Wednesday, September 17, 2014

1962- Reynolds holds off Derr at Kansas State Fair

Hutchinson, Kan. (September 17, 1962) - The king of stock car racing, Ernie Derr of Keokuk, Iowa, had to doff his crown to Bob Reynolds, Edmond, Okla., before a capacity crowd at the stock car race program on the Kansas State Fair track Sunday afternoon.
The impertinent Reynolds shoved his accelerator to the floorboard on the flag, jumped to a car length lead in the first half-mile and kept Derr in his dust until he caught the checkered flag.
During six laps of the race, Derr couldn’t do a thing about it because the yellow flag was out and the cars had to maintain their positions. But there were 14 other laps in which he couldn't do anything about it either. He once pulled to about a half a car length of Reynolds bumper but that was as close as he could get.
The yellow flag came out when Lenny Funk, the Flying Farmer from Otis, Kan., spun sidewise of the track on turn two and was side swiped by Ramo Stott, Keokuk, Iowa. Only by cutting to the infield did Gerry Harrison, Topeka, avoid hitting the pile-up.
Funk and Stott escaped with minor bruises, but both cars were badly damaged. The six yellow-flag laps were run while wreckers were towing the disabled machines off the track. A Ford driven by Ernie McMahon, Keokuk, Iowa, caught fire on the sixth lap of the first heat race. He piloted the blazing machine to the infield where firemen doused the blaze. 
Derr had a bad day all around. He spun out on turn two in the second heat race and lost so much ground he didn’t even complete the race. Ed Birkey, Peoria, Ill., was leading the dash when he hit that same slick spot. Skillful driving by Mert Williams, Rochester, Minn., averted a head-on collision on that one.

Results -
  1. Bob Reynolds, Edmond, Okla.
  2. Ernie Derr, Keokuk, Iowa
  3. Mert Williams, Rochester, Minn.
  4. Darrell Dake, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
  5. John Mickey, Columbus Junction, Iowa
  6. Ramo Stott, Keokuk, Iowa
  7. Dick Hutcherson, Keokuk, Iowa
  8. Phil Cronin, Parma Heights, Ohio
  9. Leonard "Lenny" Funk, Otis, Kan.
  10. Ole Brua, Albert Lea, Minn.
  11. Gerry Harrison, Topeka, Kan.
  12. John Jones, Russell, Minn.
  13. Clyde Douglas, Wichita Falls, Tex.
  14. Newt Bartholomew, Carlisle, Iowa
  15. Ed Birkey, Peoria, Ill.

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