1978 – Eldora’s World 100 Winner is Walton

 

 

Rossburg, Ohio (September 8, 1978) – Ken Walton won the eighth annual World 100 for late model stock cars at Eldora Speedway on Sunday afternoon. The first place prize of $11,090 was the biggest paycheck Walton has collected in his five-year career.

The 35-year-old construction foreman from Viola, Iowa, started 13th, but did not earn the victory easily. The race was a third over before Walton joining the duel between Jerry Inmon and former winner Verlin Eaker.

Eaker and Inmon swapped the lead four times. Walton, driving the DeWayne’s Radiator 1977 Camaro, finally took command on lap 95, leaving Inmon to take runner-up honors followed by Eaker.

The engine that powered Walton to his win was just built the week before. “It had been Georgia cars that had won it (World 100) and I do have a Georgia car," quipped Walton after the race.

Only Inmon, Bubby James, Don Hobbs, Ed Sanger, Pat Patrick and Rodney Combs earned guaranteed starting spots by virtue of qualifying times.

The balance of the 24-car field gained entry through 15-lap heats, which were won by Verlin Eaker, Doug Kenimer, Larry Moore, Danny Dean, Buck Simmons, and Jim Patrick.

Results –

1.       Ken Walton

2.       Jerry Inmon

3.       Verlin Eaker

4.       Pat Patrick

5.       Billy Teegarden

6.       Rodney Combs

7.       John Lawhorn

8.       Bill Beckman

9.       Danny Dean

10.   David Speer

11.   Buck Simmons

12.   Larry Moore

13.   Don Hobbs

14.   Ray Godsey

15.   Roger Long

16.   Gary Fedewa

17.   Floyd Gilbert

18.   Bubby James

19.   Ed Sanger

20.   Doug Kenimer

21.   Jim Patrick

22.   Danny Eichler

23.   Skip Watterman

24.   Billy Clanton

Lap leaders – 1 -36, Jerry Inmon; 37 – 88, Verlin Eaker; 89-94, Jerry Inmon; 95 – 100, Ken Walton

1963 – Moughan Captures Sprint Feature with Fast Finish

Topeka, Kan. (September 7, 1963) – Just when it appeared that the old International Motor Contest Association war horse, Pete Folse, was about to win one of his patented Mid America Fair sprint car features on Saturday afternoon, an upstart from the back of the pack snatched victory from the wily veteran.

Jim Moughan, who gained experience racing modifieds near his hometown of Springfield, Ill., won his first career IMCA sprint car feature with a late rush driving the Hyneman Offenhauser.

Moughan started eighth in the 20-lap event, and suddenly appeared in the fourth spot at the halfway point of the race. The apparently finding a hard slick piece of the track that was eluding everyone else, he started picking off the leaders one-by-one.

On lap 15, he moved past Carl Williams, in the Diz Wilson Offenhauser, to take third. Two laps later, he swooshed by Jud Larson, who was driving the Pete Mocca Offy, into second place.

He still had considerable ground to make up to catch Folse. But at the beginning of lap 17, he was right on the Honore Offy’s tailpipe. Coming out of turn four on the same lap, he did to Folse what he had done to the rest. It looked easy as he flashed into the lead and stretched it to a half of a straightaway margin by the time he got the checkered.

Folse managed to hang on to second despite a hard challenge from Larson at the wire. Williams was fourth, with Bill Burdick, driving the Diz Wilson Chevrolet, finishing just behind his running mate.

Gordon Woolley, who went into the race with a good lead over Folse in the IMCA sprint car nationals point standings, finished sixth after switching cars. He qualified the Weinberger Chevrolet sixth in time trials, but in the first heat, he was unable to avoid Dale Reed, who was crosswise on the track in the Goodrich Chevrolet. In the melee, Woolley received a ruptured fuel tank.

 

Results –

Fast Time – Pete Folse (26.94)

First Heat – Herschel Wagner

Second Heat – Buzz Barton

Third Heat – Gordon Woolley

Handicap – Carl Williams

Consolation – Pete Folse

Feature –

1. Jim Moughan
2. Pete Folse
3. Jud Larson
4. Carl Williams
5. Bill Burdick
6. Gordon Woolley
7. Sammy McDaniel
8. Dave Ross
9. Buzz Barton
10. Jay Woodside

1975 - Kosiski (Who Else?) Gets Annual State Fair Stock Win

Bob Kosiski

 

 

Lincoln, Neb. (September 6, 1975) - They’re thinking of renaming the Nebraska modified stock-car championships at the state fair, the Bob Kosiski auto racing exhibition.

