1968 – Derr Pilots ’68 Dodge to Lincoln Win

Ernie Derr is presented the checkers after winning at Lincoln, Neb.

Lincoln, Neb. (June 16, 1968) – There have been harder cakewalks for Ernie Derr, but Ramo Stott, who worked like a beaver this winter, is still wondering what was wrong.

The two racing veterans were hooked up in a rare tie for first place in the IMCA point standings going into Sunday’s late model stock car action at the Nebraska State Fairgrounds. They aren’t anymore…

Derr waltzed to victory in the 50-lap feature while Stott settled for third. Actually, Ramo was happy that he finished.

There’s something drastically wrong with my car,” the Keokuk, Iowa, native pointed out after the races. “During the last 25 laps, I thought for sure it was going to blow.”

After the first heat, Stott pronounced his 1968 Plymouth, “flatter than a pancake”. Later he put in new spark plugs. That didn’t help either.

Sandwiched in between was another mechanical failure. The transmission went out and only a furious installation of new parts allowed Stott to compete in the feature.

Ramo couldn’t have felt bad though. He could just consider the plight of nearly half the 23 drivers on hand. No fewer than 11 went to the pits to stay during the afternoon’s action.

Consider Lenny Funk, known as “Mr. Bad Luck” on the circuit. During the season, the Otis, Kan., driver has finished only two features. Sunday, he didn’t even come close…far from it.

His engine blew on, believe it or not, on the third lap of pre-race warmups. “That’s the fourth engine I’ve blown this year,” Funk said, shaking his head.

Then there was Blaine Morrow of Mt. Joy, Ill. Involved in an eight-car pileup on Saturday night at Des Moines, Morrow spent all afternoon trying to get his car to run…to no avail.

A four-car tangle on the first lap of the feature finished Ole Brua of Albert Lea, Minn., who had the fastest time in qualifying, and Butch Hall of Russell, Minn., Both car sustained front end damage.

For the 45-year-old Derr, it was just another win among many over the last two decades. The mustached veteran, who seems to go on forever, confirmed he has no plans to retire.

“Heck,” he smiled. “I have to eat, don’t I.”

Results –

1.    Ernie Derr, Keokuk, Iowa

2.    Lewis Taylor, Shawnee, Kan.

3.    Ramo Stott, Keokuk, Iowa

4.    Ron Larson, White Bear Lake, Minn.

5.    Fred Whisler, Independence, Mo.

6.    Dale Keeling, Waynesville, Mo.

7.    Frank Scadoris, Lincoln, Neb.

8.    Sandy Sandstrom, Kansas City

9.    Karl Stoufer, Independence, Iowa

10.  Ken Pankrantz, Mosinee, Wis.

11.  Buzz McCann, Minneapolis

12.  John Bolen, Topeka, Kan.

1978 - Hansen Triumphs in Coca-Cola Special

Waterloo, Iowa (June 15, 1978) – Curt Hansen, the defending late model champion at Tunis Speedway, led from start to finish in the second annual Coca-Cola Special on Thursday night.

Hansen earned the pole position for the 40-lap late model main event by winning the first heat under the program’s open competition format. He breezed to victory in that 10-lap race after starting on the outside front row.

The Dike, Iowa, driver quickly served notice in the feature too. He pulled away from the rest of the field and gained a comfortable margin between himself and his opposition.

Hansen, who drives an Ed Sanger built Camaro, earned $1,000 in prize money including the $750 first place money, $200 for leading all 40 laps and an additional $50 for winning the first heat. It was his first victory of the season at the 3/8-mile dirt oval.

Gary Crawford of Independence, Iowa, worked his way up second place in the feature after starting fifth while Waterloo, Iowa, veteran Bill Zwanziger won a dog fight for third.

Des Moines, Iowa, pilot Bill Rice was fourth and Tom Bartholomew of Waterloo, Iowa, rounded out the top five finishers.

