01-07T09:57:00.003-06:00

Tampa, Fla. (January 7, 1973) - The 53rd annual Winternational Sprints sanctioned by the International Motor Contest Association, Florida's oldest racing event, will be held in conjunction with the Florida State Fair, February 7-10-11-14 and 17, according to J. McKinley Jeter, IMCA secretary-manager.

A number of changes and improvements will be unveiled during the midwinter speed classic, which has won the reputation as the "Original World Series of Dirt Track Racing".

Increased purse money and a new time trial format, which was passed upon at the recent board meeting of the International Motor Contest Association, held in Las Vegas, will be in effect starting Wednesday, February 7. Time trials will be held Wednesday afternoon, February 7; Sunday afternoon, February 10 and Wednesday afternoon, February 14.

Time trials on the two Wednesdays will be open to the public free of charge. The race, held under lights will face the starter at 7 p.m.

The two Saturdays will see racing at 2 p.m. and the middle Sunday as well. Added lights have been provided for the backstretch and the two turns to assist with visibility for both spectator and driver, on both Wednesday nights.

Purse money has been increased to $20,875 for the five events and it is now possible for the IMCA champion to win $300 on top of his purse money by setting fast time and appearing for advance publicity purposes.

The first five qualifiers will win $100-$75-$60-$50-$40 instead of the straight $50 paid in former years. The 50-lap feature on February 17th pays $1,000 to win.

The top 30 drivers finishing in the 1972 IMCA championship standings will be automatically accepted as entries, then the next 30 received in the mail will fill the field of 60 cars and drivers. The promoter is allowed to invite five national and regional champions. Entry blanks have been mailed and those rejected will receive a telegram 10 days before race time.

A “preview’ race meet is being discussed and total prize money may run over the $25,000 total paid out in 1972, according to Al Sweeney, chairman of National Speedways, Inc.

The World Cup 400

2012-01-01T11:23:00.000-06:00

By Kyle Ealy
Odessa, Mo. – From 1976 to 1980, it was one of the biggest and richest short track events not only in the Midwest but the entire nation, and it became well-known for bringing together the very best stock car drivers from the ASA, ARTGO, NASCAR and USAC organizations.

Every autumn, just as the leaves were starting to turn brilliant colors, the stars and cars of short track racing would congregate to the high-banked half-mile asphalt of I-70 Speedway in Odessa, Mo., to compete in the prestigious World Cup 400.

The inaugural race in 1976 would be dominated by Midwestern pilots with Tom Reffner of Rudolph, Wis., winning the 200-mile contest on Sunday afternoon, October 17.

The first driver to take the track during time trials on Saturday, Reffner overcame temperatures hovering in the upper 30’s to circle the half-mile in 17.414 seconds, eclipsing his own month-old mark of 17.49. Although 37 other drivers timed within one second of Reffner’s mark, no one was able to better the new track record.

Reffner led early in the 44-car feature, but Joe Shear, Larry Detjens, Bob Senneker, Dave Watson, and Johnny Ziegler dominated the middle stages of the contest. However, Reffner returned to the front of the pack again as the race neared its conclusion and he proved to be unstoppable in the final laps.

The Michigan “Blue Bird”, Bob Senneker, bolted into the lead at the race’s outset, but before the first lap could be completed, Bay Darnell of Deerfield, Ill., spun coming out of the fourth turn, collecting five other cars, and forcing a complete restart.

Reffner would take command when the green flag fell again but any chance of building a cushion on his nearest rivals were dashed by a series of caution flags for the next dozen or so laps.

The second caution occurred on lap three when California’s Sonny Easley rammed the outer wall and two Michigan drivers, Jerry Makara and Tom Maier, tangled trying to avoid Easley.

Action finally resumed on lap 18 but nine laps later, defending USAC stock car national champion Ramo Stott spun on the backstretch, taking out Ed Hoffman of Niles, Ill., Jim Campbell of Harrison, Ark., and Jack Constable of Princeton, Mo. The incident retired Stott with a broken rear frame and the clean-up necessitated the yellow flag to wave through lap 35.