For the fifth straight year the Omaha driver captured the 25-lap main event after taking the lead on the 19th lap and holding off a serious challenge from Grand Island’s Clayton Petersen Jr., Saturday afternoon at the Fairgrounds.

“Every year it gets tougher,” said Kosiski, “and this year was the toughest race yet.”

Larry Stromer took the lead from the start and held it through eight restarts in 19 laps before dropping from the race with an overheated engine a conceding the lead to Kosiski, vivid running a close second.

The Omahan took the lead briefly on the 18th lap when he dropped to the inside of the main straightaway passing Stromer. But going into the first turn on the half-mile dirt oval Kosiski became trapped in traffic and Stromer regained command.

On the following lap Lincolnite Jay Sterns spun trying to pull into the infield bringing up caution flag for the ninth time in the race.

The swelling caused the overheating in Stromer's car and forced him to drop from the race giving Kosiski the lead.

Petersen, who started on the inside seventh row of the 24 car field, and work his way up to second place by this time, then glued his car to Kosiski’s bumper providing a wild for lap dash to the finish.

On the 23rd lap Petersen roared past Kosiski on the backstretch, but a spin out at the same time on another part of the track brought up the yellow flag rescinding the change of the leaders.

Petersen trailed closely on the restart and got to the inside on the first turn of the final lap but the Omaha driver held off the challenge and finished just a few feet ahead at the finish line.

Lincolnite Don Droud, who won his heat leading from the start, past Joe Wade on the second to last lap to finish third in Omahan Jerry Wancewicz placed fifth.

Spin outs sent local favorites Dick Jensen, Ardean Buller, Al Humphrey and Jerry Reeder to the pits early in the race.

“I didn't realize that Petersen was that close to me until we got into traffic,” said Kosiski. “He was really coming on strong and I don't know if I could have got him if he had taken the lead.”

His face covered with dust from the track Kosiski smiled and added, “I guess they're leaving this state fair race for me. Stromer dropped out and Petersen had to go back on the yellow flag which gave me the lead. And on this slick track with only one groove to drive in, it's the only way you can win.”

Petersen said he felt that with the break on the yellow flag all he could do was wait for Kosiski to make a mistake.

“You really can't pass on the outside of this track because it's slow slick, so all I could do was wait for him (Kosiski) to bobble and slip a little high on the track,” said Petersen. “But he's such a good driver and had the luck this time. Maybe next time either breaks going for me.”

Mike Dizona won the B feature after taking the lead on the eighth lap of the 10 lap race when leader Larry Jiskra, dropping the race with mechanical troubles.

Heat winners included Don Styskal, Stromer, Droud and Chuck Kidwell. Styskal placed sixth in the main event after running in the top three for the first 10 laps.

Midwest Speedway point champion Kent Tucker didn't compete in a feature races when a radiator hose snapped during a collision in his heat race.

 

Results -

First Heat: Don Styskal, David City, Neb.

Second Heat: Larry Stromer, Grand Island, Neb.

Third Heat: Don Droud, Lincoln, Neb.

Fourth Heat: Chuck Kidwell, Hastings, Neb.

B-Feature: Mike Dizona, Omaha, Neb.

Feature:

1. Bob Kosiski, Omaha, Neb.
2. Clayton Petersen Jr., Grand Island
3. Don Droud
4. Joe Wade, Lincoln
5. Jerry Wancewicz, Omaha
6. Don Styskal
7. Gene Hromas, Ulysses, Neb.
8. Stu Vavra, Milligan, Neb.
9. Rex Nun, Lincoln
10. Gates Kess, Grand Island

1971 – Verlin Eaker takes Du Quoin Stock Car honors

Verlin Eaker

 

 

Du Quoin, Ill. (September 5, 1971) - A near capacity crowd of 17,500 stock car race fans sat quietly through almost 90 laps Sunday, then rose to its feet for a roaring finish in which nobody knew who the winner was.

“Won won?” asked reporters who had charted the leader for each of the laps in the 100-mile race.
Verlin Eaker of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, driving a 1971 Plymouth, was announced as the winner even though he finished third behind Don White of Keokuk, Iowa, and Lem Blankenship, also of Keokuk.

Confusion at the finish had been caused by three caution slowdowns of about five laps each on the 25th, 71st and 82nd laps.

