1974 - Utz outduels Wagner for Win

Bill Utz

Lincoln, Neb. (August 31, 1974) - Bill Utz fought off a threatening challenge from Earl Wagner to win the 30-lap feature at the Nebraska State Fair on Saturday afternoon.

Utz, of Sedalia, Mo., started eighth on the grid and worked his way into the lead on lap 7 when he flew by Jan Opperman, who could not regain the lead from last year’s Nebraska State Fair champion.

Wagner came from even farther back in the pack to a challenging position for the lead on the 15th lap and pressed Utz until the finish but could not get closer than one car length.

For Utz the win meant that he overtook first spot in the IMCA point standings from Larry Kirkpatrick who had just taken the top post from Utz last Sunday at the Iowa State Fair.

"This track is really tough, there are some holes and deep grooves which can throw you an over but if you stay high in the turns, the ride is smoother," said Utz.

Wagner, of Pleasantville, Iowa, also found the high groove to his liking but gathered so much flying dirt from Utz’s sprint car that he could not find the room to pass the leader.

“I got so much dirt in my eyes that I couldn't see any way around Utz, so I figured I would just hang back and wait for him to bobble,” said Wagner.

“This track has some strange parts to it,” Wagner continued, "some parts that are tacky and some slick, besides some deep grooves,” he concluded.

Many drivers found that the track took some, kid-gloved handling.

Ron Fisher suffered a broken kneecap in an accident in the first turn when his car caught a groove and flipped end over end landing upside down.

Later, in the feature race Jim McVay lost control in the same spot and flipped but suffered only minor injuries.

The consolation race took the heaviest toll of machinery as two National Guard jeeps and Dick Kinney's car met on the main straight as the cars were just getting

started for the race. Two National Guardsmen suffered minor injuries in the rear-end collision and Kinney’s car was out for the rest of the day.


Results –


Heat #1 – Ralph Blackett, Carlisle, Iowa
Heat #2 – Larry Kirkpatrick, Wood River, Ill.
Heat #3 – Bill Robison, Topeka, Kan.
Consolation – Ron Shuman, Tempe, Ariz.
Feature –
1. Bill Utz, Sedalia, Mo.
2. Earl Wagner, Pleasantville, Iowa
3. Jan Opperman, Beaver Crossing, Neb.
4. Roger Rager, Mound, Minn.
5. Ralph Blackett
6. Larry Kirkpatrick
7. Gene Gennetten, Gladstone, Mo.
8. Del Schmidt, Topeka, Kan.
9. Eddie Leavitt, Kearney, Mo.
10.Dick Forbrook, Morgan, Minn.

1966 – Stott beats Derr at State Fair

Ramo Stott accepts the STP trophy from IMCA secretary Bill Hitz as flagman Larry Shipley presents the checkers.

Des Moines, Iowa (August 28, 1966) - Ramo Stott of Keokuk drove his 1966 Plymouth to a record breaking victory Sunday night in the 250-lap late-model stock car feature before a crowd of 9,000 at the Iowa State Fair.

Stott whipped past Keokuk rival Ernie Derr on the 99th lap and went on to win by nearly a half lap. Derr was second, followed by Bob Jusola of Mound, Minn.

Despite two yellow flags, Stott shattered two track marks. He clocked in at 1 hour, 55 minutes and 49.97 seconds for the 125 miles, passing the 100-mile mark in 1 hour, 24 minutes and 14 seconds.

Derr charged in front at the start and hiked his lead to two laps when he caught Ramo napping on the 11th lap. The field up to that time had run five laps under a yellow flag.

Ramo pitted ahead of Derr and got out one lap later. However, Ramo later ran past Derr in a driving charge off the first corner of the 99th lap.

On the 126th lap both Ramo and Derr pitted for fuel. But Ramo got out first.

The big surprise was Bob Jusola's third place finish. The Mound, Minn., veteran, who just recently returned to racing, was six laps behind the two leaders in his 1964 Ford. Earlier, Jusola had been running right behind the two leaders before he made his mandatory pit stop.

Every car was required to stop 30 seconds in the pits.

