Ernie Derr proudly displays his trophy after winning the 50-lap IMCA stock car feature at the Iowa State Fair.
Des Moines, Iowa (August 21, 1965) – Ernie Derr, the five-time national champion, opened the International Motor Contest Association’s golden anniversary speed program at the Iowa State Fair on Saturday by winning the 25-mile late model stock car feature.
The 42-year-old Keokuk veteran wheeled his 1965 Dodge to a track record in a special 5-mile match race over the half-mile dirt and might have broken another mark but for a yellow flag which flew for five laps.
His hometown rival, Ramo Stott, finished second in the main go, followed by Bob Jusola of Mound, Minn., Ed Negre of Monett, Mo., John Mickey of Columbus Junction and Lenny Funk of Otis, Kan.
Derr’s triumph before the afternoon crowd of 6,000 brought his season’s record to 12 feature victories against nine for Stott. The win earned Derr $700.
Ernie, on the pole as the quick timer in qualifying, never let Ramo get within challenging distance after the opening lap. Derr had a 75-yard margin on his rival when Bob Dishman of Des Moines hung his Chevrolet on the northwest wall following a spinout.
This incident, one of two minor accidents during the program, allowed Stott to close the gap on Derr during the caution period. But once starter Gene Van Winkle waved the green flag, Derr took off again and left Ramo in a cloud of dust.
“I just couldn’t catch him,” admitted Stott afterwards. “His car handled a lot better on the corners than mine did. But we’ll meet again.”
The 10-lap track record was broken three times, the last by Derr who clocked the 5 miles in 4 minutes and 21.46 seconds.
Bob Jusola first lowered Dick Hutcherson’s 1959 mark of 4 minutes and 49.58 seconds to 4 minutes and 49.52 seconds. Then Stott, in his only triumph of the day in a qualifying heat duel with Derr, lowered the mark to 4 minutes and 38.12 seconds.
Derr came back with a record run in the match race. Ernie’s time in the feature was 23 minutes and 40.24 seconds, barely a minute over the mark set by Hutcherson at the Fair in 1964.
Results –
1. Ernie Derr, Keokuk
2. Ramo Stott, Keokuk
3. Bob Jusola, Mound, Minn.
4. Ed Negre, Monett, Mo.
5. John Mickey, Columbus Junction
6. Lenny Funk, Otis, Kan.
7. Lewis Taylor, Shawnee, Kan.
8. George Baxter, Springfield, Mo.
9. Roland Wilson, Bedford
10.Don Hensley, Holden, Mo.
11.Blackie Wangerin, St. Paul, Minn.
12.Cal Swanson, Reinbeck
13.Leon Fellers, Flemington, Mo.
14.Vic Elson, Ash Grove, Mo.
15.Thurman Lovejoy, Kansas City
16.Tom Roller, Independence, Mo.
17.Darrell Dake, Cedar Rapids
18.Butch Hall, Russell, Minn.
19.Bill Crane, Kansas City
20.Larry Stottlemyre, Flemington, Mo.
21. Bob Dishman, Des Moines
22.George Barton, Ankeny
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