1980 - Detjens Times a Tad Quicker, Wins ARTGO Dairyland

 

Larry Detjens is all smiles after claiming the overall title in the ARTGO-sanctioned "Dairyland 150" at Golden Sands Speedway. - Stan Kalwasinski Photo

By Stan Kalwasinski

Plover, Wis. (July 4, 1980) – Turning in a better qualifying performance netted Larry Detjens a victory Friday night, as the Wausau speedster was the overall winner of ARTGO Racing’s third annual Dairyland 150 at the Golden Sands Speedway.

Winning his third ARTGO feature of the season, Detjens bested Jim Sauter, Mike Miller, and Tom Reffner in the first 75-lapper. Sauter came back to score his first-ever ARTGO victory in the second event, defeating Detjens, Dick Trickle, Butch Miller, and Mike Miller.

Detjens outqualified Sauter by .094 seconds to break the tie and claim the overall title.

A field of 22 late models blistered the pavement at the drop of the green for the first 75 with Marv Marzofka moving his Camaro from the outside of the front row into the lead in the opening laps. Marzofka stayed in front until lap 18 when Sauter wheeled his Camaro on the outside of Marzofka to take over the number one position.

The red flag flew after 25 circuits when Sauter hit an oil slick in the third turn, with Marzofka, Trickle and Mike Miller all spinning and crashing in the oily corner. Trickle and Miller’s mounts both needed attention in the pits, while the track crew cleaned up the oil which was strewn all over the one-third mile banked paved oval.

With everyone answering the call for the restart, Detjens shot out front.

Detjens, followed by Sauter, saw the yellow flag appear on lap 40, as Shear tagged Butch Miller as the duo battled for third place, sending Miller spinning in turn two.

Ten laps later, another caution came out as Mike Opperman spun in turn two. When the green light came back on, Detjens and his Camaro maintained the lead to starter Bill Gronley’s checkered flag, as a light rain persisted during the last third of the race.

The entire starting field was ready to go for the next 75-lapper with Ted Musgrave guiding his Camaro into the lead from his pole position. Musgrave’s command lasted two laps, as fast qualifier Butch Miller moved his Camaro on top on lap 3.

With Miller on top, the race’s only caution came on lap 11, as Dennis Vogel spun in turn three. Sauter moved his Camaro past Miller on lap 23, with Detjens and Trickle close behind. After 57 laps had been completed and Sauter firmly in the lead, a heavy rainstorm hot the track, bringing out the red flag and eventually forcing officials to declare the event complete.


Results –

Feature #1 -

1. Larry Detjens, Wausau
2. Jim Sauter, Necedah
3. Joe Shear, South Beloit, Ill.
4. Mike Miller, Wisconsin Rapids
5. Tom Reffner, Rudolph
6. Marv Marzofka, Nekoosa
7. Ed Hoffman, Bensenville, Ill.
8. Steve Burgess, Eau Claire
9. Butch Miller, Lawson, Mich.
10.Ted Musgrave, Grand Marsh
11.Jim Weber, Roseville, Minn.
12.Dick Trickle, Wisconsin Rapids
13.Mike Opperman, Golden, Colo.
14.Steve Moll, Wisconsin Rapids
15.Jim Back, Vesper


Feature #2 –

1. Jim Sauter
2. Larry Detjens
3. Dick Trickle
4. Butch Miller
5. Mike Miller
6. Steve Burgess
7. Joe Shear
8. Marv Marzofka
9. Tom Reffner
10.Ted Musgrave
11.Ed Hoffman
12.Bobby Dotter, Chicago
13.Dan Prziborowski, Savage, Minn.
14.Willie Goeden, Kewaskum
15.Jim Weber

1974 – Unser Outduels Andretti in USAC Return

Al Unser

Syracuse, N.Y. (July 4, 1974) - Al Unser brought the aura of Indianapolis back to the State Fairgrounds yesterday by outdueling Mario Andretti in a United States Auto Club 100-mile dirt track, national championship race on the one-mile oval.

Andretti, the diminutive driving giant, led the race for the first 86 laps and one more later on; but Unser's 13 proved to be far from unlucky as one of two driving dervish brothers from Albuquerque, N.M., got the checkered flag by making more of what little gasoline he had left. The two Viceroy Special stablemates, powered by Foyt-Ford engines, finished the race on fumes, but neither knew the other was in trouble.