Results – 

1. Ramo Stott, Keokuk

2. Ernie Derr, Keokuk

3. Bob Jusola, Mound, Minn. 

4. Lenny Funk, Otis, Kan.

5. John Mickey, Columbus Junction, Iowa

6. George Barton, Des Moines

7. Butch Hall, Russell, Minn.

8. Hank Melhorn, Kansas City

9. Ole Brua, Albert Lea, Minn. 

10. Bob Dishman, Des Moines

11. Dale Keeling, Waynesville, Mo. 

12. Roland Wilson, Bedford 

13. John Bolen, Topeka, Kan. 

14. Blaine Morrow, Joy, Ill. 

15. Tom Roller, Independence, Mo. 

16. Bill Gibson, Kansas City 

17. Hugh Krana, Rock Island, Ill.

18. Leonard McCall, Des Moines

1959 – Folse Top Winner at Big Car Races

Pete Folse

Eldon, Iowa (August 27, 1959) – Pete Folse of Tampa, Fla., made an easy sweep of three auto races at the Wapello County Fair on Thursday.

He took the 15-lap main event in a time of 7 minutes and 59 seconds against 10 other cars.

Dale Reed of Wichita, Kan., struggled with Harold Leep, also of Wichita, Kan., for second place. Leep had trouble with his racer and eventually dropped out. Tommy Vardeman of Springfield, Mo., finished third.

Folse had to work for his lead in the American Handicap. Leep took second and Johnny Poulsen of Pasadena, Calif., was third.

The other win Folse captured was the Inaugural Dash, a 7-lap event. He broke into a quick lead and won the match without any competition in a time of 3 minutes and 20 seconds. Vardeman was second and Poulsen third.

An Australian pursuit brought first place for Jerry Pittman of Oakland, Calif. The race has the best qualifier in time trials starting in the rear and the other drivers ahead according to times scored. A driver is eliminated when passed.

Pittman’s winning time was 1 minute and 52 seconds. Duke Hindahl of Pekin, Ill., placed second in the event.

In the 7-lap American Triumph dash, Hindahl took first with a time of 3 minutes and 28 seconds. R.B. Hensley of Richmond, Ky., marked second place and Johnny Knox of Des Moines was third.

Dale Reed copped first place in the National Speedway dash with a time of 3 minutes and 23 seconds. Redd was followed by LeRoy Neumayer of Compton, Calif., and Harold Leep.

Two drivers were taken to the local hospital after accidents.

Bob Stokes of Newcastle, Ind., was admitted to Ottumwa, Iowa, hospital with a chipped bone in his neck and Paul Dorcic of Chicago was treated and released at St. Joseph’s Hospital.

Dorcic had the wind knocked out of him when his car spun out in the National Speedway dash. Stokes was injured during time trials. He posted a time of 27.65 seconds and after he had passed the checkered flag, went into the turn, skidded and flipped. He was pinned under the car for a short while.

1973 - Horn wins controversial State Fair 200

Fred Horn holds his trophy after being awarded the victory in the controversial 200-lap IMCA stock car feature at the Iowa State Fair.

Des Moines, Iowa (August 26, 1973) - Boos and cuss words filled the air. Fred Horn of Marion, Iowa, had to be restrained. Then victory in the 200-lap stock car race Sunday at the State Fair was taken from Mike Derr of Keokuk, Iowa, and awarded to Horn.

International Motor Contest Association officials had decided Derr was guilty of “rough driving” and had caused Horn to spin out on the final lap. Horn, driving a 1970 Plymouth, led for 136 of the 200 laps and was in charge from the 104th circuit on. Derr, 25, a teacher, had tried to pass several times in his 1970 Dodge, particularly during the last 40 laps.

Then came the final lap…

Mike started to pass on the inside as both drivers neared the end of the front chute and was still trying as they headed into the first turn. A short distance ahead, one of the slower cars - the 1970 Dodge driven by Mike Wallis of Gardner, Kan. - was running along inside the trek.

Mike was between Wallis and Horn. Suddenly Horn’s car was in a spin. Derr came on as the leader and took the checkered flag.

After Derr stopped to receive the trophy, Horn pulled up, obviously very angry, hopped out of his car and headed directly for Derr.

Race directory Woody Brinkman stepped in front of Horn and kept him away from Derr, who was still sitting in his car. “I’m not going to fight him,” Horn said. “I just want to talk to him.” Brinkman released him and Fred rushed to Derr’s car where he vehemently cussed him out.

