This Week in History

1994 - Jim Brown of Fremont, Iowa scored an emotional win in the 15-lap IMCA stock car feature at Bloomfield (Iowa) Speedway on Friday, July 15. Brown started on the outside of the front row, took the lead heading into turn one and then stayed up front the remainder of the way. Brown drove the #54 stock car, the car that was built for his son Aaron to drive that season. However, Aaron was killed in a auto accident in March, so Brown, along with member's of his late son's pit crew, completed the car and Jim had been driving it this season. In another ironic twist to the finish, Mike McClure of Eldon, Iowa finished second driving the car that Aaron Brown drove during the 1993 season.

1988 - R.M. Van Pay of Green Bay took the lead at the start, then held off race-long threats by Merv Chandler of Cedar Rapids, Iowa and J.L. Cooper of Claycomb, Mo., to win the rain-delayed IMCA Modified National Series race on Saturday afternoon, July 16, at Luxemburg (Wis.) Speedway. The event began Friday night and with the modified feature lined up and ready to go, it began to rain and the race was rescheduled for Saturday afternoon. With the track rough from the previous night's rain, Van Pay held on for the $500 victory with Cooper right behind at the finish. Chandler grabbed third, Earl Muilenburg of Sparta, Mo., up from the 17th position, took fourth and Danny Wallace of Des Moines, Iowa, up from the 16th starting spot, rounded out the top five.

1983 - With his pre-race strategy working to perfection, Tom Helfrich scored the richest victory of his 15-year career in the 100-lap late model feature, capping the three-day National Dirt Racing Association (NDRA) Stroh's Dodge Nationals on Saturday, July 16, at I-70 Speedway in Odessa, Mo. Starting eighth in a 24-car field, Helfrich ran steady in the early going and restarted fourth following a mandatory fuel stop on lap 51. Helfrich stayed patient, then watched as Larry Moore, Freddy Smith and Rodney Combs all dropped out while leading the event. Helfrich inherited the lead on lap 74 and then held off Kevin Gundaker and then Johnny Johnson to collect the $20,000 payday. "Fuel and tires was the key" said Helfrich in victory lane." I knew it would be a race of attrition, so I just wanted to be near the front at the end,"

1977 - Watching the top-10 drivers in points drop like flies, Ken Nichols scored an upset win in the USAC Midget National 40-lapper at Lil' Springfield Speedway on July 16. Nichols passed Ron Shuman on lap 23 and then held off both Larry Rice and Jerry Nuckles to secure the victory. Mel Kenyon, Sleepy Tripp, Duke DeRosa and Bob Wente all saw their night's end due to mechanical issues or on-track accidents. Kenyon, the point's leader, won the trophy dash and first heat but got involved in a tangle early and finished 15th. Tripp, the defending champion, was also involved in a melee and was credited with 18th.

1987 - The Iowa Firecracker Jamboree

by Lee Ackerman
Omaha, Neb. - The United States Auto Club (USAC) had a short stint as a sanctioning body of dirt late models. By the end of the 1984 racing season the long tradition of the USAC Stock Car Series, the series of factory sponsorship and big name drivers such as Don White, A. J. Foyt, Norm Nelson, Butch Hartman and others had came to an end. This led USAC to try sanctioning dirt late models for a time.

So from 1985 thru 1988, the sanctioning body, known more for open wheel racing, had a dirt late model series. Perhaps the most published of these races was the August 7, 1986 event shown on ESPN from the non-defunct Santa Fe Speedway in Hinsdale, Illinois. But in 1987, the series scheduled five races around the July 4th holidays called the Iowa Firecracker Jamboree. When the dust had settled only the first three races were ran under USAC sanctioning, but one thing was clear Billy Moyer Jr. had made a triumphant return to his Iowa roots.

The Jamboree kicked off at the legendary Hawkeye Downs in Cedar Rapids and Moyer wasted no time in qualifying for the pole against a 37-car field. He set a new track record in qualifying of 20.812 seconds. In the first heat, it was Moyer winning handily with Larry Moore and Lance Matthees in tow. Heat two saw Galena, Missouri’s Ken Essary win over Jerry Inmon of Bruce, Mississippi. Heat three went to Waterloo, Iowa’s Dick Schiltz over Minnesota’s Willy Kraft, with the fourth heat featuring a couple of Rick’s. At the wire it was Fargo, North Dakota’s Rick Aukland besting St. Paul, Minnesota’s Rick Egersdorf.

