1973 – Hartman captures Falstaff 100

Butch Hartman accepts his trophy after winning the Falstaff 100

Cedar Rapids, Iowa (September 29, 1973) - Butch Hartman, the pride of South Zanesville, Ohio, improved his claim to a third national championship by capturing the Falstaff 100 for USAC stock cars Saturday night at Hawkeye Downs.

Hartman put his 1973 Dodge into the lead spot on the opening lap and never was headed, although he had all he could do to hold off the efforts of Ernie Derr of Keokuk for the final five tours on the 1/2-mile dirt track.

Derr's 1972 Dodge was right on Hartman’s rear bumper when the checkered flag was thrown. Less than a second behind Derr was Ramo Stott, driving a 1973 Plymouth.

The victory was the eighth of the season for Hartman who already has wrapped up his third straight driving championship, a feat never before accomplished in USAC stock car history. “One more win will let us tie the record and that’s what we're going after next week," Hartman said moments after the race. The record of nine wins in a season was set by Don While of Keokuk in 1967.

White, who owns the most career wins in USAC history (49), was on hand last night, but he blew an engine during hot laps and was unable to compete.

An estimated 3,000 braved the chilly weather and the threat of rain, which had drenched the track for several days prior to Saturday. The battle at the finish between Hartman and Derr gave them plenty to remember. They (the crowd) were all on their feet when Derr made a move to the outside coming out of turn two on the white flag lap. Derr kissed Hartman’s bumper twice, but both were able to maintain control and resume their bumper-to-bumper duel.

Hartman started the feature outside of Stott in the front row. Ramo earned the pole with the top qualifying time of 26.43 seconds. That bested Hartman by only a hundredth of a second. Stott also look the four-lap trophy dash, flashing past Derr on the next to last lap.


Results –

 

1. Butch Hartman, South Zanesville, Ohio
2. Ernie Derr, Keokuk, Iowa
3. Ramo Stott, Keokuk, Iowa
4. Bay Darnell, Deerfield, Ill.
5. Steve Drake, Bloomington, Ill.
6. John Schultz, Appleton, Wis.
7. Terry Ryan, Davenport, Iowa
8. Ray Bolander, New Berlin, Wis.
9. Paul Feldner, Richfield, Wis.
10. Irv Janey, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
11. A.J. Moldenhauer, Madison, Wis.
12. John Reimer, Caledonia, Wis.

September 28, 1968

40 Years Ago - National Short Track Championships

Close order racing took place at the 7th annual National Short Track Championships at Rockford Speedway between Dick Trickle (99) and eventual winner Joe Shear (36). - Vince Mayer Photo

Larry Detjens (125) of Wausau, Wis., passes Danny Ballard (38) of Beloit, Wis., during action at the 1972 National Short Track Championships at Rockford Speedway. Detjens car was voted "Best Appearing" during the seventh annual event. - Vince Mayer Photo

Steve Arndt of Janesville, Wis., drove his heart out in the 50-lap preliminary feature at the 7th Annual National Short Track Championships at Rockford Speedway. Arndt's win qualified him for the feature event. - Vince and Dorothy Mayer Photo

Charlie Yelk (71) of Jefferson Wis., spun just as he was being passed by Jerry Peterson (53) of Marseille, Ill., who spun to avoid the accident. Steve Arndt (82) of Janesville, Wis., also spun and rammed into Peterson. Arndt continued to race and went on to win the 50-lap preliminary feature at the 7th annual National Short Track Championships at Rockford Speedway. - Vince Mayer Photo

The racing action during the 50-lap preliminary feature at the 1972 National Short Track Championships at Rockford Speedway was hot and heavy as Steve Lance (25) of Mapleton, Ill., Ralph Hutchinson (02) of Beloit, Wis., Don Marmor (50) of River Grove, Ill., Bill Wishard (54) of Rockford and Chuck Chadwick (12) of Lake Zurich, Ill. get tangled up. - B.E. Tappa Photo

National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame class of 2013 announced

Darrell Dake

Florence, Ky. - The 2013 induction class of the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame was made prior to the running of the 42nd World 100 at Eldora Speedway. For 2013, voters selected five drivers and three contributors in the class along with the Hall’s annual Sportsman Award.

This year’s group includes Kentucky runner Eddie Carrier Sr., late Iowa legend Darrell Dake, top Arkansas veteran Bill Frye, Indiana driving star John Gill and Minnesota touring pro Willy Kraft. The contributing category includes longtime race director and renowned announcer Bret Emrick, chassis wizard Joe Garrison of GRT Racecars and Southern Late Model sponsor and supporter Jack Starrette. The Hall’s Sportsman Award went to popular Indiana racer Don O’Neal.