Horn was pulled away and Mike stepped out and received the trophy amid some cheers that were drowned out by the chorus of boos from the crowd estimated at 8,000.

Derr walked away and would not comment. Horn and his pit crew gathered $50 and headed for IMCA Secretary Bill Hitz in the judges stand to protest the finish.

Hitz, Brinkman and other officials proceeded to hear other driver’s versions of what they saw take place and also called Derr to the stand to hear his side of the story.

After much discussion, Horn was declared the winner and awarded the $1,000 first prize. Derr was credited with second place and $750.

“Derr was driving too hard into that turn,” Horn remarked after he cooled off. “He was driving way over his head.”

“It’s the going thing in racing,” Horn added. “Whoever gets to the turn first get that spot; the other guy needs to let up on the gas.”

Derr contended he was more than half-way past Horn when they entered the turn. “Dad (12-time IMCA champion Ernie Derr) always told me that if the nose of your car is even with the other guy’s door, they should let up on the gas.”

Obviously, the mishap happened in the heat of competition. Officials lauded Derr for being a gentleman afterwards in discussing the episode. Derr and Horn would shake hands later and both would declare there were no hard feelings.

Time trials were canceled so the race could start at noon – two hours earlier than usual so the ground crew could prepare for the Elton John concert that evening.

Drivers drew for starting positions and Horn started the race on the pole position. He would be the leader when the green flag dropped.

Bill Wrich of Kennard, Neb., driving a 1972 Monte Carlo, would pass Horn on the lap 11 only to have Horn regain the top spot on lap 26. Horn would hold steady until lap 87 when Wrich would scoot by once again. Derr, meanwhile, had managed to work his way from his fourth row starting position to take third.

All three would take a pit stop on lap 104. Horn would be the first to exit, followed by Derr and then Wrich, who would eventually drop out 40 laps later with mechanical issues.


Results –


1. Fred Horn, Marion, Iowa
2. Mike Derr, Keokuk, Iowa
3. Bill Schwader, Riverdale, Iowa
4. Gordon Blankenship, Keokuk, Iowa
5. Bill Stahl, St. Paul, Minn.
6. Charles Benedict, Independence, Mo.
7. Mike Petrucci, St. Paul, Minn.
8. Larry Haney, Kansas City, Kan.
9. Vern Mondry, Lake Elmo, Minn.
10.Eddie Anderson, Grinnell, Iowa
11.Mike Wallis, Gardner, Kan.
12.Fred Kirk, Gardner, Kan.
13.Larry Lynch, Garland, Tex.
14.Tom Stewart, Washington, Iowa
15.Stan Stover, Reinbeck, Iowa
16.Jim Still, Topeka, Kan.
17.Bill Wrich, Kennard, Neb.
18.Bland Robinson, Des Moines, Iowa
19.Larry Snyder, Des Moines, Iowa
20.Martha Wideman, Lufkin, Tex.
21.Gary Brooks, Grand Prairie, Tex.
22.Ferris Collier, Lampe, Mo.
23.Bill Starks, Claremore, Okla.
24.Gerry Harrison, Topeka, Kan.

1967 - Don White beats Parnelli, Foyt at Indiana State Fairgrounds

Don White is surrounded by well-wishers after winning the Indiana State Fair Century. 

Indianapolis, Ind. (August 25, 1967) - Don White of Keokuk, Iowa. won his third straight stock car race on the Indiana State Fairgrounds track Friday night, beating Parnelli Jones and A. J. Foyt in the State Fair Century.

White averaged 83.979 miles per hour in a Dodge Charger and won $6,707. He took the lead for keeps on the seventieth mile of the 100-mile race.

The Iowa driver, who leads U.S. Auto Club stock car racing standings, set a qualifying record of 91.30 m.p.h. the old mark was 90.589, set last year by the late Billy Foster.

Foyt led the first 37 miles. Both White and Jones passed him during his compulsory pit stop. Foyt, who won the Indianapolis 500-mile race Memorial Day, crashed on the lap 83 when the front end of his car developed mechanical trouble. He was not hurt.

The race set records for the event with a crowd of 17,820 paid and a purse of $24,250.

Jones was second in a Ford Fairlane and won $3,405. Al Unser of Albuquerque, N.M., took third in a Dodge Charger, which he banged up in a practice in a collision with Bill Cheesbourg of Tucson, Ariz. Cheesbourg did not make the race.


