Bob Slater gets a hug from his wife, Mary Lou, after winning the 25-mile
Al Speth Memorial race at the Iowa State Fairgrounds.
Des Moines, Iowa (June 6, 1954) – Two records, one an International Motor Contest Association world mark, were bettered Sunday afternoon as Bob Slater of Kansas City captured the National Speedway’s Al Speth Memorial 25-mile race at the Iowa State Fairgrounds.
Slater, who led the 16 qualifiers from start to finish, wheeled the 50-lapper 22 minutes and 9.96 seconds to erase the IMCA mark of 22 minutes and 13.89 seconds set by Bobby Grim on the same oval on June 8, 1952.
Jimmy Campbell, the Bates City, Mo., farmer, who worked his way out of a traffic jam late in the race, finished second after Vito Calia, the Italian newcomer, blew a piston one lap away from the finish and only 25 yards behind Slater.
Herschel Wagner of Hickman Hills, Mo., was third followed by Homer Claytor of Tampa, Fla. Calia managed to hang on to take fifth in the field of 10 sharing distribution of the $3,000 purse.
Earlier in the program of seven races, the track mark for the 3.5-mile distance set by the late Frank Luptow during the 1950 Iowa State Fair race was twice broken in the first two heat races.
Campbell, winner of the opening race, hit the clock at 3 minutes and 2.68 seconds, to beat Luptow’s old mark of 3 minutes and 59.75 seconds. But in the second heat Slater was even faster, throttling his Offenhauser over the course in 2 minutes and 59.73 seconds.
Results –
1. Bob Slater, Kansas City
2. Jimmy Campbell, Bates City, Mo.
3. Herschel Wagner, Hickman Hills, Mo.
4. Homer Claytor, Tampa, Fla.
5. Vito Calia, Kansas City
6. Stan Callaway, Tampa, Fla.
7. Andy Anderson, Hastings, Neb.
8. Don Branson, Champaign, Ill.
9. Eddie Loetscher, St. Louis
10.Cotton Musick, Hutchinson, Kan.
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