1956 - Beauchamp Still Leads Stock Car Pilots

Harlan, Iowa (August 21, 1956) - The latest newsletter from the International Motor Contest Association shows that Harlan, Iowa's Johnny Beauchamp is still burning up the tracks in the  late model stock car ranks.

 

One of his latest achievements is a world record for one lap around a half-mile track in a stock car. In time trials at the North Dakota State fair at Minot on August 3 he was timed at 29 seconds flat, which bettered the previous record of 29.23 seconds; also set by Beauchamp in Oskaloosa, Iowa, on June 16.

 

During the 11-day period from July 26 through August 5 Beauchamp won five of the six races he entered, giving, him 23 wins in 26 starts for the season.

 

“The Flying Frenchman’ continues to lead in the national point standings, but Sonny Morgan of Beaumont, Texas, has been moving up fast and now holds second.

 

Beauchamp's string of 10 consecutive victories was broken at Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; on July 28th when Russ Gross of Quincy, Ill., beat him. But Johnny came right back with four more straight to start another streak.

 

Another recent accomplishment by Beauchamp was his doubleheader victory at Hibbing, Minnesota, winning both features in separate races held in the morning and afternoon. Besides his record-breaking performance for one lap at Minot, N.D., he also won features there on two different days.

 

The stock car circuit is getting fast and furious now, with the state fairs underway. Beauchamp will be entered in races at Playland Park, Council Bluffs on Wednesday night; the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines on September 2nd; and the Nebraska State Fair in Lincoln on September 7th.

 

Other big-races coming up the next few weeks are at state and regional fairs in Fargo, N.D., St. Paul, Minn., Sioux Falls, S.D., Marshfield, Wis., Sedalia, Mo., Bethany, Mo., Belleville, Kan., Huron, S.D.; Topeka, Kan., and Spencer, Iowa.

HRN Remembers – 1970

August 20 – Stan Stover of Reinbeck, Iowa, captured his first super stock feature victory on the half-mile oval in Oskaloosa, Iowa, on Thursday evening. Stover jumped into the lead on the first lap and held it all the way to win the 15-lap event. It was a two-car battle for second place with a bumper-to-bumper finish as Ed Sanger of Waterloo, Iowa, out muscled John Moss if Iowa City, Iowa. Sanger would win the trophy dash as well as the second heat. Pokey West of West Chester, Iowa, was the first heat winner and Stove took the third heat. Moss won the Australian Pursuit and Mel Morris of West Liberty, Iowa, took the semi-main.

 

August 21 – Des Moines, Iowa’s Bill Davis, driving a 1956 Ford, made a clean sweep of the race program in Stuart, Iowa, on Friday night. Davis, only in his third year of driving, also took top honors in his heat and the Australian Pursuit.  Davis Bill Geil of Des Moines on lap 6 and then held off Del McDowell of Ames, Iowa, for the victory.

August 21 – Jackie Howerton of Tulsa, Okla., tied an all-time Fairgrounds Speedway super modified racing record when he won his eighth feature of the season in Tulsa on Friday night. Howerton, who has dominated the racing scene since early June, made it look relatively easy in winning the 20-lap main before 4,814 fans. Grady Wade of Wichita, Kan., was looking to sweep the evening’s program after setting fast time and winning both the trophy dash and his heat race, but had to settle for second place behind the lightning fast Howerton in the feature.

August 21 – Ray Guss of Milan, Ill., copped the 25-lap late model feature on the quarter-mile at Hawkeye Downs Speedway in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Friday night. Guss out dueled Waterloo, Iowa’s Red Droste to nail down the feature win. Droste would take second followed by Dale Snyder of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Chub Liebe of Oelwein, Iowa, and Larry Wasserfort of Waterloo.

August 21 – Red Steffen of Eau Claire, Wis., maneuvered past an impressive field and won the 20-lap late model feature at Tri-Oval Speedway in Fountain City, Wis., on Friday night. Steffen started eighth and moved steadily to the front in taking the win. Leroy Scharkey of Rochester, Minn., took second, Wendell Kuehn of Rochester, Minn., grabbed third, Dave Noble of Blooming Prairie, Minn., earned fourth and Gerhard Wollenburg of Austin, Minn., rounded out the top five.

