1987 – Boggs Claims ‘World 100’

 

Randy Boggs waves to the fans after his stunning victory in the prestigious World 100 late model race at Eldora Speedway.

Rossburg, Ohio (September 12, 1987) – Randy Boggs survived the battle of attrition that was the 17th annual World 100, holding off a hard-charging John Mason to triumph in the late model stock car race that ended in the wee hours of Sunday morning.

Wrecks and mechanical failures sidelined 12 of the 24 starters before the 100-lap race on the half-mile was halfway over. At the end, only six cars were still running in the race, which didn’t begin until 2:56 a.m., because of numerous accidents in the seven preliminary races and a thunderstorm which shut everything down for over three hours.

Boggs triumphed by .05 seconds over Mason to earn the $20,000 first-place money.

For Boggs, of Hutchins, Ky., the victory ended a year of frustration over the events which sidelined him in the 1986 race.

Boggs was the fastest qualifier in ’86, recording a time of 16.683 seconds. “I lost oil pressure one lap into the feature – and I was out just like that,” Boggs recalled.

While his brother Jack had been a regular competitor in the World 100, this was only the second appearance for Randy.

“I really didn’t know if I had a chance to win this race,” he said. “I spent the early part of the race trying to find the right groove – the track was really fast.”

Boggs led laps 1 and 2 before yielding to Charlie Swartz for laps 3 to 15. Boggs was back in front for laps 15 to 68 before Billy Moyer Jr. got past him. Moyer’s car, however broke, and on lap 96, Boggs took charge to the checkered.

Mason, who set a new World 100 qualifying record with a lap of 16.114 seconds on Friday, settled for runner-up honors but he almost didn’t get to race.

On the first lap of the first heat, Mason was involved in a wreck on the front straightaway. His crew spent six hours getting the car back into good enough shape to compete.


Results –


1. Randy Boggs, Hitchins, Ky.
2. John Mason, Millersburg
3. Bobby Carnes, Cincinnati
4. Freddie Smith, Kings Mountain, N.C.
5. Russ Petro, Columbus, Ind.
6. Billy Moyer Jr., Batesville, Ark.
7. Jack Boggs, Grayson, Ky.
8. Jeff Purvis, Clarksville, Tenn.
9. Gary Stuhler, Westminster, Md.
10.Tom Helfrich, Haubstadt, Ind.
11.Kevin Claycomb, Vincennes, Ind.
12.Jack Hewitt, Troy
13.Donnie Moran, Dresden
14.Rodney Franklin, Parkersburg, W.Va.
15.Dave Johnson, Imperial, Penn.
16.Kevin Gundaker, St. Charles, Mo.
17.Steve Francis, Ashland, Ky.
18.Charlie Swartz, Ashland, Ky.
19.John Gill, Bedford, Ind.
20.Eddie Carrier, Lebanon, Ky.