1981 – Parker Tops Oskaloosa NSCA Races

Pete Parker of Kaukauna, Wis., won the National Speedways Contest Association late model feature at Southern Iowa Speedway. Joining Parker in victory lane is NSCA’s Robert Lawton.

Oskaloosa, Iowa (May 6, 1981) – Pete Parker of Kaukauna, Wis., started on the pole and posted a wire-to-wire victory Wednesday night in the National Speedways Contest Association late model feature at Southern Iowa Speedway.

Parker held off repeated challenges by Joe Merryfield of Des Moines and survived a restart when caution flags flew on lap 20 of the 25-lapper.

Parker actually qualified seventh fastest among the 24 late models who posted times. That placed him on the inside of the third row on the starting grid, but he inherited the pole position when second-fastest qualifier Don Hoffman of Des Moines failed to make the feature grid.

Chasing Parker and Merryfield across the finish were Ken Walton of Viola, Tom Hearst of Wilton, and Johnny Johnson of Morning Sun.

Hearst set the crowd abuzz when he was the final car to take a timed lap in qualifying and he lowered the track mark to 21.356 seconds. That mark broke the old record of 21.750 set by Kevin Gundaker in August of 1980.

Hearst actually took to the track as the 13th car to qualify but as he crossed the start/finish line after one timed lap, his car was noticeably sputtering, and he pulled into the pits.

Getting back in the qualifying line for his last of two laps, he became the final car to qualify. While times got slower as qualifying progressed, Hearst was quicker.

Asked about his problems the first time on the track, he replied, “We ran out of gas. In the rush to get the car on the track, nobody saw to it that there was gas in the tank.”

Hearst said the track was rough, but he knew he was moving well on his second lap.

“I felt good out there,” he remarked. “I didn’t know about any records but I knew I was moving right along.”

Late model heat wins were registered by Craig Jacobs of Des Moines, Joe Kosiski of Omaha, and Merryfield.


Results –


Time trials – Tom Hearst, Wilton
Heat #1 – Craig Jacobs, Des Moines
Heat #2 – Joe Kosiski, Omaha
Heat #3 – Joe Merryfield, Des Moines
Feature –
1. Pete Parker, Kaukauna, Wis.
2. Joe Merryfield
3. Ken Walton, Viola
4. Tom Hearst, Wilton
5. Johnny Johnson, Morning Sun
6. Ed Sanger, Waterloo
7. Curt Hansen, Dike
8. Billy Moyer Jr., Des Moines
9. Martin Bennett, Des Moines
10.Dave Sidwell, Iowa City
11.Ken DeGood, Hills
12.Bill Breuer, Wapello
13.John Edwards, Des Moines
14.Tony Stewart, Washington
15.Joe Kosiski, Omaha
16.Craig Jacobs, Des Moines
17.Curt Hogue, Ames
18.Tim Murray, Des Moines
19.Russell Lancaster, Glenview, Mo.
20.Bill Rice, Des Moines

1979 - Hoffman Wins Harlan's 'Spring Bonanza'

Don Hoffman 

Harlan, Iowa (May 5, 1979) – Don Hoffman of Des Moines, wrestled the lead away from Dan Rabbass on lap 8 and led the rest of the way to pocket the top prize in the late model stock car portion of Shelby County Speedway’s Spring Bonanza on Saturday night.

Rabbass, from Bellevue, Neb., grabbed the lead from the green flag but couldn’t hold off Hoffman, who pocketed $800 for his feature victory.

The late model portion had been scheduled for Saturday, April 28 but was rained out. Sunday, April 29, rain date also fell to foul weather.

Following Hoffman and Rabbass to the finish line in the 50-lap main event were Joe Merryfield of Des Moines, and Glen Robey and Jerry Wancewicz, both of Omaha.

Heat winners were Merryfield, Bill Martin of Council Bluffs, and Hoffman. Hoffman also won the trophy dash while Bill Kirk of Salix won the consolation.