 

August 21 – Bill Hopp of Muscatine, Iowa, was second fastest in time trials at 34 Raceways Park in Burlington, Iowa, on Friday night, but that would the last time he followed anyone the rest of the evening. Hopp would win the match race, second heat and the feature event. In the feature, Hopp took the lead on the first lap and was never headed although Mike Brooks of Hartford, Iowa, Bill Newman of Burlington, applied constant pressure. In winning three of four events, Hopp moved from 12th place to 6th place in the point standings.

 

August 21 – Bob Helm of Rochester, Iowa, made his first trip down victory lane at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds in Davenport, Iowa, on Friday night. Helm battled with Jerry Reeder of Peoria, Ill., for the top spot for numerous laps before Reeder retired to the pits with mechanical issues. Helm would not be denied after that and cruised to the win.  Verlin Eaker of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Jerry Reinhart of Moline, Ill., waged their own battle for second place for 26 laps with the Illinois hot shoe nabbing runner-up honors. Eaker, Terry Ryan of Davenport and Lloyd Ewing of Kewanee, Ill., rounded out the top five finishers.

 

August 22 – Old pro Tuffy Meyer of Big Rock, Iowa, made his triumphant return and won the super stock feature in Maquoketa, Iowa, on Saturday night. Meyer took the lead away from Lloyd Nabb on lap 6 and then powered to an easy victory, his first of the season. Nabb settled for second while Jerry Hull finished third. 

 

August 22 – Thad Dosher of Topeka, Kan., a former national super modified champion, was issued a summons for violating the city’s noise ordinance at the Mid America Fairgrounds in Topeka on Saturday night. Dosher was given the summons by city police following hot laps and before the program started. He had agreed beforehand to be the driver ticketed after the city attorney had ruled that just one driver be arrested for the violation. The races went on as usual and Dosher went to win the trophy dash and feature at the half-mile dirt oval.  Dosher left the track shortly after, drove to the city jail and posted bond.

August 22 - Ray Young of Dolton, Ill., won the 30-lap late model feature at Waukegan (Ill.) Speedway on Saturday night after Vern Brown of Wauconda, Ill., and Tom Jones of Northbrook, Ill., showed Young the quick way around in the preliminaries. Brown won the trophy dash and Jones score the heat win ahead of Young but there was no touching him in the main event. Bob May of Gurnee, Ill., would finish second in the feature with Brown, Jim Cossman of Waukegan and Bob Roper of Chicago following.  

August 22 – Gene Schattschneider of Algona, Iowa, won the Kossuth Speedway season championship on Saturday night, thus clinching the point’s championship as well. Schattschneider held off Denny Hovinga of Lorenz in the 20-lap “A” feature with Ed Helmers of Algona taking third. Earl Tice of Ames, Iowa, earned fourth and Arnie Braland of Boone, Iowa, rounded out the top five.

August 22 – Ernie Derr of Keokuk, Iowa, added to his point total by winning the 200-lap International Motor Contest Association new model stock car race at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines on Saturday afternoon. Derr took the lead on lap 54, overtaking Irv Janey of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for the top spot. Keokuk, Iowa’s Ron Hutcherson would take second place after dueling with Janey for the last 50 circuits. Janey settled for third followed by Mel Morris of West Liberty, Iowa, Mike Derr of Keokuk, and Gordon Blankenship of Keokuk. Derr toured the 100-mile race in 1 hour, 32 minutes and 8 seconds, more than two and a half minutes better than his old mark set in 1967.

 

August 22 – A crowd of 13,500 watched Dean Montgomery of Milan, Ill., capture the 25-lap late model feature at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa, on Saturday night. Montgomery pushed his 1969 Chevelle into the lead at the beginning of the race and was never headed as John Moss of Iowa City, Iowa, nabbed the runner-up spot and Bill McDonough of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, took third. In sportsman action, Sonny Morgan of Blue Earth, Minn., took the 15-lap feature event over Jerry Roberts of Prairie City, Iowa, and Ron Perdock of Washington, Iowa.    

