Jimmy Wilburn
By Brad Wilson
Des Moines, Iowa (August 25, 1950) – Jimmy Wilburn, a guy who many thought would never race again a couple of seasons ago, started what promises to be one of the best feuds in dirt track racing here on Friday.
Entered under the banner of an organization which permits greater horsepower that that sanctioned by National Speedways, Wilburn made the cream of the Midwest’s talent eat his dust in winning the Iowa State Fair’s Midwest Open Championship before an estimated 18,000 spectators.
Before the race there was a report that Wilburn was driving his big horsepower job of 290 cubic-inch piston displacement, but the Indianapolis, Ind., driver was only driving his 276 cubic-inch power plant.
The State Fair program, however, had no restrictions, a fact bemoaned by rival drivers of the National Speedways, which limits it’s race plants to 270 cubic-inch piston displacement.
But it was obvious that Wilburn had more power on the straightaways that Frank Luptow, the International Motor Contest Association’s point leader who trailed by nearly 100 yards in the early stages of the 15-lap feature.
Luptow made a game try to catch Wilburn, closing the gap to approximately 10 yards before starter Al Sweeney’s checkered flag fell to end the race.
On the final turn, Wilburn swung wide and kept Luptow from passing him on the homestretch to thunder across the finish line in 6 minutes and 34.32 seconds, fairly close to the 6 minute and 24..84 second mark set by Emory Collins at Cedar Rapids in 1949 for the same distance.
The victory gave Wilburn a big boost in the point standings and is one of the rare defeats suffered by Luptow this season. Deb Snyder, Luptow’s rival within the National Speedways circuit, was ill with a virus infection and was unable to race.
Wilburn, who raced here several years ago before he was sidelined by serious crackup at Oskaloosa two seasons ago, hauled away most of the prize money. He turned a fast 24.68 second time in trials among 33 entries, then won the fast heat in the preliminaries.
The tense rivalry between Wilburn and Luptow was furthered evidenced when race officials kept the two rivals far apart until the final feature.
It is generally custom to put the four fastest cars in the Handicap Dash, but officials chose to select the next four fastest cars to compete below Wilburn and Luptow. Leon DeRock of Mason City won 4-lap race over Phil Rocca of St. Louis, Mo., in 1 minute and 26.73 seconds.
Results –
Heat #1 – Jimmy Wilburn, Indianapolis, Ind.
Heat #2 – Frank Luptow, Tampa, Fla.
Heat #3 – Bert Hellmueller, Louisville, Ky.
Consolation – Herchel Wagner, Hickman Hills, Mo.
Handicap Dash – Leon DeRock, Mason City
Feature –
1. Jimmy Wilburn
2. Frank Luptow
3. Bobby Grim, Indianapolis
4. Bert Hellmueller
5. Phil Mocca, St. Louis, Mo.
6. Pancho Alvarez, Havana, Cuba
7. Wayne Snyder, Perry
8. Keith Sapp, Macomb, Ill.
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