1977 – Hansen repeats at Cornhusker-Hawkeye Challenge

Omaha, Neb. (October 1, 1977) – Iowa continued the domination of the annual Cornhusker-Hawkeye Challenge as 32-year-old Curt Hansen of Dike, Iowa, won the sixth annual event.

Hansen, who started on the pole, took the lead at the drop of the green flag and led for the first 78 circuits before relinquishing the top spot to Ed Sanger of Waterloo, Iowa. The two would make a race of it from there on, racing side-by-side numerous laps. It was midway thru turns three and four of the last lap that Hansen pulled to the outside of Sanger and powered past him for a half a car length victory.

Hansen received $1,200 for the win plus $310 in lap money for leading 78 laps. Sanger would pick up the remainder of the lap money giving the Hawkeyes all 100 laps.

Bob Kosiski of Omaha placed third for the only Cornhusker finish in the top five. Kosiski was one lap off the winner’s pace while fourth and fifth places were four laps down. Joe Merryfield of Des Moines was fourth and Bob Shryock of Estherville, Iowa, placed fifth.

Second place seemed to be the hard luck spot in the field as Don Hoffman of Des Moines blew an engine while running second. Then on lap 22, Bob Shryock was black flagged for a trunk lid falling off while running second.

Dick Schilitz of Waterloo, Iowa, inherited second place only to have his battery cable come loose after 11 laps. Don Styskal of Fremont, Neb., moved into the number two spot until lap 62 when he exited with mechanical issue. Sanger moved into second at that point and went on to finish there.

The feature was started and stopped after one lap because of dust. The track was watered and thee race was completely restarted.

Nebraska did come through for two wins during the afternoon show with Kent Tucker of Aurora, Neb., winning the fourth heat and Jim Van Wormer, also of Aurora, winning the second consolation.

Other wins went to Hansen, Hoffman and Sanger while Denny Hovinga of Laurens, Iowa, won the first consolation.

Forty-eight cars entered, representing Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado and Kansas.

Results –

Heat #1 – Curt Hansen, Dike, Iowa

Heat #2 – Don Hoffman, Des Moines

Heat #3 – Ed Sanger, Waterloo, Iowa

Heat #4 – Kent Tucker, Aurora, Neb.

Consolation #1 – Denny Hovinga, Laurens, Iowa

Consolation #2 – Jim Van Wormer, Aurora, Neb.

Feature –

1.     Curt Hansen

2.     Ed Sanger

3.     Bob Kosiski, Omaha

4.     Joe Merryfield, Des Moines

5.     Bob Shryock, Estherville, Iowa

6.     Kent Tucker

7.     Don Christensen, Harlan, Iowa

8.     Red Dralle, Evansdale, Iowa

9.     Wally Nissen, Omaha

1970 – Oskaloosa Championship to John Moss

Iowa produced another three-time track champion when John Moss won the season championship at Oskaloosa. Moss also won titles at Burlington and West Liberty. He's shown signing autographs for some of his young fans. - Beetle Bailey Photo

Oskaloosa, Iowa (September 30, 1970) - John Moss of Riverside, Iowa, captured the 50-lap Southern Iowa Racing Association season championship on Wednesday night at the Mahaska County Fairgrounds in Oskaloosa, Iowa.

Moss took the lead from his pole position at the drop of the green and was never threatened as he led all 50 circuits. Moss pocketed $550 cash and also received the track championship trophy. His win clinched the SIRA point championship for the 1970 season. With point titles already won at Burlington and West Liberty, Moss became a three-time track champion.

Stan Stover of Reinbeck would finish second in the feature followed by Dan Dickey of Packwood, Ron Perdock of Washington and Jerry Roberts of Prairie City.

Ed Pilcher of Ottumwa would start the evening off by winning the 5-lap trophy dash. Mark Mosier of Washington, Ed Sanger of Waterloo, Mel Morris of West Liberty were heat winners while Morris won the 6-lap Australian Pursuit. Ron Perdock was the 10-lap semi-main winner.

Results –

Trophy Dash - Ed Pilcher, Ottumwa
Heat #1 - Mark Mosier, Washington
Heat #2 - Ed Sanger, Waterloo
Heat #3 - Mel Morris, West Liberty
Semi-Main - Ron Perdock, Washington
Feature -
1. John Moss, Riverside
2. Stan Stover, Reinbeck
3. Dan Dickey, Packwood
4. Ron Perdock
5. Jerry Roberts, Prairie City
6. Mel Morris
7. Don Hoffman, Des Moines
8. George Barton, Ankeny
9. Ken Boyse, Wellman
10. Joel Rasmussen, Ames
11. Mike Brooks, Hartford
12. Marvin Korns, Brooklyn
13. Bill Newman, Burlington
14. Pokey West, Westchester
15. Mark Mosier, Washington

1974 - Shear tops Rockford National Short Track Championship

Joe Shear (36) and Dick Trickle (99) battle it out during the 1974 National Short Track Championships. Shear would go on to win his second career title. - Bernie Tappa Photo

Rockford, Ill. (September 29, 1974) – Joe Shear of South Beloit, Ill., became the first late model driver to win two National Short Track Championships at Rockford Speedway. Late Sunday afternoon, the Camaro pilot took the checkered flag in the ninth annual running of the Black Label sponsored 200-lapper.