The race lost two of its other glamour names before the green flag was even unfurled. Jan Opperman upcoming super-sprint star, suffered a concussion and torn shoulder ligaments in a sprint car crash Wednesday night in Reading, Penn.

His “City of Syracuse” entry was driven instead by Pancho Carter. Gary Bettenhausen, whose late father Tony won here in 1956, six years before a change in State Fair dates brought an end to what had been the oldest USAC national championship race other than Indy, was involved in a careening, tumbling accident 10 minutes into the warmups.

Bettenhausen's car went out of control on the first turn, flipped over twice while twisting before hurtling over a 10-foot steel barrier and then plunging through the roof of an empty concession stand.

The two-time USAC sprint-car champ was rushed to the State University Hospital where a spokesman said he had suffered two broken collarbones, a broken finger, and other possible injuries, and was in satisfactory condition late last night after surgery.

But when the time trials and race got underway, the show belonged to Unser and Andretti, who between them own three Indy 500 titles.

After the drivers drew to determine the order for qualifying times, Andretti was second onto the track and Unser third, and neither wasted time in showing their class.

On the first of his two laps, Andretti smashed the 11-year lap record of Bob Sweikert (35.33 seconds or 101.896 miles per hour), with a lap of 34.76, or 103.567 mph. Unser, next onto the track, turned in a 35.08 time and the two red and white Parnelli Jones cars had the front row to themselves. Four other drivers smashed the old mark—Tom Bigelow, Greg Weld, Billy Vukovich and Joe Saldan, while Johnny Parsons equaled it.

Unser's time for the race was 1:03.549, or 93.872, not a track record, probably because 14 laps were run under the yellow flag. The record still belongs to Roger Ward’s farewell appearance in 1962 at 95.572 mph.

The attrition rate at the end of the race was an even 50 percent as 12 of the 24 cars that qualified for the final were still screaming when Unser coasted home his. front-engine, old-Indy style car 10 yards in front of Andretti.

Pre-race talk in the pits had the race down to two teams, Unser and Andretti, and Bettenhausen and Billy Vukovich. But Vukovich, third-place finisher at this year's Indy, could go only nine laps before he was black-flagged with an oil leak.

Unser, who won at Indy in 1970 and ‘71 (one of four men to win back-to-back), and the defending USAC dirt track champ (there were only three races counting toward the title last year), thus got off to a flying start.

Andretti, who won at Indy in 1969 and won two of the three dirt track races last year only to finish tied for second with Bigelow, thought he had the race won until his engine started to balk during the final 20 laps.

“I could tell I was running out of fuel when it sputtered on me, and I thought Al was running comfortably behind me, so I just tried to hold him off. There was no way he could have gotten his nose into me like that, though, if I wasn’t in trouble,” Andretti said.

Unser’s nose stuck out further than Andretti’s for the first time on lap 87 as Andretti's machine sputtered loudly in front of the 12,000 in the grandstand.

Unser led the game of tag for the next nine laps before the day’s final yellow flag appeared. When the field was given the green lap on lap 96, Andretti flew in front again on turn one, but the lead lasted only once around as Unser assumed command on 97 and held it to the black and white symbol of victory.

Someone in the Viceroy-Jones pits must have misjudged the fuel consumption of the two cars because although Andretti said he had little left at the end, Unser said, “I ran out of gas on the last lap and came in on fumes. On top of that, the car was hard to handle because I had little throttle response. But I just drove the thing the fastest I could.”

Unser, who according to promoter Glenn Donnelly will collect a shade more than $10,000 of the $35,000 purse, said, “I was having trouble with the injectors all day, and the slower laps probably cost me more fuel. We've got to get that fixed before the next race.”

Donnelly, a happy man as his effort to bring back big-time USAC racing after a 12-year absence seems to have paid off, was even more positive about next year.

“We’ll definitely go again next year. If we tell USAC we want it, that’s it, we'll go. And after today’s attendance despite the up and down weather the past few days, next year’s crowd should be bigger and see an even better race,” the popular young promoter exuded.

Unser agreed. “I would really like to see dirt track racing grow here and across the country because it's probably the most exciting form of auto racing there is. The track conditions and groove can change at any time, and you have to be able to adjust right along. And you can't afford a pit stop, not in these 100-milers, if you do stop, then your history. So, your car has to be set up to go the whole distance.”

