1964 - Race Driver Sonny Helms Dies in Crash

Sonny Helms in the Ralph Malamud Offy in 1961 - Bob Bergeron Photo

Bloomfield, Iowa (July 13, 1964) – Veteran race driver Sonny Helms of Avon Lake was killed Sunday night when his car crashed during the first heat race on the weekly program at the Davis County Fairgrounds.

Helms, 37, suffered a fractured skull and was pronounced dead on arrival at Davis County Hospital.

The wreck occurred when Helms’ super-modified racer ran over the wheel of another car and flipped over, then jumped a fence and crashed.

Helms started his racing career in Knoxville and also competed in events at the old Pioneer Raceway in Des Moines. He drove sprint cars on the International Motor Contest Association circuit for two years.

Last year he joined the United States Auto Club and drove in a few of that group’s races. He was fifteenth in the 1963 IMCA sprint car standings, winning $4,160 and scoring 660 points. He was twenty-fourth in 1962.

1971 - Derr Overtakes Stott in 300

Ernie Derr celebrates his 1971 Iowa 300 win at the Iowa State Fairgrounds.

Des Moines, Iowa (July 11, 1971) - Somebody turned to a newsman with 60 laps remaining in the Iowa 300 stock car race at the State Fairgrounds Sunday and said, “Ramo won’t win. One guy in his pit crew is wearing green socks.”

There is a racing superstition that green is bad luck.

Ramo Stott and Ernie Derr of Keokuk were embroiled in one of the hottest duels they ever had at the time - and they had many during the 1960s. They were 15 laps ahead of everyone else.

Stott, in a 1970 Roadrunner had been leading since lap 132 but Derr stayed close. At the 250-lap mark Derr’s 1970 Dodge Charger went sliding into the wall. By the time he was hauled into the pits and a tire - which had blown - was replaced, he was eight laps behind when he got back into action.

Stott slowed the pace and cruised merrily on his way. His pit crew danced with joy. There was no way he could lose.

But by golly, that fan’s prediction came true. Ramo finished second. Derr was the winner of the 150-mile event – Iowa’s longest stock car race - for the sixth consecutive time.

Here’s what happened before an estimated crowd of 10,100. On lap 178, the left front wheel on Stott’s car tilted inward. Ramo continued to run, slowly, and primarily on three wheels.

At the other end of the pits, Derr’s crew suddenly jumped to life and signaled their boss to start gunning it. Stott had to pit twice to replace tires, which lasted only a few laps. The suspense built.

Derr worked the deficit down to four laps; then down to three. On the 295th lap, the whole wheel assembly tore lose from the car and Ramo tried to stop, but his brakes were gone. He made one more circuit of the track, was black-flagged and finally stopped, although he again overshot his pit area.

“I guess the upper ball joint gave way,” Ramo said after the race as he reclined on the hood of the car signing autographs. “I guess that old bad luck is still with me.” But he added he didn’t believe the “green” superstition.

Ramo was one of the International Motor Contest Association's top drivers during the 1960s, but he never finished better than second in point standings. Derr, who has won 11 1MCA titles, was first most of those years.

Finally, the frustrated Stott switched to the Auto Racing Club of America in 1969. He came into Sunday’s race as ARCA’s defending champion and current point leader.

Asked if he thought he could have kept going and won had he not been black flagged, he said "No." Derr, who isn't one to give

Derr, who isn’t one to give long replies to questions, was asked if he believed he had a chance alter he fell eight laps behind.

He shook his head and said, “I’ll tell you one thing, it doesn't pay to give up. No, I didn’t believe I had a chance, but I just wanted to stay in there.”

The Keokuk “Komets” set a torrid pace and Stott set a track record of 1 hour, 13 minutes, and 64 seconds for the first 150 laps. The old mark was 1:14:25.68, which he held since July 7, 1968. Derr’s time for winning was 2 hours, 34 minutes and 17 seconds, well off the record of 2:23:51.76.

Unofficially, the lead changed 14 times. Joe Wallace of Leavenworth, Kan., took the initial lead. Ron Hutcherson of Keokuk passed him on the fourth lap. Derr took over on the sixth circuit, and from then on either he or Ramo led.

