Joe Shear (36) and Dick Trickle (99) battle it out during the 1974 National Short Track Championships. Shear would go on to win his second career title. - Bernie Tappa Photo
Rockford,
Ill. (September 29, 1974) – Joe Shear of South Beloit, Ill., became the first
late model driver to win two National Short Track Championships at Rockford
Speedway. Late Sunday afternoon, the Camaro pilot took the checkered flag in
the ninth annual running of the Black Label sponsored 200-lapper.
Coming off
the pole position, Greg Arenson of Edina, Minn., took the initial lead. Shear
started in the fifth row opposite arch-rival Dick Trickle of Wisconsin Rapids,
Wis. Shear and Trickle timed in with identical qualifying times of 14.29
seconds on the high-banked quarter-mile asphalt oval.
Driving a
1973 Camaro, Arenson held the lead for 19 laps followed closely by Johnny
Reimer of Caledonia, Wis., and Dave Watson of Beloit, Wis., both behind the
wheels of 1973 Camaros. In the 20th go-round, Arenson’s rear end broke loose
just a little in turn four, but just enough for Reimer to slip by for the lead.
Shear and
Trickle didn’t waste any time in moving through traffic and pulling in behind
Reimer. But it was Johnny’s race until lap 114 when the 1972 National Short
Track winner got around him to set the pace.
Lap 176
proved to be a violent one as Reimer went into a slight slide, and Trickle,
right on his tail, possibly because of late afternoon sun, was unable to avoid
the big crunch. Reimer went sideways and put Trickle into the unforgiving wall.
It also caused a chain reaction, collecting six other machines as well.
Reimer was
out for the rest of the event but Trickle limped into the pits, changed a
mangled piece of metal on the left front and pulled out wrinkled sheet metal on
the right side. It was done quick enough during the red flag so that he was
able to return to the track and get his position back.
The green
flag restarted the race but it was Shear all the way to the finish followed by
Trickle, Watson, John Knaus of Rockford, Ill., and Tom Musgrave of Mundelein,
Wis.
Six
qualification races were held earlier in the day, four of which were rained out
the night before. Winners of the two 50-lap features were Neil Callahan of
Merrill, Wis., and Jim Pierson of Milton, Wis. The four 30-lap qualifiers were
taken by Marvin Palmer of Hoffman Estates, Ill., George Weyrauch of Lake
Geneva, Wis., Al Schill of Franklin, Wis., and Don Leach of Beloit, Wis.
Jerry
Straube of Waterford, Wis., and his pit crew set a new record of 54.22 seconds
in the S-K Tool sponsored National Pit Stop contest. Joe Shear and his crew
finished second and Dick Trickle and his crew took third.
With 94
entries from as far as Colorado, the event took on an international flavor as a
number of top drivers from the Canadian circuit pulled in.
Results –
1. Joe Shear, South Beloit, Ill.
2. Dick Trickle, Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.
3. Dave Watson, Beloit, Wis.
4. John Knaus, Rockford, Ill.
5. Tom Musgrave, Mundelein, Wis.
6. Terry Brumley, Springfield, Mo.
7. Neil Callahan, Merrill, Wis.
8. Larry Schuler, Lockport, Ill.
9. Larry Jackson, Lyons, Ill.
10. Russ
Wallace, Arnold, Mo.
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