Larry Phillips

The B feature certainly wasn’t without talent as Missouri racing legend Larry Phillips of Springfield won over Johnny Johnson of Wapello and 1985 USAC Late Model Champion Charlie Sentman of Waveland, Indiana. In the feature it took Moyer until just the fourth lap to storm from his sixth starting position and cruise to a victory in the 40-lap feature. Rounding out the top five were Essary, Egersdorf, Gary Webb of Davenport and Mitch Johnson of Fargo, North Dakota.

The following night at 34 Raceway in Burlington would turn out to be the only glitch in the Moyer Iowa tour. First off, it was Rick Egersdorf setting fast time with a lap at 16.311 seconds. Heat race winners did not include Moyer as the four heats went to Dick Taylor of Springfield, Illinois (winner of USAC season opener at Springfield), Gary Wright of Hooks, Texas (yes sprint car fans, Gary drove late models), and a pair of Johnson’s in Mitch and Johnny.

The B feature once again featured some heavy hitters as Larry Moore of Dayton, Ohio emerged victorious over Jerry Inmon, Jay Johnson of Wapello, David Karst of Casper, Wyoming and Dick Potts of Morocco, Indiana. For the only time during Jamboree week, the feature did not go to Moyer. Ken Essary held on to win the main event over Moyer, Phillips, Inmon and Egersdorf.

Day three found several of the teams using Karl’s Chevrolet in Ankeny as a place to catch up on maintenance before they headed off to the quarter-mile high bank oval in Marshalltown. This was really a homecoming for Billy Moyer as he used to race Marshalltown on a regular basis. Thirty-four late models took time, with Ken Essary setting fast time at 15.29 followed by Gary Webb, Jerry Inmon and Larry Phillips. Moyer would be 8th quickest. Heat one would see Larry Phillips win over Illinois’ Gibby Steinhaus. Bob Hill of Story City, Iowa guided his JD1 to the win in heat two over Rick Aukland. Milan, Illinois’ Ray Guss Jr nailed down heat three besting Willy Kraft and Moyer returned to the winner's circle in heat four with a win over Jerry Inmon.

Sixteen of the scheduled 18 starters took the green in the B feature, and pole sitter Gary Webb won the event over third starting Johnny Johnson with Indiana’s Kurt Nahre coming from the middle of the pack for third. The 50-lap feature would see Pete Parker start on the pole with Moyer starting eighth. It didn’t take long and Moyer had his Larry Shaw race car at the point and once again dominated the event at a track he had raced at regularly seven seasons before. The battle for second was much more exciting as Jerry Inmon and Ken Essary swapped the position several times with Inmon winning out and Essary settling for third. Larry Phillips and Willy Kraft rounded out the top five.

When the Jamboree moved to the Hamilton County Speedway in Webster City on the 4th of July, one thing had changed. The races would no longer carry USAC sanctioning. Nevertheless 30 late models from at least 10 states showed up to do battle. Billy Moyer Jr. started up right where he left off the previous night as he sailed to a win in the first heat race. Will Kraft would run second. Heat two saw Ken Essary take the win over Rick Aukland. In heat three it was Greg Moyer over Pete Parker with Jerry Inmon winning the last heat over Gary Webb.

Lance Matthees would defeat David Karst and Dick Schiltz in the B. It was time for the 50-lap feature. End of suspense, Billy Moyer Jr. wired it, leading all 50 laps. Trailing the red and yellow #21 were Ken Essary, Larry Phillips, Willy Kraft and Larry Moore.

Willy Kraft

The car count dwindled a bit for the final night of the Firecracker Jamboree as the series moved to the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa on Sunday night. Things looked promising for the rest of the competition as Moyer did not win his heat. Heat races went to Tommy Joe Pauschert of Carlisle, Arkansas, Johnny Johnson and Willy Kraft. Then it was feature time. Once again, it was Moyer taking the win in the 50-lap feature as he picked up his fourth win in five Jamboree events. Willy Kraft posted his best run of Jamboree with a second place finish, followed Inmon, Phillips and Jay Johnson.

