The Knoxville Fall Jamboree

by Lee Ackerman
Knoxville, Iowa - One of the biggest Dirt Late Model races of the year is the annual Knoxville Late Nationals at the historical Knoxville Raceway. The current Late Model Nationals is not the first time that Knoxville has had a big fall race for Late Models. Back in the 1970’s promoter Gail Miller held a fall Late Model race at the famed half-mile track on the Marion County Fairgrounds. The event was called the Knoxville Fall Jamboree.

The first Knoxville Fall Jamboree held on Saturday, September 13, 1975 had a bizarre ending. First of all the show was running behind schedule so Promoter Gail Miller cut the feature from its scheduled 50 laps to 30 laps because of a 12:30 am curfew. Curt Hansen of Dike took the initial lead in the feature. Darrell Dake of Cedar Rapids took the lead on the 23rd lap and then it happened, a big accident that included race leader Dake. Darrell Dake’s car was totally demolished. The race was called and Dake was declared the winner and he pocketed $2,000.

Darrell Dake won the 1975 Knoxville Fall Jamboree. Promoter Gail Miller presents the checkers. 

Curt Hansen was awarded second, Ed Sanger of Waterloo third, Kent Tucker of Aurora, Nebraska fourth and Fred Horn of Marion fifth. On lap 2 Don Hoffman of Des Moines went through the fence in turn 3 and took out the light pole. Earlier Hoffman had set a new track record for Late Models in qualifying at 23.566 seconds. Hoffman then won the trophy dash with Sanger second and Verlin Eaker of Mechanicsville third.

“I remember thinking Dake got in the third turn wall and they had a 10:30 curfew and its like 10:15 I got this thing won “remembers Curt Hansen, “ They had the wrecker hooked up to the front of Darrell then the back and then they brought out another wrecker and I guess time ran out.”

Heat wins went to Galen Schaefer of Topeka, Kansas, John Connolly of Eldridge, Iowa, Ron Prymek of Des Moines and Joe Wallace of Peyton, Colorado. The consolation event went to Don Styskal of Fremont, Nebraska. In the B feature it was Dan Dickey of Packwood defeating Roger Dolan of Lisbon and Bill Zwanziger of Waterloo.

The two-day affair also included Sportsman and they had their problems as well. First on lap 12 of the feature a big 15 car melee resulted in the flag stand pole being split in to. Then on lap 14 cars out of the 36 car starting field took out two light poles on the backstretch. At this point the Sportsman feature was called complete and Dan Beaver of Tracy, Iowa, who had taken the lead from Rocky Hodges of Des Moines, was declared the winner.

The incident on the backstretch that took out the light poles created an emergency situation as far as lighting was concerned and the solution was to use the headlights of numerous automobiles to provide lighting on the backstretch. If these incidents weren’t weird enough, a person was transported to the hospital after he accidently set himself on fire trying to start a fire with some firewood to keep himself warm. Legend has it that one driver even borrowed a chainsaw to cut up wood to keep warm. 278 cars signed into the initial running of the Fall Jamboree which will always be remembered for all the strange things that went on.

Joe Wallace won the 1976 Fall Jamboree.

In 1976 Joe Wallace now racing out of Kansas City, Missouri returned to the Fall Jamboree and made up for his disappointing showing of the year before. When the smoke cleared Wallace was in victory lane with a big check for $4,000. Wallace led the entire 50 laps of the September 11 event. Steve Keppler of Marion held second throughout the event and took home $2,000 for his efforts. Don Hoffman of Des Moines started deep in the field and finished third. Joe Merryfield of Des Moines was fourth and fast qualifier Dave Srock finished fifth.

Jerry Wancewicz of Omaha, Nebraska won the B feature with Bill Martin of Council Bluffs second and John Oswaldt of Kansas City third.

The accompanying Sportsman feature saw Gary Crawford of Independence, Iowa take the lead on lap six and lead the remainder of the way. Denny Osborn of Cedar Falls was second, Herb Shannon of Peoria, Illinois third, Rocky Hodges of Des Moines fourth and the legendary Ernie Derr of Keokuk fifth.

