1982 – Sauter and Hanley Star in ARTGO Grundy 50’s

Junior Hanley won the second of two 50-lap features for the ARTGO late models at Grundy County Speedway. - Bob Elman Photo 

By Stan Kalwasinski

Morris, Ill. (April 25, 1982) – Jim Sauter and Junior Hanley each captured a main event as ARTGO Racing presented a twin 50-lap late model special at Grundy County Speedway on Sunday afternoon.

Both Sauter and Hanley piloted 1981 Camaros in recording their first ARTGO feature triumphs of the year.

A field of 22 cars started the first 50-lap main, with Steve Burgess grabbing the early lead from his front row starting position.

Pressed hard by Ron Bloomberg, Burgess was still in front on lap 8 when Larry Cooper and Wayne Para tangled in turn four necessitating the event’s first yellow banner.

Before the entire field could taking the ensuing green, the yellow light flashed again as Dave Weltmeyer tagged the frontstretch wall after a shock absorber in his mount gave way.

Burgess paced the restart but another caution came out on lap 10 when Joe Shear, who was running third, blew the engine in his machine, dropping oil all over the track.

With Burgess still in command, the yellow flew as the leaders attempted to complete the 17th circuit when Burt Weitemeyer and Dave Tomczak got together between turns one and two.

At the halfway mark, Burgess was still the leader but then Sauter entered the battle for first place, trailed by Dick Barker, Tom Jones, Jim Weber, and Tom Reffner.

Sauter, the 1981 ARTGO champion, took over first place on lap 30 and was still on top on lap 38 when the final yellow waved for Woody Pool’s Maverick, which had stalled on the frontstretch.

The final 12 laps saw Jones challenge Sauter but the Necedah, Wis., pilot was equal to the test and crossed the finish line a couple of car lengths ahead of Jones. Burgess was third, followed by Reffner and Hanley.

A total of 23 cars started the second 50, with Curt Cheshire pacing the field at the drop of the green.

Only three laps were complete when the race’s first yellow appeared as Burgess spun in turn one while running sixth, sending the rest of the field behind him scattering.

Cheshire led the first seven laps but surrendered the top spot the next time around, as he and second running Frank Gawlinski spun between turns one and two, again scattering the flowing pack.

Inheriting the lead, Hanley quickly built a strong advantage, putting daylight between himself and the runner-up Barker.

Another yellow slowed the battle on lap 16when Gawlinski backed hard into the third turn wall.

The green flag remained out the rest of the way, with Hanley on top at the 25-lap mark trailed by Barker, Reffner, Sauter, Jones, and Tracy Schuler.

A real battle ensued for third place between Reffner, Sauter, Jones, and Al Schill, winner of the 1982 ARTGO season opener at Rockford, diced lap after lap.

Sauter then began to make his move, slipping by Reffner on lap 36 and then snaring second place from Barker on lap 44.

Moving up on Hanley for the final six circuits, Sauter saw his time run out before he could complete a charge from the outside groove.

Hanley took the checkered only a few car lengths ahead Sauter, who was followed by Jones, Schill, and Reffner.


Results –


Feature #1 –

1. Jim Sauter, Necedah, Wis.
2. Ton Jones, Northbrook
3. Steve Burgess, Eau Claire, Wis.
4. Tom Reffner, Rudolph, Wis.
5. Junior Hanley, Oakville, Ont.
6. Jim Weber, Roseville, Minn.
7. Dick Barker, Detroit, Mich.
8. Frank Gawlinski, Lynwood
9. Kevin Stepan, Mosinee, Wis.
10.Curt Cheshire, Hickory Hills


Feature #2 –

1. Junior Hanley
2. Jim Sauter
3. Tom Jones
4. Al Schill, Franklin, Wis.
5. Tom Reffner
6. Dick Barker
7. Tracy Schuler, Lockport
8. Dave Weltmeyer, Harvey
9. Rich Bickle Jr., Edgerton, Wis.
10.Burt Weitemeyer, Lansing

1975 - Hansen Wins Columbus Junction Opener

Curt Hansen 

Columbus Junction, Iowa (April 25, 1975) – Curt Hansen of Dike started on the outside pole position and ran away with the late model feature at the season opener at Columbus Junction.