The race’s fourth caution period, encompassing four caution laps, came when Terry Bivens of Shawnee Mission, Kan., spun in water spewed on the track by Easley’s mount and moments later, the yellow flag waved once more when Freddy Fryar of Baton Rouge, La., slammed into the front stretch wall of the 58th tour. The mishap retired Fryar’s Chevy Nova from the competition but Fryar would return to relieve country and western singing star turned racer Marty Robbins in a joint effort, which would net them a 19th place finish.

Another USAC standout, former four-time and current point leader Butch Hartman of Zanesville, Ohio, lasted only 109 circuits before pulling out when his Camaro began smoking.

Dave Watson began making a strong bid for leadership when he passed Senneker for second on lap 70 and after another caution on lap 76 the Milton, Wis., star zipped past Reffner into the lead on the restart.

Reffner and Senneker fell back when the decided to pit on lap 91, which brought Joe Shear of South Beloit, Ill., and Johnny Ziegler of Madison, Wis., into contention. Watson and Ziegler would pit on lap 136, allowing Shear to claim first in front of Red Farmer of Hueytown, Ala., Larry Detjens of Wausau, Wis., and Reffner, who had made his way back to the top five.

Detjens, driving a 1974 Camaro, put on a strong rush and took the lead from Shear on lap 147 and remained in front until the halfway point of the race. A caution of lap 209 forced a slowdown for the field and both Detjens and Shear went to the pits for fuel and fresh tires and when the yellow flag was replaced by green, it was Senneker again out in front.

A caution on lap 238, allowed both Senneker and Reffner to pit again and Watson regained the top spot with Shear close behind. Shear moved ahead of Watson on the 262nd circuit and he held the upper hand until lap 333, when overheating problems forced him to slow his pace.

Three laps later, I-70 regular Bill Crane of Kansas City spun on the backstretch and sailed over the turn three wall, bringing the yellow back out. Shear pitted on lap 342, giving the lead back to Watson, who would pit two laps later, permitting Reffner to regain control.

Despite one more caution on lap 374, Reffner cruised to victory over Watson, who was handicapped by an overheating problem, which forced him to make a late pit stop, and Senneker, who had lost valuable ground when he pitted under the green to remedy a tire problem. Larry Phillips of Springfield, Mo., took fourth and Mike Eddy of Midland, Mich., grabbed fifth.

Reffner collected $10,000 for his efforts, a sum nearly three times larger than his biggest previous single-race earnings of $3,500.

Four hundred laps would turn into a 5-lap trophy dash on September 11, 1977 between Larry Detjens and Bob Senneker and when the checkers finally waved, it was Detjens’ Camaro a car-length ahead of Senneker’s.

Finishing third, one lap behind Detjens and Senneker was Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., Dick Trickle, driving relief for fellow townsman Mike Miller in a Ford Mustang.

Finishing fourth, after seemingly having the victory in his hip pocket just eight laps from the finish was Larry Schuler of Lockport, Ill., in his Camaro. Holding a half a lap lead and in cruise control, Schuler’s hopes were dashed on lap 391 when gasket let go and he spun in turn four in his own water. That cost him two spots before he could get his car straightened out.

To compound his woes, Schuler was penalized a lap after completion of the race because of failure to drop to the end of the line under the yellow. The American Speed Association, the sanctioning body of the event, stated in its rule books that the last five lap of any race 50 laps or longer, must be run under green flag conditions. Schuler spun out on lap 391 and the yellow was displayed through lap 395, at which time scoring of all cars was halted until the green flag came back out.

When Schuler spun, Senneker jumped into first with Detjens right on his tail. And when the green came out for the final five laps, those two tied up in a head to head dashing duel. Senneker led three of those laps, with Detjens putting the nose of his car inches ahead of Senneker as the crossed the start/finish line to take the white flag.