The first edition of the Iowa Firecracker Jamboree was history and there was no doubt in anybodies mind who the dominate driver was. Except for some sanctioning glitches it was a good five days of racing and brought some of the best dirt late models in the country to the Hawkeye State for a showcase event.

This Week in History

1994 – Veteran driver Chet Fillip posted the first career USAC National Sprint Car Series feature win of his career Saturday night, July 9 at Salem (Ind.) Speedway. Fillips, making his first series start of the season, worked traffic to perfection as he drove from the eighth starting position to the front in just 13 laps. Fillips dove under leader Bill Rose as the two entered turn one of lap 13 and finished nearly a full straightaway ahead of Rose, who took runner-up honors. Jim Mahoney finished third followed by Doug Kalitta and Kevin Thomas.

1988 – Rookie Craig Sunt of Sioux City, Iowa, recorded his first limited sprint car feature win at the mid-season championships at Lake County Speedway in Madison, S.D., on July 9. Sunt, in just his fourth weekend piloting a sprint car, led all the way by a straightaway over Mike Brudigan of Hoskins, Neb., while Kenny Hansen of Nunda, S.S., worked his way up to finish third. In the street stock division, it was the familiar red #75 of Marty Barber, Sioux Falls, taking honors for the seventh time this season.

1983 – Les Duellman of Fountain City, Wis., grabbed the lead on the 18th circuit and went on to claim the 25-lap super modified feature at Dodge County Speedway in Kasson, Minn., on July 10. Duellman took the top spot from Lance Matthees of Winona, Minn., who then held on to finish in the runner-up spot. Bob Saterdalen, Don Zweifel and Tom Hoksch rounded out the top five.

1977 – Ray Guss of Milan, Ill., set fast time, topped his heat race, and went on to win a wild and woolly feature event at Peoria (Ill.) Speedway on July 9. The feature was marred by numerous mishaps of which occurred on the fifth lap. Scottie Harris’ car crashed through the wall in turn number three, went down the embankment, and burst into flames. Harris escaped injury, but his car was demolished. On lap 17, Jim Strube’s car went through the wall less than five feet from where Harris’ did. Strube was able to continue however. Bob Crump’s car caught fire on lap 19, in which Crump leaped from the vehicle with flames on him. He was rolled in the dirt to extinguish the flames and was not severely burned. Don Bohlander avoided trouble in the feature to finish second followed by another popular veteran, Dan Bennett.

July 6, 1977

Victory Lane - 20 Years Ago This Week

Spaulding wins race at DuQuoin on final lap

DuQuoin, Ill. (July 4, 1971) – Wib Spaulding overtook Jerry Blundy on the 50th and final lap to win the DuQuoin Super Modified Blockbuster 50 before 4,600 race fans on Sunday afternoon.

The Granite City, Ill., resident walked away with $1,500 including a bonus of $300 for being the fastest qualifier in Saturday afternoon’s time trials.

Crowd favorite Chuck Amati of Greenfield, Tenn., jumped to a big lead over Bubby Jones, Bob Kinser, Spalding and Blundy early in the contest.

On the 10th lap Blundy passed Spaulding and Kinser for third place and ran behind Amati and Jones for several laps. Amati, formerly of Freeman Spur, Ill., opened up a 12 second lead over third place Blundy after 15 laps before the yellow caution flag was waved on lap 16. Blundy and Spaulding moved into second and third respectively behind Amati on lap 28 before a yellow flag on the 31st round.

They both passed Amati on the back straightaway of lap 32 and increased their distance from the rest of the field. Spaulding ran at Blundy's heels the rest of the race before catching him on the inside down the back straightaway of the final lap.

The victory was Spaulding's first victory and reportedly Blundy's first loss in one mile dirt track competition.

“I believe Blundy just ran out of fuel on that last lap,” Spaulding said after the race. “I had tried all along to get him on the inside but couldn't. I wasn't holding anything back for that last lap.”

“I’ll be back next year for sure,” a smiling Spaulding said from victory lane.

Results –

Trophy Dash – Bubby Jones, Danville, Ill.
1st Heat – Bill Utz, Sedalia, Mo.
2nd Heat – Jerry Blundy, Galesburg, Ill.