Hansen took the lead at the start of the 20-lapper with Mel Morris of West Liberty breathing down his neck the whole way. Despite constant pressure from Morris, Hansen was able to take the checkers. Bill Rice of Des Moines took third, Steve Keppler of Marion was fourth and Ron Prymek of Iowa City took fifth.

Rice set fast time in time trials, touring the half-mile in 25.83 seconds.

Three heats were run on the cold and windy night, with Tom Hearst of Muscatine walking away with honors in a bumper-to-bumper finish with Prymek in the first heat. John Moss of Iowa City, back in the saddle after a couple of years layoff from racing, easily won the second heat. Mel Morris won the third heat over Larry “Poo” Rummelhart of Riverside.

Dave Birkhofer of Muscatine won the semi-main after earlier going over the berm on the first lap of the first heat. Ron Hemsted of Lone Tree and Bud Darting of Wilton Junction followed.


Results –


Time trials – Bill Rice, Des Moines (25.83)
Heat #1 – Tom Hearst, Muscatine
Heat #2 – John Moss, Iowa City
Heat #3 – Mel Morris, West Liberty
Semi-main – Dave Birkhofer, Muscatine
Feature –
1. Curt Hansen, Dike
2. Mel Morris
3. Bill Rice
4. Steve Keppler, Marion
5. Ron Prymek, Iowa City
6. Tom Hearst
7. Stan Stover, Reinbeck
8. Ed Mellecker, Iowa City
9. John Moss
10.Larry Rummelhart, Riverside

1985 - Judd Tunis, 88, Funeral Held in Waterloo

 

Waterloo, Iowa (April 24, 1985) – Funeral services were held for Judd L. Tunis, 88, Waterloo, Iowa, at Memorial Park Chapel with burial at Memorial Park Cemetery.

Mr. Tunis, who was born on May 2, 1896, died April 24 at Schoitze Hospice Unit. He was born in Independence, Iowa, the son of august and Charlotte Tunis. He married Marie Fish in 1917.

At the age of 10, he was employed by Wittick Meats. In 1923, he and his wife opened up a butcher shop in the location presently occupied by Conway Civic Center in downtown Waterloo. In 1942, he opened a wholesale meat outlet in the family home on University Avenue.

He constructed a half-mile horse track at the family home and in the late 1940’s began construction of a smaller dirt track inside the horse track for automobile racing. The first races held in the late 1940’s were midget races, and the track began operating on a weekly basis in 1950, running the popular post-war “jalopies”.

Tunis Speedway operated continuously through the 1979 season when it was closed to weekly events because of several reasons – foremost, the development of the area around the track with new homes, and the Waterloo Noise Control ordinance.

In addition to horse and auto racing, Mr. Tunis supported numerous entertainment events, including car stunt shows, circuses, and parades.

He was an expert horseman and spent hours training his horses on the large track.

Mr. Tunis was active in the Waterloo Masonic Lodge No. 105, served as an officer in the White Lodge Shrine of Jerusalem No. 9 of Cedar Falls, and was a long-time member of the High 12 Club.

1982 – Long, Schreiner nab ‘Twin 50s’

Roger Long won the first of the Twin 50’s at East Moline Speedway. Promoter Bobby Toland joins Long in victory lane.

East Moline, Ill. (April 23, 1982) – After three weeks of bad Friday weather, the East Moline Speedway held the finest Twin 50’s ever on record.

Thirty-three cars lined the pits and with such drivers as Johnny Johnson, Pete Parker, Leon Plank, Ed Sanger, Tony Izzo, Roger Long, Gary Webb and a young sensation to the area, Ron Schreiner from Eleva, Wis., the crowd was in for more than they had gambled for.