Eddie Carrier Sr. of Burgin, Ky., began his career in late models in the late 1960s, which saw him eventually dominate Eastern and Central Kentucky dirt tracks for a number of years. Carrier driving for car owners such as Bobby Paul, Donny House, Bob Miller and others won a number of big events from Ohio to Florida. Now retired, Carrier serves as crew chief for his son, Eddie Jr., who is a top dirt late model competitor.

Darrell Dake racing out of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, motored his famous number 8 racers to over 400 wins covering five decades of a sterling career. The veteran Hawkeye racer who passed away in 2007 participated in IMCA, USAC and NASCAR but was King of the Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois dirt track region, earning countless big victories and titles along the way.

Bill Frye

The semi-retired Bill Frye rose to fame piloting the GRT house car to a number of national victories. The Greenbriar, Ark., star is a 5-time MARS series champion, also having won hundreds of victories with other groups such as MLRA, Southern All-Stars, STARS, Hav-a-Tampa, NCRA, SUPR, UMP and others.

John Gill, known as the modern day cowboy, is one of the sport’s most popular figures. In a career that began in 1981, the Hoosier state veteran has driven to over 300 wins and a number of titles including the inaugural UMP Summernationals in 1986 and a pair of UMP National series championships.

Willy Kraft

Lakefield, Minnesota’s Willy Kraft drove to over 350 wins in his familiar famous numbered 83 race cars. Kraft was a national traveling pro on dirt tracks throughout much of the 1980′s and 90′s, winning races from South Carolina to Pennsylvania, to South Dakota to Arizona. He was also the USAC National Late Model driving champion in 1988.

One of the most recognized voices in Dirt Late Model racing, Bret Emrick began his career as a track steward and announcer at Lakeville Ohio Speedway back in 1980. The Ohio native has worked at the mike at a number of America’s speedways and has also served as race and competition director with STARS, UDTRA and the World of Outlaws.

Joe Garrison founded his GRT Race chassis company back in the early 1980s and quickly became one of the top manufacturers of race cars in the business. Through the years the Arkansas car builder’s racers have won from coast to coast and have conquered about every notable Dirt Late Model event and series title in the sport.

Known by many as Mr. Jack, Jack Starrette will be long remembered as the Southern Ambassador to Dirt Late Model racing. The Augusta, Ga., trucking magnate, who passed away back in 2010, was a longtime generous sponsor of dozens of race teams throughout the Southeast.

1988 – Butch Miller Scores Third Straight Win

Butch Miller

Odessa, Mo. (September 25, 1988) – Butch Miller captured his third straight American Speed Association Racing Series event by winning the $62,298 Missouri 300 on the high-banked I-70 Speedway in front of 4,892 fans.

In ASA’s first return to the track since 1986, Miller took the lead on lap 219 when leader Dave Jackson pitted. Miller would go on to win his fifth race of the season by nearly one-half lap over runner-up Dick Trickle.

Miller won $8,175 in money and contingencies and averaged 76.16 miles per hour in his first-ever win at I-70. There were five lead changes among five drivers and 11 cautions for 65 total laps on the .54 mile oval.

“This a tough track but the car ran excellent throughout the whole race,” Miller said as his drive for a second consecutive ASA championship continued. “The car was loose at first but handled tighter as more rubber was being laid on the track.”

Miller extended his series’ point lead to 142 over his closest rival Harold Fair after beginning his three race win streak with only a 33-point margin.

The defending ASA Racing Series champion, who started from the second row for the first time this season, took the lead from Trickle on lap 110 before the first flurry of pit stops occurred and was in third after the second series of pit stops took place on lap 155.

Tony Roper led 32 circuits and Jackson took over for 33 round trips before pitting himself.

Starting from the pole position for only the second time this season, Trickle led the first 104 laps. He would falter badly late in the race with bad tire stagger but still managed to pass all-time ASA winner Bob Senneker for second place with only 28 laps to go.

Veteran Tom Jones trailed Miller, Trickle and Senneker by one lap for his best finish of the season and Jackson posted a career best fifth place showing. The top 10 was rounded out by Raines, Lonnie Rush Jr., Mike Garvey, Ted Musgrave and Fair.

Fair pitted early with power steering failure but still led briefly for 37 laps before pitting on lap 155. Musgrave recovered from trailing by two laps but went six laps off the pace with front-end damage.

Bobby Dotter was running second for the second ASA race in a row and went out with rear-end failure with only 23 laps to go in the contest.

John Wilson finished 12th after starting 26th to earn hard charger honors and Rush was the top finishing rookie.

