Joltin' Jud Larson
Allentown, Penn. (August 7, 1965) – USAC’s sprint car drivers opened the Allentown Fair Saturday afternoon on what is supposed to be a half-mile dirt track. The surface on some asphalt tracks isn’t as hard as the sunbaked oval at Allentown was for Saturday’s event.
Jud Larson’s many years’ experience, on all types of racetracks, paid off. The big Texan drove into the winner’s circle at the end of the 30-lap feature race on a set of rear tires made of the softest rubber imaginable.
It took just three laps for Larson to move from his ninth place starting position to the front of the pack. As far as first place was concerned the race was over.
Fourteen cars started the feature, at one time or other during the race thirteen of them made a run for second place.
All that could be seen of Jud was the tail of his Watson-built sprinter disappearing in the distance.
This was one time when action back in the pack was enjoyed by race fans. Greg Weld, Don Branson, and Mario Andretti hooked up in as tight a three -car race as has ever been seen. For several laps the three were circling the track side-by-side.
Mario’s engine went lame and Greg finally spun-out. Grandpa Branson finished back in the pack.
Bud Tinglestad, in one of his few appearances in the sprints this year, took second place honors. Jerry “Scratch” Daniels was third; Ronnie Duman, fourth; and Bobby Unser, fifth.
Jud said after the race, “I learned about these soft tires dodging trees, when we used to race up and down the side of a hill in Texas."
It pleased Jud more to “out smart" the USAC regulars, and several local heroes, than if he had battled them for 30 laps before winning.
Results –
1. Jud Larson
2. Bud Tingelstad
3. Jerry Daniels
4. Ronnie Duman
5. Bobby Unser
6. Don Branson
7. Johnny Rutherford
8. Dave Lundy
9. Chuck Engel
10.Greg Weld
11.Carl Williams
12.Red Riegel
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