Rockford,
Ill. (April 15, 1981) – ARTGO Racing opened its late model stock car racing
season under cold, cloudy skies at Rockford Speedway on Sunday afternoon, with
Joe Shear wheeling his 1981 Camaro to victory in the 81-lap ‘Spring Classic’.
The South Beloit,
Ill., speedster, a former six-time track champion at the quarter-mile Rockford
speed plant, took command on lap 47 from pacesetter Fred Campbell of Battle
Creek, Mich., and went on to score the win under extreme pressure by second
place finisher Larry Detjens of Wausau, Wis.
The victory
was Shear’s third in ARTGO competition since the series began in 1975.
Finishing
behind Shear and Detjens in the main event were three-time ARTGO champion Dick
Trickle of Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., Jim Sauter of Necedah, Wis., and Campbell.
Twenty
‘stars and cars’ started the feature race on the high-banked quarter-mile with
Pat Schauer of Watertown, Wis., grabbing the lead from his outside front row
spot. Schauer and his Camaro set sail, putting daylight between him and his
nearest competitor. Schauer would remain in the top spot until lap 26 when his
mount lost oil pressure sending the young charger to the pit area.
Campbell and
his Camaro, running second to Schauer, inherited the lead with the likes of
Trickle, Shear, Sauter and Detjens moving rapidly towards the number one spot.
Campbell
would keep his car out front until Shear, driving a hard race through the pack,
took over the lead. Detjens, who twice had to come from the back of the pack
because of minor spins, set his sights on the top spot. Taking over fourth
place from Campbell on lap 53, Detjens sped past Sauter on lap 55 and then
stole second from Trickle on lap 57.
With less
than 30 circuits to go, a battle for the lead between Shear and Detjens was
played over and over as the pair of Camaro’s whistled around the high-banked
Rockford facility. In the heat of the battle, the two stock cat jockeys rubbed
fenders a number of times trying to get the advantage over the competition.
Detjens, who
was last year’s ARTGO ‘Spring Classic’ winner, finished a car length behind
Shear at starter Bill Gronley’s checkered flag, with Trickle the same distance
behind Detjens.
In time
trials, Detjen’s qualifying lap of 13.643 seconds topped a field of 44
entrants.
Results –
1. Joe Shear, South Beloit, Ill.
2. Larry Detjens, Wausau, Wis.
3. Dick Trickle, Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.
4. Jim Sauter, Necedah, Wis.
5. Fred Campbell, Battle Creek, Mich.
6. Larry Schuler, New Lenox, Ill.
7. Willie Goeden, Kewaskum, Wis.
8. Jim Weber, Roseville, Minn.
9. Dennis Vogel, Manitowoc, Wis.
10. Jim
Pierson, Janesville, Wis.
11.
Dave
Price, Panora, Iowa
12.
L.J.
Lines, Indianapolis
13. Bob
Dotter, Chicago
14. John
Knaus, Rockford, Ill.
15. Tom
Jones, Northbrook, Ill.
16. Wayne
Lensing, Rockford, Ill.
17. Pat
Schauer, Watertown, Wis.
18. Tom
Reffner, Rudolph, Wis.
19. Fran
Prestay, Silver Lakes, Wis.
20. Burt
Weitmeyer, Lansing, Ill.
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