1969 – Blankenship Tops Davenport Stocks

 

Davenport promoter Homer Melton presents season championship winner Lem Blankenship his trophy. Flagman Buzz Reed presents the checkered. - - Roger Meier Photo

Davenport, Iowa (September 5, 1969) – A funny thing happened twice on the outside of the fourth turn during season championship night at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds on Friday night. Two championships were won there.

Lem Blankenship of Keokuk claimed the late model modified title and Duane Steffe of Moline, Ill., won the novice's division championship by way of an incident on the same turn.

The season’s regular racing finale, witnesses by close to 4,000 fans, saw a night of wild but generally aggressive driving, with numerous spinouts, some collisions, and a one-car roll-over, that happening in the novice semi-main.

A car driven by Jim Jaeger did the rolling. Jaeger was in the second turn when his right rear wheel came off, sending him into a double roll. Jaeger walked away dazed but unhurt.

That same race, won by Gerry Kerres, saw five different spins by different cars, and also a fire in one, driven by Ken Archer. The fire was quickly extinguished.

The 25-lap novice feature saw Wayne Settles move into the early lead and it appeared he was headed for victory lane when Terry Hurst, who had won the novice first heat, charged up next to him.

As they came to the fourth turn, Settles was riding high, near the edge of the banking. Hurst crowded him off the track and was disqualified by officials for rough driving. Settles’ damaged car was unable to continue.

The incident, which happened at the end of the 23rd lap, gave the lead and the victory to Steffe with Lloyd Nabb taking second and Bob Currant finishing third.

Then the 50-lap late model championship got underway, and the popular Ron Weedon elected to start his Ford on the outside of the front row, as was his option due to being the points leader. Dean Montgomery, second in points, was moved to the inside.

Weedon immediately jumped into the lead, and in a short time, was lapping cars. However, on lap 30, he came up behind Lloyd Ewing, who was riding near the top of the banking, and the rest of the pack slowly began to close up on Weedon as he found it difficult to get around Ewing.

Weedon still held the lead, and he kept it through 47 laps around the quarter-mile oval. But in the meantime, Blankenship had passed Montgomery for second place, and he had climbed on top of Weedon’s rear bumper.

Weedon, keeping to the far outside, was still leading when, coming into the fourth turn of the 48th lap, Blankenship pulled alongside him, and with Weedon appearing to go higher on the banking, raced past him into the lead.

Don Bohlander, who had a first-hand view of the Blankenship-Weedon duel while running third, also took advantage of Weedon’s slip and moved past him for the runner-up spot. A disappoint Weedon settled for third with Dean Montgomery in fourth and Herb Shannon in fifth.


Results -

1. Lem Blankenship, Keokuk
2. Don Bohlander, Glasford, Ill.
3. Ron Weedon, Pleasant Valley
4. Dean Montgomery, Milan, Ill.
5. Herb Shannon, Peoria, Ill.
6. Ray Guss, Milan, Ill.
7. Ernie Speth, Blue Grass
8. Terry Ryan, Davenport
9. Wendell Essex, Davenport
10.Lloyd Ewing, Kewanee, Ill.