1973 – Prymek wins West Liberty race

Ron Prymek

West Liberty, Iowa (June 30, 1973) - Ron Prymek, Iowa City, captured the checkered flag, winning the feature event at Saturday night’s Mississippi Valley Speed Club stock car races at West Liberty.

The lead position changed several times throughout the race, giving the large crowd of spectators much excitement Mike Niffenegger, Kalona, started in the pole position and led until a re-start on the first lap.

On the re-start, Niffenegger and Mel Morris, West Liberty, ran neck and neck, until another re-start after Larry Rummelhart, Riverside, lost a wheel and went into the first turn wall.

With three laps down, Morris took the lead, with Niffenegger and Ron Hemsted, Lone Tree, both on his tail, four cars piled up in the second turn. Morris hung onto the lead until the 19th lap, when he experienced difficulties and Ron Prymek slipped over the finish line to win the race.

Prymek had run in the second position for several laps after Niffenegger spun out on the 19th lap and Hemsted was sidelined with mechanical difficulties on the seventh lap.

Niffenegger started the evening by setting the fastest time at 26.02 seconds. Morris was second at 26.87 seconds and Hemsted third.

The fast car dash saw Bob Helm, Andalusia, Ill., power his way to victory for his first trophy of the season. Niffenegger started in the back of the pack in the first heat, and with superb driving, captured the first heat checkers.

Morris took honors for the second heat and in the third heat it was nip and tuck for Prymek and Rummelhart, with Rummelhart awarded the victory by a nose a t the finish line. Dave Dodder, Letts, came up with the semi-main victory.


Results –

Heat #1 – Mike Niffenegger, Kalona
Heat #2 – Mel Morris, West Liberty
Heat #3 – Larry Rummelhart, Riverside
Trophy dash – Bob Helm, Andalusia, Ill.
Semi-main – Dave Dodder, Letts
Feature –
1. Ron Prymek, Iowa City
2. Jim Gerber, Long Grove
3. Mel Morris
4. Ed Mellecker, Iowa City
5. Bob Helm
6. Mike Niffenegger
7. Perry Beckler, Tiffin
8. Wayne Settles
9. Mark Colberg, Muscatine
10.Phil Larsen

1969 - Bettenhausen Winner in USAC Sprint Race

Gary Bettenhausen, driving Willie Davis' #2, battles with nemesis Larry Dickson at New Bremen. - Ken Coles Photo

New Bremen, Ohio (June 29, 1969) – Gary Bettenhausen led from start to finish here Sunday to notch his second United States Auto Club sprint car victory of the season, joining Larry Dickson as the only driver with two wins.

Bettenhausen of Tinley Park, Ill., thus strengthened his hold on second place in the point standings behind Dickson.

Jim Malloy of Denver, Colo., drove a brilliant race to finish second after starting in 10th position. Malloy, like Bettenhausen a veteran of the Indianapolis 500, steadily moved through the field, passing Mike Mosley, who placed third on the 26th lap. He could not, however, catch Bettenhausen who had a three-car-length lead.

Sam Sessions of Nashville, Mich., and Rollie Beale of Toledo, Ohio, ran fourth and fifth, respectively. Dickson, the defending sprint car champion, worked his way up from 14th starting position to sixth.

Also turning in an outstanding performance was Doc Dawson of Lima, Ohio, who finished eighth after starting 19th. Dawson nearly missed the feature but an accident on the last lap of thee semi-feature eliminated two of the leaders and he was able to move into the fifth spot to claim a berth in the feature.

Fast qualifier Cy Fairchild of Saginaw, Mich., was an accident victim twice in the feature. Fairchild, who turned a lap of 18.10 seconds for the best time of the day, rode up over the wheels of another car in a first-lap tangle on the second turn, but he was able to make repairs and got back into the race.

On the fifth lap, Al Smith, Todd Gibson and Fairchild, who were all battling for third place, mixed it up on the third turn with all three being knocked out of competition. On the 20th lap, Tom Bigelow, another strong contender, was eliminated in a crash in the second turn.

Heat wins went to Fairchild, Mosley and Beale while Bill Puterbaugh took the semi-feature on a spectacular note as second and third place drivers Wib Spalding and Don Nordhorn hit the wall on the front straight-away just short of the finish line.


