1982 – Overall Title to Back in La Crosse’s Fest

Oktoberfest champion Jim Back is joined by La Crosse Interstate Speedway promoter Larry Wehrs in victory lane. – Photo by Lee Foster

West Salem, Wis. (October 3, 1982) – Tom Reffner and Joe Shear each won a 100-lap late model feature, but second and third place finishes gave Vesper's Jim Back the overall victory in La Crosse Interstate Speedway’s 13th annual Oktoberfest 200, which concluded on Sunday.

Also scoring a feature win in the three-day event was Ron Lockington, who took top honors in Sunday’s hobby stock headliner.

A total of 66 hobby stocks and 73 late models competed for shares of the $28,935 weekend purse.

Sunday’s first 100-lap late model feature started 30 cars, including the 20 fastest qualifiers from Saturday’s time trials, with the quickest 14 starting in inverted order at the front of the pack.

That put Steve Burgess on the pole position and the Eau Claire pilot grabbed the lead on the opening circuit.

Jim Sauter moved up to challenge Burgess on lap 10 and took the lead when Burgess spun on the 19th round, bringing out the caution banner.

Burgess’ misfortune also elevated Shear to second and Reffner to third. However, Shear began experiencing tire problems during the caution and pitted for repairs, advancing Reffner to second for the restart.

When Shear’s tire problems continued, the Beloit pilot became the contest’s first dropout after 20 laps.

Back under green, Reffner pursued Sauter until the 25th revolution when he annexed the lead.

The amber flashed again on lap 38 when Dick Stang and Steve Holzhausen tangled and spun in turn two. Stang was able to continue but Holzhausen was on the sidelines when activities resumed.

The final yellow came out on lap 62 when Mike Miller spun in the first corner after his Camaro’s differential locked up.

Marv Marzofka, the event’s fastest qualifier, was the first driver to get around Sauter in the waning laps, taking second from the Necedah chauffeur on lap 74. However, Marzofka’s car was sidelined by ignition trouble after 89 circuits, relegating him to a 14th place finish.

Back took second when Marzofka departed, but was unable to challenge Reffner and wound up about half a straightaway behind the winner. Dave Watson was an additional car length back in third with Burgess finishing fourth. Bob Iverson rounded out the top five.

The top-12 finishers in the first 100 were gridded at the front of the field in inverted order to start the second feature, which started 26 cars. Unable to answer the bell for the finale thanks to mechanical problems suffered in the first main were Marzofka, Terry Baldry, Tom Carlson, and Steve Carlson.

Polesitter Steve Moll paced the opening three rounds of the nightcap before yielding the top spot to John Ziegler. Jim Sauter became the contest’s third frontrunner on lap 15.

Back pulled into the runner-up position on lap 17. Shear took third fur rounds later and immediately began working on Back.

By then, Watson was through for the day, having been sidelined by a broken crankshaft while running sixth on lap 19.

Shear got around Back on lap 45 and slowly closed in on Sauter, finally grabbing the lead on lap 67.

With no cautions to slow his pace or bunch the field behind him, Shear expanded his advantage over Sauter to about one-third of a lap at the finish. Back was third, about three-quarters of a circuit in arrears, as only the top three were on the same lap as the checkered.

Miller finished one lap down in fourth with Reffner completing 98 laps to place fifth.

Back was declared the overall winner of the event, based on his combined finishes in the two 100-lappers. It was his first triumph in the event’s 13-year history.

Thanks largely to his win in the day’s opening main and having been the most prolific lap leader in feature competition, Reffner emerged as the event’s top money winner, earning $2,255.


Results –

Feature #1 –

1. Tom Reffner, Rudolph
2. Jim Back, Vesper
3. Dave Watson, Milton
4. Steve Burgess, Eau Claire
5. Bob Iverson, Hyde, Mich.
6. Dick Stang, Prior Lake, Minn.
7. Jim Sauter, Necedah
8. Arnie Christen, Mineral Point
9. Don Collins, Lake Villa, Ill.
10.John Ziegler, Madison


Feature #2 –

1. Joe Shear, South Beloit, Ill.
2. Jim Sauter
3. Jim Back
4. Mike Miller, Wisconsin Rapids
5. Tom Reffner
6. Bob Iverson
7. Dick Stang
8. Ted Musgrave, Grand Marsh
9. Jay Sauter, Necedah
10.Steve Holzhausen, Bangor

1971 - Horn Takes Fairgrounds' Finale

 

Fred Horn accepts the checkered flag from starter Johnny Beauchamp after winning the season finale at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. - Beetle Bailey Photo

Des Moines, Iowa (October 2, 1971) - Fred Horn of Marion, Iowa, had “luck” Saturday night, winning the 50-lap sportsman-late-model stock car feature at the Iowa State Fairgrounds over Irv Janey of Cedar Rapids and Ernie Derr of Keokuk.

Actually, all three could count their blessings in the wild affair in which 33 cars started three abreast. A crowd of 6,019 watched the season finale.

Horn, who was the season point champion at Farley, Iowa, didn't take the lead until the 39th lap. Then the former International Motor Contest Association star had to hold off two present IMCA standouts, runner-up Janey and Derr, to capture the $600 first prize.

“I got a break coining out of the fourth turn when I took the lead,” Horn said. The leader at that point, Jim Wyman of Oakland, Iowa, got caught in traffic and Horn, with Janey right behind, went to the inside.

Horn, in a 1970 Plymouth Roadrunner, then managed to hold off Janey's ‘70 Roadrunner. Derr, 12-time IMCA champ driving a 1970 Dodge Charger, didn't get into third spot until the 48th lap, when he went around Wyman. Janey received $400 and Derr $300.