The top four in qualifying automatically made the feature with Johnson putting his J&J Steel Corvette in the 14-second bracket at 14.92. The other three qualifiers were Ray Guss Jr., Mike Chasteen and Ron Gustaf.

The top four in each heat, who were not qualified, then made the feature.

Ray Guss Jr. of Milan, Ill., won the first heat with his father Ray Guss Sr. taking the win in the second heat. Mike Chasteen of Peoria, Ill., was the third heat winner while Rollie Frink of Davenport, Iowa, won the semi-main and Bob Helm of Andalusia, Ill., grabbed second to also qualify for the main event.

The first 50-lap showdown saw Johnny Johnson of Morning Sun, Iowa, and Ray Guss Sr., setting the pace in the front row. As soon as the green dropped, Johnson was introduced to the wall, nose first, which sidelined him until the second 50-lapper.

Guss Sr. would lead from lap 1 through lap 23 when he encountered mechanical issues, allowing Jim Sandusky of Coal Valley, Ill., to motor by for the lead. It appeared that Sandusky was on his way to victory when his engine exploded on lap 41. Roger Long, the “Flying Farmer” from Fithian, Ill., would take advantage and lead the remaining nine circuits to seal the win. Pete Parker of Kaukauna, Wis., was second followed by Gary Webb of Davenport, Iowa.

The second 50-lap feature would be truly unbelievable. Dave Hammond of Camanche, Iowa, and Ed Sanger of Waterloo, Iowa, occupied the front row with Sanger getting the jump on the green and leading the first five laps. Ron Weedon of Pleasant Valley, Iowa, would scoot past Sanger for the top spot and hold that spot until lap 27 when Rollie Frink would take the lead.

Weedon would regain the lead on lap 28 as the race would see multiple leaders for the next few laps. Guss Sr. would get past Weedon on lap 33 but hold it for only one more lap as Weedon regained it again on lap 35.

As those two veterans battled it out, Ron Schreiner had come out of nowhere and was making his presence known. On lap 40, Schreiner got past Guss Sr. to take over second and three laps later, powered past Weedon for the lead.

But Schreiner wasn’t going to just pull away as now Gary Webb had moved past Guss Sr. and Weedon and was in second behind the Wisconsin hot shoe. Webb would make several challenges in the remaining laps, but Schreiner would hold on for the victory.

Weedon would hold on for third while Herschel Roberts of East Moline would get past Guss Sr. on the last lap to take fourth. Guss Sr. would be content with fifth.

What made Schreiner’s victory all that more impressive is the fact that he turned in the 32nd fastest time, didn’t qualify in his heat, finished fifth in the semi and was called upon as an alternate and started at the rear of the field.


Results –


Feature #1 –

1. Roger Long
2. Pete Parker
3. Gary Webb
4. Rollie Frink
5. Keith Remley


Feature #2 –

1. Ron Schreiner
2. Gary Webb
3. Ron Weedon
4. Herschel Roberts
5. Ray Guss Sr.

Ron Schreiner won the second 50-lapper of the Twin 50’s at East Moline. Flagman Doyle Bennett joins Schreiner in the winner’s circle.

1971 – Reinbeck Driver Wins Season Opener

Cal Swanson takes a victory lap after winning the MCRA season opener at Davenport. 

Davenport, Iowa (April 23, 1971) – Cal Swanson of Reinbeck led all the way in the 25-lap feature on Friday night in the Mid-Continent Racing Association season opener at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds.

Swanson, who also won the late model semi-main, never was in any serious trouble. He won by 200 yards over last year’s point champion, Ron Weedon of Pleasant Valley.

Gary Kerres of Edgington, Ill., won the first sportsman feature of the season over Chuck Lukemyre of Tipton. Kerres took the lead on lap 10 and stretched his margin from there.

Weedon, driving a bright blue 1971 Mustang, couldn’t come close to Swanson in the main event, settling for second. He also finished second to Swanson in the semi-main.

