Nebraska State Fair president Floyd Pohlman presents the trophy to Don "Itch" Daniels and Hector Honore after they won the 25-lap IMCA sprint car feature. Woody Brinkman, NSI official, presents the checkers.
Lincoln,
Neb. (September 2, 1967) – One mistake can make a big difference in sprint car
racing, especially with the caliber currently being displayed at the Nebraska
State Fair. It usually means the difference between winning and losing as
Lincoln’s own Joe Saldana can testify.
Saldana, who
led all qualifiers in Saturday afternoon’s time trials with a 26.12 second
clocking, won the consolation race in record time, took the lead from the pole
position in the A feature and held it for the first 24 of the scheduled 30
circuits.
But on the
backstretch of lap 24, Saldana bobbled a little, allowing Don Daniels, who had
been close behind from the start, to gain the inside position, take the lead
and eventually the victory.
“I goofed up
when I went into turn three and as soon as I did, I was up in the loose
marbles, and he (Daniels) was right there waiting,” Saldana remembered after
taking runner-up honors.
“I knew he
would be, but all I could do was let him go,” remarked the 22-year-old super
modified veteran. I took her in to deep and thought I could hold it, but I
dipped out.
Saldana is
in his first season as a sprint car driver but has been piloting super
modifieds since he was 16 years old. He says he wants to keep driving sprint
cars, eventually quitting super modifieds altogether, “because these guys are
all racers”.
Daniel’s
victory was the 434th feature victory for his Chevy-powered car, which has also
won 703 heat races since it was built in 1953 by Hector Honores of Pana, Ill.
The car, called the “Black Deuce” is the winningest sprint car in IMCA history,
according to officials.
Saldana’s
time of 4 minutes and 30 seconds for 10 laps in the consolation was the last of
three track records to be set during the first day of sprint car racing at the
Fair. Saldana bettered the old mark of 4 minute and 38 seconds while Jim Smith
of Burgoon, Ohio, lowered the 8-lap standard from 3 minutes and 40 seconds to 3
minutes and 36 seconds to win the first heat.
Grady Wade
of Wichita, Kan., was times in 2 minutes and 15 seconds in winning the 5-lap
STP trophy dash, bettering the old mark of 2 minutes and 18 seconds.
Jerry Blundy
of Galesburg, Ill., and Ray Lee Goodwin of Kansas City were the other heat
winners.
Results –
Heat #1 –
Jim Smith, Burgoon, Ohio
Heat #2 – Jerry
Blundy, Galesburg, Ill.
Heat #3 –
Ray Lee Goodwin, Kansas City, Mo.
STP Trophy
Dash – Grady Wade, Wichita, Kan.
Consolation
– Joe Saldana, Lincoln, Neb.
Feature –
1. Don Daniels, St. Paul, Minn.
2. Joe Saldana
3. Chuck Lynch, Springfield, Ill.
4. Jay Woodside, Kansas City, Mo.
5. Jim Moughan, Springfield, Ill.
6. Karl Busson, Toledo, Ohio
7. Roger Lane, Blue Springs, Mo.
8. Grady Wade, Wichita, Kan.
9. Ray Lee Goodwin, Kansas City
10. Gordon
Woolley, Waco, Tex.
11. Jim
Smith, Burgoon, Ohio
12.
Jerry
Blundy, Galesburg, Ill.
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