Results –


1. Don White, Keokuk, Iowa
2. Parnelli Jones, Torrance, Calif.
3. Al Unser, Albuquerque, N.M.
4. Paul Goldsmith, Munster, Ind.
5. Norm Nelson, Racine, Wis.
6. Roger Regeth, West Allis, Wis.
7. Gary Bettenhausen, Tinley Park, Ill.
8. Whitey Gerken, Melrose, Ill.
9. Eddie Meyer, Glenview, Ill.
10. Sal Tovella, Addison, Ill.

1958 – Amick Wins Before 22,000

Des Moines, Iowa (August 24, 1958) – They’re probably still hunting for Bobby Grim at the Iowa State Fair track.

The three-time IMCA national champion wasn’t in sight when Richard “Red” Amick slammed across the finish line Sunday to win the first of four speedway sprint features scheduled at the half-mile dirt oval.

Grim, rated a heavy favorite after Don Carr of Indianapolis tore out a clutch in the first qualifying heat, was fifth in the 20-lap windup before a slightly surprised throng of 22,000 paid customers.

Amick wheeled his Chevrolet-powered sprinter to the front at the start from his inside third-row starting position. Grim, trapped high on the curves by Johnny Pouelson, the former Rolfe, Iowa, resident now living in Gardenia, Calif., didn’t get by Pouelson until the final lap.

By that time, Bob Cleburg, former Rio, Wis., driver now out of Tucson, Ariz., and newcomer Colby Scroggins of South Pasadena, Calif., had clinched second and third spots.

Ken Rubright of Lyndon, Ill., added insult to Grim’s injured pride when he nosed out thee Indianapolis star by a scant wheel to take fourth-place money.

The crowd, the largest in two years, got a chill when Al Sherman of Van Nuys, Calif., crashed into the west wall at the start of the third qualifying heat. The impact apparently stunned the 47-year-old driver as he bounced around the wall under full throttle until reaching the straightaway. It then veered into the pit area, crashing into Ken Gottschalk’s car. Sherman was released from an area hospital after examination.

Results –

1. Red Amick
2. Bob Cleburg
3. Colby Scroggins
4. Ken Rubright
5. Bobby Grim
6. Jerry Blundy
7. Johnny Pouelson
8. Herschel Wagner

1975 – Mike Derr wins Missouri International

Mike Derr scored his second Missouri International stock car championship by winning the 100-mile IMCA stock car feature on the 1-mile track at the Missouri State Fair. Director James Boillot makes the trophy presentation. 

Sedalia, Mo. (August 23, 1975) – Before a capacity crowd in the main grandstands and a well-filled bleacher section, Mike Derr of Keokuk, Iowa, won the 100-lap feature on the one-mile track at the Missouri State Fairgrounds on Saturday afternoon.

Derr, the eldest son of 12-time IMCA stock car national champion Ernie Derr, timed in his dad’s 1969 Dodge Charge sixth fastest of the 39 qualifiers but drew the pole position at the start of the 100-mile race since the top six qualifiers were inverted in the lineup.

Derr would be the early pacesetter in the contest until “Super” Joe Wallace of Kansas City took over on lap 13. He would continue to lead until the 34th circuit when Derr soared past Wallace to the front of the pack.

On lap 58, Derr pulled into the pits for a quick refueling stop and benefited on that maneuver since a yellow flag waved at the same time, allowing Derr to keep his spot up front.

Wallace would remain in contention all the way and end up third, behind Derr and Jerry McCredie, also of Keokuk. Those three drivers completed all 100 laps.

Ferris Collier of Lampe, Mo., would take fourth and Russ Derr, driving a 1972 Chevy II, completed 99 laps and came in fifth.

Twenty of the original 32 starters were running when the checkered waved at approximately 1 hour and 25 minutes after the green flag was shown.


Results –


1. Mike Derr, Keokuk, Iowa
2. Jerry McCredie, Keokuk, Iowa
3. Joe Wallace, Kansas City
4. Ferris Collier, Lampe, Mo.
5. Russ Derr, Keokuk, Iowa
6. Bill Myers, Grand Island, Neb.
7. John Oswalt, Kansas City
8. Ray Blohm, Arlington, Tex.
9. Jim Hager, Liberty, Mo.
10. Jim Hanson, Des Moines