Sedalia, Mo.
(April 4, 1981) – A hearty band of race fans assembled at the Missouri State
Fairgrounds Saturday night to watch Randy Smith of Norwalk, Iowa, race home the
winner in the sprint car half of the annual “Frostbuster 10,000.”
The event,
sanctioned by the National Speedways Contest Association, was held on the
half-mile dirt oval at the fairgrounds and drew drivers from as far away as
California.
Smith
started on the outside of the front row and roared into the lead at the drop of
the green flag. Although pressured by Doug Wolfgang of Sioux Falls, S.D., Smith
was credited with leading every lap of the 30-lap race for winged sprint cars.
In fact,
Wolfgang once passed Smith, but a caution flag negated that effort and Smith
breezed home from there after the restart. Wolfgang would later retire with a
flat tire.
Fans and
drivers alike were stunned to silence on the third lap of the last chance race
after a grinding crash left two drivers hospitalized, one in critical
condition.
The mishap
occurred when Tommy Thomas of Tulsa, Okla., lost control of his sprinter,
bounced off the inside guardrail and was hit by oncoming traffic, upending his
mount. Jerry Burdick of Independence, Mo., slammed full speed into Thomas’ car.
Curt Grogan of Kansas City also became involved but suffered no injuries.
Thomas was
taken to a Sedalia hospital and then transferred to the University of Missouri
hospitals in Columbia listed in critical condition with cut to head, skull
fracture and neck injuries. Burdick was hospitalized in Sedalia with leg pains
and possible spleen damage.
Finishing
second to Smith in the main event was the “One-Armed Bandit” Check Amati of
Freeman Spur, Ill., while Ricky Hood of Memphis, Tenn., wound up third. They
were the only cars on the same lap as Smith at the end and both were nearly a
full lap behind.
Heat win
were recorded by Sonny Smyser of Lancaster Mo., Smith, Hood, Wolfgang, and
defending NSCA champion John Stevenson of St. Paul, Minn., who dropped out of
the feature with mechanical woes. Joe McCarthy of El Paso, Tex., won the last
chance race.
Despite cool
temperatures, an estimated 3,500 race fans were on hand for the evening’s
program.
Feature
results –
1. Randy Smith, Norwalk, Iowa
2. Chuck Amati, Freeman Spur, Ill.
3. Rick Hood, Memphis, Tenn.
4. Jerry Potter, Kansas City
5. Joe McCarthy, El Paso, Tex.
6. Bill Baker, Mexico, Mo.
7. Cliff Woodward, Kearney, Mo.
8. Mark Shaffer, Newton, Iowa
9. Bobby Williams, Independence, Mo.
10. Chad
Ward, Kansas City
11. Cliff
Blundy, Dahinda, Ill.
12. Rick
Howard, Kansas City
13. Doug
Wolfgang, Sioux Falls, S.D.
14. John
Stevenson, St. Paul, Minn.
15. Wayne
Kronk, Fulton, Mo.
16. Chris
Maurer, Colfax, Iowa
17. Jon
Backlund, Kansas City
18. Danny
Lasoski, Dover, Mo.
19. Jerry
Johnson, Kirksville, Mo.
20. Pat
McKeehan, Windsor, Mo.
21. Tim
Green, Carmichael, Calif.
22. Bobby
Layne, Kansas City
23. Mike
Brooks, Knoxville, Iowa
24. Bill
Utz, Sedalia, Mo.
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