Detjens pulled away temporarily down the backstretch, only to have Senneker come roaring back as they entered the final turn. But Senneker didn’t have the horses to overhaul the Wisconsin ace and Detjens was the winner by a car-length, picking up $7,590 out of a purse that well exceeded $50,000.

Senneker was the fastest qualifier of the 35-car field, but it was Detjens grabbing the lead at the green with Joe Shear sliding into second. Shear slipped past Detjens on lap 33 and took charge with Detjens, Don Gregory of Columbus, Ohio, Dick Trickle, Dave Roahrig of Inwood, Ind., Jimmy Pierson of Janesville, Wis., hot on his tail.

Shear continued to set the pace after 100 laps but positions behind him were being juggled like hot potatoes. Trickle had settled into second followed by Gregory, Roahrig, Senneker, Schuler, Detjens, Jerry Makara, Mark Martin of Batesville, Ark., and Larry Phillips.

Trickle had his Pontiac Firebird hamming and overhauled Shear on lap 120 to take the lead. Shear’s car would last only four more turns and then began overheating sending him to the sidelines.

Gregory would grab the point away from Trickle on lap 132 as misfortune started to strike some of the top contenders. Mark Martin retired on lap 145 with a red-hot engine and Trickle was done on lap 169 when an oil pump let go in his car.

At the halfway mark it was Gregory, Detjens, Makara, Schuler, Phillips and Bob Sensiba of Middleville, Mich.

Gregory increased his margin a little bit with each lap until he was going down the backstretch on lap 296. At that pint, his right front tire blew, sending Gregory climbing up the wall between turns three and four and almost out of the ballpark. Damaged beyond any immediate repair, Gregory’s machine went to the pits as Schuler flashed into the lead.

At 300 laps it was Schuler, Senneker, Detjens, Trickle (driving relief for Mike Miller) and Everett DeWitt of Janesville, Wis., in the top five. The only change in that running order from the three-quarter mark and lap 350 came when DeWitt blew an engine on lap 345 and Sensiba moved up from his sixth position.

That set the stage for all of the big dramatics in the final nine laps of the chase, which Schuler triggered with his spin and the five lap slugfest between Detjens and Senneker.

Mike Eddy of Midland, Mich., would drive a near perfect race in the World Cup 400 on Sunday afternoon, October 15, 1978, but a tiny miscue would cost him the $9,500 winner’s share of the nearly $60,000 purse.

Eddy had dominated the entire race, leading 320 of the event’s 400 laps and was in the lead when he bobbled slightly exiting turn four on lap 386. Dick Trickle, who was close behind, capitalized on the mistake, surging around Eddy to take the lead at the outset of the 387th circuit and held off Eddy the rest of the way to record the win.

Michigan’s John Anderson, the only other driver to complete the 400 laps, placed third and could have well won the event had he not incurred a one-lap penalty for passing Eddy’s pace-setting Camaro during a caution period on lap 292. Bob Senneker came in fourth with fellow statesman Jerry Makara rounding out the top five.

Bob Sensiba, who set a track qualifying record on Friday with a time of 17.17 seconds, started the long-distance race on the pole and charged into the lead at the drop of the green flag. However, after leading for only four laps, mechanical issues forced Sensiba into the pits for a series of lengthy stops. The issues eventually sent him into early retirement after only 65 circuits.

Eddy, who had started third by virtue of winning the first 15-lap semi-feature on Saturday, inherited the top spot when Sensiba pitted and remained there until lap 193. Eddy was forced to earn his feature starting berth in the semi-feature after the engine in his racer gave way during Friday’s qualifications.

Mark Martin took over the number one spot on lap 194 and stayed in the lead until yielding to Eddy on the 229th circuit. Eddy surrendered the lead to Martin for the second time on lap 298 and the 19-year-old Batesville, Ark., pilot remained on top until lap 321, when he was forced to the sidelines, turning over the point to Dick Trickle.