Results –


Trophy dash – Don Hoffman, Des Moines
Heat #1 – Joe Merryfield, Des Moines
Heat #2 – Bill Martin, Council Bluffs
Heat #3 – Don Hoffman
Consolation – Bill Kirk, Salix
Feature –
1. Don Hoffman
2. Dan Rabbass, Bellevue, Neb.
3. Joe Merryfield
4. Glen Robey, Omaha
5. Jerry Wancewicz, Omaha
6. Bob Kosiski, Omaha
7. Al Druesdow, Omaha
8. Bill Martin
9. Bill Kirk
10.Duane Errett, Harlan
11.Paul Zdan, Omaha
12.Bill Leithoff, Omaha
13.Keith Mander, Omaha
14.Corky Bailey
15.Rob Taylor, Fremont, Neb.

1968 – Richert Wins Southland 100

Jerry Richert accepts the trophy from IMCA’s Nick Nachicas after winning the Southland 100 for IMCA sprint cars at State Fair Speedway. – Bill Causey Jr. Photo

Shreveport, La. (May 5, 1968) – Jerry Richert, a three-time International Motor Contest Association national sprint car champion, edged past defending champion Karl Busson to grab the checkered flag in the Southland 100 for IMCA sprint cars at the Louisiana State Fair Speedway.

Piloting his Wagner Chevy Special to a 42 minute and 21.82 second clocking over the 50-mile, dirt covered half-mile speedway, Richert, from Forest Lake, Minn., eclipsed the IMCA world standard of 45 minutes and 14 seconds set in 1955 by Jud Larson in Des Moines.

Busson appeared to have the race won when he took the lead on lap 34 nut smoke started billowing from his Cedoz Chevy just 10 laps shy of victory.

Busson stayed in the race despite suffering the burning spray of hot oil pouring from his engine but was overtaken a quarter mile from the finish by Richert.

Billy Jack Casper of Dallas, Tex., finished third followed by Shady McWhorter of Fort Worth, Tex., and Gordon Woolley of Waco, Tex., the 1963 IMCA national champion.

Jim Moughan of Springfield, Ill., took the early lead and held it until Smokey Jones of Dallas, Tex., crashed into the retaining wall in the second turn on the 24th lap, bringing out the caution flag which enabled the field to close the gap.

Busson took the lead on lap 34 after the race resumed full speed. Moughan started to fade soon after and finally drove into the infield on lap 78 and collapsed from heat exhaustion.

That left only Busson and Richert to battle for the $4,200 purse. Richert stayed within seconds of the leader for 20 laps but Busson slowly began increasing his margin until he ran into over-heating problems at the 45-mile mark.

Moughan set a new State Fair Speedway record for one lap in time trials, speeding to a time of 23.71 seconds, which erased the old mark of 23.91 seconds set by Bobby Grim in 1956.


Results –


1. Jerry Richert, Forest Lake, Minn.
2. Karl Busson, Toledo, Ohio
3. Billy Jack Casper, Dallas, Tex.
4. Shady McWhorter, Fort Worth, Tex.
5. Gordon Woolley, Waco, Tex.
6. Lee Kunzman, Guttenberg, Iowa
7. Sonny McDaniel, Pasadena, Tex.
8. Cliff Cockburn, Dallas, Tex.
9. Jack O’Donnell, Fullerton, Calif.
10.Ollie Gibbon, Fort Worth, Tex.
11.Jim Moughan, Springfield, Ill.
12.David Horton, Mesquite, Tex.
13.Tommy Johnson, Dallas, Tex.
14.Charles Sitton, Dallas, Tex.
15.Len Kaiser, Dallas, Tex.
16.Ralph Parkinson, Wichita Falls, Tex.

1986 – Shear Stars at Rockford in Spring Classic

Joe Shear completed the clean sweep in the ninth annual ARTGO Spring Classic at Rockford Speedway. He also set fast time and won his heat race. – Russ Lake Photo

Rockford, Ill. (May 4, 1986) – Joe Shear continued his domination of the ARTGO Challenge Series by slicing through the field from his 12th starting berth to win the ninth annual Spring Classic late model feature at Rockford Speedway, Sunday afternoon.