Aside from Unser and Andretti, only Greg Weld, Bigelow and Sammy Sessions finished 100 laps.

The heat, which reached 95 degrees in the stands and nearly 120 trackside, didn't cause any cars to overheat, but Arnie Knepper, who finished sixth, was overcome by heat exhaustion in the pits after the race.


Results –

1. Al Unser
2. Mario Andretti
3. Greg Weld
4. Tom Bigelow
5. Sam Sessions
6. Arnie Knepper
7. Jimmy Caruthers
8. Rollie Beale
9. Lee Osborne
10.Bill Cassella
11.Mel Cornett
12.Karl Busson
13.Joe Saldana
14.Bill Puterbaugh
15.Gary Ponzini
16.Don Nordhorn
17.Ralph Liguori
18.Ronnie Burke
19.Bob Evans
20.John Hubbard
21.Dana Carter
22.Bill Vukovich

1966 – McQuagg Wins ‘400’

 

Firecracker 400 winner Sam McQuagg is interviewed by ABC's Chris Economaki. 

Daytona Beach, Fla. (July 4, 1966) – Shaking loose from the pack on the 27th lap, Sam McQuagg of Columbus, Ga., charged to a storybook finish in the Firecracker 400 at Daytona International Speedway on Monday afternoon.

To be trite, it was a “charger” in a Charger that won the 400-miler in the 90-degree heat of a sunny afternoon before an estimated crowd of 45,000 stock car fans.

Last year at this time, everyone was asking, “Who is Sam McQuagg?” He had turned a couple of quick laps to qualify fourth, the same position he started last year.

But he dropped out of the race, and it wasn’t until later in the year that he answered the question. He did it by winning rookie of the year honors on the NASCAR Grand National circuit even though he never won a race.

Actually, the Firecracker is the first race he’s ever won in Grand National. Ad he did it in grand style, leading the second place Darel Dieringer of Charlotte, N.C., by half a lap as they neared the 160-lap finish. Dieringer slowed to a roll on the back stretch but had enough of a lead over third place Jim Paschal of High Point, N.C., to coast across the finish line.

The victory was worth $15,000 to McQuagg, including lap money. Dieringer took home $8,870, including $1,500 as the first finisher among independent drivers. McQuagg also received a new car from Chrysler, a family car.

“The car just ran beautifully all day,” McQuagg said in a press box interview. He stood sweating in a crowd of newsmen, holding the hoses that hooked to his cooling suit rig in the car,

“Ray Nichels and the crew got the car running fast. We didn’t have a lot of plans. The boss said just go out there and play it by ear. I guess the plan was to go as fast as I could.”

He made four pit stops during the race, all but one under caution. In spite of the yellow flags, McQuagg set a new record for the race with an average speed of 153.88 miles per hour. The old record was 151.451 miles per hour set by A.J. Foyt in 1964.

The race was a dog fight for the first 10 laps, with five cars up front trading positions. Lee Roy Yarbrough of Columbia, S.C., took the first lap lead, lost it to McQuagg on the second lap, then David Pearson of Spartanburg, S.C., stole it in a dash after several caution flags later.

Curtis Turner of Charlotte, N.C., grabbed the lead on the next lap, then Yarbrough and McQuagg swapped it back and forth on the backstretch. There was a lot of trading during a series of caution flags of pit stops but McQuagg came back racing and took the lead to stay, except where there were swaps during subsequent pit stops.

The race favorite, Richard Petty of Randleman, N.C., blew his engine going into the first turn on lap 86. His car spun, smashed into Earl Balmer, and both of them were out of the race. Petty had made two pit stops earlier and was never in contention.

Yarbrough, who started on the pole, was with the leaders until he blew a right rear tire on lap 127. He drove into the pits and never returned.

Both of the Bakers, Father Buck, and son Buddy went out blown engines.

It was no surprise that a Dodge charger won the race, but it was a surprise that a Bud Moore-built and Dieringer-driven Mercury Comet finished second. And it was an equally pleasing surprise that a Smokey Yunick-built Chevelle driven by Curtis Turner, finished fourth.


