Bob Shryock
Des Moines, Iowa (July 7, 1977) – For an inaugural event, the North Central States Classic late model race featured a little bit of the old and a little bit of the new before a crowd of 3,500 at the State Fairgrounds on Tuesday night.
The old? Hansen, driving a 1972 Camaro, grabbed the lead on the back straightway of lap 9 and clipped Fred Horn of Marion to win the first 50-lap feature. It was Hansen’s third feature win of the season at the Fairgrounds.
Then there was unheralded Bob Shryock of Estherville, driving a 1977 Camaro, edging old nemesis Ed Sanger of Waterloo to cop top honors in the second 50-lap feature.
Hansen, who also captured the 4-lap trophy dash involving the top-four fastest cars from time trials, pocketed $1,250 for his night’s work.
Shryock got a little help by starting on the pole position for the second feature by virtue of inverting the finish of the first race. Shryock, a machine operator, finishes 21st in the first feature, leaving the race with engine problems on the 44th lap.
Horn, wheeling a 1977 Camaro, held the lead for the first nine laps in the first feature but fell behind when Hansen went high in the second turn of the ninth lap. From there, it was a two-man fight as the duo led the rest of the pack by 150 yards in the race, marred by four yellow flags.
“If it wasn’t for those restarts, I would have won the race,” said Horn, who came back and finished seventh in the second race.
Hansen agreed. “Those restarts saved my life,” said the Dike resident. “They allowed my tires to cool. Everyone thought they had to stay inside to pass Fred, but the outside was better tonight.”
It was Shryock’s first victory in five years of racing at the Fairgrounds.
“You don’t know how much a victory like this means to me,” Shryock said from victory lane. “I’ve waited too long for this. And what make this victory sweeter is I beat Ed.”
“A driver always sets goals on who he wants to beat, and Ed has been on my list a long time. I had never beaten him until tonight.”
Shryock took the lead on the 10th lap from Tom Hearst of Wilton and was in command the rest of the way. Hearst continued to run second until he pulled into the pits on the 33rd lap with mechanical problems. That allowed Sanger, who had been running third, to take up chase and he gave Shryock all the trouble he needed as the duo were bumper-to-bumper the last few laps to the checkers.
Sanger’s brother Karl won the first 20-lap consolation and Tom Bartholomew of Waterloo captured the second consolation race.
Results –
Time trials – Stan Stover, Reinbeck (26.11)
Trophy dash – Curt Hansen, Dike
Consolation #1 – Karl Sanger, Waterloo
Consolation #2 – Tom Bartholomew, Waterloo
Feature #1 –
1. Curt Hansen, Dike
2. Fred Horn, Marion
3. Stan Stover
4. Red Dralle, Evansdale
5. Joe Merryfield, Des Moines
6. Bill Rice, Des Moines
7. Mike Niffenegger, Kalona
8. Duane Steffe, East Moline, Ill.
9. Verlin Eaker, Cedar Rapids
10.Bill Zwanziger, Waterloo
11.Ed Sanger, Waterloo
12.Lem Blankenship, Keokuk
13.Darrel Dake, Cedar Rapids
14.Steve Knepper, Marion
15.Dave Chase, Council Bluffs
Feature #2 –
1. Bob Shryock, Estherville
2. Ed Sanger
3. Bill Zwanziger
4. Bill Rice
5. Curt Hansen
6. Fred Horn
7. Verlin Eaker
8. Stan Stover
9. Darrel Dake
10.Steve Knepper
11.Joe Merryfield
12.Tim Murray, Des Moines
13.Tom Hearst, Wilton
14.Randy Sterner, Blair, Neb.
15.Bill Wrich, Kennard, Neb.
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