Jack Bowsher of Springfield, Ohio, driving a 1971 Ford, had led throughout the race and had pulled away more than half a lap in front.

After the third caution period, both White and Blankenship again were running almost on Bowsher's tailpipe.

On the 90th lap, White passed Bowsher to take the lead. Two laps later White went wide in the north turn and Bowsher and Blankenship both passed him.

Hitting the north turn on the next lap, leader Bowsher blew his right rear tire and had to go to the pits. White led until Blankenship passed him on the 98th lap only to have White pass Blankenship on the north turn of the last lap.

The pair streaked past the finish line but the excitement had not ended. Rich Oertel of Palatine, Ill., spun going into the south turn and Norm Nelson bumped into him for the only near-accident of the race. Neither car turned over and nobody was injured.

Race winner Eaker had claimed the pole position with the best qualifying time of 39.24 seconds for a speed of 91.743 mph.

Les Snow of Bloomington, driving the Dodge of 1970 vintage, led for the first lap before Eaker regained the lead through laps two to seven.

Bowsher, only the seventh fastest qualifier, was charging through the field and took the lead on the eighth lap. He was still on top until he made his mandatory one pit stop during the first caution period and dropped back to fourth place behind Blankenship, Butch Hartman of Zanesville, Ohio and White.

Bowsher passed Hartman on the 38th lap, took White on the 39th and swept past Blankenship on the 42nd to reclaim the lead.

The first caution period on the 25th lap had come after Sal Tovella and Dave Whitcombe had spun together on the east straightaway.

The caution at the 72nd lap was confusing because no car was stalled on the track. Oertel had hit the rail on the inside north turn but was able to continue into the pits. Parts of his car had been jarred loose on the track, however, and the yellow caution flag was hoisted to allow workers to clear the track.

The third caution on the 82nd lap came after Oertel spun and stalled on the east straightaway. That allowed the cars to bunch again for the climactic finish.

Eaker was the first driver making his mandatory pit stop during the first caution period. He apparently had gained a lap on the whole field in subsequent pit stops by other drivers. Thus was the first to complete 100 miles even though he was running third at the time.

Bowsher was originally placed seventh but long after the crowd had filed out, he was dropped to 30th and last position. His crew had made an illegal tire change after the time trial.

Eaker's winning time of one hour, 10 minutes and 56 seconds at a speed of 84.586 miles per hour earned him $5,821 out of the total purse of $30,642. White got $3,983 for second, Blankenship $2,757 for third. The next finishers in order were Bay Darnell, Norm Nelson, Butch Hartman, Paul Feldner, Ted Dolan, Harold Fair and Leonard Blanchard.

Results -


1. Verlin Eaker
2. Don White
3. Lem Blankenship
4. Bay Darnell
5. Norm Nelson
6. Butch Hartman
7. Paul Feldner
8. Ted Dolhun
9. Harold Fair
10. Len Blanchard
11. Joe Booher
12. George Giesen
13. Rich Oertel
14. Lefty Robinson
15. Tom Klippel
16. Bobby Wawak
17. Larry Berwanger
18. Bill Moyer
19. Dick Trickle
20. Mark Dinsmore
21. Bruce Jacobi
22. Les Snow
23. Sal Tovella
24 Dave Whitcomb
25. Roland Van Arsdale
26. Paul Sizemore
27. Larry Cannon
28. Al Bunkofske
29. Bill Puterbaugh
30. Jack Bowsher

1967 – Woolley finds His Groove at Fairground Races

Jerry Blundy receives trophy and congratulations from Nebraska State Fair's Henry Brandt. NSI official Woody Brinkman presents the checkers. 

Lincoln, Neb. (September 4, 1967) – Jerry Blundy set the record but Gordon Woolley was the one who found the groove as sprint car racing came to a close Monday at the fairgrounds track.

Blundy, the cagey veteran from Galesburg, Ill., held the lead all 30 laps in cutting almost three minutes off the track record while winning and Nebraska Sweepstakes feature.

Blundy’s victory was so convincing that fans might have been lulled to sleep if it wasn't for Woolley.

The wily Waco, Tex., speedster exploded from 14th place at the start of the race to finish in fourth place just ahead of Lincolnite Joe Saldana.

“I was riding along not doing much,” said Woolley, “when I found myself in this groove on the track. I just stayed in and kept moving. I felt like I was passing everybody.”

The balding veteran couldn't catch up to Blundy, however.

“I really didn't think I could overtake the leaders,” he explained, “but I was passing so many cars I really didn't know where I stood.”