Eddy passed Trickle four laps later to take command again but was unable to open up a comfortable lead over the Wisconsin chauffeur. Then on lap 386, Eddy made his slight mistake, which Trickle converted into victory.

“I was starting to lose some of my stagger, but I was running real hard to that point. I simply lost it,” a disappointed Eddy said afterwards. “I lapsed just for an instance and it cost me.”

Mark Martin parlayed a hard pace and efficient pit work into the biggest payday of his young career on Sunday, October 21, 1979, winning the fourth annual World 400 on an unseasonably hot and windy afternoon. Martin would collect $10,475 for his impressive victory.

The victory gave Martin a clean sweep of the two-day event, which he led off by turning a record 16.813-second qualifying run on Saturday afternoon. No late model driver had ever toured the .54-mile oval in under 17 seconds before. Martin’s Camaro was the only car credited with completing the full 400-lap distance of the main event.

Second place finisher Bob Senneker was credited with only 399 circuits, despite incurring two separate one-lap penalties, the first for passing the lead car during a caution period and the second for racing through the stop sign while exiting the pits to rejoin the field.

If there was a bright spot to finishing second, Senneker netted $5,350, making him the first driver in the ASA circuit’s history to top the 100,000 mark in career earnings. Third place went to Mike Eddy with a couple of Illinois veterans, Joe Shear and Ray Young, following in the fourth and fifth spots.

Dick Trickle grabbed the early lead from his outside front row starting spot and led the first 53 laps before being overhauled by Shear. A caution on lap 98 precipitated wholesale pit action as a result and Martin took the top spot on the 101st circuit.

Eddy, Randy Sweet, Don Gregory, and Trickle followed behind Martin until yellow flag waved for debris on the track, which triggered a rash of pit stops on lap 175. Gregory paced the 176th lap under caution, but pitted the next time around, giving the upper hand to Shear.

With the green back out, Trickle mounted a charge at the event’s midpoint and got around Shear on lap 211. However, a spent water pump and housing gasket forced Trickle to the pits five laps later, handing Eddy the lead. The problem eventually forced the defending race champion to park his Firebird after 223 circuits. The Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., resident didn’t sit in the pits for long though, as he relieved Dave Roahrig, eventually bringing his Camaro home in seventh.

Martin replaced Eddy in the front running position at 219 rounds and held of both Senneker and Eddy until pitting during a caution period on lap 323. Senneker incurred both of his penalties during the slowdown and Eddy claimed first place on the same lap when he returned to the track ahead of Martin at the conclusion of pit stops.

Eddy remained in front until an oil pump leak slowed his Camaro allowing Martin to regain the number one position on lap 343. “I thought at first it was a bearing because the smoke was coming out by the front wheels,” Eddy said. “But the car wouldn’t turn because oil was spewing all over the tires. I was driving in my own oil.”

Although the problem was repaired during a late caution period, Martin put Eddy a lap down in the closing circuits.

Meanwhile, Senneker also had his problems late in the chase, slowing perceptibly in the last 10 circuits. “The heat did it,” a nearly exhausted Senneker said afterwards. “The car was capable, but the last 10 laps I was just too damn tired to drive it.”

Surprisingly fresh following the grueling contest, Martin said, “The race was fast, but I expected it to be fast. I don’t normally lead races, but I got mad when Bob (Senneker) passed me under the yellow. I thought I was racing Eddy.”

The final World Cup 400 would place on Sunday, October 21, 1980. Dick Trickle, despite having a flat tire at the midpoint of the race, would claim the $10,000 first prize at the ASA Circuit of Champions event.

Joe Shear would beat Alan Kulwicki in a photo finish for second place in a margin so small, that ASA officials in the tower and on pit road were consulted and video replays were viewed before a decision was rendered. Jim Sauter of Necedah, Wis., took fourth and Michigan’s Randy Sweet would come in fifth.

Defending champion Mark Martin got the event off to a flying start on Saturday night by shattering his own one-lap track qualifying record by a half-second with a 16.323-second (119.095 mph) clocking. That mark compared favorably to the USAC sprint car standard of 16.8 seconds set in 1978 at the speed plant.