Leon Plank of Eau Claire, Wis., and Bob Hilmer of Dysart, Iowa, also won heat races while Joe Merryfield of Des Moines took the consolation.

Gene Ehlers of Independence, Iowa, wrestled the lead from Larry Schmidt of New Hampton, Iowa, on the very last lap to win the 25-lap sportsman main.

Results –

First heat – Curt Hansen, Dike, Iowa

Second heat – Leon Plank, Eau Claire, Wis.

Third heat – Bob Hilmer, Dysart, Iowa

Consolation – Joe Merryfield, Iowa

Feature –

1.    Curt Hansen

2.    Gary Crawford, Independence, Iowa

3.    Bill Zwanziger, Waterloo, Iowa

4.    Bill Rice, Des Moines

5.    Tom Bartholomew, Waterloo, Iowa

6.    Ed Sanger, Waterloo, Iowa

7.    Leon Plank

8.    Joe Merryfield

9.    Red Dralle, Evansdale, Iowa

10.  Bob Hilmer

1976 - Whitcomb Claims I-70 USAC Victory

Odessa, Mo. (June 13, 1976) – Dave Whitcomb of Valparaiso, Ind., drove a strong, steady race and piloted his 1975 Camaro to victory lane in I-70 Speedway’s “Show Me 150”, a United States Auto Club sanctioned stock car race on Sunday afternoon.

The 44-year-old USAC veteran and father of four took over the lead on lap 61 from four-time USAC champion Butch Hartman of South Zanesville, Ohio.

Hartman would spin on lap 74 and crash into the wall on the backstretch. His car would burst into flames, but he was not hurt. The car, however, was too badly damaged to continue.

Larry Phillips of Springfield, Mo., the I-70 Speedway 1975 late model stock car champion, put on a strong performance early on in the race but became a victim to the extreme heat and turned over the wheel to his Camaro to Jerry Sifford, who finished fourth.

Ramo Stott of Keokuk, Iowa, the 1975 USAC national stock car champion, finished second in the race followed by Terry Ryan of Davenport, Iowa. Harold Fair of Lavonia, Mich., rounded out the top five.

The accident involving Hartman brought out the yellow flag for laps 74 to 84 and was the only time the yellow was displayed for the race.

The trophy dash was won by Stott and the semi-feature went to Harold Fair. Butch Hartman set fast time during qualifying, touring the half-mile in 19.36 seconds.

Results –

1.    Dave Whitcomb, Valparaiso, Ind.

2.    Ramo Stott, Keokuk, Iowa

3.    Terry Ryan, Davenport, Iowa

4.    Larry Phillips/Jerry Sifford, Springfield, Mo.

5.    Harold Fair, Lavonia, Mich.

6.    Dean Roper, Springfield, Mo.

7.    Ken Rowley, Normal, Ill.

8.    Kenny Simpson, Bedford, Ind.

9.    Bob Dotter, Chicago

10.  Sal Tovella, Addison, Ill.

1979 - Schultz, Izzo set marks in Waukegan 'Shootout'

Waukegan, Ill. (June 12, 1979) – Carl Schultz of Pewaukee, Wis., led from start to finish in the 50-lap Midwest Late Model Stock Car Challenge Shootout at Waukegan Speedway on Tuesday night.

Schultz appeared to adjust himself to the track rather quickly as he took the fourth heat race before moving on to the feature. Schultz set a 10-lap record of 2 minutes and 50 seconds, eclipsing the previous record mark of 2 minutes and 53 seconds set on June 24, 1978.

The “King of Clay” Tony Izzo also shattered a record by taking fast time with a 16.12 second lap. His mark was more than a second quicker than the previous mark of 17.14 seconds set by Jim Cossman of Waukegan, on September 24, 1966.

Izo attempted to overtake Schultz in the latter stages of the main event. However, the Wisconsinite rose to the occasion and held off the crafty veteran to take the win.