Shear, who won the series opener at Grundy County Speedway two weeks ago, recorded a rare clean sweep by setting fast time at 13.656 seconds, and then winning a 12-lap heat race before scoring the 86-lap feature victory.

A field of 35 cars participated in the show, which was held in sunny, but windy conditions.

Rich Bickle Jr. edged into the lead on the first lap from his front row starting berth with Dave Weltmeyer and Don Leach right behind him. Shear was already slicing through the field using the inside lane with Dick Trickle right behind him, trying to keep up.

By lap 34, Shear was right behind Bickle and for the next 20 laps, the two Wisconsin driver kept the fans on the edge of their seats as Shear looked for a way to take the top spot away.

By lap 55, the top six – Bickle, Shear, Weltmeyer, Terry Baldry, Bobby Dotter, and Trickle – were running nose-to-tail. Finally, on the 57th lap, Shear drove to the inside of Bickle, traded some paint, and took the lead on the fourth turn. He would never relinquish it,

Meanwhile, Trickle’s V-6 powered Celebrity came to life, and he picked off Dotter, Baldry, and finally Weltmeyer to finish third behind Shear and Bickle.

After the win Shear was asked his secret to running “the tough groove” at tracks like Grundy County and Rockford.

“It’s the chassis,” the six-time National Short Track champion explained. “We only ran this car four times at the end of the ’85 season but we knew it was just what we needed to hopefully secure our first ARTGO championship.”


Results –


1. Joe Shear, Clinton, Wis.
2. Rich Bickle Jr., Edgerton, Wis.
3. Dick Trickle, Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.
4. Bobby Dotter, Chicago
5. Terry Baldry, Omro, Wis.
6. Dave Weltmeyer, Harvey
7. Al Schill, Franklin, Wis.
8. Tony Strupp, Slinger, Wis.
9. Steve Holzhausen, Bangor, Wis.
10.Don Leach, Beloit, Wis.
11.George Prziborowski, Apple Valley, Minn.
12.Bobby McDonald, Combined Locks, Wis.
13.Scott Hansen, Green Bay, Wis.
14.Lee Sohns, Waterford, Wis.
15.Doug Herbst, Wausau, Wis.

The one and only lead change in the 86-lap ARTGO Spring Classic takes place on lap 57 as Joe Shear (36) gets by Rich Bickle Jr. (45) for the lead and the eventual win. – Don Thies Photo

1974 – Kirkpatrick Captures Stuart Super Win

 

Larry Kirkpatrick is joined by his crew and promoter Gail Miller (far right) after his super sprint victory at Stuart Speedway. - AMR Photo

Stuart, Iowa (May 3, 1974) – Gail Miller’s Stuart Speedway played host to an excellent field of the Midwest’s super sprints as the quarter-mile track opened for weekly sprint racing for the remainder of the summer months.

The previously exclusive stock car track saw some of the finest racing in the facility’s 13-year history with two life-long friends battling each other tooth and nail all evening.

When the dust settled, Larry Kirkpatrick of Wood River, Ill., captured the feature event over former Wood River resident Ron Perkins, now a Des Moines mobile home salesman.

Perkins jumped out to the initial led in the 15-lap event with Kirkpatrick right on the exhaust pipes off the Dave Van Patten #19 car. Perkins drove into turn three too hard on lap 6, sliding high into the corner which gave Kirkpatrick, driving the beautiful black Jim Springer #28, the opportunity to slip down low to take the lead.

Once in front, Kirkpatrick would not be denied and took the checkers with Perkins in close pursuit. Following Kirkpatrick and Perkin were Ralph Blackett of Des Moines, Leonard McCarl of Bonaparte, Iowa and Mike Thomas of Des Moines.

In preliminary action, Kirkpatrick outdueled the persistent McCarl to capture the first heat with Perkins winning the second heat over Bert Sonner of Des Moines. Ralph Blackett pushed Jim Utt’s Chevy to wins in the trophy dash and a special match race.