 

August 23 - Steady late model pilot Larry Jackson held off hard-charging defending track champion Don Waldvogel to win the 25-lap feature at Santa Fe Speedway in Hinsdale, Ill., on Sunday night. Jackson’s seventh feature win of the season was timed in 6 minutes and 52 seconds. Early pace setter Clem Lewandowski would finish third followed by Dick Nelson and Danny Albrecht.

August 23 – Arlo Becker of Atkins, Iowa, came from the back of the field to win the modified feature in Tipton, Iowa, on Sunday night. Jerry Hull of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, led most of the 20-lap event, but Becker caught him on lap 18 and the two drivers raced side-by-side for the remaining two circuits with Becker winning by half a car length as the checkers waved. Stan Woodie of Tipton took third, Steve Hansen of Wilton Junction, Iowa, was fourth and Wayne Settles of East Moline, Ill., rounded out the top five finishers.

 

August 23 – Ernie Derr of Keokuk, Iowa, played a brief waiting game at the Missouri State Fairgrounds in Sedalia on Sunday afternoon, and then walked off virtually unopposed with the laurels in the IMCA late model stock car racing program before a sellout crowd of 15,000. Derr, starting in the sixth spot, moved up to challenge pole-sitter Fred Horn of Marion, Iowa, during the early laps, then took the lead on lap 7 and ran away from the rest of the field, winning handily. Trailing Derr’s 1970 Charger at the finish was Ron Hutcherson and Gordon Blankenship, also from Keokuk, Iowa. Horn would loop his 1970 Road Runner on lap 20, come back from dead last and finish fourth. Derr also set a new track record in qualifying, touring the one-mile dirt oval in 25.72 seconds.

 

August 23 – Bill Wrich of Kennard, Neb., won the “A” feature at Sunset Speedway in Omaha, Neb., on Sunday night, but Bud Burdick may have scored a bigger triumph before a crowd of 2,539. The Omaha driver has been second in the point standings all season long behind Bob Kosiski, also of Omaha, but wrestled the point lead from him with wins in the trophy dash and heat and finishing second to Wrich in the feature.

 

August 23 – John Connolly of Delhi, Iowa, out dueled Larry Fabris of Sycamore, Ill., to win the late model feature at Freeport, Ill., on Sunday evening. Fabris was on Connolly’s tailpipe most of the way but the Iowan was able to fend off each bid to grab the checkered flag and close the gap in the point’s standings, which Fabris leads in, 1,150 to 1,040. A crowd estimated at 5,000, watched Connolly bank $600 for the victory. Don Bohlander of Glasford, Ill., took third, followed by Joe Shear of South Beloit, Ill., and Arnie Christen of Mineral Point, Wis.

1956 -Mantz Captures State Fair Race

Johnny Mantz

Milwaukee, Wis. (August 19, 1956) – Johnny Mantz of Duarte, Calif., finished 50 feet ahead of Chuck Stevenson of Garden Grove, Calif., Sunday to win the 150-mile national championship stock car race at State Fair Park.

Stevenson was just 33 feet ahead of Sam Hanks of Pacific Palisades, Calif., while Jimmy Bryan, Phoenix, Ariz., was another 100 feet behind Hanks.

Mantz traveled the distance on the one-mile oval in 1 hour, 41 minute and 48.48 seconds for an avenge speed of 51.96 miles an hour. Eighteen laps fell under the caution flag. There were many spins and wall crashes but no injuries.

Troy Ruttman of Lynwood, Calif., who set the local 150-mile record of 83.091 miles an hour on July 15, finished fifth, just ahead of Norm Nelson of Racine, Wis.

Mantz and Stevenson piloted 1956 Fords while Hanks, Bryan, Ruttman and Nelson each drove 1956 Mercury’s.

Rounding out the top 10 were Jimmy Reece, Oklahoma City, 1956 Ford; Ernie Derr, Keokuk, Iowa, 1956 Dodge; Dick Linder, Pittsburgh, 1956 Plymouth, and Les Snow, Bloomington, Ill., 1956 Chevrolet.

