Ernie Derr
By Dave Anderson
Owatonna, Minn. (June 18, 1967) – Did Blooming Prairie’s Dave Noble receive a fair shake at the Steele County Fair’s International Motor Contest Association-sponsored new car late model races Sunday.
That’s the question a lot of southeastern Minnesota stock car fans were asking themselves. In most cases, the immediate answer was “no”.
Noble, who doesn’t carry a permanent (season-long) IMCA registration, was ruled ineligible on a technicality, and as things turned out, the whole situation turned out to be embarrassing for the promoting organization.
As expected, Ernie Derr of Keokuk, Iowa, won the Gopher 100, the 24-car feature event. The seven-time IMCA champion, and defending titlist, had a struggle on is hands, though. Lenny Funk, who drew the pole position, led for 61 laps before Derr overcame the Otis, Kan., wheat farmer.
Noble, familiar to most area racing fans because of his appearances at Minnesota Speedways, Inc., programs at Rochester, St. Charles, Kasson, and Chateau Raceways, is considered one of Minnesota’s best stock car drivers. Driving a 1965 Chevelle, the 33-year-old jockey has proven that time and time again this season. However, he wasn’t able to display his credentials on Sunday.
Noble arrived at the half-mile dirt track at 2 pm, a half-hour before the program was to start. But he was barred from competing because he failed to attend a driver’s meeting at 1:30.
When a large contingent of fans from Austin learned of Noble’s predicament, they raised a howl that silenced the track announcer. IMCA countered with the national anthem, quieting the grandstands.
Peace didn’t reign long. The Austin “delegation” rallied the grandstand behind its cause and the raucous crowd, numbering an estimated 3,000, again stilled the announcer, bringing an official explanation on Noble’s status.
“I’m disgusted with the whole thing,” Noble said, after the four-event car was completed. “They (IMCA) wouldn’t even talk to me. Apparently, the rules aren’t set up the same for everyone. I know of another car that raced, and it arrived way after me. There was a ’57 Ford’, and it was illegal (only cars 1963 or newer are allowed to compete) and it raced. Someone had a Mustang (from the compact speedway class) that was illegal, and it competed.”
“When I talked to a few of the drivers, they told me I could’ve raced had the field (27 cars) been smaller. I guess IMCA don’t want any outsiders around.”
Noble, who insists MSI drivers (like Rochester’s Paul Fitzpatrick and Ron Behne and Austin’s Gerhard Wollenberg) are the equal of IMCA’s best pilots, was surprised that there were so many “dogs” in the field. He didn’t elaborate, though.
Derr, driving a 1967 Dodge, covered the 50-mile feature in 49 minutes and 33 seconds, beating Funk by a quarter-lap. Albert Lea’s Ole Brua finished third.
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