Wednesday, July 30, 2025

1966 – Petty Zips to ‘400’ Crown

 

Country and western singing star Marty Robbins congratulates Richard Petty after his victory at Nashville. Robbins was making his NASCAR Grand National debut.



Nashville, Tenn. (July 30, 1966) – Richard Petty, averaging 71.77 miles per hour in his 1966 Plymouth, made the Nashville ‘400’ a one-man show as he breezed to a five-lap victory over Buck Baker before a record crowd of 15,161 fans at Fairgrounds Speedway on Saturday.

Bobby Allison, plagued by an oil leak for the entire 400 circuits, held on gamely and finished third.

The venerable Baker, who admits that he’s been racing as long as NASCAR president Bill France, really survived a scare at the finish. The engine on his 1966 Oldsmobile blew with one lap to go and Baker was forced to coast the rest of the way.

For Petty, it was his fourth triumph here and his speed was the fourth fastest for a NASCAR event there. Petty topped it three times himself with a 76.4 mph and 73.2 mph in 1964 events and 72.38 mph last year. Petty earned the pole position yesterday afternoon with a record-breaking speed of 82.49 miles per hour.

The race was relatively clean with only 41 laps being run under the yellow flag and no major wrecks. The worst wreck occurred on the first lap when Darel Dieringer’s 1966 Ford spun on the backstretch.

Allison’s car started smoking on the very first lap, but he pushed Petty pretty hard for the first 50 turns on the half-mile paved oval.

Petty later said, “Bobby ran real good at the beginning but I guess he just had to give up because of the smoke. He was smoking so bad that I just dropped back instead of lapping him.”

Allison made four pit stops, for both gas and oil. Allison mentioned he ran hard at the beginning, “because I wanted to figure out just what the trouble was.”

Petty made four pit stops, three of them while the yellow flag was out. The fourth was for a vibration, in which Petty’s crew changed both right-side tires, as he did on a previous pit stop.

“I didn’t get tired. I didn’t have to run hard the last 200 laps and it just got comfortable. It was nice and cool, too,” he remarked while signing autographs.

Petty picked up $2,750 for the win while Baker collected $1,400 and Allison took home $850.

Twenty-eight cars started but only 11 were still running at the end.

One of the pre-race favorites and former Nashville winners, Jim Paschal, did not start because the engine on his 1965 Plymouth blew during an afternoon practice run.


Results –


1. Richard Petty
2. Buck Baker
3. Bobby Allison
4. Earl Brooks
5. John Sears
6. Neil Castles
7. Clyde Lynn
8. Coo Coo Marlin
9. Wendell Scott
10.James Hylton
11.Larry Hess
12.Gene Elliott
13.G.C. Spencer
14.Joel Davis
15.Buddy Arrington
16.Friday Hassler
17.Elmo Langley
18.Wayne Smith
19.Don Biederman
20.J.T. Putney
21.Roy Tyner
22.Paul Lewis
23.J.D. McDuffie
24.Doug Cooper
25.Marty Robbins



1961 – Allen, Smith pilot Pontiac to Victory

 

Jack Smith (left) and Johnny Allen hold their trophies after combining efforts to win the Volunteer 500 at Bristol International Raceway.




Bristol, Tenn. (July 30, 1961) – A powerful Pontiac, more durable that it’s driver, zigged, zagged, and zipped to the first championship of the thrill-packed Volunteer 500, a grueling 250-mile test for any man or machine.

Jack Smith, a 14-year man in the auto racing business, gave up his big lead to reliefer Johnny Allen with 208 laps to go and the youngster cruised on to the checkered flag before a record-breaking crowd of 25,000 at the new Bristol International Raceway.

Finishing second, one mile behind, Fireball Roberts, in a 1961 Pontiac. Ned Jarrett, the NASCAR point leader, urged his 1961 Chevrolet to a third-place finish, a half-lap ahead of Dick Petty in a 1961 Plymouth.

The winning time was 3 hours, 39 minutes and 29 seconds and the average speed was 68.67 miles per hour despite a flock of yellow flags. Smith and Allen collected $3,240 for their prize.

Smith, the first official entry in the Volunteer 500, rushed to the front at the 75-mile mark but eventually fell back to third. Rex White, the defending Grand National champion, was two laps on top in his ’61 Chevy when his motor blew up and sent him spinning through a pool of oil into the infield.

Smith cashed in quickly during the break, made a key pit stop while the caution flag was out, took charge on lap 268 and, with Allen’s help, stayed out front the rest of the way.

“I just missed White’s car when he crashed,” said a smiling Smith after a kiss collection in victory lane. “After that, I thought we were in…I told Johnny to take it easy the last 100 laps. We were three miles in front at that point and a mistake was more dangerous than traffic.”