Results –


1. Gary Bettenhausen
2. Jim Malloy
3. Mike Mosley
4. Sam Sessions
5. Rollie Beale
6. Larry Dickson
7. Bill Koepfer
8. Doc Dawson
9. Jim Hines
10.Arnie Knepper
11.Don Brown
12.Carl Williams
13.Nolan Johncock
14.Bruce Walkup
15.Lennie Waldo
16.Tom Bigelow
17.Todd Gibson
18.Al Smith
19.Cy Fairchild

1978 – Shryock Grabs ‘Race Days’ Title

Bob Shryock is joined by "Race Days" Queen Annie Morris after the Estherville, Iowa, driver won the 30-lap late model feature - Margaret Gardner Photo

Alta, Iowa (June 28, 1978) – For Bob Shryock, you knew it had to happen before too long. The Estherville, Iowa, race veteran put it all together Wednesday night and walked away with the top prize in the fourth annual “Race Days” special at Buena Vista County Raceways.

“This is our first win of the season down here,” said a fatigued but happy Shryock following the win. “It’s a great win for the guys who work on the car all week, and for our sponsors.”

Shryock, driving a Camaro, started the race on the inside of the fourth row, and patiently worked his way into the third position by lap 7. On the following lap, Bill Martin of Council Bluffs, Iowa, lost a front bumper coming out of turn four, puncturing his oil pan and forcing the red flag to come out.

On the ensuing restart, the crafty Shryock sailed past early leader Arnie Braland of Boone, Iowa, and second-place Tom Bartholomew of Waterloo, Iowa, to take the lead, a position he would hold the remainder of the 30-lap event.

“The car worked well up there tonight,” commented Shryock of his move on the restart. There was a little bump between turns one and two, and I was able to work on the high side, while Arnie and Tom stayed down low. The car stuck in there real well for me.”

From there on in, it was a two-car sprint to the finish, with Shryock holding off Braland’s Camaro for the bumper-to-bumper victory. Bill Rice of Des Moines, winner of the 1975 “Race Days” finished third while Bartholomew took fourth. Waterloo, Iowa’s Dan Nesteby rounded out the top-five.

Late model heat races were won by Bruce Sommerfeld, Braland, and Bill Christman. Braland stormed the trophy dash win with Willy Kraft taking the checkers in the B-main.


Results –

1. Bob Shryock, Estherville
2. Arnie Braland, Boone
3. Bill Rice, Des Moines
4. Tom Bartholomew, Waterloo
5. D. Arthur Nesteby, Waterloo
6. Denny Hovinga. Pocohontas
7. Willy Kraft, Lakefield, Minn.
8. Al Druesdow, Omaha
9. Greg Davis, Boone
10. Frank Jorgenson, Carroll 

1976 - Moore outruns Senneker in Dayton ASA Century

Larry Moore (27) makes the winning pass on Bob Senneker (84) during the ASA-sanctioned Dayton 100 at Dayton Speedway. - Jim Hehl Collection  

Dayton, Ohio (June 27, 1976) – What started out as an eight-way duel ended up as a ding-dong two-man battle between Larry Moore of Huber Heights, Ohio and Bob Senneker of Dorr, Mich.

Moore edged the “Bluebird” in a bumper-to-bumper 100-lap classic which highlighted the American Speed Association’s late model show Sunday afternoon at Dayton Speedway.

Neal Sceva of Urbana, Ohio, paced the main event for 15 laps on the high-banked, half-mile asphalt oval before the motor let go in his 1970 Mustang and he was out of business.

Rodney Combs of Mason, Ohio, who had his Don Thompson-prepared 1973 Camaro in second spot all the way, grabbed the lead at that point, followed by Senneker, Moore, Jerry Makara of Westland, Mich., John Anderson of Warren, Mich., and NASCAR ace Bobby Allison of Hueytown, Ala.

On lap 25, Moore shot his 1973 Camaro, another Thompson-owned machine, around both Senneker and Combs to take the lead. Combs held on to second with Senneker running third.

The running order was altered on lap 29 when Anderson went to the sidelines with a sick engine.

