Don Bohlander won the season championship thus wrapping up the point
title at Peoria Speedway. Starter Lloyd Caldwell joins the newly crowned champ
in victory lane. – Ron Thruman Collection
Peoria, Ill. (August 28, 1971) – Had it been a football game it would have been what coaches refer to as a “laugher”. You know, one of those 46–0 romps that leaves the winning side relaxed and happy.
But inasmuch as this late model stock car duel for the season championship at Peoria Speedway, what it was at the finish was a cakewalk for Don Bohlander.
Entering the final night of the driver’s point competition, trailing Herb Shannon by four points, Bohlander led all the way to win the 50-lap title duel, thereby picking up 120 points and easily sweeping past Shannon for the 1971 track points title.
The final point standings showed Bohlander with 1,422 points, Shannon with 1,348, and Al Terrell with 1,252.
On the final night of battle Shannon had a six-point lead but in the 50-lap season championship. Bohlander, starting from the pole position, surged with power all the way while Shannon never got going and finished ninth.
“It was about time I had an easy race,” grinned Bohlander. I just raced the car and hoped everything would hold together.”
Shannon, who qualified third fastest, while Bohlander had to settle for ninth (although that put Bohlander on the pole with the invert) felt he wasn’t able to get his car going.
“It just started vibrating and I thought the engine was ready to blow at any time,” he said. “It had worked fine in time trials. It was just one of those things.”
Once the race became 10 laps old, it was apparent that if Bohlander’s car hung together, the rest of the field had an impossible task.
By the 22nd lap, he had opened up a quarter-lap lead over Gerry Reeder and those two ran that way for the remaining 28 laps to the checkered flag.
Fred Strube, passing brother Jim late in the race, finished third while Jim was fourth. Al Terrell rounded out the top-five.
Bohlander ended any doubts about the point race when he lapped Shannon on lap 34.
Duane Wirth of Sheffield won the 25-lap semi-final while Mapleton’s Steve Lance put on a driving exhibition to win the consolation.
Results –
1. Don Bohlander, Glasford
2. Gerry Reeder, Peoria
3. Fred Strube, Peoria
4. Jim Strube, Peoria
5. Al Terrell, Peoria
6. Jerry Peterson, Marseilles
7. Ron Weedon, Pleasant Valley, Iowa
8. Bill Munson, Peoria
9. Herb Shannon, Peoria
10.Steve Lance, Mapleton
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