Today in Racing History - May 9, 1975

May 8, 1964

1976 – Sam Bartus is a quiet man; exploding with ideas

Madison, Wis. (May 6, 1976) - Sam Bartus is not the sort of person to go unnoticed in a crowd.

He wears silver brocade and gold lame suits trimmed with sequins and rhinestones in the manner of Liberace. He drives flashy sports cars or unusual limousines, such as his gleaming black six-door Mercedes.

He's not one to skimp on money. When he has it (and he has it) he goes first class. “I like to stay in nice places and eat good food,” he says. “Money is for spending.”

He has a large five-bedroom home in Madison and an apartment in Wausau and he spends part of each week at each place when he's not traveling. “But I travel a lot,” he says.

He takes chances, jumping into new ventures with an abandon that might terrify lesser souls. “I like the challenge,” he notes. “The harder it is, the better”

Yet despite his wardrobe (not a gray flannel suit in the lot) and his Cadillac’s (he buys two convertibles every year) and his Mercedes with its refrigerator, television set, bar, real leather and mahogany interior, Sam Bartus does not have a flamboyant personality.

This stocky, hard working sensitive man is rather quiet, soft spoken and private.

He was born 54 years ago in Mosinee, saw service with the army in World War II, earned the Purple Heart and collected a few other medals, and wound up in Japan with the occupational forces.

Back in the United States, he started selling farm machinery and cars in Mosinee, later in Wausau, and got bitten by the stock car racing bug. He entered his first race in 1951 and came away a winner, which is some sort of a record, he says.

With just his interest in stock car racing to spur him on, he built his first of several dirt tracks near Wausau the following year. The track wasn't too successful, so he opened a gravel pit on the same site with his brother Ed, who still owns and runs it.

More interested in cars than gravel, Sam cut loose from the gravel pit and opened a used car garage in Wausau, where he keeps his ever-changing collection of antique or unusual cars. Right now he has a 1924 Cadillac limousine, a ‘49 Desoto, several other ancient Cadillac’s and of course the Mercedes. “When I see a car I like, I buy it,” Sam says.

The used car business flourished and is still going strong, but Sam couldn't get stock car racing out of his mind. He built several tracks around the state before he tackled the Capital Super Speedway, a quarter million dollar venture near Oregon, which he jumped into when his bank balance was only $10,000.

He started building the track in the fall of 1968, was grounded for the winter, and went back to work in April. “It was mission impossible,” he recalls. “The place was a mess, but I told people we’d be open for business in May and we did.”

In order to get the speedway on the road, he worked as much as 40 hours straight without resting. “I hauled pipes and lumber and other materials from all over the state,” he says.

That must have been a picture to give passersby pause: Sam in his flashy brocade suits) hauling rough materials on a two-wheeler behind his streamlined Eldorado Cadillac convertible.

Now Sam's hatched another idea. He's planning to hold rock festivals on a 500-acre plot of land 75 miles north of Los Angeles. He's never put on a rock festival before, but that's the challenge.

“I've observed how other rock festivals were held,” he says. “And I didn't think they were doing a good job.”

“A rock festival was never held more than once in the same place. I plan to hold a successful one and repeat it every so often in the same location.’

He tried to get a place in Wisconsin for the rock festival but permits “are hard to come by mostly because of the past bad records of other rock festivals,” he says.

The prospect of risking his current financial stability on a rock festival doesn’t seem to faze Sam.

“I figured if I can build a track without much money, I can go into rock too," he says confidently.

His first rock festival is scheduled for the Labor Day weekend, but all plans wait the granting of the permit, which he expects this week. Then everything will fall into place, Sam is confident.

In the meantime, he's learning how to fly an airplane, spending two to three hours a week up in the air with an instructor. He expects to have his license any day now.

Then, if anyone wants to swap an airplane for his Mercedes, he's willing.

1986 – Shear still winning; takes ARTGO Spring Classic

Rich Bickle (45) leads Joe Shear (36) during the ARTGO Spring Classic at Rockford.  Shear would on to win the 86-lap feature. - Stan Kalwasinski Photo

Rockford, Ill. (May 4, 1986) – Joe Shear continued his domination the ARTGO Challenge Series slicing through the field from his 12th starting position to win the ninth annual Spring Classic at Rockford Speedway on Sunday.

Shear, who won the ARTGO opener at Grundy County two weeks earlier, recorded a rare ARTGO clean sweep, setting fast time, winning his 12-lap heat race and then taking the feature win.

Rich Bickle Jr. edged into the lead on the first lap from his front row starting position with Dave Weltmeyer second and Don Leach in third. With 10 laps complete, Shear started slicing his way through the field, using the tough inside lane with Dick Trickle trying to keep up in his V-6 powered Chevrolet Celebrity. 