Fireball, a big favorite, who started far back and spent too much time limping around with blowouts, had the overflow crowd waving at him during the closing laps. Roberts roared past Jarrett on lap 407, withstood a threat from Petty and was chopping into Allen’s lead at the finish.

It was almost as crowded on the half-mile track as it was in the spacious stands. But with 42 cars in the starting lineup, there were no serious wrecks. Ken Rush, spinning weirdly down the front straightaway, slammed into the stadium wall, and crashed into the infield guardrail in the most dramatic accident of the day. Rush was not injured but his ’59 Ford took a serious beating

Junior Johnson, a 225-pounder with a heavy foot, cut in front of fast qualifier Fred Lorenzen on the getaway and led through 124 laps of nothing but trouble.

Going like a New York City taxi driver at 5 o’clock traffic, Johnson went weaving though traffic jams that seemed solid. He just missed a coasting Dodge seeking safety on lap 35, lost his left door when Joe Weatherly blew a tire and swerved, and was finally halted by two blowouts.

Allen, the 27-year-old from Atlanta, Ga., had never won a NASCAR race before and got this one because his Chevy caught fire on the sidelines. Smith, during a pit stop, saw Allen idle and waved him over.

“I started to take my car back on the track with 100 to go but just didn’t have the heart,” said Smith.


Results –


1. Jack Smith/Johnny Allen
2. Fireball Roberts
3. Ned Jarrett
4. Dick Petty
5. Buck Baker/Bud Baker
6. Joe Weatherly
7. Emanuel Zervakis
8. Jim Paschal
9. Sherman Utsman
10.Tiny Lund
11.Paul Lewis
12.L.D. Austin
13.Herman Beam
14.Larry Thomas
15.Curtis Crider
16.Herb Tilman
17.Bob Barron
18.Bob Welborn
19.Doug Yates
20.Reb Wickersham
21.Jimmy Pardue
22.Junior Johnson
23.Ken Rush
24.Wendell Scott
25.Rex White



Johnny Allen (left) and Jack Smith (right) are joined by Ms. Volunteer 500 - Mary Pendergast (left), Ms. Firebird - Janice Snyder (center) and runner-up Ms. Becky Barnett (right).






Tuesday, July 29, 2025

1988 – Knoxville WoO/ALMA Win to Moyer

 

Iowa native Billy Moyer Jr. won his fourth WoO/ALMA feature of the season at Knoxville Raceway. 




Knoxville, Iowa (July 29, 1988) – Billy Moyer Jr. and Ken Essary waged four different battles at Knoxville Raceway during the World of Outlaws/American Late Model Association’s A-main Friday night.

Each driver won two battles but in the end, Moyer won the war.

Essary and Moyer, the leader in the WoO/American Late Model Association point standings, took turns passing each other throughout the 30-lap contest, but it was Moyer taking home the big money as he led the final 12 circuits and beat fast qualifier Willy Kraft to the checkers.

The victory, Moyer’s fourth of the WoO/ALMA’s inaugural season, earned him $4,000. It also increased his point lead over Kraft by 10 points.

Johnny Johnson, who started on the front row alongside Dick Potts, the pole sitter, led the first three laps before Essary passed him going into turn three. Eight laps later, Moyer steered past Essary between the third and fourth corners.

Moyer was ahead of the field for only one lap before Essary returned the favor and got by Moyer in turn one of the 13th lap. Moyer got the final say when, six laps later, powered around Essary coming out of the first turn.

Moyer survived a close call on lap 20 when he just missed hitting Bob Helm’s car as it spun out of control in turn two.

Essary followed Moyer and Kraft across the finish line, ahead of 11th starting Rick Aukland, and Ray Guss Jr. Guss passed the most cars in the feature, after starting on the inside of the eighth row.

Kraft ran the fastest time trial, rounding the half-mile oval in 21.59 seconds.

Heat winners were Potts, Rick Egersdorf, and Moyer.


Results –


1. Billy Moyer Jr.
2. Willy Kraft
3. Ken Essary
4. Rick Aukland
5. Ray Guss Jr.
6. Johnny Johnson
7. Johnny Stokes
8. Joe Kosiski
9. Rick Egersdorf
10.Steve Kosiski
11.Larry Phillips
12.Jeff Hinkemeyer
13.Dick Potts
14.Bret Cheatham
15.Gary Webb


Monday, July 28, 2025

1976 - Leavitt Tops Elder-Forrester Invitational

 

Eddie Leavitt won the Elder-Forrester Invitational at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. He is shown with Chuck Elder, sponsor of the race. – Beetle Bailey Photo




Des Moines, Iowa (July 28, 1976) – “It’s a nice feeling to be number one again,” remarked Eddie Leavitt of Kearney, Mo.