Ramo had the lead most of the time, his biggest being from lap 112 through 296. He also had big margins from 26 to 45 and from 46 to 101. Derr’s best leads were from lap six to 20 and 101 to 132.

But, as Derr said, “Leads don’t always mean much. It’s whose ahead at the finish that counts.”

He went home with $1,610. The winner’s share of the purse was $1,200. The STP Corporation added $450 additional purse money, with $250 for the winner. Ernie collects $100 for each race he attends for being 1970 IMCA national champion and he earned $60 for third fastest time trials.

Stott collected $1,000, Mike Petrucci of St. Paul, Minn., finished third and Gary Martin of California, Mo., was fourth.

Hutcherson, who is second in IMCA point standings, had engine problems and finished fourteenth, completing 171 laps. Another lop contender, Irv Janey of Cedar Rapids, also had mechanical problems and placed eighth, with 213 laps. Mike Derr, Ernie’s son, finished sixteenth after being plagued by mechanical troubles.

Officials used the yellow flag 10 times slowing the race for 41 laps - because of wrecks and debris on the track. No one was hurt in a wreck.

However, Jim Washburn of Keokuk, a pitman for Stott, suffered minor injuries during one of Ramo’s late pit stops. He appeared to have been hit by the car as Stott tore out of the pits.

Results –

1. Ernie Derr, Keokuk, Iowa
2. Ramo Stott, Keokuk, Iowa
3. Mike Petrucci, St. Paul, Minn.
4. Gary Martin, California, Mo.
5. Don Cooper, Sedalia, Mo.
6. Glen Arnold, Sweet Springs, Mo.
7. Jerry Covert, Topeka, Kan.
8. Irv Janey, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
9. Butch Hall, Russell, Minn.
10. John Farmer, Sweet Springs, Mo.
11. Dean Roper, Springfield, Mo.
12. Jerre Wichman, Kansas City, Mo.
13. Gerry Harrison, Topeka, Kan.
14. Ron Hutcherson, Keokuk, Iowa
15. Joe Wallace, Leavenworth, Kan.
16. Mike Derr, Keokuk, Iowa
17. Jim Hager, Liberty, Mo.
18. Thurman Lovejoy, Kansas City, Mo.
19. Gordon Blankenship, Keokuk, Iowa
20. Vernie Covert, Topeka, Kan.
21. Roger Brown, Waverly, Iowa
22. Terry Ryan, Davenport, Iowa
23. Bill Stahl, St. Paul, Minn.
24. Bill Stark, Des Moines, Iowa

1971 - Drivers battle track, weather

Boone, Iowa (July 10, 1971) - It was a rough Saturday night for the top runners at the Boone Speedway as they fought a rough track and the weather.

Only two of the track’s top-10 in the point standings were running at the end of the super late model feature - seventh-ranked Dwight Engleen, Ogden, won it and ninth-place Earl Tice, Ames was third. Only eight of the 18 cars that started the race crossed the finish line. This was Engleen’s second feature win of the season.

The race, which was hampered by a rough spot in number three turn of the track which had been soaked by rain all week, required seven restarts.

Most of those were caused by spinouts or minor accidents, although twice they were required after on of the cars stopped on the track.

Early in the race, a brief flurry of activity on the back straightaway sent point leader Denny Hovinga, Laurens, and second place point man Gene Schattschneider, Algona, into the pits with cars out of commission.

Schattschneider had set the fast time for the night in the opening trials of 18.30 seconds, and Hovinga was second with 18.33 seconds.

Arnie Braland, Boone, who has been plagued with engine trouble the past few weeks, opened the night with a trophy dash win, the fifth trophy he has won this year, but then had radiator trouble. Braland was third in point standings going into the Saturday night program.

Hovinga won the second heat and Schattschneider topped the third qualifying event. In the first heat, it was Dick Swanson, Dayton, leading the way to the checkered flag. Lynn Ballard, Ames, was scheduled for the outside pole position, but came out late and had to start at the back of the pack. He worked his way through the field to finish second.

In the second heat, Rich Green, Webster City, who ranked eighth in the point standings, held the lead for a while and then went to the pits. He also dropped out of the B-Main after tangling with Fred Jorgensen, Ames. Tice, who placed one position out of the feature qualification in the heat race, came back in the B-Main to win that event, taking the lead early from Jorgensen.