Martin, however, was plagued by two broken valve springs in his mount on the day of the big race, and wound up retiring after 239 laps, good for 19th place. Nevertheless, the performance enabled Martin to clinch his third ASA Circuit of Champions driving title.

The race began with a bang when sixth-running Mike Eddy had his engine in his Camaro fail in turn four on the second lap. Eddy’s sudden loss of power in the groove triggered a massive tangle which to one degree or another involved at least 20 of the 34 starters. John Martin, Don Gregory and Terry Wooten were sidelined immediately and several additional races were forced out later as a result of damage sustained in the mishap.

Trickle’s road to top was complicated by a flat tire, which forced him to make an unscheduled pit stop at 159 laps. As Trickle was about to make his stop, the caution flag appeared, forcing him to complete another lap because of an ASA rule requiring the pace car to be on the track before any pitting can be done under the yellow. The time lost amounted to one lap, forcing Trickle to drive harder than he had planned for the next 125 rounds.

After un-lapping himself shortly after the midway point in the race, Trickle needed about 50 laps to down Kulwicki for second place. Then on the 292nd revolution, Trickle passed Shear to take over the top spot for good.

“Once I got that last lead I just wanted to stay out of trouble,” Trickle commented. “I knew I had it made if nothing further happened. After getting myself back on the same lap, I felt pretty good when I was in second place, saw Joe (Shear) and was gaining on him.”

Shear and Kulwicki traded second place several times even though Shear was running on only seven cylinders late in the race. Shear finally reclaimed the runner-up spot for good 10 circuits from the finish, but Kulwicki’s last-turn charge nearly allowed him to earn second place money.

Shear was philosophical about his problems later saying, “A rocker arm broke, but I just kept going because it was still running cool. All of a sudden you have to take what you can get.”

In 1981, Bill Roberts, the man who built I-70 Speedway in 1969 and made it one of the fastest and toughest paved ovals in the Midwest, sold the facility to open-wheel legend Greg Weld, who immediately covered the racing surface with dirt.

Gone was the asphalt; gone were Trickle, Shear, Detjens, Eddy, Martin, and Senneker. And gone was one of the greatest short track events ever, the World Cup 400.

Gone, but not forgotten...

December 31, 1939

2011-12-31T11:26:00.000-06:00

1962 – Davies wins third USAC midget crown

2011-12-30T16:01:00.001-06:00

Indianapolis, Ind. (December 30, 1962) – Jimmy Davis of Monticello, Ind., won his third straight United States Auto Club National Midget Championship title this year, it was announced today.

Davies was chased to the title by the same gentleman who finished in the runner-up spot the other two years behind Davies, Bob Wente of St. Louis, Mo.

It was first thought that Bob Tattersall of Streator, Ill., had beaten out Tommy Copp of Fresno, Calif., for the third spot by a mere 1.85 points but after a check of the points, Copp received the nod by seven points.

Final Standings

1. Jimmy Davies, Monticello, Ind. – 474.96
2. Bob Wente, St. Louis, Mo. – 416.35
3. Tommy Copp, Fresno, Calif. – 266.00
4. Bob Tattersall, Streator, Ill. – 259.00
5. Mel Kenyon, Davenport, Iowa – 228.25
6. Russ Congdon, Indianapolis, Ind. – 213.75
7. Chuck Rodee, Speedway, Ind. – 202.05
8. Allen Crowe, Springfield, Ill. – 176.05
9. Bobby Grim, Indianapolis, Ind. – 141.30
10. Billy Wood, Kenosha, Wis. – 129.50
11. Cliff Spalding, Seattle, Wash. – 124.75
12. Parnelli Jones, Torrance, Calif. – 117.30
13. Jigger Sirois, Shelby, Ind. – 101.30
14. Bob McLean, Granger, Ind. – 97.70
15. Harry Beck, Indianapolis, Ind. – 96.65

1973 – Shear champion at Wisconsin Int’l Raceway

2011-12-28T17:21:00.001-06:00

Joe Shear in victory lane - Bob Bergeron Collection

Kaukauna, Wis. (December 28, 1973) – Joe Shear throttled his 1973 Camaro to three victories in five starts at the Wisconsin International Raceway in Kaukauna and captured the state championship crown in the process.