Heat winner Mike Melius came in third, with LeRoy Schneiderman fourth, John Provenzano fifth and trophy dash winner Bill Strom sixth.

Lloyd Griffith won the semi-feature over Melius, Mark Warner and Dennis Erb.

Feature results –

1.    Carl Schultz, Pewaukee, Wis.

2.    Tony Izzo, Bridgeview, Ill.

3.    Mike Melius, Random Lake, Wis.

4.    LeRoy Schneiderman, Woodstock, Ill.

5.    John Provenzano, Glen Ellyn, Ill.

6.    Bill Strom, West Allis, Wis.

7.    Art “Fireball” Fehrman, Berwyn, Ill.

8.    Dick Potts, Morocco, Ind.

9.    Jack Aschenbrenner, Hales Corner, Wis.

10.  Lloyd Griffith, Chicago, Ill.

1990 – Senneker wins Raider 300 at Salem

Salem Ind. (June 10, 1990) – Bob Senneker extended his all-time career record to 62 American Speed Association wins by capturing the ASA Challenge Series “Raider 300” at a record 87.468 miles per hour on Sunday at Salem Speedway.

Senneker won his second consecutive race to push his points lead to 67 points over race runner-up Harold Fair.

The 17-year ASA veteran snapped the previous ASA record ‘300’ record at Salem by more than 3 minutes, covering the 162 miles in 1 hour, 51 minutes and 7 seconds and edging Fair by three seconds.

Senneker led the first 97 laps and the last 43 laps for his fourth career ASA win on the famed high-banked paved oval to collect $7,715 in prize money from the $74,220 purse.

After pitting early and turning the lead over to Mike Eddy of Midland, Mich., Senneker spent much of the race tracking down teammate Johnny Benson Jr. who led for 123 laps.

Fair’s second straight runner-up finish kept him in the 1990 championship picture. Johnny Benson took over third in points and passed Rich Bickle Jr. of Edgerton, Wis., in the chase for top rookie honors.

Senneker had plenty of challenges early on and was chased by Eddy, Fair, Bickle and Canada’s Junior Hanley.

On lap 135, Bickle, sixth, and Ted Musgrave of Grand Marsh, Wis., eight, were gathered in a four-car crash touched off by Wayne Edwards’ spin on the backstretch. Bickle lost 67 laps while waiting for repairs.

Tracy Leslie of Mount Clemens, Mich., the 1988 ARCA national champion, made his ASA debut but dropped out after only 62 circuits due to handling problems.

Buckeye 300 winner Gary St. Amant of Columbus, Ohio, finished 14th, trailing by 25 laps. Senneker became the first repeat winner of 1990, ending a string of four different winners.