Roger Dolan of Lisbon and Ron Perdock of Washington were late model heat winners. Lukemyre won the sportsman heat while Don Roberts won the semi-main.


Results –


Heat #1 – Roger Dolan, Lisbon
Heat #2 – Ron Perdock, Washington
Semi-main – Cal Swanson, Reinbeck
Feature –
1. Cal Swanson
2. Ron Weedon, Pleasant Valley
3. Terry Ryan, Davenport
4. John Connolly, Delhi
5. Lem Blankenship, Keokuk

1979 – Bartholomew Tops Sunset Invitational

Tom Bartholomew

Omaha, Neb., (April 22, 1979) - A little “luck o’ the Irish” played a part for Sunset Speedway promoter Larry Kelley for the 7th Annual Spring Invitational. The two-day show with a purse of over $10,000 was slated for Friday and Saturday but heavy rains postponed the event until Saturday and Sunday.

Even though the track dried out by the start on Saturday, the pit area and infield was a quagmire of mud. None the less, the $2,000 winner’s share and the early date drew some of the best pilots from around the Midwest.

When the final tally was taken, 50 late models and 44 sportsman cars checked in for what had become a Nebraska tradition. A grandstand full of race fans was nestled in ready for some high-speed action. As mentioned, some of the top name drivers were on hand.

Headlining the cornhusker contingent were Al Druesdow, Jerry Wancewicz, Glenn Robey, Bob and Joe Kosiski from Omaha, Dean Ward from Grand Island, Jay Stearns from Lincoln, and Al Humphrey from Giltner. Iowans who made the trip over included Bill Rice, Don Hoffman and Joe Merryfield from Des Moines, Bob Shryock from Estherville, Ed Sanger and Tom Bartholomew from Waterloo, Mike Niffenegger from Kalona, and the defending champion Bill Martin of Council Bluffs.

Making the trip from up north was Bobby Saterdalen of Oronoco, Minn. and Leon Plank of Mondovi, Wis. South Dakota was represented by “Wild Bill” Liebig of Rapid City while North Dakotan’s included Bob Moody of Williston, Paul Schultz of Washburn, and Bob Simmers of Jamestown.

Saturday’s events were mainly qualifying events including heats, non-qualifier races, “A” and “B” consolations and a special last chance heat. In late model action, Al Druesdow got the hometowners off to a great start with the win in the first heat; however, the next three went to Leon Plank, Ed Sanger, and Don Hoffman. The sportsman heats went to all Iowans, Folkerts, Bentley and Joe Gascoigne of Council Bluffs and Jim Andersen Des Moines.

On Sunday, the main attraction was the 50-lap late model feature with Iowans dominating the action. Plank would take the lead before giving way to Niffenegger. The “Flyin Dutchman” would lead the next 27 circuits before surrendering the point to Tom Bartholomew.

Bartholomew, driving brand new Sanger-built Camaro moved away from the field and eventually won by more than half a lap. Merryfield, Sanger, Niffenegger and Wancewicz were your top-five finishers.

The defending champ, Bill Martin finished sixth, which was a miracle in itself. During Saturday night’s qualifying races, Martin tangled with the front stretch cement wall, mounting the barrier, and eventually ending up on its lid. Martin was shaken but not stirred and worked feverishly all night. He qualified for the feature by winning a non-qualifier heat on Sunday.

The sportsman feature was no contest with Duane Bentley of Fairbanks, Iowa, taking the victory over Jim Andersen of Des Moines. Three Nebraskan’s Steve Kosiski of Omaha, Rex Nun of Lincoln, and Mel Sorenson of Omaha finished out the top five.


