Darl
Harrison smiles as he accepts his trophy from Gene Fritzinger after winning the
50-lap IMCA sprint car finale at the Great Allentown Fair. Starter Bernie
Carlson holds the checkers.
Allentown, Penn. (August 10, 1968) – Darl Harrison of Tiffin, Ohio, said before the 50-lap feature at the Great Allentown Fair on Saturday that the track, “runs good only when you’re in front,” so that’s where he spent most of his time and nipped a charging Bobby Adamson and Ray Tilley in the windup of the Keystone State Trophy Series.
Harrison, who led from start to finish in winning the semi-main, fought a duel with Tilley and Adamson over the final 15 laps that had a crowd of more than 5,000 standing, cheering, stomping, and waving their fists in the air every time the trio came flashing past the grandstand.
In the end it was a slick move by Harrison on the fourth turn of lap 48 to pass Tilley – who led for that lap and the preceding four laps which were run under caution – and gain the triumph.
But it was Tilley who garnered the big prize – the point championship of the three days of racing by International Motor Contest Association drivers.
Tilley finished second to Jerry Richert in last weekend’s pair of features and third on Sunday behind Harrison and Adamson for a total of 425 points. Harrison, with his 220 points accumulated for his feature win, finished second with 405 points.
Richert, the three-time IMCA champion and this year’s point leader who missed Sunday’s feature and a chance at three straight wins, finished third with 360 points. Richert had blown his engine on Thursday in a race in Wausau, Wis., and couldn’t compete.
Adamson, starting ninth in the feature, quickly worked his way into contention. He streaked by Tilley on the third and fourth turns of the final lap for second place after Tilley had realized that Harrison had beaten him.
Harrison, driving with a bath towel stuffed into the right sleeve of his racing suit to protect his arm from flying gravel, had little trouble beating Tilley to the first turn in the feature.
He held a substantial lead through the first 14 circuits until a caution slowed the field for five laps.
He jumped back on top quickly as Adamson began making his move from sixth position. By lap 28 he was battling Bill Roynon for fourth and Gus Linder of Pittsburgh had caught Tilley for second place.
Tilley, of Clearfield, Penn., was content in second or third, waiting for his opportunity to move up and challenge the front-running Harrison.
It came on lap 36.
Tilley went high around the fourth turn, cut to the inside on the homestretch, passed Linder and set out for Harrison. Running very well on the outer fringes of the turns – a place where Richert had found daylight last weekend – Tilley drew alongside Harrison in turn three on lap 37.
Riding lows in the turns when trailing and high when trying to get to the front, Tilley hugged Harrison’s tailpipe for three laps and then made his move on lap 41. He skidded through the outer edges of turn three and came down off of it ahead of Harrison, but the eventual winner reciprocated on turn four and took Tilley to the inside and crossed the start/finish line leading.
Tilley and Adamson both made decisive advances on lap 42. Tilley ran wide in turns one and two and beat Harrison on the backstretch. This time there was no chance for Harrison to re-pass.
Adamson, the winner of two of last year’s features, caught Linder in turn three of the same lap and vaulted into third place. Then the caution flag flew bunching the field up one more time.
When the green flag was dropped, Tilley poured on the juice down the stretch, beat Harrison and Adamson to the first turn and led all the way around. Harrison made the move that won the race on the last turn of next lap - 48.
He moved up into a challenging position aside Tilley on the backstretch, trailed him only by a slight margin in the third turn then cut to the inside through turn four and came broad sliding into the straightaway with a slim lead. He right his car quickly as Tilley churned up gravel on the outside and beat him to the line.
After that, Tilley began to fade and Adamson, never letting up, took advantage. As they crossed the finish line and took the white flag, Adamson had already started his final charge and by the first two turns, was even with Tilley. He used a good bite on the inside of turn two to get past Tilley solidify his second-place finish.
Harrison’s tires, which were brand new when he started the afternoon of racing, were worn considerably at the end of the race. The track ate into his tires so extensively that his crew cut new grooves in them before sending him out for the 50-lapper.
Wiping grit and dirt from his face, Harrison said, “I got good grip everywhere I was on the track but just look at those tires. They’re shot.”
Results –
1. Darl Harrison
2. Bobbie Adamson
3. Ray Tilley
4. Bill Roynon
5. Ronnie Rough
6. Gene Varner
7. Benny Rapp
8. John Auxter
9. Jim Fowler
10. Gus Linder
11. Fred Linder
12. Buzz Rose
13. Hansler
14. Lynn Paxton
15. Ray Duckworth
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