On Thursday, September 9, Dave Srock of Pennsylvania had set fast time. Joe Merryfield won the dash over Dave Chase and Bill Zwanziger. Heats were won by Ken Walton of Viola over Kent Tucker, Verlin Eaker over John Connolly and Doug Kenimer of Dahlonega, Georgia over Bill Rice of Des Moines.

On Friday night Don Hoffman had ran a flawless heat race defeating Galen Schafer by about quarter of a lap. Fred Knapp of Des Moines won the second heat and Curt Hansen of Dike the third heat.

Curt Hansen was the Fall Jamboree champion in 1977.

1977 would be the third and last of the Fall Jamborees and it was only fitting that the richest stock car race in Iowa was won by the state’s most successful driver that year. Curt Hansen of Dike would win the third Fall Jamboree. Hansen had to battle early on in the 50 lap feature with Joe Merryfield of Des Moines. Merryfield would however be taken from contention with a flat tire. Hansen would then build a comfortable lead but with 19 laps remaining a caution bunched everybody up.

On the restart Hansen had to battle a hard charging Fred Horn of Marion and Horn would give Hansen all he wanted. Several times Horn was beside Hansen only to see Hansen edge him by several car lengths at the checkers. Hansen had qualified second for the event and he would leave Knoxville with over $4,000. Following Hansen and Horn were Don Hoffman of Des Moines, Terry Bivins of Shawnee Mission, Kansas, Tom Steuding of Altoona, Wisconsin, Ron Jackson of Burlington, Don Styskal of Fremont and the defending race winner Joe Wallace of Kansas City.

Stan Stover of Reinbeck would win the B feature with Ken Davidson second, John Oswalt of Kansas City third, Mike Dibben of Kansas City fourth and Steve McGuire of Mesa, Arizona fifth. Another long distance traveler George Brazil of Albuquerque, New Mexico would finish seventh.

Odie Robertson of Littleton, Colorado won the C Feature with Dave Plumb of Waterloo second Larry Embrey of Granger third and Kevin Gundaker of St. Louis fourth.

Waterloo’s Dick Schiltz won the 35-lap Sportsman feature and took home the first place money of $2,000. Schilitz and Denny Osborn of Cedar Falls battled for the lead throughout much of the race before Osborn crashed into the second turn wall with just four laps remaining. Keokuk’s Lem Blankenship finished second and Rocky Hodges of Des Moines third.

In 2004 the Late Models would one again return to the storied half-mile in Knoxville for a fall classic, the Knoxville Late Model Nationals. That event has quickly became one of the annual Crown Jewels of Dirt Late Model racing and has provided dirt late model fans with many great moments, perhaps none more exciting than in 2008 when Darrell Lanigan passed Jimmy Owens for the win as they raced to the checkers on Friday night and then Tim McCredie duplicated that feat the following night passing Josh Richards for the win just before the flag stand.

Knoxville may be sprint car territory but over years the late models have shown they can put on a great show at the famed half-mile as well.

March 18, 1989

The R-A-C-I-N-G Scene; Jim McWithey

 

Jim McWithey

 

by Bob Speedy
Anderson, Ind. (March 13, 1971) - The city of Anderson, Indiana, can point with great pride the accomplishments of several area athletes that have participated in the professional ranks. Carl Erskine and Joe Campbell are probably recalled the quickest in the minds of our sports oriented citizens.

Jim McWithey, one of the better race drivers of the late fifties and early sixties, has also brought recognition to Anderson.

Born on July 4, 1927, this natural firecracker started his brilliant career in 1949 with the roaring roadsters of the Mutual Racing Association here in Anderson. He stayed with the MRA for three years where he ran in three “Little 500’s” finishing third in one, fifth in another and dropped out of the third race with some bent up equipment.

 

 

Jim McWithey - Don Radbruch Collection

 

McWithey then turned to the sprint cars as a driver for Diz Wilson on the Central States Racing Association circuit. After a successful year with this group Jim moved up to IMCA where he set several track records including tracks at Memphis, Tennessee, St. Paul, Minnesota and Des Moines, Iowa. After winning several features during his IMCA days Jim decided to turn to the USAC trail.

