Jack Bowsher accepts his trophy after winning
the 150-mile USAC late model stock car race at the Milwaukee Mile. – Patrick
Heaney Collection
West Allis, Wis. (August 3, 1967) – Jack Bowsher could drive the car he wanted to in the 150-mile race on Sunday, but he couldn’t complain about the results he got with the one he did use.
Bowsher won the United States Auto Club late model stock car event at Wisconsin State Fair Park oval and besides $5,250 and 300 points in the USAC national standings, he also won revenge.
Bowsher finished 20 seconds ahead of Don White of Keokuk, Iowa, who just last month edged Bowsher on the same track in the Miller High Life 200.
White needed a pit stop on lap 91 and Bowsher, of Springfield, Ohio, took over for keeps at that point.
Bowsher brought two cars with him and was dissatisfied during practice runs with the one he had planned to drive. So, he made some adjustments on his dirt track 1967 Ford and used that for the race.
White’s second-place finish netted him $3,155 of the total $24,365 purse.
Al Unser of Albuquerque, N.M., finished third in a 1967 Dodge, Bay Darnell of Deerfield, Ill., took home fourth in a 1966 Plymouth and Gary Bettenhausen of Tinley Park, Ill., was fifth in a ’66 Ford.
Norm Nelson of Racine, Wis., the defending USAC late model stock car champion and a heavy local favorite, continued on his run of hard luck this season – being forced into the wall on lap 88 when he was running a strong second.
Other big-name drivers who ran into trouble on Sunday were Mario Andretti of Nazareth, Penn., who won thee pole position but hit the north wall turn on lap 36; Parnelli Jones of Palo Verdes, Calif., who blew his engine after 73 circuits; and A.J. Foyt of Houston, Tex., who needed multiple pit stops throughout the race and was never a factor.
Bowsher’s average winning speed was a relatively slow 86.78 miles per hour after 23 laps were run under caution.
A crowd of 22,860 saw the race – the first of three to be held in connection with the State Fair.
Results –
1. Jack Bowsher
2. Don White
3. Al Unser
4. Bay Darnell
5. Gary Bettenhausen
6. Frank Freda
7. Eddie Meyer
8. Dale Jett
9. Glen Bradley
10. Roger Regeth
11. Bill Behling
12. Jerry Smith
13. Terry Parker
14. Gene Marmor
15. Dave Hirschfield
16. Benny Parsons
17. Bob Coe
18. Rich Oertel
19. Jim Nusbaum
20. Butch Hartman
21. Red Owen
22. Norm Nelson
23. Whitey Gerken
24. Dave Dayton
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