Moore held a substantial lead with Combs and Senneker battling for second until Combs’ machine began overheating and he headed for the pit area on lap 52. He later returned to action but ran only a total of 64 laps before being sidelined for good.

Senneker then set sail for Moore and even though he was banging on Moore’s bumper the final 40 laps of the chase, he couldn’t overhaul the hard-charging Ohioan.

Mike Eddy of Kawkawlin, Mich., who had been in the top five almost al day following Sceva’s departure, wound up third, one lap behind the two frontrunners, and gained enough points to take over leadership of the ASA point’s battle.

Ray Fullen of Anderson, Ind., five laps down at the finish, took fourth with Glen Ohlmann of Louisville, Ky., winding up fifth.

Moore was fast qualifier in time trials with a one-lap clocking of 17.808 seconds.


Results –


1. Larry Moore, Huber Heights, Ohio
2. Bob Senneker, Dorr, Mich.
3. Mike Eddy, Kawkawlin, Mich.
4. Ray Fullen, Anderson, Ind.
5. Glen Ohlmann, Louisville, Ky.
6. Ron Reedy, Middletown, Ohio
7. Robin Schildknecht, Louisville, Ky.
8. L.J. Lines, Greensboro, Ind.
9. Carl Seward, Sharonville, Ohio
10.Dave Sorg, Fort Wayne, Ind.
11.Jim Brandenburg, Springfield, Ohio
12.Bobby Allison, Hueytown, Ala.

1982 – Springfield Sprint Flag Shirley’s First in USAC

Dean Shirley

Springfield Ill. (June 26, 1982) – Hometown favorite Dean Shirley, a veteran of the outlaw sprint and midget circuits, posted his first career United States Auto Club feature victory Saturday night, with a wire-to-wire win in the sprint car headliner at the Springfield Speedway.

Shirley’s most serious threat evaporated on the ninth circuit of the 30-lap contest, when defending division titlist Sheldon Kinser, who was running second on the inside and gaining on the leader, jumped the cushion and hit the fence in the fourth turn.

The incident obviously disturbed the handling qualities of Kinser’s Chevy and dropped him back to a seventh-place finish.

Shirley, who started on the pole, stayed in the low groove all the way and won with relative ease over runner-up Larry Rice.

Rich Vogler came up with a great outside-groove drive from his 17th starting position to finish third despite nudging the fence between turns three and four midway through the race.

Another local favorite, Jim Moughan Jr., finished fourth ahead of Danny Milburn.

Dick Vant escaped injury when he rolled his Chevy in the first turn on the opening lap of the second heat.

Feature finish –

1. Dean Shirley
2. Larry Rice
3. Rich Vogler
4. Jim Moughan Jr.
5. Danny Milburn
6. Eric Trousdale
7. Sheldon Kinser
8. Jim Horn
9. Ed Angle
10.Mark Alderson
11.Johnny Coogan
12.Joe Saldana
13.Roger Rager
14.Morris Coffman
15.Al Thomas
16.Larry Martin
17.Leon Gentry
18.Red Bledsoe
19.Dave Peperak
20.Steve Long

1972 – Latham Earns $3,462 for Victory

Ralph Latham en route to victory at Terre Haute.

Terre Haute, Ind. (June 25, 1972) – Ralph Latham from Cincinnati, driving a 1972 Monte Carlo, averaged 61.192 miles per hour in winning the United States Auto Club stock car feature at the Action Track on Sunday afternoon.

Some 8,500 watch Latham earn $3,462 for the victory.

Roger McCluskey set an Action Track record in qualifying for stock cars, recording a time of 26.18 seconds, eclipsing the old mark of 26. 24 seconds set by A.J. Foyt in 1968. Then, with 22 cars in the field for the 100-lapper, quickly took the lead.

He held the top spot until lap 28 when Al Unser took over. Unser held the lead until the 93rd circuit when he dropped out of the running and Latham, who had been running second or third all race long, took over and coasted the remaining seven laps to take the checkered flag.

Latham remarked afterwards that he ran most of the race without brakes.

McCluskey dropped out of the race on lap 60 when handling problems became too severe, while Bobby Unser was out shortly before that with overheating problems.