With the USAC sprint division he became one of the top competitors setting records at such tracks as Salem, Terre Haute, and Winchester in Indiana, and Reading and Williams Grove in Pennsylvania. Jim was almost unstoppable on the dirt at Langhorne.

One of Jim’s victories that stands out in this writer’s mind came at Terre Haute’s half mile dirt oval on August 16, 1959, when McWithey won the feature, beating out seven-time sprint car champion Tommy Hinnershitz. Ed Elision finished third in that event. A year earlier at the same track on June 22nd, Jim set a new track record of 24.03, a time that would be fast enough to get into any feature event today, won the first heat over Eddie Sachs and finished third in the feature behind Sachs and Hinnershitz.

During his USAC sprint car days he finished fifth in point standings in 1957 and third the next two years. Jim drove the Columbus Indiana Auto Supply car in ‘57 and wheeled the Bob Estes owned sprinter in ‘53 and ‘59. Chief mechanic for the Estes car was Jud Phillips who later turned the wrenches for Bobby Unser’s winning machine at the 1958 Indianapolis 100.

McWithey’s first championship ride came at Indianapolis in 1957. Because of the wet month that year, Jim did not get to practice enough in the Dayton Steel Foundry special so he did not qualify for the race. He came back to Indy in ‘58 and unfortunately crashed tie Federal Engineering car during qualifications.

Bill McWithey at Indianapolis behind the wheel of Ray Brady's roadster

 

In 1959 he joined the Ray Brady team out of Norristown, Pennsylvania with Bill Cheesman his chief mechanic. Jim qualified the roadster in 33rd, or the “bubble” as some call it, and then impressed a lot of people with a fine 13th place finish. This gained him membership in the elite 100 mile per hour club of which there are only 63 living members.

Again in 1960 Jim started on the tail of the Indy line up and completed 66 laps before a broken brake line on the beautiful orange colored Hoover Motor Express Special forced him out of the event. He ran the Hoover car on the championship trail that year and finished the season 8th in point standings.

In 1961 Jim ran a limited number of championship events and finished the year 16th in the point chase. In the fall of ’61 a bothersome thyroid condition ended his driving career. He was never injured in a race car, with his most serious accident happening at DeGraff, Ohio, when he flipped a roadster while racing with the Mutual Racing Association.

With over a hundred career wins to his credit, Jim was truly one of the best to ever strap himself into a race car.

“Of all of the drivers I ran against,” recalls Jim, “I believe A. J. Foyt was the best. Don Branson was perhaps me best sprint driver with Tommy Hinnershitz being right up there with to be best. Of today’s drivers on the sprint trail, Larry Dickson is about the best around. He proved that when he broke Branson’s record for feature wins.”

Asked to compare the drivers of his days with today’s sprint chauffeurs, Jim claims, “The drivers I ran against would all do good in today’s races. The equipment we used was much heavier and harder to handle than today’s cars. I really don’t believe the speeds on the sprint trail have increased all that much, although the cars today are much later.

His most exciting moment in auto racing?

“Qualifying for the Indy 500 is about a big a thrill a race driver can have. Being able to finish the race and gaining membership in the 100 mile per hour club is something that doesn’t happen to every one, so this was just as exciting.”

 

The IMCA Big Cars Invade the Belleville High Banks

Frank Luptow in the Bardahl Special - Don Radbruch Collection

by Lee Ackerman
Omaha, Neb. - On July 1, 1951, the IMCA Big Cars invaded the Belleville High Banks for what would be the first of a decade long series of races at the famed facility. In some years during that decade the series would race the legendary high banks as many as four times.

The crowd of nearly 7,000 fans on July 1 would certainly get their monies worth as three IMCA World records would not only be broken but shattered. A fourth record would certainly have fallen if not for a serious incident in the east corner.

Frank Luptow of Tampa, Florida, the two-time and defending IMCA champion (who would run away with the 1951 title) quickly got things started in time trials when he drove his famous #9 Offenhauser around the half-time high banks turning a lap of 20.14 which broke the then existing IMCA half-mile record by an astonishing 3.4 seconds.