Results –

1. Sam McQuagg, Columbia, S.C.
2. Darel Dieringer, Charlotte, N.C.
3. Jim Paschal. High Point, N.C.
4. Curtis Turner, Charlotte, N.C.
5. Jim Hurtubise, North Tonawanda, N.Y.
6. Don White, Keokuk, Iowa
7. Marvin Panch, Daytona Beach, Fla.
8. Tiny Lund, Cross, S.C.
9. James Hylton, Inman, S.C.
10.John Sears, Ellerbe, N.C.

1962 - Rutherford Drives to Win Downs Feature

 

Johnny Rutherford receives congratulations from promoter Frank Winkley after winning the 25-lap IMCA big car feature at Hawkeye Downs. 

Cedar Rapids, Iowa (July 4, 1962) - Big car racing fans - 7,840 of them paid- beat the threat of rain and Johnny Rutherford upped his IMCA point lead by grabbing the feature event Wednesday night at Hawkeye Downs.

The good-looking Texan walked off with most of the prize money as he grabbed the lead early in the 25-lap feature and was never headed.

Rutherford, driving a Chevy conversion, had to withstand the challenges of several Offenhauser drivers, Jerry Richert, Pete Folse, Johnny White and Harold Leep in speedway-type cars. Richert was second in the feature while Folse finished third.

Howard Allen of Portland, Ore., and White, of Warren, Mich., suffered minor eye injuries when they were struck by clods of dirt during the torrid feature race.

Despite the rains early in the day, the track was fast. The first 20 drivers in the time trials finished within one and one-half seconds of each other.


Results –


1. Johnny Rutherford
2. Jerry Richert
3. Pete Folse
4. Arnie Knepper
5. Jerry Blundy
6. Johnny White
7. Harold Leep
8. Bill Horstmeyer
9. Russ Long
10.Dale Reed
11.Jigger Sirois
12.Roger Lane
13.Harv Konkel
14.Howard Allen
15.Gordon Woolley
16.Red Hoyle

1952 – Banker Wins Sedalia Stock Car Classic

 

Marvin Copple

Sedalia, Mo. (July 4, 1952) – Marvin Copple, a bank executive from Lincoln, Neb., set a fast and even pace which kept him in the front position for 97 circuits in the 100-mile Midwest Summer Classic for International Motor Contest Association stock cars at the Missouri State Fairgrounds on Friday afternoon.

The victory earned Copple the first place prize of $500.

Copple, driving a 1951 Oldsmobile, took the lead on the 4th lap and was never seriously challenged after that point.

The real race came on lap 85 when Copple attempted to pass Don White of Keokuk, Iowa, who led the first three laps of the race, to put the entire field a lap down.

However, for the last 15 laps White kept the Cornhusker speedster behind him and finished in second place with $350 in prize money.

White provided most of the thrills of the race by trying to pass cars on the muddy south turn near the grandstand. On the 22nd lap, he crashed into Gil Russell of Kansas City while trying to stay on the track after hitting mud. Both cars were able to swing away from each other in time to avoid a serious accident, and both continued in the race.

On the 37th lap, White really started his pace which enabled him to stay three-quarters of a lap behind Copple. While trying to keep pace with the leader, White had a separate race with Herschel Buchanan of Shreveport, La., the former national stock car champion, who he had passed in a daring bid in front of the grandstand on the 42nd lap. Two laps later, White would regain second place from Buchanan.

After White passed him, Buchanan had his own battle to keep his third position from Ernie Derr of Fort Madison, Iowa. Derr, driving a 1952 Oldsmobile, and Buchanan, driving a 1951 Nash, fought it out around the track for five laps before Buchanan finally pulled ahead.

Buchanan would make several more attempts at White, once on lap 50, and again on lap 62 before White pulled away for good. Buchanan would secure third prize money of $275.

In time trials, White set fast time with a 57-second flat tour around the one-mile dirt oval. Copple was second fastest with a 57.91 second time.

The 20 drivers entered the race were competing for a $2,325 purse with the first 12 finishing positions taking home prize money.