Mike Thomas, driving his own “taboo” green-colored #37, won an accident-marred consolation over Adrian Zoutte of Knoxville, Iowa. The red flag came out on the last lap when Bill Miller of Prairie City, Iowa, developed problems with a radiator hose which broke spraying hot water on Miller’s legs. Despite suffering first and second-degree burns on his legs, Miller was seen walking around the pit area after the races.

1982 - Senneker takes ASA 'Badgerland 150'

Bob Senneker

Milwaukee, Wis. (May 2, 1982) – Bob Senneker continued a long string of successes at the Milwaukee Mile by winning the ASA-AMSOIL Racing Series ‘Badgerland 150’ edging Alan Kulwicki by a narrow half-second margin that capped a spectacular late race duel.

The final 20 miles of the 150-mile event saw Senneker’s ’81 Camaro and Kulwicki’s ’82 Firebird just inches apart in an all-out scrap.

Mike Eddy was third and Butch Miller was fourth. Bobby Dotter was fifth, a lap off the pace for his best-ever ASA finish; Minnesota’s Mel Whalen drove an inspired race to finish sixth, and the top ten was filled out by Harold Fair, Billy Kuhn, rookie Kent Stauffer, and Rusty Wallace.

For Senneker, the win – an unpreceded 36th in American Speed Association competition – offered welcome relief from a skein of early season misfortune, including a massively damaging first-lap crash at Nashville and a flame ride at Atlanta when an oil filter exploded onto hi headers.

“I would have been happy just to finish,” Senneker commented after the race. “But to win is frosting on the cake.”

Senneker collected $6,000 of a $39,425 purse for the win, his third out of six ASA 150-mile events at Milwaukee since 1978. He has completed 100% of a possible 600 miles in competition during that time.


Results –


1. Bob Senneker, Dorr, Mich.
2. Alan Kulwicki, Milwaukee, Wis.
3. Mike Eddy, Midland, Mich.
4. Butch Miller, Lawton, Mich.
5. Bobby Dotter, Chicago
6. Mel Whalen, Shakopee, Minn.
7. Harold Fair, Livonia, Mich.
8. Billy Kuhn, Frankfort, Ill.
9. Kent Stauffer, Elyria, Ohio
10.Rusty Wallace, Valley Park, Mo.
11.John Knaus, Rockford, Ill.
12.Buddy Schrock, North Liberty, Ind.
13.Ray Young, Dolton, Ill.
14.Tom Harrington, Loveland, Ohio
15.Dennis Lampman, Oak Creek, Wis.
16.Dennis Vogel, Manitowoc, Wis.
17.Mark Hall, Kansas City
18.Rick Hanley, Dousman, Wis.
19.Dave Jensen, Independence, Mo.
20.Dick Trickle, Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.
21.Ed Evans, West Allis, Wis.
22.Don Ely, Kingman, Kan.
23.Al Schill, Franklin, Wis.
24.Gene Mathu, Luxemburg, Wis.
25.Jack Drolema, Grand Rapids, Mich.
26.Bobby Tinkham, Youngstown, Ohio
27.Bob Strait, Flossmoor, Ill.
28.Jim Sauter, Necedah, Wis.

1965 – 8,500 See Derr Win in Knoxville

Ernie Derr

Knoxville, Iowa (May 1, 1965) – Ernie Derr of Keokuk drove a 1965 Dodge to victory Saturday in the Hawkeye 200 stock car race before 8,500 fans. His winning time was 1 hour, 31 minutes, and 39.51 seconds.

The next two finishers – Ramo Stott and Ron Hutcherson – were also from Keokuk. Stott drove a 1965 Dodge and Hutcherson piloted a 1964 Ford.

Stott, who had the fastest qualifying time of 26.07 seconds, started the race in the fourth row, but had the lead by the end of the first lap of the 200-lap, 100-mile contest.

Stott kept the lead until the 114th circuit, then Derr took over and stayed in front the remainder of the way.

Twenty cars were in the field.


Results –


1. Ernie Derr, Keokuk
2. Ramo Stott, Keokuk
3. Ron Hutcherson, Keokuk
4. Bob Jusola, Mound, Minn.
5. Bill Thomas, Lake Elmo, Minn.
6. Don Hensley, Holden, Mo.