Woolley’s dash was accomplished in a car here been driving for only three weeks – the Charlie Goodrich special.

Track records were fair game on Monday with the Fairgrounds half-mile oval blazing fast. The rain that washed out Sunday schedule races soaked the track just about perfectly.

“Most of our track records are set just after a good rain,” noted race promoter Al Sweeney. “And this track today was as fast as I've ever seen it.”

The 8-lap record was snapped in the first heat race by Jerry Richert but Norm Fall of Auburn, Calif., cracked it again moments later in the second heat.

The expected duel between Richert and current IMCA point leader Karl Busson failed to develop – and a lack of time in the sack probably had a lot to do with it.

Richert, whose motor conked out after 21 laps in the feature, probably was lucky he didn't conk out himself. The Forest Lake, Minn., driver raced Friday and St. Paul came to Lincoln for Saturday's race, returned to St. Paul for a 200 lapper on Sunday and return to Lincoln again for Monday's race.

“I haven't slept in a bed since Thursday night,” Richert said. “And I have to be at work at quarter to seven on Tuesday morning.”

Busson who finished eighth in the feature was in the same boat as Richert. The two rode together during this weekend’s grueling shuttle between Lincoln and St. Paul.


Results -

First Heat: Jerry Richert, Forest Lake, Minn.
Second Heat: Norm Fall, Auburn Calif.
Third Heat: Bob Tomlinson, Palos Park, Ill.
STP Handicap: Jerry Blundy
Nebraska Sweepstakes:
1. Jerry Blundy
2. Don Mack, Grand Forks, N.D.
3. Chuck Lynch, Springfield, Ill.
4. Gordon Woolley, Waco, Tex.
5. Joe Saldana, Lincoln, Neb.
6. Jim Moughan, Springfield, Ill.
7. Roger Lane, Blue Springs, Mo.
8. Karl Busson, Toledo, Ohio

1967 - Norm Nelson wins Du Quoin 100-mile stock car race

Norm Nelson signs autographs for some young fans after winning the 100-mile USAC stock car race at Du Quoin. - Doug Schellinger Collection

 

Du Quoin, Ill. (September 3, 1967) - Don White was crowned as the 1967 United States Auto Club stock car driving champion at Du Quoin Sunday even though last year's champion, Norm Nelson, won the race in a 1967 Plymouth.

White was the fastest qualifier at 39.54 seconds in his 1967 Dodge Charger but after leading for a dozen laps, he smashed into the north fence and his car was disabled.

“You take the money and I'll take the points,” White told Al Unser in the pits a few minutes later. So White took Unser's 1967 Dodge Charger and finished sixth.

The 80 points he gained gave him a total of 2,698 for the season and put him out of reach of second place Jack Bowsher, who has 2,064 points with only one more big race left this season.

So that means next year White will drive car #1 all season and also collect the considerable amount of dollars the accessory people pay the top driver in any classification.

Although the standing-room only crowd of 23,400 fans saw no major racing mishaps Sunday, there were enough spills to cause the race to be run under the caution flag no less than six times.

The delays pushed the race time to a slow one hour, 14, minutes and 11.34 seconds at an average speed of 80.875 miles per hour. This compares with the 1:09:50.42 track record White set last year in a 1966 Dodge.

Nelson never appeared on his way to victory until the last few minutes of the race when leader Parnelli Jones, driving a 1967 Ford, and A. J. Foyt, another Ford man, hit the pits on the 92nd and 96th laps with right rear flat tires.

Nelson made his mandatory one pit stop early in the race and was running well behind the leaders until they also took advantage of caution periods for pit stops. Nelson led from lap 42 to 58 until Jones passed him to take the lead.

At 75 laps Butch Hartman of South Zanesville, Ohio, slipped his 1965 Dodge past both Nelson and Foyt and five laps later Foyt also passed Nelson. Hartman later bumped into the north fence and spun completely around in the south turn to lose his position.


Results -


1. Norm Nelson, Racine, Wis.
2. Butch Hartman, South Zanesville, Ohio
3. A.J Foyt, Houston, Tex.
4. Whitey Gerken, Melrose Park, Ill.
5. Parnelli Jones, Torrance, Calif.
6. Don White, Keokuk, Iowa
7. Jack Bowsher, Springfield, Ohio
8. Bay Darnell, Deerfield, Ill.
9. Gene Marmor, Chicago
10. Paul Feldner, Colgate, Wis.

Today in Racing History

 

 

September 2, 1990