Results –


1. Marvin Copple, Lincoln, Neb.
2. Don White, Keokuk, Iowa
3. Herschel Buchanan, Shreveport, La.
4. Ernie Derr, Fort Madison, Iowa
5. Chug Montgomery, Lebanon
6. Jim Page, Nashville, Tenn.
7. Sonny Gross, Quincy, Ill.
8. Tilman Huset, Brandon, S.D.
9. Max Smith, Sedalia
10.Delmar Donaldson, Burlington, Iowa
11.Herbie Thomas, Holden
12.Gil Russell, Kansas City

1979 - Sanger Takes El Kahir Shrine Race at Independence

 

Ed Sanger won the El Kahir Shrine race at the Buchanan County Fairgrounds. Co-promoters “Doc” Hunt and Vern Weber (right) join a Shriner in victory lane. – Bill Haglund

Independence, Iowa (July 3, 1979) – Ed Sanger, Waterloo, claimed the El Kahir Shrine Race at Independence Motor Speedway on Tuesday night.

Following a two-hour delay, due to heavy showers, drivers, wrecker crews, and tow trucks worked frantically to iron out the track.

The feature event, which was shortened to 35 laps due to the rough conditions, began with Bill Zwanziger, Waterloo, in the lead for the first six laps. Sanger then scooted in front of Zwanziger for one circuit, until Tom Bartholomew, Waterloo, jumped into a big lead for 11 laps.

On lap 19, however, Bartholomew lost his footing and drifted high in the first turn, going over the edge and into the mud and getting hung up.

On the restart, Sanger and Gary Crawford, Independence (last year’s winner) shared the front row, with Sanger accelerating into the lead with Crawford hot on his bumper.

Despite repeated attempts, Crawford couldn’t muster the power to get around Sanger and the Waterloo hot shoe led the final 15 circuits to seal the victory.

Zwanziger took third with Curt Hansen, Dike, and Mike Niffenegger, Kalona, grabbing fifth.

Heat races were won by Zwanziger, Rick Wendling of Hazelton, Ed Sanger, and Karl Sanger of Waterloo. Glen Martin of Independence won the semi-main.


Results –

1. Ed Sanger, Waterloo
2. Gary Crawford, Independence
3. Bill Zwanziger, Waterloo
4. Curt Hansen, Dike
5. Mike Niffenegger, Kalona
6. Gary Henderson, Independence
7. Gary Tigges, Durango
8. Greg Kastli, Waterloo
9. Bob Jaeger, Dubuque
10.Red Dralle, Evansdale
11.Tom Bartholomew, Waterloo
12.Skip Kennedy, Dubuque
13.Jim Decker, Winthrop
14.Karl Sanger, Waterloo
15.Greg Hunter, Independence

1957 – Burdick Races to Easy Victory in 100-Lapper

 

Bob Burdick

Oklahoma City, Okla. (July 3, 1957) – Bob Burdick, the lead-footed youngster from Omaha, Neb., rammed his supercharged 1957 Ford to a runaway victory in the 100-lap IMCA stock car feature Tuesday night at Taft Stadium.

Padding his lead in the International Motor Contest Association point standings, the 22-year-old schoolteacher had things his own way after an engine mishap sidelined challenger Sonny Gross of Quincy, Ill., on the 61st lap.

Starting well back in the field, Burdick quickly shot out front and led for 96 laps in the 25-mile contest.

The Nebraska product, in only his second year of big-time auto racing, caught the attention of 1,803 fans when he came from far back to barely lose a photo finish to George Miller of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, driving a 1957 Pontiac, in the first heat.

Then – apparently inspired by a glimpse of trophy girl Kay Wilson – he soundly thrashed Miller in the 7-lap trophy dash and established himself as the solid favorite with the crowd by planting an enthusiastic kiss on the pretty young singer.

The night’s other winner was Bob Hardy of Beaumont, Tex., driving a 1956 Chevrolet to victory in the second heat.

A pleasant surprise to the fans was the performance of local driver Bill Carpenter, who tooled his 1955 Chevrolet to a third-place finish in the feature, trailing Burdick and runner-up Darrell Dake of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Hardy finished fourth.

Burdick opened up a lead of 130 yards in the early stages, but Gross and his 1957 Pontiac began to trim away at it slowly. As they passed the halfway point, Gross had cut the margin to 90 yards and was gaining steadily. But 10 laps later, the throttle rod broke, and Gross was forced to the pits.

The leaders whizzed by him 14 times before he could get under way again, then driving at full throttle, he managed a fifth-place finish.


Results –

1. Bob Burdick, Omaha, Neb.
2. Darrell Dake, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
3. Bill Carpenter, Oklahoma City
4. Bob Hardy, Beaumont, Tex.
5. Sonny Gross, Quincy, Ill.
6. Jerry Draper, Moline, Ill.