Luptow would then follow this up by winning the first heat and breaking the IMCA record for 7 laps (3.5 miles) by over 9 seconds. The new record did not stand for long however as Bobby Grim of Indianapolis, Indiana wheeled the soon to be legendary Hector Honore #2 around the 7 laps of heat two in an incredible time of 2 minutes 34.5 seconds shattering Luptow’s time by 14 seconds. Things were a bit slower when Art Dischinger of Independence, Missouri won the third heat in a time that was 18 seconds slower than Grim’s new record.

After Fritz Tegtmeier won the 3-lap invitational handicap, Indianapolis’ Jack Ryan set a new IMCA record for 8 laps in winning the semi-feature in 3 minutes 14.40 seconds, 8 seconds faster than the existing record for that distance.

A new track record would most likely have been set in the 20-lap feature had it not been for a fourth lap incident where Russ Beighley of Lincoln, Nebraska got into the east fence and took out a 40 foot section. Beighley was taken to the local hospital but was later released. Luptow would win the feature event with Grim second and Herschel Wagner finishing third.

On August 28 Luptow and the IMCA Big Car drivers returned to Belleville for the North Central Kansas Free Fair Races and Luptow and his famed #9 left with another IMCA record. In the 20-lap feature Luptow shattered the IMCA record that distance by over 18 seconds. Luptow would outdistance Bobby Grim and Bill Holland of Reading, Pennsylvania to win the feature event. Grim would set fast time but nearly a half second off Luptow’s 20.14 while Luptow, Grim and Edgar, Nebraska’s Gordon Shuck won heats.

Two days later the fans were back at Belleville expecting a great three-way battle between Luptow, Grim and Holland. Unfortunately, that did not happen. First, Luptow burned out a wheel bearing and did not race in the feature and then after battling Holland for 12 laps in the feature, Grim blew a tire and Holland (the 1949 Indianapolis 500 winner) drove away to the win.

Former Indy 500 winner Bill Holland had considerable success at Belleville. 

The Big Cars returned to Belleville on May 30, 1952, on what was to become an annual Memorial Day tradition at the High Banks. An estimated 5,000 fans turned out for the event. Many of the same drivers from the year before were on hand once again including Bill Holland. Holland returned behind the wheel of the Blue Crown Special and would not only win the feature for the second straight time at Belleville but also lower the 20-lap IMCA record by 8 seconds turning the distance in 7 minutes 14.26 seconds.

Holland did not win without stiff competition, however. First it was Bates City, Missouri’s Jimmy Campbell who put up a fierce battle for 12 laps before dropping out of the race with falling oil pressure. After Campbell’s demise, Kansas City’s Bob Slater behind the wheel of the #42 Heath Offy moved up to battle Holland, pulling his cream and maroon ride up beside Holland several times but failing each time to make the pass.

Slater would end up settling for second in the feature with Illinois’ Charley Irons in third. Earlier in the day, Holland, Slater and Irons had captured heat race wins. Mac McHenry of Wichita took the match race aboard the Les King Offy and Linton, Indiana’s Lowell Blume won the semi. One driver who had a disappointing afternoon was Bobby Grim who broke a crankshaft in the Honore Offy during hot laps and was forced to set out the days’ action.

A Big Car race scheduled for the High Banks on June 26 was apparently rained out.

On August 26 the Big Cars returned to Belleville for two days of racing during the Fair and Bill Holland made it three in a row taking the Blue Crown Special to victory lane once again. Holland would win the 20-lap event in 7 minutes 45.53 seconds with Bobby Grim finishing second and Herschel Wagner third. Earlier in the day Grim had set fast time with Holland a close second. Heats went to Don Branson of Urbana, Illinois, Holland and Phil Mocca of St. Louis.

Two days later the Big Cars returned for their second fair date and finally somebody put a stop to the Bill Holland win streak. Jimmy Campbell brought his Offy home in first place before another standing room crowd. As could be expected right on Campbell’s heels were Bill Holland and Bobby Grim who finished second and third in a feature that it was later determined was given the checkered flag one lap earlier eliminating any chance of a new record.