The 29-year-old speedster held a 3,200 to 2,935 advantage of Dave Watson of Beloit, Wis., at the end of the five-race series.

Shear scored wins in the Spring Sizzler 50, Fall National 50 and the second leg of the Red, White and Blue State Championship Series. He also placed fifth in the “Red” and “Blue” races.

Watson wheeled his 1973 Camaro to victory in the “Blue” race while finishing second in the Fall National 50, third in the Spring Sizzler 50, fourth in the “Red” race and fifth in the “White” race.

Dick Trickle of Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., won the “Red” race and finished sixth in the final point standings. Rudolph’s Tom Reffner placed third in the final standings followed by Marv Marzofka of Nekoosa and Jim Back of Vesper. Trickle and Reffner drove 1970 Mustangs while Marzofka and Back piloted 1973 Camaros.

Shear, a veteran of nine years in stock car racing, also established a new one-lap record of 21.17 seconds (85.02 mph) for the half-mile paved oval during the “White” race time trials, which drew 8,396 fans, the largest of the season.

Track officials indicated their satisfaction with the growth of the series and the $31,000 racing event will be repeated again in 1974.

Final Point Standings

1. Joe Shear – 3,200
2. Dave Watson – 2,935
3. Tom Reffner – 2,140
4. Marv Marzofka – 1,695
5. Jim Back – 1,610
6. Dick Trickle – 1,070
7. John Rank – 1,045
8. Jim Sauter – 950
9. Fred Bender – 670
10. Jim Pierson – 630
11. Steve Arndt – 630
12. Dan Bellard – 595
13. Larry Detjens – 580
14. Wally Jors – 525
15. Rich Somers – 515
16. Neil Callahan – 490
17. Red Hutchinson – 475
18. Paul Christianson – 440
19. Jerry Smith – 435
20. John Knaus - 435

Merry Christmas from Midwest Racing Archives

2011-12-23T06:48:00.002-06:00

Blast From The Past (Click to Enlarge)

2011-12-21T06:23:00.000-06:00

1969

1970

1971

1972

1973

1988 - Kraft outpoints Moyer for USAC LM Crown

2011-12-20T06:14:00.003-06:00

Willy Kraft

Speedway, Ind. (December 20, 1988) – Willy Kraft scored six feature victories on his way to outpointing two-time defending champion Billy Moyer for the 1988 USAC Late Model Championship Series crown.

Kraft opened the season impressively as he scored three consecutive victories at I-55 Speedway (Pevely, Mo.), Bolivar (Mo.) Speedway, and I-44 Speedway (Lebanon, Mo.). However, Moyer notched a runner-up finish and third-place showing in two of those events before winning at Monett (Mo.) Speedway and held the top position after the first four events.

Both Kraft and Moyer failed to compete in the fifth event, June 12 at Salem (Ind.) Speedway, which Jim Cooper won, finishing ahead of Noel Witcher and Dick Potts.

Victories July 2 at 34 Raceway Park (Burlington, Iowa) and July 3 at the Southern Iowa Speedway (Oskaloosa) combined with a runner-up finish at Davenport (Iowa) Speedway and a third place showing July 1 at Marshalltown (Iowa) Speedway pushed Kraft into the series point lead with 300 markers.

Larry Phillips, who won the Marshalltown and Davenport events, slipped into second with 284 points, one ahead of Moyer.

Moyer scored back-to-back victories on September 16 at Bolivar and September 17 at I-44 Speedway respectively, but Kraft placed fourth and fifth in the two races to remain 49 points ahead of Moyer.