Braland, also trying to qualify in the B-Main, pulled out with radiator trouble after running third for a while. Greg Davis, Boone, the fourth place man in points, went out of the feature with a flat tire.

In the feature, Del McDowall, Ames, held the lead through several laps, fighting off challenges from Arlo Dorenbush, Boone. Going through number two turn, McDowall slid and was clipped by Engleen. McDowall slammed into Dorenbush on the rebound, and both those cars went to the pits. McDowall was sixth in point standings and Dorenbush was fifth. Ballard, ranked 10th in points, had to pull out of the main event with car trouble.


Results –


Fast time – Gene Schattschneider, Algona (18.30)
Trophy Dash – Arnie Braland, Boone
Heat #1 – Dick Swanson, Dayton
Heat #2 – Denny Hovinga, Laurens
Heat #3 – Gene Schattschneider
B-Main – Earl Tice, Ames
Feature –
1. Dwight Engleen, Ogden
2. Dale DeFrance, Marshalltown
3. Earl Tice
4. Del Stokke, Ames
5. Darreld Bunkosfke, Algona
6. Gary Lindgren, Ogden

July 8, 1948

This Week in Racing History

1990 – Wayne Lodholz of Wausau, Wis., held off Rudolph’s Tom Reffner in the second half of the 76-lap Central Wisconsin Racing Association (CWRA) late model feature at Dells Motor Speedway in Wisconsin Dells, Wis., on July 7. Lodholz’s feature win, his second of the year on the 1/3-mile asphalt, was the headliner for the annual “Escape to Wisconsin Classic”. Reffner made several spirited attempts to pass Lodholz in the latter circuits, but Lodholz’s defensive driving proved too much for Reffner to handle. Steve Holzhausen of Bangor closed in on the leaders towards the end of the contest to take a very close third, just ahead of CWRA point’s leader Tom Carlson of Lacrosse.

1984 – It was a pub brawl in Beertown and Jim Sauter was the last man standing, taking a hard-fought victory in the ASA Sliver Creek-sanctioned Miller 200 at Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis, Wis., on Sunday afternoon, July 8. A crowd of 27,000 watched Sauter’s Dairyland Transport Firebird finish a scant one second ahead of Alan Kulwicki’s Hardee’s Firebird that saw a record 16 cautions but a like number of cars battling on the lead lap at the end of the race. Just fractions behind Sauter and Kulwicki were Mike Eddy in third, Bob Senneker taking fourth and Rusty Wallace rounding out the top five.

 

1979 – NASCAR star David Pearson showed Iowa fans at Golden Hawk Speedway in Mason City that he could get around a half-mile dirt track just as easily as a high-banked superspeedway as he made a special appearance on Sunday night, July 8. Pearson, driving Bruce Busho’s late model out of Owatonna, Minn., started the feature last in the 17-car field, but worked his way steadily towards the front before settling for fourth in the 35-lap late model main event. Out front at the checkered was Mike Niffenegger of Kalona, Iowa, followed by Bill Rice of Des Moines and Kenny Farrell of New Hampton.

1973 – Bill McDonough of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, made an astonishing recovery after totaling out his ’65 Chevelle just nights before, by coming back on Saturday, July 7, to win the 35-lap mid-season championship for late model stock cars at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines before 8,888 race fans. McDonough totaled his racecar in Oskaloosa on Wednesday night, July 4, careening into the guardrail on the backstretch and rolling several times. The leader in the point standings at the midway break in the season, McDonough started on the pole and led from green to checker in the contest. Stan Stover of Reinbeck, Iowa piloted his 1972 Nova to second place while Bill Wrich of Kennard, Neb., took third driving his ’71 Monte Carlo.

1975 - Feese, Lee win in Fairbury racing

Fairbury, Ill. (July 5, 1975) - Dave Feese of Saybrook took the lead on the fourth lap from his hometown racing rival, Terry Pearson, and then held off the challenges of Tom Myers of Pontiac for the remaining 21 laps to win his second feature of the year at the Fairbury Speedway.

Feese, who pilots a 1972 Chevelle with a 350 cubic engine, that was built by Butch Hixon of Gibson City, did an excellent job of driving. Myers was right on his bumper at all times, just waiting for Feese to make a mistake, but he drove a near flawless race.