Coming off the pole position, Greg Arenson of Edina, Minn., took the initial lead. Shear started in the fifth row opposite arch-rival Dick Trickle of Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. Shear and Trickle timed in with identical qualifying times of 14.29 seconds on the high-banked quarter-mile asphalt oval.

Driving a 1973 Camaro, Arenson held the lead for 19 laps followed closely by Johnny Reimer of Caledonia, Wis., and Dave Watson of Beloit, Wis., both behind the wheels of 1973 Camaros. In the 20th go-round, Arenson’s rear end broke loose just a little in turn four, but just enough for Reimer to slip by for the lead.

Shear and Trickle didn’t waste any time in moving through traffic and pulling in behind Reimer. But it was Johnny’s race until lap 114 when the 1972 National Short Track winner got around him to set the pace.

Lap 176 proved to be a violent one as Reimer went into a slight slide, and Trickle, right on his tail, possibly because of late afternoon sun, was unable to avoid the big crunch. Reimer went sideways and put Trickle into the unforgiving wall. It also caused a chain reaction, collecting six other machines as well.

Reimer was out for the rest of the event but Trickle limped into the pits, changed a mangled piece of metal on the left front and pulled out wrinkled sheet metal on the right side. It was done quick enough during the red flag so that he was able to return to the track and get his position back.

The green flag restarted the race but it was Shear all the way to the finish followed by Trickle, Watson, John Knaus of Rockford, Ill., and Tom Musgrave of Mundelein, Wis.

Six qualification races were held earlier in the day, four of which were rained out the night before. Winners of the two 50-lap features were Neil Callahan of Merrill, Wis., and Jim Pierson of Milton, Wis. The four 30-lap qualifiers were taken by Marvin Palmer of Hoffman Estates, Ill., George Weyrauch of Lake Geneva, Wis., Al Schill of Franklin, Wis., and Don Leach of Beloit, Wis.

Jerry Straube of Waterford, Wis., and his pit crew set a new record of 54.22 seconds in the S-K Tool sponsored National Pit Stop contest. Joe Shear and his crew finished second and Dick Trickle and his crew took third.

With 94 entries from as far as Colorado, the event took on an international flavor as a number of top drivers from the Canadian circuit pulled in.

Results –

1.    Joe Shear, South Beloit, Ill.

2.    Dick Trickle, Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.

3.    Dave Watson, Beloit, Wis.

4.    John Knaus, Rockford, Ill.

5.    Tom Musgrave, Mundelein, Wis.

6.    Terry Brumley, Springfield, Mo.

7.    Neil Callahan, Merrill, Wis.

8.    Larry Schuler, Lockport, Ill.

9.    Larry Jackson, Lyons, Ill.

10.  Russ Wallace, Arnold, Mo.

1969 - Dake bests Freeport Midwest Invitational

Darrell Dake outlasted a stellar field of cars to win the Midwest Invitational at Freeport Raceway. - R.J. Dawson Photo

Freeport, Ill. (September 28, 1969) – Darrell Dake of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, won the 2nd annual Midwest Invitational on Sunday evening.

Dake took the lead from Ramo Stott of Keokuk, Iowa, in the closing laps of the 60-lapper and took home the $800 first prize plus lap money.

Earlier in the afternoon, Stott won the 200-lap feature at the National Short Track Championship at the quarter-mile, paved Rockford Speedway.

Roger Dolan of Lisbon, Iowa, started on the pole and was off and running in his Plymouth Roadrunner. Dolan was never challenged until he broke an axle midway through the race.

Stott inherited the top spot and was pressed the whole way by Dake and Freeport Raceway champion Lem Blankenship of Keokuk, Iowa.

Dake banged on Stott’s bumper as the laps ticked off and when Stott got loose, spinning through the infield, Dake sped by for the lead and the victory.

Dake also won the trophy dash as he started on the pole and led all six laps. Dake was chased in the trophy dash by Dolan and Stott.

Bill Forbes of Rock Falls piloted his Pontiac GTO to victory in the semi-feature. Forbes and Red Droste of Waterloo, Iowa, battled wheel-to-wheel for the entire race.