“It was just luck that I won,” Horn said. “I could have been hit by one of those lapped cars.”

Fred had started on the outside of the ninth row. Derr, in the middle of the seventh row at the start, was caught in a jam and dropped to the rear of the pack before the first lap was completed.

Wyman, driving a 1971 Mustang, had qualified for the pole position with a 26.50-second clocking in time trials. He took the initial lead.

Stan Stover of Reinbeck, Iowa, the season late model champ at the Fairgrounds, passed Wyman on the 15th lap and quickly pulled away.

It appeared he would be the winner, but he was involved in a collision with Wayne Meyer of Algona, Iowa, on the 27th lap and was sidelined with tire and front-end problems.

“I got careless,” Stover said about the accident. "He (Meyer) apparently didn't see me and ran into my right side.”

“I should have been watching those lapped cars more closely, and I shouldn't have been as aggressive as I was at that point. But, that's what happens.”

Wyman was back in the lead then and before the cars could be given a restart, second-place Joe Merryfield also was sidelined when he and Bill Carter of Des Moines collided. That mishap was caused when cars in front of them slowed — and Merryfield and Carter were unable to stop in time. Fans felt flagman Johnny Beauchamp may have been partly to blame.

Wyman led until Horn assumed command.


Results –


Heat #1 – Larry Wasserfort, Waterloo, Iowa
Heat #2 – Fred Horn, Marion, Iowa
Heat #3 – Ernie Derr, Keokuk, Iowa
Heat #4 – Don Hoffman, Des Moines
Consolation – Larry Wasserfort
Feature –
1. Fred Horn
2. Irv Janey, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
3. Ernie Derr
4. Jim Wyman, Oakland, Iowa
5. Phil Reeves, Omaha
6. Bob Shryock, Estherville, Iowa
7. Joe Schaefer, Waterloo, Iowa
8. Tom Hughes, Monticello, Iowa
9. Red Dralle, Evansdale, Iowa
10.Chris Maurer, Colfax, Iowa
11.Paul Zdan, Omaha
12.Bill Carter, Des Moines
13.Bob Kosiski, Omaha
14.Gary Jones, Des Moines
15.Marvin Korns, Brooklyn, Iowa
16.Rodger Bruce, Des Moines
17.Carl Vander Wal, Ames, Iowa
18.Bill Holder, Ames, Iowa
19.Bill Rice, Des Moines
20.Phil Reece, Des Moines

1966 – Trickle Zooms to Rockford Win

 

Dick Trickle shows off his trophy after winning the National Short Track Championships 200-lapper at Rockford Speedway. 

Rockford, Ill. (October 2, 1966) – Dick Trickle of Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., the Central Wisconsin Racing Association champion for 1966, made the top stock car drivers in the Midwest take a back seat Sunday afternoon as he won the National Short Track Championships at Rockford Speedway.

The 24-year-old Trickle won one of the two 50-lap features on Saturday night and then came back Sunday to roar away with top honors in the 200-lap main event on Sunday. Trickle earned $1,645 for the victory.

In his win on Saturday night, Trickle, driving the same 1963 Ford that has brought him so much success in Wisconsin this season, stole the lead from Sal Tovella of Addison, Ill., the third-ranked driver in the United States Auto Club thus far, on lap 44 and distanced himself from the rest of the field to score the relatively easy win.

In the 200-lapper on Sunday, Trickle again gave the astonished drivers a great view of his back bumper throughout the contest. He gunned his Ford into the lead position at the beginning of the second 100-lap segment and by lap 160 he was out for a Sunday afternoon driver all by his lonesome.

To add insult to injury, he lapped everyone in the field at least once before taking the checkered.

“This Rockford race was the biggest win of my career,” Trickle said afterwards. “I was out to do nothing less than win.”

“They had some top drivers here and I guess they were really surprised to see me win,” he added. “They were especially surprised to see me take it with a 2-barrel carburetor, when every other driver was running a 4-barrel carburetor.”

1972 – Sorg Captures Second Dri-Powr at Winchester

 

Dave Sorg receives congratulations from track owner Roger Holdeman as Miss Winchester Pennie Brown looks on after Sorg captured his second Dri-Powr 400 victory at Winchester.

Winchester, Ind. (October 1, 1972) – Dave Sorg did it again.

The steady stock car driver from Fort Wayne won his second Dri-Powr 400 Sunday at Winchester Speedway where he’s been almost unbeatable for the past three years.

Sorg’s victory was worth more than $5,000 from the nearly $21,000 purse. John Sommerville of Louisville, Ky., finished second, nearly two laps behind the winner.

Finishing third was Tom Maier of Midland, Mich., followed by Delmar Clark of New Philadelphia, Ohio, and Carl Smith of Columbus, Ohio.

Ed VanderLaan of Grand Rapids, Mich., led the first half of the race before Sorg caught in heavy traffic. Larry Moore of Fairborn, Ohio, who led the first few laps of the race, broke a tie rod and lost more than 30 laps in the pit area. He finished 18 laps down, however.

Jim Dickey of Anderson, crewman with Darwin Blankenship, and an unidentified spectator, were burned when fuel from Blankenship’s car exploded during a pit stop. Both were treated at the track and Blankenship continued in competition.

Sorg’s time of 2 hours, 42 minutes, and 4.03 second established a new track record, erasing his previous mark set in the first Dri-Powr in 1970.


Results –

1. Dave Sorg
2. John Sommerville
3. Tom Maier
4. Delmar Clark
5. Carl Smith
6. Larry Moore
7. Dwayne Chaffin
8. Dan Hopper
9. Roland Van Arsdale
10.Paul Weisner