A crowd of 22,964 watched the races.

Results -

1.     Johnny Mantz

2.     Chuck Stevenson

3.     Sam Hanks

4.     Jimmy Bryan

5.     Troy Ruttman

6.     Norm Nelson

7.     Jimmy Reece

8.     Ernie Derr

9.     Dick Linder

10.  Les Snow

11. Bob Christie

12. Bill Cheesbourg

13. Al Shear

14. Allen Swenson

15. Jim Murray

16. Russ Hepler
17. Bert Ruttman

1963 - Lorenzen Kisses Rail But Still Wins Mountaineer 300

Fred Lorenzen proudly shows off his trophy after winning the Mountaineer 300 at West Virginia International Speedway. 

              

Ona, W.Va. (August 18, 1963) - "Fearless" Freddy Lorenzen of Charlotte, N.C., overcame a brief romance with the guard rail in turn two and powered his 1963 Fastback Ford into the winner's circle in the first annual Mountaineer 300 at West Virginia International Speedway on Sunday afternoon.

Lorenzen almost lost his car midway through the race when contact with Paul Clark of Mansfield, Ohio, forced the Lafayette Ford to kiss the guard rail near the score board. Lorenzen, who boosted his earnings to well over $93,000 for the season, had to cut his speed tremendously and give the lead to Joe Weatherly.

Weatherly, who finished second, gained the edge by as much as eight seconds until a mishap involving Wendell Scott and Clark forced a restart. Weatherly was getting low on rubber and took the pace lap in the pits and Lorenzen roared by.

Weatherly, leader in NASCAR's point standings, gave up one lap to Lorenzen who rode to a rather victory for the last 20 laps. Lorenzen finished the race in 1 hour and 53.45 minutes for an average speed of 59.34 miles per hour.

One reason the average speed was so low was a lengthy crack reopened in number one turn after some 50 laps. The crack began as a thin line but developed into a gully by the end of the race. Many of the cars had to slow down considerably to protect tires, but Lorenzen worked out a path to straddle the trap.

Richard Petty, the pre-race pick by the sportswriters, was an early headache for Lorenzen. Petty, in one of the two Petty Plymouths, did a masterful job driving his vehicle through the pack to stay on Lorenzen's bumper for the first 100 laps. Petty took the lead at one point in the race when he streaked through a hole going into the first turn.

His lead lasted only two laps, however, as Lorenzen's fast-back Holman-Moody Ford showed its power by outgunning the Plymouth on the back side for a car length lead.

Petty again took the lead when Lorenzen made his first pit stop when a wreck slowed down the traffic. While Freddy rolled into his pit, Petty streaked by to take the lead. Weatherly followed Lorenzen into the pits and it looked like Petty would clinch the race.

But the Petty Plymouth began to smoke, and the pit crew ordered the driver in for a check before making another lap. The pit stop lasted at least five minutes - as the Plymouth was losing grease in the rear end - Petty even climbed out of the car - and the best Richard could finish was 10th.

Jim Paschal of High Point, N.C, drove a 1963 Plymouth to a third-place finish, and Ned Jarrett of Conover, N. C., was fourth. In all, the event was slowed down seven times because of minor mishaps and blowouts but no major wrecks or injuries occurred.

Junior Johnson of Ronda, N. C., who collided with Clark in the first few laps before the judge’s stand, was one of three drivers who did not finish the race. Johnson was forced out when he developed brake trouble.

Before receiving a congratulatory kiss from Miss West Virginia, Karen Childers of South Charleston, Lorenzen was asked about the crack in the track. "It really didn't bother me," Lorenzen answered, "because everyone had the same thing to contend with.

“I found there was a certain way you can go into the turn and straddle it (the crack), but sometimes when a slow car was ahead there was no choice but to go into it."

In winning Lorenzen earned $1,500 while Weatherly took home $1,000.


