.jpg)
Larry Detjens won the AMS/Oil 300 late model stock car race at the Minnesota State Fair.
St. Paul, Minn. (September 4, 1978) – Larry Detjens of Wausau, Wis., outran the best field of late model stock cars in Minnesota State Fair history, winning the AMS/Oil 300-lap Labor Day race as if it were a 25-lap sprint.
Detjen’s Camaro was the fastest car on the track and his crew was the most efficient. Those ingredients formed a devastating combination, enough to run 150 miles in 1 hour and 59.58 seconds. That was a record for that distance at the Fair, breaking Ramo Stott’s 10-year-old mark.
Mike Miller, the most serious challenger, finished second, with 19-year-old Mark Martin third and Ed Howe fourth. They all completed 300 laps. John Anderson and Dave Watson, running fifth and sixth, completed 2999 circuits.
The crowd total at the American Speed Association race was 13,000, raising the three-day total to more than 30,000. Detjens proved to be a popular winner, particularly after Dick Trickle, one of the other favorites, blew a motor on lap 132.
It was a tough day for the Trickle’s Superamerica team, which usually takes home much of the Fair money. John Boegeman finished 23rd, Trickle was credited with 30th after starting from the pole position, and Tom Reffner was 40th – last – after he started from the rear of the pack, with an engine that did a quick impersonation of a grenade after only one lap.
The start was clean, with Detjens shooting from his outside front row starting spot to beat Trickle to the first turn. Miller also went past to take second and those two pulled away from the rest of the field in the first 10 laps. Just as he did in Sunday’s 100-lap race, Miller passed Detjens for the lead, this time on lap 13.
Miller led Detjens until the 100-lap mark, which was the critical point of the day. A blown engine and spin brought out the caution flag and the cleanup crew for an 11-lap slowdown.
Miller, Detjens, and Dave Watson were running 1-2-3, with Trickle, Howe, Randy Sweet, and Martin aways back, satisfied with the early pace. At the caution, the pit road was busy.
Trickle and Watson pitted first, the other leaders trooping in later. When the leaders got back on the track in single file behind the pace car, still under caution, the order was Watson, Trickle, Detjens and Miller.
However, as ASA’s Milt Hartlauf pointed out to a horde of protesters, because of bad luck or bad timing, in relation to their proximity to the pace car circling on the track, Watson and Trickle had been lapped by the field. So, while they were ahead in order on the track, Detjens was the actual leader while Watson and Trickle were almost a full lap behind.
When the green flag waved on lap 110, the field took off and Trickle plans to catch up went with his firebird’s blown motor on lap 132.
Detjens, Miller, and Anderson waged a strong duel for the lead at the halfway point but when a caution flag waved on lap 179, Miller made a quick pit stop and Detjens and Anderson did not. That proved to be the key in Detjen’s victory.
As Miller roared down pit road to return to action, the green came back out, meaning the field could resume speed. So Detjens sped up and was close behind Miller and nearly a full lap ahead of him. Had thee caution stayed out for another lap, Miller could have hurried around and caught the single-file order, eliminating nearly the entire one-lap deficit before the pace resumed.
Detjens had delayed his second fuel stop for the sake of expanding his lead and the gamble paid off, thanks to his crew. When Detjens darted into the pits on lap 276, his crew threw in fuel and sent him on his way in a scant five seconds. He was back on the track before Anderson and Miller could come by to claim the lead.
Anderson, who also hadn’t stopped for his second time, ran out of gas, and pitted on lap 293 but the fifth and final caution came on lap 295 and raided an unusual situation. ASA rules require that the last five laps be run under green flag conditions. So, when the green waved for the restart, a 5-lap dash remained with Miller only 2.5-seconds behind.
However, Detjens continued to blast around the half-mile paved oval with relative ease and took the checkered flag and the $4,500 payday.
Results –
1. Larry Detjens, Wausau, Wis.
2. Mike Miller, Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.
3. Mark Martin, Batesville, Ark.
4. Ed Howe, Beaverton, Mich.
5. John Anderson, Massillon, Ohio
6. Dave Watson, Milton, Wis.
7. Larry Schuler, Lockport, Ill.
8. Bob Sensiba, Middleville, Mich.
9. Randy Sweet, Bremen, Ind.
10.Mike Eddy, Midland, Mich.
No comments:
Post a Comment