Larry Kirkpatrick
Des Moines, (August 25, 1974) - Larry Kirkpatrick of Wood River, Ill., battling for the International Motor Contest Association sprint car point title, borrowed an opponent's car and drove to the 40-lap feature title Sunday night at the Iowa State Fair auto races.
Kirkpatrick, whose own car went out on lap 16 with a broken ring and piston, took over the car usually driven by Bill Robison of Topeka, Kan., on lap 19 after the race was stopped because of an accident.
Ironically, one of the cars involved in the mishap was driven by the man Kirkpatrick was chasing, point leader Bill Utz of Sedalia, Mo. Utz himself had switched at the start of the race after his car was eliminated with mechanical problems.
“It’s one of those things you have to do when you’re going for points,” said Kirkpatrick. “There’s a lot of money involved at the end of the season.”
The car was running fifth when Kirkpatrick took over, but by lap 31 he was battling Roy Bryant of Wichita, Kan., for the lead.
But Bryant, who took the lead on the seventh lap, hit the wall on turn three of lap 35, leaving Kirkpatrick with the $800 top prize.
Lloyd Beckman of Lincoln, Neb., was second. Roger Rager of Mound, Minn., was third, and Ralph Parkinson, Sr. of Kansas City, Mo., finished fourth. Des Moines’ Ralph Blackett was fifth.
Two Fairground track records were broken - the 8-lap and 10-lap marks. In the second heat, Darryl Dawley of Sioux Falls, S.D., established a new 8-lap record of 3 minutes, 17.90 seconds, breaking the old mark of 3 minutes and 18 seconds set by Chuck Lynch in 1969.
In the consolation, Bryant recorded a 10-lap record time of 4 minutes and 6.55 seconds. Four-time IMCA champ Jerry Richert held the old mark of 4 minutes and 7.90 seconds set in 1970.
Bob Geldner of St. Peter, Minn., who was the fastest qualifier at 24:13 seconds, was second in the consolation and Kirkpatrick third. Utz, who won the 50-lap feature at Sedalia, Mo., Sunday afternoon and flew to Des Moines for last night's races, recorded a victory in the first heat.
Results –
Heat #1 - Bill Utz, Sedalia, Mo.
Heat #2 - Darryl Dawley, Sioux Falls, S.D.
Heat #3 - Jim McVey, Independence, Mo.
Feature -
1. Larry Kirkpatrick, Wood River, Ill.
2. Lloyd Beckman, Lincoln, Neb.
3. Roger Rager, Mound, Minn.
4. Ralph Parkinson Sr., Kansas City, Mo.
5. Ralph Blackett, Des Moines
6. Gary Johnson, Newton
7. Bill Hudson, New Sharon
8. Wayne Holz, Lincoln, Neb.
9. Jim McVey, Independence, Mo.
10.Gene Gennetten, Gladstone, Mo.
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