Results –


1. Fred Lorenzen, Charlotte, N.C.
2. Joe Weatherly, Norfolk, Va.
3. Jim Paschal, High Point, N.C.
4. Ned Jarrett, Conover, N.C.
5. Buck Baker, Charlotte, N.C.
6. G. C. Spencer, Inman, S.C.
7. Nelson Stacy, Daytona Beach, Fla.
8. Curtis Crider, North Charleston, S.C.
9. Marvin Panch, Daytona Beach, Fla.
10. Richard Petty, Randleman, N.C.

1963 – Billingsley killed as Barton takes Sedalia

Bill Billingsley

Armin Krueger Photo - Bob Mays Collection

Sedalia, Mo. (August 17, 1963) – Buzz Barton, a veteran 46-year-old driver from Tampa, Fla., came out of retirement on Saturday and won the 20-lap IMCA big car feature to kick off five days of racing at the Missouri State Fair.

Barton picked up all the marbles in a tragedy-stalked program which saw the first fatality recorded on the state fair track since the advent of International Motor Contest Association racing here in 1914.

Bill Billingsley, 28, of Oklahoma City died en route to a local hospital of head injuries sustained in a vicious series of flips after his car had collided with one driven by Walt Wyrembeck of Los Angeles on the first lap of the third heat.

Although several observers counted 15 sideways rolls, the front and back bars on the car held up and the car was virtually undamaged. A physician at the scene said that Billingsley’s helmet came off n the first flip and his head had struck the track surface multiple times.

Barton started second in the feature and wasted no time in moving into the lead, picking off Jerry Blundy on lap four.

Blundy finished third after a battle with Harold Leep in the Lempelius Offy, who finished second.

Favored Gordon Woolley of Waco, Tex., left the field on the fourth lap when he lost a tire and hit the fence in the fourth turn. He was not injured.

The feature was halted after 19 laps when Harvey Shane and Roger Lane both spun and Carl Williams was unable to miss their halted sprinters. No one was injured.

Results –

1.       Buzz Barton

2.       Harold Leep

3.       Jerry Blundy

4.       Jay Woodside

5.       Pete Folse

6.       Harry Ross

7.       Dale Reed

8.       Ray Lee Goodwin

9.       Don Brown

10.    Harvey Shane

11.    Roger Lane

12.    Carl Williams

1981 - Gregg Wins Coors Nationals

Belleville, Kan. (August 16, 1981) - Mike Gregg of Fort Collins, Colo., held off strong bids from Sleepy Tripp of Indianapolis, Ind. and defending champion Stan Fox of Janesville, Wise, to win the Fourth Annual Coors Midget Nationals this weekend in Belleville.

 

The race is the largest purse event annually for midget race cars and was held in conjunction with the North Central Kansas Free Fair.

 

Gregg has always been considered a contender for the championship, but has been plagued with problems in his first three nationals. Car problems held him back for two years and last year he rolled during a heat race of the finals.
 

This year he had to hold off Tripp and later Fox who had come from their fifth row starts in the inverted starting field. Tripp caught Gregg about halfway through the 30 lap race, and Fox caught the front runners shortly after a yellow flag restart, but neither could get around Gregg.
 

It appeared on the final lap that Tripp might finally get the job done. The three had caught up with a large group of cars and Gregg appeared to get caught behind a slower car high on the track. Tripp went under Gregg, but as they came across the finish the cars higher on the track were running faster, and Gregg edged Tripp by a half of car length.
 

The championship race capped a three day race program which included an excellent field of 59 cars.
 

There were quite a number of drivers who looked good various times during the weekend. Tripp set fast time for the Thursday night field with a 19.92 clocking, followed by Gene Brown of Phoenix, Ariz., at 19.98.

 

Gregg came back to win the trophy dash. Heat race winners were Gary Byers of Logansport, Ind., Gene Gennetten of Parkville, Mo., Charlie Ford, Jr. of Waldo, Wise, and Tripp.

 

In the main event it was Brian Renshaw who held off Tripp for a third of the race to win. The next night Renshaw scratched that car's sure entry at the front of the championship race so he could drive for his regular car owner. He had won the Thursday feature in a car he owned himself.
 