Both Unsers, McCluskey and Gordon Johncock — all Indy 500 veterans — were flown in from Long Pond, Penn., when rains halted time trials for the Pocono Schaefer 500-mile race until this Thursday and Friday, if then. Johncock was still running at the finish and took 11th place.

Al Unser finished 15th and brother Bobby 18th.

Paul Sizemore of Terre Haute, who ranked ninth in the USAC point totals, didn’t hurt himself by finishing 10th in the feature and taking top honors in the 10-lap semi-feature.

Lem Blankenship topped stock car point totals heading into the race and finished eighth. Ken Reiter, who was third in points, finished fourth, but Sizemore, who was ninth in points and finished 10th, and Paul Feldner, who was 10th in points and finished fifth, were the only members of the top-10 competing on Sunday.

Missing were Jack Bowsher (3), Verlin Eaker (4), Sal Tovella (6), and Don White (7). Terry Ryan, who was 7th, was at the track but withdrew because of mechanical issues before qualifications.

Bay Darnell, with his runner-up finish, took over the USAC point’s lead.



Results –

1. Ralph Latham
2. Bay Darnell
3. Chuck McWilliams
4. Ken Reiter
5. Paul Feldner
6. Jim Tobin
7. Dave Whitcomb
8. Lem Blankenship
9. Mark Sizemore
10.Paul Sizemore
11.Gordon Johncock
12.Joe Booher
13.Art Schroyer
14.Gordon Blankenship
15.Al Unser
16.Ramo Stott
17.Roger McCluskey
18.Bobby Unser
19.Jigger Sirois
20.Charlie Glotzbach
21.Art Bormet
22.Ray Bolander

1956 – Amick Captures Langhorne 100

George Amick

Langhorne, Penn. (June 24, 1956) - George Amick, of Los Angeles, Calif., fought a determined uphill battle through a host of favorites and sultry-weather to annex the 100-Mile National Championship at Langhorne Sunday afternoon.

Amick captured his first major racing championship before a crowd of 36,000 at the “Horne” when he piloted his mount from sixth starting position to finish first.

Jimmy Bryan, Phoenix, Ariz., Bob Veith, Oakland, Calif., Bill Garrett, Burbank, Calif., and Pat Flaherty, Chicago, Ill., set the early pace in the contest. The action centered around those four as they battled for the lead while Amick continued to pace himself in the fifth spot until the halfway mark.

Amick would make his move at the 50-lap mark and took the lead on lap 76, benefitted by pit stops and accidents that plagued the leaders.

The early leaders gave way to Amick as their troubles mounted. Bryan dropped back when he had to refuel on the 73rd lap and really fell out of the picture when he made another pit stop on the 92nd trip. Garrett, who set the time trials pace to capture the pole, spun out on the second turn on the 75th.

Flaherty blew two tires in the fourth turn on the 61st lap but displayed skill by bringing his mount into the pits without any further danger.

Amick, driving a car owned by Phil Cole, circled the one-mile oval in 1 hour, 3 minutes and 1.46 seconds for a speed of 95.212 miles per hour.

Garrett had the best qualifying time, 32.781 seconds, rolling at a speed of 109.819 miles per hour. Garrett made two trips around the course in the time trials but was given another try when the clock failed on his second turn. It was the next trip in which he earned his lead position. Amick qualified sixth at 33.38 seconds.

Bryan was seeking his third straight Langhorne 100-mile classic title. He set a blistering pace, and several times electrified the crowd with his brilliant driving.

Ed Elisian, Oakland, Calif., was holding down fifth position at 70 laps when he blew a tire right in front of the grandstand on the first turn. He made it back to the pits and was off with a new tire in 41 seconds. Flaherty, who captured the Indianapolis 500-miler and races at Milwaukee and Williams Grove, was making his first bid at the Langhorne oval.


Results –

 

1. George Amick
2. Gene Hartley
3. Al Keller
4. Ed Elisian
5. Mike Magill
6. Jimmy Bryan
7. Don Freeland
8. Elmer George
9. Jimmy Reece
10.Bob Veith
11.Jack Turner
12.Andy Linden
13.Bill Garrett
14.Pat Flaherty
15.Jim Rathman