1976 – No Stopping Ron Weedon

 

Ron Weedon

East Moline, Ill. (June 13, 1976) – Nonstop. 100 laps NONSTOP!

On a night when it took 35 minutes just to complete the first lap of the first heat, Ron Weedon sat back and let the lead come to him in an incredible finale at Quad-City Raceway on Sunday.

And once he got out front in the Pabst Blue Ribbon 100, there was no stopping him – or anyone else for that matter – as the late model stock car event went the full 100 circuits without a hitch.

That’s almost unheard of a quarter-mile clay track where drivers generally try to squeeze 20 cars into the first turn side-by-side.

A couple of years ago, Raceway ran a 50-lap mid-season championship race without a restart, and Weedon remembers running 50 laps on a dirt track in Springfield, Ill., non-stop – but that’s a one-mile track.

Perhaps the distance that made the difference in this one. In the shorter events, the driver have to charge right from the start; while in the longer events, they can sit back for a while.

That’s exactly what Weedon did. “We started a long way back and I figured we’d take maybe second or third,” the popular Pleasant Valley driver said. That was about midway through the event when Weedon was lapped by leader Jim Gerber, who had started on the pole position and led most of the way.

But Weedon, who started tenth on the basis of afternoon time trials, fell in behind Gerber and some of the best racing of the evening came as he tried to un-lap himself.

Just a few laps later, on lap 65, telltale smoke started pouring from the rear of Gerber’s car, and soon after his tire popped from rubbing on metal that was bent from banging into the wall in one of the turns.

He hung on gamely until Ray Guss scooted by and only then headed to the pits for a tire change. Guss and Gerber were the only cars on the same lap at this point.

But when Guss suffered mechanical problems three-quarters through the race, the scoring was up for grabs. Weedon got out front and held on, but it took track officials almost an hour to determine the other placings and payoffs.

Bob Stogdell was second followed by Dan Bennett, Gary Webb, and Ernie Speth.

But while many in the capacity crowd didn’t know who was ahead after Gerber and Guss dropped out, Weedon knew right where he was. “I knew I had been lapped by Gerber – and Gerber only,” he said.

It wasn’t really a bad night for Gerber. The veteran turned in the fastest lap in time trials and led probably half the race – at $20 a lap, meaning he most likely matched the $1,000 Weedon received for winning. Of course, the champion also pocketed a sizeable amount of laap money as well.


Results –


Heat #1 – Duane Steffe, East Moline
Heat #2 – Ron Weedon, Pleasant Valley, Iowa
Heat #3 – Ernie Speth, Davenport, Iowa
Semi-main – Herb Shannon, Peoria
Feature –
1. Ron Weedon
2. Bob Stogdell, East Moline
3. Dan Bennett, Peoria
4. Gary Webb, Davenport, Iowa
5. Ernie Speth

1971 - Sessions Takes USAC Win at Eldora

 

Sam Sessions

Rossburg, Ohio (June 12, 1971) – Sam Sessions swerved around a pile-up that took out frontrunner Larry Cannon on Saturday and sped to his second United States Auto Club sprint car victory in less than 24 hours.

Sessions, of Nashville, Mich., ran in second for more than half of the 40-lap contest on Eldora Speedway’s half-mile, high-banked dirt track, but a three-car crash on lap 23 eliminated Cannon, of Danville, Ill., and gave Sessions the lead.

He had led briefly at the start of the race, but Cannon took over on the third lap.

That same accident sent Larry Dickson of Marietta, Ohio, the defending USAC national champion, into a spectacular flip that put him of the race and eliminated Johnny Rutherford of Fort Worth, Tex., who was driving the car Cannon hit. Rutherford’s bruised ribs were the only injury in the incident.

The nationally-televised race marked the fifth victory of the season for Sessions and sent him even father ahead in the national point standings. His last win was in Grand Rapids, Mich., on Friday night.

The top four finishers crossed the finish line bumper-to-bumper in the $15,500 event. Gary Bettenhausen of Tinley Park, Ill., Don Nordhorn of Wadesville, Ind., Bill Puterbaugh of Indianapolis, were right behind Sessions as the checkered waved. Jim McElreath of Arlington, Tex., rounded out the top five.


Results -

1. Sam Sessions
2. Gary Bettenhausen
3. Don Nordhorn
4. Bill Puterbaugh
5. Jim McElreath
6. Johnny Parsons
7. Pancho Carter
8. Bill Koepfer
9. Dick Tobias
10.Lennie Waldo

1960 – White Easy Winner at Nashville

 

Don White receives kisses from Carolyn Reeves and Becky Butner after winning the 300-lap USAC late model feature at Fairgrounds Speedway. - Jimmy Ellis Photo

Nashville, Tenn. (June 12, 1960) – Don White averaged 68.39 miles per hour in winning the 300-lap USAC late model race at Fairgrounds Speedway on Sunday afternoon.

White’s blistering time approached the track record of 71.002 miles per hour set by Rex White last year in a 200-lap NASCAR race.