Earlier in the day Jimmy Wegescheider had won the first heat and the match race with the other heats going to Don Branson and Gordon Shuck. The semi feature was won by Phil Mocca.

During the first two years of IMCA Big Car racing at the Belleville High Banks, action had pretty much been dominated by Frank Luptow and then Bill Holland. But looming on the horizon was a crafty old mechanic, two drivers and a Black Offenhauser that was about to race themselves into racing history. From 1953 through the last IMCA Big Car race at Belleville in 1963 one word could be used to describe their performance. DOMINATION!

The 'Big-Time' Arrives at Kaukauna

Before a standing room only crowd, big-time auto racing invades Kaukauna, Wisconsin. - Bob Bergeron Collection

 

 

By Kyle Ealy

Kaukauna, Wis. – When the gates opened to KK Sports Arena on June 2, 1968, it meant the beginning of a new era of “big-time” auto racing in the Fox Valley area and, at the same time, climaxed a building program which started four years earlier – at a cost of approximately $600,000.

What started out in 1964 as 200 acres of grass, hills, and woodlands owned by a farmer became the site of a quarter-mile and figure-8 track, a half-mile track surrounding it, and a quarter-mile drag strip.

The facility’s new paved half-mile track had a surrounding 4-foot high concrete wall , 12-foot high banks, caution lights on the corners, painted lanes, and a “double-kiss” rail on the inside. The track featured 70 foot wide curves and 65 foot wide straightaways. The new model stock cars would be the showcase and speeds in the range of 110 to 120 miles per hour on the straightaway and an average 85-90 miles per hour overall were expected.

There was permanent seating for 11,000 fans in the grandstand and room for perhaps 14,000 more on surrounding hillsides for the quarter-mile and half-mile events, while the bleachers along the drag strip held around 8,500 and hillsides that could accommodate 12,000 to 15,000 overall.

Looking over the brand-new KK Sports Arena are Joe Van Daalwyk (far left), Connie DeLeeuw (pointing), Ron Leek (second from right) and USAC official Henry Banks (far right).

It was started by three men, two of whom had been long-time residents of the Fox Cities area.  The president of arena KK Sports Arena functions, and also of events at the Great Lakes Dragway at Union Grove, was 46-year-old Joe Van Daalwyk, who owned his own construction company and several land developments.

Clarence “Connie” DeLeeuw, a 39-year-old farmer, owned the land which would eventually become KK Sports Arena and also helped in building the first quarter-mile dirt track there, with the help of Clyde Schumacher of Kimberly, who was also the vice-president of the arena. 

The third key figure was 29-year-old Ron Leek, who would become the general manager and publicity director of the arena. Leek, a Michigan native who has been involved in drag racing circles since he was 4, came to KK in 1967 after working as a traveling announcer of the United Drag Racers Association.

Daalwyk was excited about the prospects of nationally known drivers coming to the Fox Cities’ area but was also apprehensive. “The local people have to know there’ll be some big time drivers here,” he said. “I hope they’re ready.”

They were ready…

 

Grand national late models go two and three-wide through turns one and two on June 2, 1968. - Bob Bergeron Collection

 

 

On June 2, 1968, a record crowd of more than 15,500 race fans turned out to watch Ernie Derr of Keokuk, Iowa, the 8-time IMCA national stock car champion, driving a 1968 Dodge Charger, win a non-sanctioned 100-lap, 50-mile feature race on the newly-paved, high-banked half-mile track on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon.

Derr, who also had fast time for the afternoon with a blazing 23.08 seconds, garnered the pole position from a field of 29 cars entered in the feature event.

After a couple of parade laps and the drop of the green flag by Don “Mac” McDonald of Neenah, Derr roared away to a commanding lead which he held on to for the entire 100 laps. Derr completed the 50-mile affair without a pit stop, while all other cars pitted at least once.

From the field of 29 starters, 16 managed to last the grueling pace of 100 laps. Coming in behind Derr for the second spot was Gene Marmor of River View, Ill., driving a ’67 Chevrolet and finishing in third was Jim Lord of Milwaukee behind the wheel of a ‘67 Ford. Roger Regeth of Milwaukee, driving a ’67 Plymouth, took fourth while Ramo Stott of Keokuk, Iowa, grabbed fifth in his ’68 Hemi Plymouth.

