1977 – Nesteby Takes Tri-State Main, Leads Sanger Camaro Charge

 

Dan Nesteby poses with his Sanger Camaro Chassis after winning the Late Model Invitational at Superior. – Steve Sorenson Photo

Superior, Wis. (July 7, 1977) – Even though he didn’t compete, Ed Sanger topped the field Thursday night in the 30-lap Late Model Invitational feature at Tri-State Speedway.

An Ed Sanger built Camaro, driven by Waterloo, Iowa’s D. Arthur Nesteby, actually topped the field. It was the second year in a row that a Sanger car won the invitational. Last year, Sanger himself drover to the victory.

In fact, the top four finishers all drove Sanger chassis Camaros – John Jones, Dick Schiltz and Punky Manor. Jones pressured Nesteby for most of the way after Nesteby had moved into first place when Jerry Amundson, who had led the first three laps, dropped off the ace with mechanical issues.

Nesteby opened up a quarter-lap lead by lap 8 when Jones, from Thunder Bay, Ontario, moved into second. The Canadian driver quickly erased the gap as Nesteby began to have problems in the turns, and by lap 16, Jones was on the leader’s rear bumper.

Nesteby received a little luck then, because just as Jones was edging ahead, a stalled car brought out the yellow flag and Jones was relegated to second on the restart.

When the green flag flew again, Nesteby’s problems seemed to disappear and Jones could do no more than stay close behind.

Altoona’s Manor dropped from third to fourth with eight laps left when he became trapped by slower cars, allowing Schiltz, the evening’s fast qualifier, to get by. Another lapped car nearly ran Manor off the track on the final lap, but he recovered to hang on to fourth place, ahead of Tom Nesbitt.


Results –


1. D. Arthur Nesteby, Waterloo, Iowa
2. John Jones, Thunder Bay, Ontario
3. Dick Schiltz, Waterloo, Iowa
4. Punky Manor, Altoona, Wis.
5. Tom Nesbitt, Thunder Bay, Ontario
6. Brent Laursen, Cameron
7. Jim Eliason, Duluth, Minn.
8. Bob Gherardi, Kelly Lake, Minn.