White, a mite of a 140-pounder from Keokuk, Iowa, registered his second victory in two weeks. He captured a 150-lapper in Atlanta last week where he led for every lap. It was almost the same story Sunday, as he stayed in front for 296 turns of the half-mile oval.

A crowd of 7,000 watched under sunny skies as White, driving a 1960 Ford, proved far superior to the rest of the field.

His nearest competitor, Norm Nelson, also in a 1960 Ford, was a full lap plus eight seconds behind at the finish. Only 10 of the 23 starters were racing when the checkered flag waved and several of them were only going through the motions.

Nelson Stacy, last year’s winner, encountered car trouble early, and pulled out early. Stacy later returned as a relief driver for Jack Shanklin on the 120th lap and finished fifth in Shanklin’s 1959 Ford.

Mike Klapak and Iggy Katona, both expected to be in the running, bowed out early. Klapak retired when the rear end of his car went out. Running second on lap 25, Katona, in a 1960 Ford, blew a right rear tire and slid into the guardrail on the southeast turn.

White, who didn’t finish in the USAC race here last year, said, “I had the same kind of tires as Iggy, so it kind of worried me.”

Actually, Don only had one anxious moment, and that came on the 150th lap when a tire came off a car driven by Chuck Hancock. It rolled all the way down the frontstretch, and White had to swerve to avoid it. The 34-year-old father of three dismissed it, though, saying, “I saw it in plenty of time.”

White required only on pit stop, at which time his crew poured in 17 gallons of gas. The stop, which occurred on lap 174, lasted only 20 seconds. From the time White came in until Nelson made a stop on lap 179, it was the only period in which he didn’t lead. Nelson’s pit stop lasted 51 seconds.

Some hasty figuring might indicate that the race was won in the pits. But to anybody on hand, it was obvious there wasn’t a machine on the track comparable to the one driven by White.

“I’ve got the best mechanic in the business in Paul Newkirk.” White said. “I wouldn’t trade him for anyone.

His only complaint was that he was hot, but the $1,350 in prize money ought to cool things off.


Results –


1. Don White
2. Norm Nelson
3. Earl Balmer
4. Nelson Stacy
5. Paul Parks
6. Les Snow
7. Tiny Shilts

8. Bob James
9. Jack Wyatt
10.Augie Sandman

1986 – Moyer, Winkler Tops at ‘Shryock Memorial’

 

Billy Moyer Jr. won the Bob Shryock Memorial late model feature at Fairmont Raceway. Moyer, fourth from left, is joined by promoter Denny Houseman, flagman Doug Clark, and members of Shryock’s family, Misty Strunk, Dawn Shryock, Kelly Shryock, and Lori Homan. – Lowell Johnson Photo

Fairmont, Minn. (June 11, 1986) – Billy Moyer Jr., a nationally known late model driver racing out of Batesville, Ark., and Joe Winkler, in his first year of driving an IMCA modified after a several year layoff from sportsman racing, were the big feature winners at the first annual Bob Shryock Memorial at Fairmont Raceway on Wednesday.

This was the first time in several years that late models had competed at Fairmont and 25 of the best late models in the Midwest, along with nearly 30 of the top modifieds were on hand.

A strong threat of rain all day never materialized, and the track turned dry-slick early in the evening. This didn’t seem to bother Moyer any, as his strength was apparent even in hot laps. He won hiss heat handily, then came through the field from his sixth starting position to claim the 30-lap main event.

Polesitter Dick Sorenson and fellow front row starter Ron Droog battled for the lead early, but both had problems and dropped off the pace. Willy Kraft and Moyer then charged to the head of the pack and waged their own brief battle for the lead, along with Jim Bruggeman, until Moyer established himself for good.

Kraft held off Bruggeman for runner-up honors while Keith Strunk ran a solid fourth for most of the race, and Bill Kirk grabbed fifth place away from Ed Sanger on the very last lap.

In addition to Moyer’s heat win, Bob Hill and Kraft were heat winners as well.

The modifieds had a harder time with the dry track, and their feature was restarted several times. Winkler came from his third row starting position to overtake early leader Doug Petersen, then held off persistent challenges from Mark Noble and Kelly Shryock to grab the 25-lap victory. Jeff Ross continued his strong showing for the night, grabbing fourth just ahead of Ron Luitjens.


Results –


Late Model –

1. Billy Moyer Jr.
2. Willy Kraft
3. Jim Bruggeman
4. Keith Strunk
5. Bill Kirk
6. Ed Sanger
7. Greg Moyer
8. Lynn Idler
9. Dick Schiltz
10.Frank Jorgenson


IMCA Modified –

1. Joe Winkler
2. Mark Noble
3. Kelly Shryock
4. Jeff Ross
5. Ron Luitjens
6. Bob Weber

Joe Winkler won the IMCA Modified National Series event at Fairmont Raceway, part of the Bob Shryock Memorial. He’s joined by flagman Doug Clark, and Shryock’s daughters, Misty Strunk and Lori Homan. – Lowell Johnson Photo

1971 – Davenport Honors to Montgomery

Dean Montgomery holds the checkers after winning the late model feature at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds in Davenport. – Woody Perkins Photo

Davenport, Iowa (June 11, 1971) – Dean Montgomery of Milan, Ill., captured the feature event in the late model modified division at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds on Friday night.