The yellow flew for the first time on lap 32 and again on lap 34, which sent Jim Weber to the sidelines. Those would be the only two cautions of the main event.

With the green flag out again, Bickle and Shear were at the front with Weltmeyer running third. For the next 20 laps, these two Wisconsin hot shoes kept the fans on the edge of their seats as Shear tried every line to gain the top spot.

On lap 55, the top six – Bickle, Shear, Weltmeyer, Terry Baldry, Bobby Dotter and Trickle – were nose to tail. Finally, on lap 57, Shear ducked to the inside, shared some paint with Bickle, and took the lead coming out of turn four. He would hold the lead from there beating Bickle to the checkers by a quarter of a lap.

Meanwhile, Trickle’s V-6 came to life under the long green period and he proceeded to pick off Dotter, Baldry, and Weltmeyer to finish third.

After the win, Shear was asked what his secrets were to running the tough groove in the first tow ARTGO dates. “It’s the chassis,” explained the six-time National Short Track Champion. “We only ran this car four times in ’85, but we knew it was just what we needed to make a run at the ARTGO title this season.”


Results –

1. Joe Shear
2. Rich Bickle Jr.
3. Dick Trickle
4. Bobby Dotter
5. Terry Baldry
6. Dave Weltmeyer
7. Al Schill
8. Tony Strupp
9. Steve Holzhausen
10. Don Leach
11. George Prziborowski
12. Bobby McDonald
13. Scott Hansen
14. Lee Sohns
15. Doug Herbst
16. Dave Anspaugh
17. Roger Lund
18. Jim Weber
19. Conrad Morgan
20. Randy Merriman
21. Randy Sargent
22. Axel Dahlberg

May 3, 1969

1973 - Joe's bitter. . . Frasson loves racing, but Winston 500 may be his last

Joe Frasson

Talladega, Ala. (May 2, 1973) - Because he loves racing, Joe Frasson comes all the way from Golden Valley, Minn., to the speedways of the southeast.

Because he loves his family and has responsibilities away from Southern speedways, Joe Frasson might quit racing after Sunday's Winston 500.

Any stock car fan knows Frasson. He's the one who wears the floppy black hat, weighs 230 pounds, has the crooked nose and grins like a Cheshire at anybody in sight. Get a good look at him this week. It might be your last.

Frasson is bitter. Bitter enough to quit.

"I’m bitter because as long as I've been down here (South) purses haven't increased," says Frasson. "Yet the expense of racing is shooting up all the time. I don't see why a car that wins a race gets twice as much money as the second-place car, and the second-place finisher gets twice as much as the third.

"I guarantee you if you don't finish at least fifth, you can't pay your motel and tire bill."

While drivers like Richard Petty, David Pearson, Buddy Baker, Bobby Isaac and Bobby Allison - drivers Frasson calls "hot dogs" - normally finish among the top five in a race, it is fellows like Frasson who bring up the middle of the pack. Some cars have to be in front, some in the middle, and some at the end. But Frasson contends that only the "hot dogs" make the profits.

"I think a lot of drivers feel the same as I do," he says. "I'm not racing to get rich. I love to race, but I'm not gonna stay down here and put my business in danger."

The business is Joe Frasson Cement Company in Golden Valley, formerly Mario Frasson Cement Company. Joe was half-owner until he bought his dad out about a week ago.

"I’ve lost over $39,000 in racing just this year - $39,441 to be exact," said Frasson loudly. "Shoot. Guys like me can't make a dollar in racing. At least not the way (Bill) France has the purse so top-heavy."

Frasson also sounds off about Talladega's 60-car starting field for Sunday's race, the largest field in modern NASCAR history.

"For one thing, there's no money in it," he says. "They've increased the field but haven't hiked up the purse. And those cars starting 40 and on back are not gonna be competitive by any means. They'll be from 40 to 50 miles per hour difference in the first ear and the 40th, at minimum.

"And all 60 cars will do is give up more caution flags. NASCAR was talking earlier about cutting the field to 40 cars so there wouldn't be so many cautions. It looks like they've eliminated that idea."

Frasson admits there is one thing that could definitely prolong his career in racing, and that is to win here Sunday. He is confident.

"We’ve got all our eggs in the basket for this one," he says, grinning again. "I feel like we're capable of winning it. My crew's got lots more experience now. They've been giving me some real good stops. I think they're as fast as anybody out here.

"We're hoping for 194 (mph). Last year 191 was the top speed, and from all indications everybody's quicker than last year.