Results –

1. Butch Miller
2. Dick Trickle
3. Bob Senneker
4. Tom Jones
5. Dave Jackson
6. Tony Raines
7. Lonnie Rush Jr.
8. Mike Garvey
9. Ted Musgrave
10. Harold Fair
11. Michael Kurkowski
12. John Wilson
13. Dennis Vogel
14. Bobby Dotter
15. Tim Olson
16. Gary St. Amant
17. Don Bickford
18. Kenny Wallace
19. Mike Eddy
20. Buddy Schrock
21. Dan Christal
22. Glenn Allen Jr.
23. Jeff Neal
24. Mark Beinlich
25. Kent Stauffer
26. Sam Range
27. Larry Harris
28. Ray Skillman
29. Dave Jenson
30. Jay Sauter

1996 - Raines thunders by Senneker to win Iowa 300

Cedar Rapids, Iowa (September 21, 1996) - In three previous visits to Hawkeye Downs Speedway, Bob Senneker displayed an amazing ability to be in the right place at the right time.

Under overcast skies at Saturday’s American Speed Association Iowa 300, Tony Raines stole the title of Johnny-on-the-spot from the veteran Senneker.

Senneker had his Ford Thunderbird running on a rail toward victory before getting pinned-in by a lapped car late in the race, Raines took advantage and drove his Pontiac Grand Prix past Senneker and on to the win as an estimated 6,500 fans roared their approval.

The win was the first of the season for Raines, a nine-year AC Delco Challenge Series veteran from Milwaukee.

He stands a close second in the series’ points chase to fellow Milwaukee driver Scott Hansen (2,527 to 2,519) with only four races remaining, so it came at a very opportune time.

“We’ve needed a win all year,” Raines said. “We have our work cut out for us to get in that top spot in the points. Scott always runs good everywhere he goes, and we're going to have to come up with an extra effort to pull it off.”

Raines needed not only extra effort but extra luck as well Saturday.

Senneker, a two-time winner of the Hawkeye Downs 300, grabbed the lead from Hansen on lap 240 and poised to cruise to the win. But as he came out of turn three on lap 286, he found himself directly behind a lapped car driven by Paul Paine of Mound, Minn. Senneker tried to go underneath Paine while Raines opted for the outside.

“He wouldn’t pull down out of the way so I had to squeeze in beside him,” Senneker said. “(Paine) rubbed me when I was going by and hit me again before he left. That kind of upset the car a little a bit and gave Tony a chance to blast around and get along side.”

Raines watched it all unfold in front of him before making his winning move to the outside.

“It was kind of risky, but Bob is a good driver and I figured if everybody held their line, I’d have been safe even if I didn’t come up with the pass,” he said. “It paid off for us. Sometimes you just have to go for it.”

Gary St. Amant of Columbus, Ohio, followed Raines and Senneker through the fray and finished third in his Ford Thunderbird. He had a perfect view of the action in front of him.

“It looked like they came up on a bunch of lapped cars and Tony just stuck his chest out and put it up on the outside,” St. Amant said. “It stuck for him and he got by. Those guys raced hard all day.”

Pole-sitter Steve Holzhausen drove his Ford to a fourth-place finish and Brad Loney of Cedar Rapids picked up five positions in the last 38 laps in his Pontiac to finish fifth.

Once Raines took the lead from Senneker, a ferocious 14-lap battle to the finish ensued. Senneker, who went in for right side tires on lap 149 and didn’t pit again, stayed with Raines, who went in for fresh rubber with 200 laps in the books.

“We were concerned about pitting there with a hundred to go because track position is so important here,” Raines said. “Scott and Bob were pretty fast even though their tires were a little older than ours. We had a little better car there for awhile, and we had to use it up to get to the front.”

Senneker said he had plenty left even though his tires had 151 laps on them.

“The tires were perfect,” he said. “That was our strategy - to try to pit at about the halfway point and go the rest of the distance with what we had.’

Raines had to survive one last caution - the 10th of the race - when a spin in turn three brought out a yellow with two laps left. He held on, beating Senneker by just .922 seconds.

Holzhausen led the first 18 laps before tire problems caused him to drop back. Raines took over the lead for the next 10 laps but then gave way to Loney, who held the lead from lap 30 through lap 113. In all, there were eight lead, changes among six drivers.