Leavitt won the first annual Elder-Forester Invitational on Wednesday night at the Iowa State Fairgrounds, leading all 25 laps of the main event. He received $1,500 for his sprint car achievement.

Leavitt clipped the track record, one of four to fall on the evening. His time in the feature was 9 minutes and 56 seconds eclipsing the old mark of 10 minutes and 29 seconds set by Jay Woodside on August 20, 1967.

Leavitt said he had been driving a car owned by Fred Adin of Tucson, Ariz., for the past two weeks. “We’ve gotten a couple of seconds but this is the first I’ve won for Fred,” he said.

Bobby Marshall of Dallas, Tex., was runner-up to Leavitt, moving ahead of Joe Saldana of Lincoln, Neb., on lap 23. Roger Larson of Madison, S.D., was fourth.

Roger Rager of Mound, Minn., held second place for most of the race, but was slowed by mechanical problems on lap 20 and finished 19th.

Marshall started the record-breaking parade with a 23.036 second clocking in time trials. Ironically, that broke the 23.55 second mark set by Jud Larson of Kansas City on June 10, 1956. Four other drivers would crack Larson’s mark as well.

Lenard McCarl of Des Moines then broke the 8-lap standard of 3 minutes and 18 seconds set by Chuck Lynch on August 17, 1969.

McCarl’s time of 3 minute and 16 seconds didn’t last long though as Ralph Parkinson Jr. of Kansas City would break that mark in the third heat with a time of 3 minutes and 9 seconds.

Thee fourth record came in the 10-lap C-main as Mark David of Ankeny, Iowa, won in 6 minutes and 8 seconds. Promoter believed that was the first time a 10-lapper was run.

A crowd estimated at 6,500 made promoters Homer Melton of Rock Island, Ill., and Dave Van Patten and Billy Cole, both of Des Moines, extremely happy.

The Elder-Forester Invitational was sponsored by Charlie Elder, the Forester Trailer dealer in Iowa.


Results –


Fast qualifier – Bobby Marshall (23.036)
Trophy dash – Eddie Leavitt
Heat #1 – Lenard McCarl
Heat #2 – Wayne Holz
Heat #3 – Ralph Parkinson Jr.
Heat #4 – Dick Morris
C-main – Mark David
B-main – Lenard McCarl
Feature –
1. Eddie Leavitt
2. Bobby Marshall
3. Joe Saldana
4. Roger Larson
5. John Stevenson
6. Doug Wolfgang
7. Gary Scott
8. Lloyd Beckman
9. Mike Brooks
10. Jack McCorkell



1973 - Trickle Scores Rolla Triumph

 

Dick Trickle



Rolla, Mo. (July 28, 1973) - Dick Trickle took the lead away from Terry Bivins on the 104th lap of the 150-lap Mid-America Stock Car Racing Association feature on Saturday night at Rolla Speedway.

Trickle went on to easily win his second consecutive MASCAR feature on the half-mile asphalt. The Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., speedster collected $1,650 of the $8,125 total purse.

Bivins, of Shawnee Mission, Kan., took the lead from Trickle, the fast qualifier and pole sitter, on the first turn of the first lap. He held that lead until Trickle made the winning pass on lap 104.

Trickle and Bivins continued to battle until the 149th circuit when Bivins and his Chevy suddenly slowed because mechanical problems. Joe Shear of South Beloit, Ill., finished second because of Bivin’s misfortune. Bivins would hold on to place third.

Trickle’s best time in qualifying was 17.32 seconds, far off his track record of 17.05 seconds.

David Goldsberry of Springfield, Fritz Wilson of Denver, Colo., Walt McWhorter of Wichita, Kan., were heat winners. Terry Brumley of Springfield was the consolation winner.

The 75-mile feature was run without caution flags, the third MASCAR race of the year to do so.


Results –


1. Dick Trickle
2. Joe Shear
3. Terry Bivins
4. Ron Todd
5. Tom Reffner
6. Larry Phillips
7. Marv Roberts
8. Corky Wynn
9. Ferris Collier
10.Paul Lawson
11.Walt McWhorter
12.Fritz Wilson
13.Dale Roper
14.Don Schoenfeld
15.Jim Hood

Sunday, July 27, 2025

1983 – Plank Captures Dodge Special

 

Leon Plank receives congratulations from Floyd Albee and his son after winning the Thunderbird Open at Dodge County Speedway. – Kathy Mogren Photo




Kasson, Minn. (July 27, 1983) – Leon Plank of Mondovi, Wis., topped the 50-lap outlaw late model Wednesday night to highlight the annual Thunderbird Open at Dodge County Speedway. The program had been postponed by rain for three weeks.