Consolation –

1. Tom Custer, Peoria, Ill.
2. Buzz Gregory, Speedway, Ind.
3. Wes Stafford, Vincennes, Ind.
4. Bobby Brooker, Clinton, Ind.
5. Hal Minyard, Speedway, Ind.

Feature:

1. Wib Spaulding, Granite City, Ill.
2. Jerry Blundy, Galesburg, Ill.
3. Chuck Amati, Greenfield, Tenn.
4. Bubby Jones, Danville, Ill.
5. Jerry Miller, Speedway, Ind.
6. Hal Minyard, Speedway, Ind.
7. Wes Stafford, Vincennes, Ind.
8. Bob Sitz, Decatur, Ill.
9. Jackie Cook, McKenzie, Tenn.
10. Bobby Brooker, Clinton, Ind.
11. Tom Custer, Peoria, Ill.
12. Larry Kirkpatrick, Wood River, Ill.
13. Bob Kinser, Bloomington, Ind.
14. Buck Buckley, Kennett Square, Pa.
15. Gene Henson, Paris, Ill.
16. Dennis Ervin, Harrisburg, Pa.
17. Bill Burks, Marion, Ill.
18. Buzz Gregory, Speedway, Ind.
19. Cliff Blundy, Galesburg, Ill.
20. Frank Kurmucha, Murphysboro, Ill.

This Week in History

1994 - Joe Shear topped Kevin Cywinski in a close finish to win the 100-lap 18th annual ARTGO Summer Nationals on Saturday, July 2, at the Dells Motor Speedway before the largest crowd in six years. Cywinski bested a field of 46 participants from nine states with a record lap of 13.504 seconds around the 1/3-mile oval, but started the race from the 15th spot as a roll of the dice plus an added factor of "nine" determined the number of cars to be inverted. Shear, only the 14th fastest, started on the outside and grabbed the lead at the start. Cywinski mounted a charge and with eight laps to go, brought the crowd to its feet as he shot past second place Steve Carlson and pulled alongside Shear. With four laps to go, the leaders encountered lapped traffic and spent several laps in single file formation while passing. Cywinski tried the outside groove on the last lap in an attempt to get by Shear but fell short at the checkered. It was Shear's sixth Summer Nationals victory, having won in 1977, ' 78, '82, '87 and '89.

1988 - It was an all-Kosiski show on July 4 at Hawkeye Downs Speedway as Steve Kosiski and older brother Joe Kosiski finished 1-2 in the Firecracker 50, a NASCAR/Busch All Star Tour race. Steve Kosiski outdueled Kenny Walton on Viola, Iowa on the first lap to take the lead. Joe Kosiski came on strong from his thrid row starting spot and made it a two car battle with his brother with Steve hanging on to record his first career win at Hawkeye Downs. Curt Martin of Independence, Iowa moved ahead of Tom Hearst of Wilton, Iowa in the final five laps to finish third. Walton wound up fifth in the 50-lap event.

1983 - Carman Menzardo of Elcalpon, Ill., won the Interstates Racing Association (IRA) sprint car feature at the Freeport, Ill., half-mile on Sunday, July 3. A torrid four-car battle between Manzardo, Darrell Dodd, Gib Wiser and Cliff Blundy highlighted the 20-lap main event. From his fourth starting position, Menzardo took the lead from Dodd on lap 14 and held it to the checkers. Bob Robel made a fine drive from his 12th starting spot to finish in fifth.

1977 - Jerry Smith of Medina, Wis., led the special 50-lap feature from start to finish to claim the final leg of the Super Stock Car Series II for late models at Paul's Super Speedway in DePere, Wis., on July 3. Roger Paul of New London, Wis., gave chase to Smith early in the race before dropping out with over heating problems. Bill Zwanziger of Waterloo, Iowa, nipped at Smith's bumper for the last 15 laps but had to settle for second. Herb Iverson of Gladstone, Mich., Fred Horn of Marion, Iowa and Ed Sanger of Waterloo, Iowa rounded out the top five finishers. Ken Walton of Viola, Iowa, who had won the two previous legs at both Paul's Neillsville Raceway on July 1 and Marshfield Speedway on July 2, flipped his car on lap 18 of the feature and was unable to finish the race.