Results –
1. Tony Raines, Milwaukee, Wis.
2. Bob Senneker, Dorr, Mich.
3. Gary St. Amant, Columbus, Ohio,
4. Steve Holzhausen, Bangor, Wis.
5. Brad Loney, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
6. Dave Sensiba, Middleville, Mich.
7. Buddy Schrock, Plain City, Ohio,
8. Scott Hansen, Milwaukee, Wis.
9. Ted Smokstad, Bloomington, Minn.
10. Kevin Cywinski, Lakeville, Minn.
11. Tony Roper, St. Louis, Mo.
12. Mike Eddy, Midland, Mich.
13. Harold Fair, Detroit, Mich.
14. Tim Sauter, Necedah, Wis.
15. Carl Miskotten, Fort Wayne, Ind.
16. Bill Baird, Sturgis, Ky.
17. Cale Conley, Vienna, W.Va.
18. Dennis Lampman, Oak Creek, Wis.
19. Brett Bell, Pittsboro, Ind.
20. Mike Miller, Marietta, Ga.
21. Paul Paine, Mound Minn.
22. Joe Noll, Grand Haven, Mich.
23. Sam Gollwald, Willmar, Minn.
24. Jack Landis, Edgerton, Ohio
25. Billy Turner, El Reno, Okla.
26. Johnny Spaw, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
27. Tom Jones, Gurnee, Ill.
28. Dave Anspaugh, Sturgis, Mich.,
29. Brandon Sperling, Mooresville, N.C.
30. Aaron Hough, New Palestine, Ill.
31. Kevin Nuttleman, La Crosse, Wis.
32. Rick Beebe, Merriam, Kan.
33. Chuck Hemmingson, West Des Moines, Iowa
34. Doug Mayr, Franklin, Wis.
35. Carroll Adamy, Bellwood, Neb.

1981 – Canadian Invader Hanley Scores in Rockford 200

Junior Hanley is joined by Hugh and Jody Deery after winning the NSTC 200-lapper. - Mark Vanveghel Photo/Courtesy of Kim Kemperman

Loves Park, Ill. (September 20, 1981) – He came, he saw, he conquered.

That was the story of Junior Hanley, the top driver in the history of Canadian short track stock car history, as he paid his first visit to the Rockford Speedway quarter-mile oval to compete in the 16th annual National Short Track Championships.

Hanley led the last half of the 200-lap race taking the front spot as leader Randy Slack, a fellow Canadian, left the track with a split cylinder wall just as the yellow came out for the 101st lap mandatory pit stop.

Hanley never relinquished the lead once he got out front, but the victory was not an easy one. A determined Joe Shear moved into second place when Hanley inherited the lead. But there were a large number of lapped cars separating the top-notch pilots and 30 laps went by before Shear could ease his Camaro through the heavy traffic and stick the front end of his car under the rear spoiler of Hanley’s Camaro.

And that was just exactly how they ran for the next 70 circuits. Time and time again Shear would look for a hole and wait for a Hanley mistake that never came. Shear was still waiting when the checkered flag fell to end the 200-lap classic.

It had to be a disappointing afternoon for Shear. On two different occasions he was running second, only to be involved in mishaps that sent him to the back of the field for restarts. In the 27th go-round, a four-car pileup involving Shear, Steve Murgic, Fran Prestay and 1980 NSTC champion Jim Sauter sent Shear first to the pits and then to the rear of the lineup. That particular mishap sent Sauter to the pit area for the rest of the afternoon.

By lap 75 Shear had worked his way back up to the number two slot and on lap 89 disaster struck again. The Shear Camaro and Jimmy Pierson’s Camaro got together in front of the main grandstand. This crash sent Shear to the pits for a new tire and the removal of the rear quarter panel. Pierson was finished for the day, but once again, Shear had to start from scratch.

Dave Watson led the first two laps of the marathon only to retire later with a sour engine. Fred Campbell led until lap 18 when Randy Slack moved out front. Campbell soon retired with electrical problems and Slack with engine woes.

Three last chance qualifiers were run earlier in the day and the two super late model 30-lappers saw Al Schill and Mel Walen take the checkers. The 25-lap “Rockford Rules” qualifier saw Dave Ward in the winner’s circle.

Results –
1. Junior Hanley
2. Joe Shear
3. Steve Moll
4. Larry Middleton
5. Tony Hertko
6. Mel Walen
7. Doug Lane
8. Bill Berkheimer
9. Wayne Lensing
10. Steve Murgic
11. Al Schill
12. Dennis Vogel
13. Jim Weber
14. Greg Guzzo
15. Dave Watson
16. Larry Schuler
17. Randy Slack
18. Jim Pierson
19. Conrad Morgan
20. Fred Campbell
21. Frank Gawlinski
22. Don James
23. Bobby Dotter
24. Fran Prestay
25. Jim Sauter
26. Dave Tomczak
27. Dave Hoffman
28. John Ziegler