Both Moyer and Kraft failed to compete in the season finale, September 25 at Eldora Speedway (Rossburg, Ohio), giving Kraft the season title with 403 points. Moyer placed second with 359 followed by Phillips and Ken Essary.

Kraft led all drivers with six feature wins while Moyer was second with three. Phillips won two races while Cooper and Doug Ault (Eldora) came away with one victory each.

Moyer topped qualifying five times while Essary was fast timer on three occasions.

In four years of USAC late model racing, Moyer leads the all-time series with 12 victories and 19 top-two finishes in 32 events.

Final Standings

1. Willy Kraft – 403
2. Billy Moyer – 354
3. Larry Phillips – 288
4. Ken Essary – 287
5. Ray Guss Jr. – 261
6. Dick Potts – 189
7. T.J. Pauchert – 158
8. Johnny Stokes - +7
9. Charlie Sentman – 95
10. Ray Godsey - 81

1967 - Fairmont Speedway - Final Point Standings

2011-12-17T20:41:00.001-06:00

George Trimbo - Promoter

1. Jim Edgington, Algona, Iowa -3,320
2. Marv DeWall, Jackson, Minn. – 2,490
3. Jack McCorkell, Redwood Falls, Minn. – 2,305
4. Bob Geldner, St. Peter, Minn. – 2,025
5. Dick Forbrook, Morgan, Minn. – 1,805
6. Ray Forsyth, Mankato, Minn. – 1,740
7. Virgil Kopeschka, Fairmont, Minn. – 1,550
8. Vic Dicks, Jackson, Minn. – 1,525
9. Bob Fisher, Renwick, Iowa – 1,455
10. Leo Christensen, West Bend, Iowa – 1,450
11. Junior Thaemlitz, Lakefield, Minn. – 1,450
12. Garry Sill, Fairmont, Minn. – 1,400
13. Larry Smith, Windom, Minn. – 1,310
14. Gene Schattschneider, Algona, Iowa – 1,265
15. Gale White, Laurens, Iowa – 905
16. Ray Smith, Worthington, Minn. – 875
17. Frank Wacholz, Fairmont, Minn. – 875
18. Les Wilden, Algona, Iowa – 865
19. Bill Kahler, Jackson, Minn. – 755
20. Dave Hargan, Jackson, Minn. - 620

Other notables;

23. Darryl Dawley, Sioux Falls, S.D. - 485
27. Roger Larson, Sioux Falls, S.D. - 205
35. Arnie Nimerfroh, Avoca, Minn. - 60
43. Stacy Redmond, Mason City, Iowa - 20

1977 - First career win helped Feldner cop USAC stock crown

2011-12-13T19:42:00.003-06:00

Paul Feldner receives a champagne shower after scoring his first career USAC stock car victory at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds on August 27, 1977. Feldner would go on to capture the series' title that same season.

Speedway, Ind. (December 13, 1977) – Rebounding from a disappointing 1976 season, Paul Feldner of Richfield, Wis., ended years of frustration by scoring his first career USAC stock car win and capturing the division’s driving title in 1977.

Driving a 1974 Dodge Charger owned by Gary Wutke of Milwaukee, Feldner accumulated 1,525 points to 1,425 for runner-up Ramo Stott of Keokuk, Iowa. Sal Tovella of Addison, Ill., placed third with 1,330 points and Bay Darnell of Deerfield, Ill., took fourth with 1,075 points.

Rookie Dave Watson of Milton, Wis., who compete in only five of the circuit’s 10 events, totaled 865 points to place fifth in the standings, ahead of 1976 Rookie of the Year Wayne Watercutter, Gordon Blankenship, Don White, Jack Bowsher and Dave Decker. Watson was voted the division’s rookie of the year.

Feldner broke into the division in 1966 and became one of the circuit’s most consistent performers finishing in the top seven in the standings annually from 1970 to 1975.