Robert Kempen of Hilbert, driving a ’67 Ford, drove to victory over Joe Shear of Beloit in a ’67 Chevy in the first qualifying heat. Stott powered his way to the win in the second 15-lap qualifier over Dave Marcis of West Salem in a ’67 Chevrolet. Tony Van Dreel of West DePere, running a ’67 Grand Sport Buick, outlasted Whitey Gerkin in a ’68 Chevelle to win the consolation.

The new half-mile was deemed a success right away with positive feedback from every one. When asked his thoughts on the new track, Derr remarked, “It’s a beautiful place, and I know that it will go over big here. It seems to be very good and it’s not too hard on tires. The little zig coming out of turn three makes it interesting, but not bothersome.”

Jerry Smith of Appleton liked the track. “It’s almost like Milwaukee,” he said. “The only difference I can see (outside of being a half-mile track) is that the turns are shorter. It’s a good track to race on. It’s like the big-time tracks.”

It was billed as “Ernie Derr vs. Dick Trickle” in a grand national-type race at KK Sports Arena on August 4, 1968; Derr, the eight-time IMCA national champion against Trickle, the point’s leader at the track.

There would be a 50-lap preliminary race highlighted by the 100-lap main event. All cars entered would run in the 50-lap contest but only the 36 fastest would qualify for the 100-lapper.

Trickle took fast time with a 22.84 second timing on the half-mile track and then came from dead last in the 50-lap prelim to “win” the race only to have been detected passing while the race was being run under the caution flag. He was penalized one lap, dropping him all the way to eighth place.

Kimberly’s Clyde Schumacher driving a 1967 Ford was awarded the victory while Ramo Stott of Keokuk, Iowa was second. Tom Reffner of Rudolph third, Roger Regeth of Appleton fourth, while Ernie Derr was awarded fifth.

Stott jumped to an early lead in the 100-lap feature building up a lead as much as three-quarters of a lap at times but caution flags kept slowing the pace and tightening the field.

Schumacher and Dave Immel of Villa Park, Ill., running second and third at the time, got tangled on the front straightaway and were finished for the day. Right after the restart, Ernie Derr, who had inherited second place, blew an engine and a fiery explosion ensued, spewing hot oil all over the track. Trickle assumed the runner-up position but he didn’t fair well either, blowing a tire and putting himself out of contention with a three-lap rubber change.

Stott would go on to win easily with Gene Marmor finishing second. Dave Hirschfield was third and Roger Regeth took fourth. Trickle would bounce back through the talented field to round out the top five.

 

Butch Hartman sits atop the hood of his Dodge Charger at Kaukauna. Hartman would win the first USAC-sanctioned stock car race there on June 1, 1969. - Bob Bergeron Collection

 

On June 1, 1969, more than 12,000 race fans arrived at the KK Sports Arena to watch racing stars such as A.J. Foyt, Roger McCluskey, Dick Trickle and Don White. They stayed to cheer on Larry “Butch” Hartman that Sunday afternoon.

The South Zanesville, Ohio, parlayed his driving skill with the speed and durability of his 1969 Dodge Charger to win the first USAC-sanctioned 100-mile stock car race at the new half-mile. Hartman would win by nearly three-quarter of a lap over Jack Bowsher of Springfield, Ohio.

The 29-year-old Hartman placed seventh in the 1968 point standings, but was not as widely known as some of the other drivers who helped make the event a red-letter day in KK’s history. Hartman won $1,300 of the total $12,000 purse for capturing the feature.

Coming in third behind Hartman and Bowsher was Appleton’s Roger Regeth. McCluskey finished fourth while Wisconsin Rapids’ Dick Trickle, the uncrowned "King of KK”, was fifth. More than 50 cars registered for the highly publicized event, but only 30 qualified for the 200-lap feature.

Foyt would give the capacity crowd numerous thrills with his heavy footed driving before being forced out prematurely on lap 79 with a damaged radiator on his ’69 Torino.

