Karla Prummitt of Fredericksburg makes the Tunis Speedway mid-season
championship trophy presentation to Bill Zwanziger after the Waterloo driver
set a new 50-lap record.
Waterloo, Iowa (July 19, 1959) – Bill Zwanziger of Waterloo drove his late model to a record time in the 50-lap mid-season modified stock car championship at Tunis Speedway Sunday night before 5,520 fans.
Zwanziger took over the lead on the fourth lap, breezing by Harry Petersen on the inside of the fourth turn, and was never challenged the remaining 46 laps. Zwanziger’s car was powered by a completely new engine, the old one having been ruined in last week’s race.
Point leader Charlie Moffitt had started on the pole position but lost the race to the first turn to Peterson, who started alongside Moffitt on the front row.
Peterson would hang on to finish second followed by Moffitt in third and John Moss taking fourth. That trio ran most of the way in a tight parade. Carroll Jensen, who started from the rear of the field, rounded out the top-five finishers.
Zwanziger started on the inside of the third row, beside Bob Posekany, and behind Cal Swanson and Moss. On the first lap, he squeezed by those three and took second away from Moffitt a lap later.
When he caught and passed Petersen on the fourth lap, he began widening his lead and heading for a new record of 15 minutes and .75 seconds, bettering Bob Hilmer’s 1957 marks of 15 minutes and .85 seconds for a 50-lap race.
Before 10 laps were in the books, Zwanziger had already lapped his first car. John Mullink, a victim of a wide spinning slide, was the first driver to be lapped. Several others, including Posekany, Jerry Sherbon, Gale Card, and Dan Feckers, fell a lap behind before the race had reached the halfway mark.
Defending mid-season champion Gene Peterson pulled out late in the race with engine problems.
An out of town driver, Tuffy Meyers of Big Rock, was eligible to start on the tail end of the 50-lapper but instead chose to run the 20-lap consolation, which he won. He also won the first heat after starting at the rear.
Dick Krafka won the second heat and Arnie Spore was the third heat winner.
Results –
1. Bill Zwanziger
2. Harry Petersen
3. Charlie Moffitt
4. John Moss
5. Carroll Jensen
6. Bob Hilmer
No comments:
Post a Comment