Results –


Fast time – Roger Dolan, Lisbon, Iowa (25.85)
Trophy dash – Darrell Dake, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Semi-main – Bill Forbes, Rock Falls
Feature –
1. Darrell Dake
2. Arnie Christen, Mineral Point, Wis.
3. Fred Strube, Peoria
4. Ramo Stott, Keokuk, Iowa
5. Fred Horn, Marion, Iowa
6. Ed Sanger, Waterloo, Iowa
7. Herb Shannon, Peoria
8. Lem Blankenship, Keokuk, Iowa
9. Norm Meinert, Davis
10. Bill McDonough, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

1970 – Ernie Derr cops I-70 Speedway race

Odessa, Mo. (September 27, 1970) – Ernie Derr added another win to his ever-growing list of International Motor Contest Association victories with a win in the 200-lap new model stock car race in front of 7,500 race fans.

Derr, from Keokuk, Iowa, battled some of the toughest competition ever on the high banked half-mile asphalt oval when he encountered a strong group of local drivers ready to head off the charge of IMCA pilots.

Dave Wall of Kansas City qualified his 1969 Chevrolet one-hundredth of a second faster than Derr in time trials and earned $100 for his efforts with a time of 20.06 seconds.

Derr brought his ’69 Dodge around the oval in 20.07 seconds and Fred Whisler of Liberty, Mo., took his 1970 Ford around the track in 20.21 seconds.

Irv Janey of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, jumped into the lead at the start of the race with polesitter Lewis Taylor of Shawnee, Kan., in hot pursuit. Later, Wall would move into the runner-up position as Derr dropped back into seventh position.

Early in the race, Keokuk’s Ron Hutcherson would give up his fourth spot as he would pull into the pits with the clutch going out on his ’70 Ford Torino. He would finish 23rd out of the 28 cars.

Wall would eventually get around Janey for the top spot with Derr now moving up to second. The two drivers staged a battle all their own, as they lapped the entire field and continued to set a fast pace.

On a yellow flag, following an accident, Derr would get in and out of the pits without losing any time. Wall would pit later on another caution period but would get caught in the pits when the green flag came back out.

Derr, running the high groove on the track, would continue a torrid pace, winning the race handily.

Results –

1. Ernie Derr
2. Dave Wall
3. Lewis Taylor
4. Irv Janey
5. Harold Young
6. Don Cooper
7. Tom Faircloth
8. Ray Littrell
9. Butch Hall
10. Frank Spencer

1976 – Watson Whips Tough Rockford NSTC Field

Dave Watson won the 200-lap National Short Track Championships at Rockford Speedway. 

Rockford, Ill. (September 26, 1976) – Fighting the threat of rain and 32 other drivers, Dave Watson of Milton, Wis., powered his way to victory in the National Short Track Championship final held Sunday afternoon at Rockford Speedway.

 
Watson, a former rookie of the year back in 1968, took the lead on lap 88 of the 200-lap contest and went on to win by six seconds over runner-up Joe Shear, a three-time winner.

 
Low overcast clouds threatened the race with rain, which began during Saturday night, finally letting up for a 2:30pm starting time. But it misted throughout the entire race which amazingly was run incident free. Only three caution flags waved, two for blown engines and one for debris on the track.

 
The $30,000 plus purse drew a 77-car entry and fans from throughout the country, many who set up housekeeping in their campers on the speedway grounds.

 
Dave Roahrig, a former USAC sprint car competitor, led the first 20 laps until he was overhauled by Canada’s Jerry Makara who set the pace until Watson whizzed by for the top spot.

 
Finishing third behind Watson and Shear, with a $1,000 bonus in his pocket for setting a new track record in qualifying, was Randy Sweet of Edwardsville, Mich. He blazed around the fast high-banked quarter mile in the time of 13.792 seconds.

 
Fourth and fifth place went to Roahrig and Don Biderman of Oakville, Ontario. The top five finishes were all in 1976 Camaros.

 
Two standout drivers failed to finish the long-distance race. Tom Reffner of Rudolph, Wis., and Larry Schuler of Lockport, Ill. Schuler rammed Sweet from behind during a caution period and puncture the radiator while Reffner was a definite challenger in his AMC Javelin until a valve spring broke on lap 110


Results –


1. Dave Watson, Milton, Wis.
2. Joe Shear, South Beloit, Ill.
3. Randy Sweet, Portage, Mich.
4. Dave Roahring, Bourbon, Ind.
5. Don Biderman, Oakville, Ontario.
6. Dick Trickle, Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.
7. Ed Hoffman, Niles, Ill.
8. Bob Sensiba, Middleville, Mich.
9. John Boegeman, Shakopee, Minn.
10. Steve Arndt, Janesville, Wis.
11. Bob Carnes, Kalamazoo, Mich.
12. Jim Weber, Roseville, Minn.
13. Jerry Eckardt, Watertown, Wis.
14. Bill Venturini, Chicago
15. Bill Retallick, Marshall, Wis.
16. Vaughn Gerke, South Beloit, Wis.
17. Ken Lund, Deerfield, Wis.
18. Dick Alssen, McHenry, Ill.
19. Jerry Makara, Ancaster, Ont.
20. Jerry Mitchell, Columbus, Ohio

Today in Racing History

 

 

September 25, 1983