"I’ve always said some people come to race and some come to be in a race," said Frasson, aiming a stopwatch at Buddy Baker's Dodge circling Alabama International's tri-oval. "I don't come two-thirds of the way across the United States just to be in a race. I come to run all-out, all the way."

And that's just what the jolly Italian is getting ready to do. At least one more time…

HRN Remembers – 1980

May 2 – The second week of action at the Scotland County Fairgrounds in Memphis, Mo., proved much better for Steve Fraise of Montrose, Iowa, than the first week. Having blown a motor in the season opener while leading the late model feature race, Fraise led flag to flag for his first victory of the season on Friday night. After taking the lead from his outside pole position, Fraise would eventually widen the gap on second place finisher Lem Blankenship of Keokuk, Iowa. Holding down the third spot was Johnny Johnson of Morning Sun, Iowa. Kenny Fenn of Washington, Iowa, would slip by Jim Swank of Hamilton, Ill., on the final lap to nail down fourth.

May 2 – Tom Hearst of Wilton, Iowa, won the NASAR late model feature at Hawkeye Downs Speedway season opener in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Friday night. Hearst held off defending NASCAR point champion Gary Crawford of Independence, Iowa, for the win. Crawford held an early lead in the race but relinquished that lead to Hearst on the 17th circuit. It was Hearst’s first-ever feature win at Hawkeye Downs. Following the pair were veterans Mel Morris of West Liberty, Iowa, Roger Dolan of Lisbon, Iowa, and Ken Walton of Viola, Iowa, who made an outstanding run during the 25-lap event, after starting dead last in the 21-car field.

May 2 –Ferris Collier made a surprise visit to Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kan., on Friday night and went back home to Lampe, Mo., with the lion’s share of the $3,000 purse. The seventh-starting Collier waged a brilliant battle with Rick Beebe of Overland Park, Kan., and Gene Claxton of Kansas City, Mo., before taking over the top spot on lap 16 and then winning comfortably. Claxton finished second; Beebe took third, Tim Trimble of Slater Mo., and Andy Claiborne of Shawnee Mission, Kan., earned fifth.

May 3 – Mike Brooks of Knoxville, Iowa, broke a four-year-old track record in qualifying and then won the 20-lap feature in sprint car action at the Marion County Fairgrounds in Knoxville, Iowa, on Saturday night. Brooks toured the half-mile in 20.22 seconds, bettering Joe Saldana’s one-lap mark by .27 seconds. In the feature, Brooks would start sixth but inch his way to the front, eventually passing Randy Smith of Norwalk, Iowa, on lap 15 for the lead and the win in the season opener. Smith would hang on to second with Tom Corbin of Carrollton, Mo., in third, John Stevenson of St. Paul, Minn., in fourth and Shane Carson of Oklahoma City rounding out the top five.

May 3 – Dan Nesteby of Waterloo, Iowa, made a clean sweep of late model action at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds in Webster City, Iowa, on Saturday night before a near sellout crowd. Nesteby won the trophy dash, first heat and then led start to finish in the feature. Jerry Holtkamp of Williams, Iowa, would take second in the 25-lap event but never got close enough to the winner to apply any pressure. Bob Hill of Randall, Iowa, finished third followed by Kenny Farrell of New Hampton, Iowa. In sportsman action, Ray Kinnetz of Webster City also made a clean sweep, scoring the victory in his heat and then winning convincingly in the 15-lap feature.

May 3 – Kenny Fenn of Washington, Iowa, put his Chevy out front at the drop of the green and led green to checker in the late model contest at Wapello County Fairgrounds in Eldon, Iowa, on Saturday night. Another pair of Washington, Iowa, pilots, Denny Banks and Tony Stewart, put on a tremendous battle for the runner-up position for most of the race until they tangled with 4 laps to go, sending Stewart to the pit area, and allowing Randy Harrison of Memphis, Mo., to pass Banks for second. Banks would hold on for third spot.

May 4 – Lenard McCarl of Des Moines won the sprint car feature and Mike Niffenegger of Kalona, Iowa scored the late model victory to highlight the three-day “Iowa Spring Spectacular” at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines on Sunday evening. McCarl, a veteran sprint car builder, sat on the pole position and led the entire 20 laps to collect the $600 first prize. Another pair of veterans, Bill Utz of Sedalia, Mo., and Sonny Smyser of Lancaster, Mo., finished second and third respectively. Niffenegger held off a stubborn Verlin Eaker of Mechanicsville, Iowa, to win the 25-lap late model main event and collected $750 for his efforts. Pete Parker of Kaukauna, Wis., took third, followed by Tom Hearst of Wilton, Iowa, and Ed Sanger of Waterloo, Iowa.