Plank jumped into the lead at the start of the main event and maintained the top spot until lap 31 when Omaha’s Joe Kosiski took over. Plank stayed in second place and applied constant pressure on Kosiski, eventually retaking the top spot 13 circuits later.

As Plank began to distance himself from the rest of the field, Les Duellman got by Kosiski for second on lap 43 but didn’t have time too catch Plank. Ron Schreiner of Eleva, Wis., took third ahead of Bob Shryock of Estherville, Iowa, and Denny Anderson of Dodge Center to complete the top five.

Kosiski suffered engine failure and limped home in seventh place.


Results –


Heat #1 – Dick Sorenson, Rochester
Heat #2 – Ron Schreiner, Eleva, Wis.
Heat #3 – Leon Plank, Mondovi, Wis.
Heat #4 – Joe Kosiski, Omaha
Feature –
1. Leon Plank
2. Les Duellman, Fountain City, Wis.
3. Ron Schreiner
4. Bob Shryock, Estherville, Iowa
5. Denny Anderson, Dodge Center
6. Terry Lanphear, St. Paul
7. Joe Kosiski
8. Bruce Busho, Owatonna
9. Red Dralle, Evansdale, Iowa
10.Ed Sanger, Waterloo, Iowa



Saturday, July 26, 2025

1986 - Kreitz Scores Rich Win in Kings Royal

 


Don Kreitz Jr. is surrounded by his court after scoring the biggest win of his sprint car career in the third annual Kings Royal at Eldora Speedway. 
 



Rossburg, Ohio (July 26, 1986) – In just his second visit to the high banks of Eldora Speedway, 24-year-old Don Kreitz Jr. hit the jackpot Saturday night as the Sinking Springs, Penn., driver banked a record $52,000 top prize for capturing the third annual 40-lap Kings Royal sprint car spectacular.

“I couldn’t believe it when I saw the checkered flag,” the happy winner stated from his position on the king’s throne in victory circle.

Kreitz, the favorite of the large contingent from the Keystone state fans in attendance, grabbed the point from Jac Haudenschild on the 33rd tour of the high-banked, half-mile clay oval. He gradually opened a comfortable four-second margin over Haudenschild at the finish.

Dave Blaney, who finished right on Haudenschild’s rear bumper, claimed the third spot. Sammy Swindell and Bobby Allen rounded out the top five finishers.

Kreitz’s record winnings, which more than exceeded his best previous career single day purse by tenfold, resulted in part from the tough luck that sent frontrunners Doug Wolfgang and Blaney to the pits on lap 17 to replace cut right rear tires.

Wolfgang, the defending Kings Royal winner, charged from his inside front row starting berth into an immediate lead over the 24-car field. Blaney quickly moved up from his fourth starting position into second place behind Wolfgang.

By lap 10, Haudenschild and Kreitz had worked their way into third and fourth, respectively, but still some 10-car-lengths behind the duo of Wolfgang and Blaney.

The race’s momentum shifted 180 degrees when Wolfgang and Blaney ran over debris on the racetrack, and both cut their tires. The event’ lone caution flag resulted as both drivers were pushed to the pits for fresh rubber.

“Someone broke a nerf bar or something and dropped it on the track and that took out me and Dave,” Wolfgang explained afterwards.

Following the restart, with Wolfgang and Blaney at the tail of the field, Haudenschild and Kreitz hooked up in a thrilling side-by-side battle for the king’s ransom.

Haudenschild selected his customary high line around the oval while Kreitz chose the middle lane. Kreitz surged inside of Haudenschild on lap 25 and the duo crossed the finish line in a dead heat. Haudenschild pulled away down the back straight on lap 26 as Kreitz dropped back three-car-lengths.

The persistent Kreitz mounted another charge with an identical inside move through turns one and two on lap 33. This time he stayed even with Haudenschild down the back straight and blazed into the top spot at the start/finish line.

Continuing to run the middle groove, Kreitz built his advantage with each succeeding lap. As the checkered dropped, the near capacity crowd roared its approval.


Results –


1. Don Kreitz Jr.
2. Jac Haudenschild
3. Dave Blaney
4. Sammy Swindell
5. Bobby Allen
6. Doug Wolfgang
7. Brad Doty
8. Rick Ungar
9. Bobby Davis Jr.
10.Rick Hood
11.Jimmy Sills
12.Joe Gaerte
13.Dave Fisher
14.Troy House
15.Robbie Stanley