In 1976, Feldner had his own 1974 Charger demolished in a multi-car wreck at Wisconsin State Fair Speedway on July 11. Wutke then purchased another 1974 Charger for Feldner from Butch Hartman, but bad luck continued to plague him the rest of the year and he finished 12th in the standings.

However, Feldner’s luck did an about face in 1977. He scored his first career USAC win in a 100-mile race at the Du Quoin (ill.) State Fairgrounds on August 27 and recorded three consecutive second-place finishes en route to capturing the point crown.

Stott was the division’s most prolific winner with three triumphs, but he missed one race, failed to crack the top 10 on three other occasions and had to settle for bridesmaid honors.

Watson won two events while Tovella, Darnell, Jimmy Insolo and Dave Marcis joined Feldner in winning one race apiece.

Final Standings
1. Paul Feldner – 1,525
2. Ramo Stott – 1,425
3. Sal Tovella – 1,330
4. Bay Darnell – 1,075
5. Dave Watson – 865
6. Wayne Watercutter -750
7. Gordon Blankenship – 645
8. Don White - 605
9. Jack Bowsher – 585
10. Dave Decker – 570
11. Harold Fair – 530
12. Dean Roper – 480
13. Bob Brevak – 480
14. Moose Myers – 425
15. Gary Bowsher – 415
16. Tom Meinberg – 385
17. Larry Nau – 370
18. Ron Hutcherson – 365
19. George Giesen – 355
20. Jim Sauter - 320

MRA Remembers: Joy Fair (1930-2011)

2011-12-12T16:02:00.001-06:00

- Born September 10th, 1930

- Harry S Truman was President of the United States when Joy started his career. Fair drove in six decades -- and has made hints he wants to try for his seventh!

- First race was Pardington's Pastures Speedway in Sterling Heights, MI (14 Mile and Dequindre area)!

- Won at the International Exposition Fairgrounds in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

- Champion, 1965 Baer Field in Ft. Wayne, Indiana.

- Champion, six years running, Toledo Speedway, Ohio, 1967-1972, then again in 1974, late model division.

- Late Model Champion ten times, Flat Rock Speedway, Michigan.

- 1977 Mt. Clemens Race Track, Michigan late model champion.

- Late Model Champion at Flat Rock, Mt. Clemens and Toledo, all in 1981 (at the time, Mt. Clemens was a NASCAR sanctioned track).

- Won inaugural Glass City "200" at Toledo, 1968 (Joe Ruttman also won this race, driving Joy's four-door Maverick). Joy won the race again in 1975 and 1976.

- Won nine out of 14 features at Flat Rock Speedway in 1969, including 100 lap invitational where he lapped the entire field; also won 10 of 14 features at Toledo.

- Won the 1974 Ohio State "500" championship.

- Won two ARCA Supercar (ReMAX) Series races at Toledo and at Sun Valley (now Anderson) Speedway in Indiana in 1972.

- Won over 700 short track features in 12 states and Canada. Winningest driver in state of Michigan with over 600 victories.

- Two NASCAR Grand National (now Nextel Cup) Series starts, both coming in 1956. Best finish ninth at Soldier Field, Chicago, IL. Other start was on Daytona's Beach course where he experienced a DNF (clutch).

- Won dirt all-star race inside the Pontiac Silverdome (former home of the NFL's Detroit Lions) in 1982, beating NASCAR greats David Pearson (second place), Neil Bonnett and Kyle Petty and short track ace Bob Senneker, among others.

- Inducted into the Michigan Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1987.

- Car #1 retired from ARCA competition in 1999 -- first and only driver in series history to receive such an honor. Also that year given honorary ARCA lifetime membership.

- Won almost every event he finished; dominant on various types of tracks rarely seen from any other stock car driver.

- Many articles on Joy in "Stock Car Racing Magazine", "Late model Digest" and others.

- Prepared cars for some of the best short track and NASCAR drivers in the country, including: Ruttman, Dave Marcis, as well as Rick Sheppard and Dick Price, to name a few.

- Best known as, "The Fair One".
- Passed away December 10, 2011