Following Renshaw and Tripp in the Thursday night main were Gennetten, Steve Troxell of Denver, Gregg, Jon Rahe of Mission Viejo, Cal., Gary Staggers of Arvada, Colo. Byers, John Zerbe of Chandler, Ariz., and Brown.
 

 

Fox dominated the Friday night preliminary, setting quick time of 19.61seconds, fast for the entire field. Others under 20 seconds were Bruce Field of Lockport, Ill., at 19.898 and Casey Slocum of Denver, Colo., at 19.900. Kid Strickland of Denver, Colo., won the trophy dash and came right back on the track to win the first heat. Other heat race winners were Gary Hayes of Kansas City, Field and Fox.

 

Fox dominated the main event coming from the fifth row to win. He was followed by Hayes, Slocum, Field, Mark Passerrelli of Phoenix, Ariz., Renshaw in his new car, Bobby Fix of Englewood, Colo., Randy Roberts of Broomfield, Colo., Jon Backlund of Kansas City and Steve Newman of Denver, Colo.
 

As the Saturday night finals began only six spots had been filled for the championship race. From Thursday night came Tripp, Gennetten and Toxell, by virtue of Brian Renshaw scratching his first place car. From Friday night came Fox, Hayes and Slocum.
 

The other 16 cars, including Gregg, had to qualify from the heat races of semi-main event. In the trophy dash among the fastest six from the first two nights Slocum held off the potent field. Then heat-race winners were Rod Ullery of Englewood, Colo., Garry Bell of Memphis, Tenn., Strickland, and finally Gregg to qualify for the championship race. The consolation race went to Jack Yeley of Brownsburg, Ind., while Zerbe captured the semi-main event.
 

The front ten cars were inverted for the main event championship race which put Hayes and Zerbe on the front row, Strickland and Gregg on the second row, Slocum and Toxell on row three, Field and Gennetten on row four and Tripp and Fox on row five.
 

The main started without accident for the first time in years, and the cars began exchanging positions. A yellow flag dropped only once during the race when Slocum spun on the backstretch and went down to the bottom of the track. About the same time Field had a fire in his car and pulled into the pit.
 

 

The ensuing restart closed up the spaces in the field leading to the exciting finish as Gregg held off the challenges of Tripp and Fox, the 1979 and 1980 champion.

1974 – Unser makes it look easy in 150-miler at Milwaukee

Milwaukee, Wis. (August 15, 1974) – Bobby Unser of Albuquerque, N.M., scored the easy victory with his 1974 Dodge Charger in the 150-mile USAC stock car race at Wisconsin’s State Fair Park on Thursday afternoon.

Unser averaged 97.770 miles per hour over the one-mile oval and pocketed $4,003 of a record $22,725 purse by finishing seven seconds ahead of Keokuk, Iowa’s Don White, who piloted a 1972 Charger.

Dick Trickle of Wisconsin Rapids charged late in the race to finish third in a 1974 Chevelle while Norm Nelson of Racine, Wis., took fourth in a 1971 Plymouth. 

Butch Hartman of Zanesville, Ohio, who was aiming for a record sixth straight stock car victory there, finished seventh and fell into a tie for first in points with Nelson. Each has 1,950 points with seven races to go.

Hartman qualified third but was hampered by an oil leak from the 43rd lap until the end and had to make several pit stops. His car spewed out smoke as oil dripped on the manifold.

Jack Bowsher of Springfield, Ohio, who qualified first for the fifth time in the last six stock car races there, led until Unser grabbed the lead on lap 23. He would finish sixth.

Unser led from laps 23 to 33 while Irv Janey of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, took over the point from the 34th circuit to the 57th go-round. Trickle briefly held the top spot for a couple of laps while most of the leaders pitted. Unser took the lead from Trickle on lap 60 and held it the rest of the way. 

Feature results –

1. Bobby Unser
2. Don White
3. Dick Trickle
4. Norm Nelson
5. Bay Darnell
6. Jack Bowsher
7. Butch Hartman
8. Irv Janey
9. Paul Feldner
10. Terry Ryan