Results –


1. Tom Bartholomew, Waterloo, Iowa
2. Joe Merryfield, Des Moines
3. Ed Sanger, Waterloo, Iowa
4. Mike Niffenegger, Kalona, Iowa
5. Jerry Wancewicz, Omaha
6. Bill Martin, Council Bluffs
7. Don Hoffman, Des Moines
8. Bobby Saterdalen, Oronoco, Minn.
9. Leon Plank, Mondovi, Wis.
10.Bill Rice, Des Moines
11.Bob Shryock, Estherville, Iowa
12.Dean Ward, Grand Island
13.Paul Schultz, Washburn, N.D.
14.Bill Lebig, Rapid City, S.D.
15.Al Druesdow, Omaha

1978 – ‘Northerners’ Invade K.C. Opener

Omaha's Bob Kosiski won the 20-lap late model feature at Lakeside Speedway. 

Kansas City, Mo. (April 21, 1978) – The first of a year of regular combination program race for 1978 at Lakeside Speedway for 1978 were dominated by the “way up north” contingent Friday night as Doug Wolfgang of Des Moines and Bob Kosiski of Omaha captured wins in their respective super sprint and late model 20-lap features.

The late model stock car feature left the cold fans numb, with many of them calling it the best feature they’ve seen in a while. The four cars of Bill Rice, Shelby Steenhouse, Bill Martin, and Kosiski put on a 20-lap, blanket cover, lead swapping duel the entire distance, with Kosiski passing two cars from his third-running position to take the lead and win on the fourth turn of the final lap.

Rice came out of the shuffle in second, with Steenson third and Martin taking fourth. Kosiski’s son, Joe, rounded out the top five finishers.

National sprint champion Wolfgang, returning to the half-mile dirt oval after a car-crunching flip last weekend, started the night on a sour note by failing to finish his qualifying heat due to mechanical issues.

The hard-charging driver soon had things sorted out, as he qualified for the main event by winning the 10-lap “B” main after starting dead last in that field.

The main event, which saw Wolfgang start at the tail end of the 22-car field, was only three laps old when Eddie Hickey climbed the fence in the fourth turn to bring out the red flag.

On the restart, Oklahoma City’s Shane Carson, last week’s “Spring Spectacle” winner, Lakeside sprint champion Bobby Layne, and Gene Gennetten continued the front-running battle for the lead.

The red flag waved again on lap 8 for Rick Weld of Kansas City as his engine let go at full speed on the back straightaway, resulting in his car being totally engulfed in flames. The quick thinking youngster spun the car backwards at high speed into the infield and quickly exited, suffering minor burns on his hands and legs.

When the battle resumed, Wolfgang had worked his way up to mid-field, while Gennetten and Layne touched wheels coming out of the second turn on lap 11, resulting in Gennetten’s exit from the race with a damaged front end.

Wolfgang, having to compete against the small block “winged” sprint with his wingless big block machine, used the high groove cushion to motor around the rest of the field one by one to capture the lead for good on lap 14. Layne would hold on to place second while veteran Bill Utz would nip Dick Howard for third place at the checkered. Carson would hold on to finish fifth.


Results –


Late Model –

1. Bob Kosiski, Omaha
2. Bill Rice, Des Moines
3. Shelby Steenhouse, Abilene, Kan.
4. Bill Martin, Council Bluffs, Iowa
5. Joe Kosiski, Omaha
6. Bud Dibben, Kansas City
7. Bill Moyer Jr., Des Moines
8. Perry Kadous, Topeka, Kan.
9. Jim Hager, Liberty, Mo.
10.Gene Claxton, Kansas City


Sprints –

1. Doug Wolfgang, Des Moines
2. Bobby Layne, Kansas City
3. Bill Utz, Sedalia, Mo.
4. Dick Howard, Kansas City
5. Shane Carson, Oklahoma C
6. Dave Dwyer, Columbia, Mo.
7. Dave Rupard, Kansas City
8. Darryl Dawley, Sioux Falls, S.D.
9. Johnny Johnson, Independence, Mo.
10.Gene Kester, Bates City, Mo.

Doug Wolfgang was all smiles after winning the 20-lap super sprint main event at Lakeside.