Terry Pearson held on to third, Joe Cleary of Odell was fourth, Jack Wissmiller of Lexington was fifth, Jerry Roberts was sixth, Rich Sanders of Forrest was seventh, Ed Bolen with eighth, Jack Tyne was ninth, and Jerry Reeder was tenth.

Roberts turned fast time for the eight-cylinders with a time of 15.99 seconds. Then starting on the pole in the trophy dash, Roberts ran away from the field to win in a record time of 1 minute and 35 seconds. Tom Myers finished second and Jack Tyne third.

Dave Pleines of Arrowsmith won the first 10-lap heat in a close battle with Gerry Reeder of Peoria. Mick Branz was third. Terry Pearson beat Dave Feese and Jerry Roberts in the second heat. Eldon Norrick of Watseka won the third heat. Bobby Nagel and Reggie Weller trailed Norrick. Pleines became a double winner as he outdistanced Branz and Rick Scharp in the consolation.

In six-cylinder competition, Sammy Lee won his fourth feature in five tries this season. Ron Starks chased Lee all the way, but when Sammy Lee gets the “Green Weenie” out in front, it is mighty hard to get by him. Bobby Shell of Clifton was third, Les Peterson of Macon was fourth, and Rich Harlan was fifth.

Ron Starks turned fast time and just like Roberts in the eight-cylinders, Starks won the six-cylinder trophy dash in a measure, record time of 1 minute and 41 seconds. Shell and Harlan chased Starks across the line. Bob Morgan won the first heat, also in record time. Dan Mehrkens was second and Jerry Osborn was third. Les Peterson held off Lee and Shell to win the second heat and Ron

Bohm beat Jim Wright and George Aimone in the third heat. Bohm also won the consolation, beating Al Miller and Wright.

1961 - Nelson wheels to victory at Raceway Park

Indianapolis, Ind. (July 4, 1961) – Norm Nelson, USAC national stock car champion last year, won a wire to wire victory in the 100-lap stock car race at Indianapolis Raceway Park Tuesday.

Nelson, of Racine, Wis., averaged 74.36 miles an hour in his 1961 Ford and was 2.8 seconds ahead of Paul Goldsmith, St. Clair Shores, Mich.

Goldsmith trailed nearly a half-lap in his 1961 Pontiac during the middle laps but started making his bid at the 80-lap mark. However, he was through the 62.5 miles before he could catch the flying Nelson. They were the only two in the same lap at the end of the contest.

Nineteen stockers were still running when the checkered flag fluttered. There were 26 starters. Third place went to Whitey Gerken of Chicago in a 1961 Chevrolet and Elmer Musgrave, Miles, Ill., was fourth in a 1961 Ford.

Following in order were Don White, Keokuk, Iowa, Ray Berry, LaGrange, Ill.; Iggy Katona, Willis, Mich.; Eddie Sachs, Center Valley, Pa.; Gordon Gorman, Libertyville, Ill., and Donald O’Dell, Palo Heights, Ill.

Nelson scored a clean sweep in the day’s card. He had the fastest qualification at 28.37 and won both the first 10-lap heat and a four-lap trophy dash for the four fastest qualifiers. He drew $818 out of a $4,500 purse. Goldsmith collected $526.

Starting on the pole in the 100-lap dash, Nelson built a lead of about five seconds over Goldsmith, who moved from third starting slot to take over runner-up spot. Sachs, runner-up in this year’s Indianapolis 500, moved into third at 20 laps and held it until he had to stop for a tire change after 65 laps.

Another 500 veteran, Bill Cheesbourg of Tucson, Ariz., had a tough afternoon at the top of the 5/8-mile asphalt track. He was riding close behind Sachs in the trophy dash when Eddie spun out of the north turn and collided with Cheesbourg. In the first heat the Arizonan was caught in a three-car tangle on the final lap with White and Les Snow, Bloomington, Ill., in the middle of the north turn. And on the 14th lap of the feature, his 1959 Ford blew a tire again in the north turn.

Results –
1. Norm Nelson
2. Paul Goldsmith
3. Whitey Gerken
4. Elmer Musgrave
5. Don White
6. Ray Berry
7. Iggy Katona
8. Eddie Sachs
9. Gordon Gorman
10. Don O’ Dell