Results –

1.    Bob Senneker, Dorr, Mich.

2.    Harold Fair, Detroit, Mich.

3.    Johnny Benson Jr., Grand Rapids, Mich.

4.    Junior Hanley, Campbellsville, Ontario

5.    Scott Hansen, Green Bay, Wis.

6.    Mike Eddy, Midland, Mich.

7.    John Wilson, Springfield, Ohio

8.    Tom Jones, Northbrook, Ill.

9.    Dave Jackson, Loveland, Ohio

10.  Dennis Vogel, Manitowoc, Wis.

11.  John Olson, Stoughton, Wis.

12.  Kent Stauffer, Elyria, Ohio

13.  Tim Kezman, Franklin, Wis.

14.  Gary St. Amant, Columbus, Ohio

15.  Glenn Allen, Cincinnati, Ohio

16.  Steve Burgess, Eau Claire, Wis.

17.  Bruce Hidenrite, Owensboro, Ky.

18.  Wayne Edwards, Fairdale, Ky.

19.  Al Groog, Bluffton, Ind.

20.  Rich Bickle Jr., Edgerton, Wis.

21.  Scot Walters, Louisville, Ky.

22.  Ted Musgrave, Grand Marsh, Wis.

23.  Bruce Vanderlaan, Grand Rapids, Mich.

24.  Jay Sauter, Necedah, Wis.

25.  Jeff Neal, Grayslake, Ill.

26.  Dean South, Dayton, Ohio

27.  Tracy Leslie, Mt. Clemens, Mich.

28.  Tim Steele, Marne, Mich.

29.  Butch Lanum, Woodburn, Ind.

30.  Bob Siblia, Massillon, Ohio

1976 - Sanger Tops Pepsi-Mountain Dew Special at Osky

Oskaloosa, Iowa (June 9, 1976) – Ed Sanger of Waterloo, Iowa, collected the $1,000 first-place money in the late model super stock second annual Pepsi-Mountain Dew Special at the Mahaska County Fairgrounds on Wednesday night.

Sanger started on the front row alongside Curt Hansen of Dike, Iowa. Hansen took the initial lead and led the first two laps before Sanger made his move. Sanger would spend the next 48 circuits fighting off multiple challenges by Hansen before taking the checkered flag.

The win at Oskaloosa would mark Sanger’s sixth win in the last eight days of racing. The win streak started a week ago on the very same track.

Hansen would settle for runner-up honors while Duane Steffe of Colona, Ill., moved his way through the field to take third. Breathing down Steffe’s neck most of the way was Joe Merryfield of Des Moines until lap 44, when “Injun Joe” was forced to pit with a left front smoking wheel. Bill Beckman of Lisbon, Iowa, would finish fourth followed by Darrel Dake of Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Hansen set the fastest time of the 39 entries, with a 24.06 second mark on the big half-mile. He would also capture the trophy dash.

Bill Zwanziger of Waterloo, Iowa, captured the first heat, Jerry Wancewicz of Omaha, making his first-ever appearance at the speedway, captured the second heat and consolation event. Glen Martin of Independence, Iowa, scored the win in the third heat and Dick Schiltz of Waterloo, Iowa, earned the victory in the fourth heat.

Results –

1.    Ed Sanger, Waterloo, Iowa

2.    Curt Hansen, Dike, Iowa

3.    Duane Steffe, Colona, Ill.

4.    Bill Beckman, Lisbon, Iowa

5.    Darrel Dake, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

6.    Bill Zwanziger, Waterloo, Iowa

7.    Ron Prymek, Iowa City, Iowa

8.    Roger Dolan, Lisbon, Iowa

9.    Bob Helm, Andalusia, Ill.

10.  Dan Dickey, Packwood, Iowa

1969- Bill Moyer Bags First Win at Des Moines

Des Moines, Iowa (June 7, 1969) – It took Bill Moyer two years to win his first feature at the Iowa State Fairgrounds, but he finally did it Saturday night.

Moyer, who owns and operates a used car lot, piloted his 1968 Corvette through the pack from the inside of the fifth row to win.

Moyer moved into second place with 10 laps to go and it took him another five circuits to overtake race-long leader Bob Hilmer of Dysart, Iowa, in his 1965 Chevelle.

On lap 20, Moyer proved to be too much and powered past Hilmer for the lead. He would lead the final laps unchallenged to post the first win of his career.

Hilmer finished second while George Barton of Des Moines took third in his 1967 Chevelle. Stan Stover of Reinbeck, Iowa, finished fourth in his 1965 Chevelle and Darrel Dake took fifth in his 1968 Ford Fairlane.

Moyer also scored the win in the trophy dash while Barton and John Connolly of Delhi, Iowa, were heat winners. Darrel Dake won the 15-lap consolation.

Results –

1.    Bill Moyer

2.    Bob Hilmer, Dysart, Iowa

3.    George Barton, Des Moines

4.    Stan Stover, Reinbeck, Iowa

5.    Darrel Dake, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

6.    Mike Keen, Marshalltown, Iowa

7.    Roger Dolan, Lisbon, Iowa

8.    Lem Blankenship, Keokuk, Iowa

9.    Ed Sanger, Waterloo, Iowa

10.  Chuck Berg, Des Moines