Montgomery withstood challenges from Jerry Reinhart of Moline, Ill., and Bill Beckman of Lisbon, Iowa, to score the victory.

Reinhart would grab the lead early in the 25-lap event but would lose the top spot to Beckman on lap 16. Montgomery, who had been closing in on the leaders, powered past Beckman two laps later and then fought off challenges by both drivers to take the hard-fought win.

Montgomery was followed across the finish line by Reinhart, John Connolly of Delhi, Iowa, Beckman, and Ernie Derr of Keokuk, Iowa.

There was only one accident to mar the feature event as Ron Weedon of Pleasant Valley, Iowa and Tom Spitznogle of Fruitland, Iowa, bumped on the fourth turn of lap 6, sending Spitznogle to the pits with a broke axle and ending Weedon’s night of racing as well.

Bill Beckman and Darrell Dake of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, were heat winners while Montgomery won the semi-feature.


Results –

1. Dean Montgomery, Milan, Ill.
2. Jerry Reinhart, Moline, Ill.
3. John Connolly, Delhi, Iowa
4. Bill Beckman, Lisbon, Iowa
5. Ernie Derr, Keokuk, Iowa
6. Del Williams, East Moline, Ill.
7. Herb Shannon, Peoria, Ill.
8. Darrell Dake, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
9. Duane Steffe, Colona, Ill.
10.Jack Rebholz, Henry, Ill.

Today in Racing History

37 years ago today, history was made.... sort of.

In the June 16, 1988, edition of Hawkeye Racing News, the front-page headline read:

"Two Iowa gals in historic feature wins"

Shawna Robinson of Des Moines became the first female driver to win a NASCAR series feature when she won at Asheville (N.C.) Speedway.

That same day, at Audubon (Iowa) Speedway, Christina Davidson of Stuart, became the first female to win an IMCA modified feature.

However, two weeks later in the June 30, edition of HRN, editor Bill Haglund pointed out that Davidson was not the first female to win an IMCA modified race.

That honor belonged to Carla Roberts of Fayetteville, Ark., who won a IMCA modified feature at Razorback Speedway in the summer of 1985. Ironically, Roberts and her husband Bud, operated Razorback Speedway in 1988.

1956 – Flaherty Wins Rex Mays Classic

 

Rex Mays Classic winner Pat Flaherty and announcer Ed “Twenty-Grand” Steinbock share a laugh after the Chicago tavern owner won the 100-mile USAC national championship race. – Steve Noffke Collection

Milwaukee, Wis. (June 10, 1956) – Pat Flaherty of Chicago, winner of the Indianapolis 500, roared to his second victory in a row Sunday when he won the 100-mile Rex Mays Classic at a record 98.958 miles per hour.

The red-haired tavern keeper raced from his 11th starting post to win before 22,564 fans on the one-mile asphalt State Fair track and collect $5,488 of the $22,540 purse.

Flaherty finished about two-thirds of a mile ahead of Johnny Thomson of Springfield, Mass., last year’s winner, and his time of 1 hour and 37.884 seconds beat Thomson’s 1955 track record by more than four seconds.

The veteran started out in 11th and moved up to sixth after just 10 miles. He passed two more cars to reach fourth in the second 10 miles, after 25 miles he was third, and after 27 miles, he was running in second.

For the next 22 miles he ran behind leader Troy Ruttman of Indianapolis. At the halfway point of the race, Ruttman was running a blistering pace, with a record time of 30 minutes and 30.618 seconds.

But then Lady Luck frowned on Ruttman. His clutch went out and on the 52nd circuit, Flaherty got around the 1952 Indianapolis 500 winner on the backstretch and Ruttman was forced to drop out a lap later.

Flaherty was never seriously threatened for the remainder of the race, taking the checkered flag 20 seconds ahead of Thomson, almost the identical lead he had on Sam Hanks in the “500”.

Actually, the best racing – After Ruttman dropped out – was between Bob Sweikert, the 1955 “500” champion, and Jimmy Bryan, his long-time rival who was the 1954 driving champion. Sweikert and Bryan raced neck-and-neck almost the entire way. Sweikert finished third with Bryan a car-length behind in fourth.

Flaherty earned $5,448 for his victory, a popular win for the Irishman. Milwaukeeans feel he’s almost a hometown boy, owning a tavern less than a 100 miles away.


Results –

1. Pat Flaherty
2. Johnny Thomson
3. Bob Sweikert
4. Jimmy Bryan
5. Johnny Boyd
6. Don Freeland
7. Jimmy Reece
8. Gene Hartley
9. Al Keller
10.Bob Veith
11.Pat O’Conner
12.Keith Andrews
13.Jack Turner
14.Bill Garrett
15.Rex Easton
16.Shorty Templeman
17.Johnnie Parsons
18.Elmer George
19.Jim Rathmann
20.Troy Ruttman
21.Dick Rathmann
22.Danny Kladis