Don White, who earlier in the day had set a new KK qualifying record, going 22 seconds flat, was also forced out of the running earlier than planned. His ’69 Charger developed a damaged water pump on lap 164 while leading the race, which relinquished any thoughts of victory on the day for the Keokuk, Iowa, veteran

Hartman took over the top spot after White’s exit and admitted afterwards that he “babied” the car for the last 15 laps. “The pit crew told me I had a 15-seoond lead on Jack, and that was plenty.”

Hartman made only one pit stop (for fuel) in his No. 75, a yellow and black Charger.

The race program was delayed 1 ½ hours while drivers waited for the half-mile track to dry. The early-morning rain - which, for a time put the racing program into a "doubtful" category - and the cool, windy weather reduced the size of the anticipated crowd.

After passing Appleton’s J.J. Smith on lap 6, Foyt held the lead for the next 48 laps. It became an exciting duel between Foyt's white Torino and White's yellow Dodge Charger. White took over the lead when Foyt pitted on the 54th lap. Foyt was forced into the pits again on lap 75 and went out for good with a smoking car several circuits later. After White pitted on the 80th lap, Hartman and Trickle swapped the top spot back and forth for 30 laps until White roared back into the lead on lap 112 and held it until the mechanical mishap, yielding the point back to Hartman.

Due to the success of the June race, another was added for September 14, 1969. On a chilly Sunday afternoon, Don White, at the wheel of his sleek looking yellow 1969 Charger, would cop the 200-lap late model stock car feature, boasting him to second in the USAC stock car standings behind Roger McCluskey.

The start of the day’s events was delayed for more than an hour and a half, as the weatherman was undecided as to rain or sunshine – and eventually settled on sunshine.

White, who had started on the outside in the 11th row, wasted little time in making his presence known, for at the start of lap 29, he had worked his way through the heavy traffic and was leading the 30-car field.

The diminutive sized veteran hung on to the honor spot for the next 95 lap before making a pit stop for tires and gas. With a 25-second pit stop, White dropped only four positions, and by the time the 132nd lap appeared on the scoreboard, White was back into the lead. He hung on for the next 68 laps for the victory and the $1,300 first place money. In all, White led 163 of the scheduled 200 circuits.

White’s trek wasn’t as easy as it appeared. Although he dominated the leader board, he was pushed hard all afternoon by Jack Bowsher in a ’69 Ford and the semi-retired Norm Nelson of Racine in ’69 Plymouth Roadrunner. They would end up finishing second and third respectively.

Butch Hartman, the June winner, would have one problem after another and called it quits after only 78 laps had elapsed. Dick Trickle, of Wisconsin Rapids, always a top contender, had overheating problems early in the race and had to settle for a 14th place finish.

Roger McCluskey would demonstrate why he was the king of the nation’s stock car drivers on June 5, 1970, as the defending USAC national champion thoroughly dominated the third 100-mile USAC race at the KK Sports Arena.

The 33-year-old Tucson, Ariz., driver expertly wheeled his slightly-battered hut powerfully accelerating 1970 Plymouth Road Runner to victory in the track record time of 1 hour, 18 minutes, 36 seconds. McCluskey’s Road Runner didn’t make with the “beep, beep,” which characterized its TV namesake but proved just as hard to catch as the cartoon character.

McCluskey who lapped everyone in the field but runner-up Jack Bowsher and came within a 100 yards of lapping Bowsher, led for 180 laps. The only time he relinquished the lead after coming from his back-row start to take command was after he made his only pit stop on the 118th lap.

For several moments, it appeared that McCluskey's victory bid wouldn't get off the ground. His machine was involved in a multi-car pileup at the begin beginning of the second lap of the feature race's original start. The right side of McCluskey’s car was badly dented, but the engine was unaffected. A restart was called for, and McCluskey never slowed his relentless pace again except for a brief pit stop.

Bowsher, a member of A.J. Foyt’s racing team, would finish second in his 1969 Ford Torino for the second straight time at KK. Don White, the defending winner, took third in a 1969 Dodge Charger. Gene Marmor of River Grove, Ill., driving a ’69 GMX, finished fourth and Bruce Sparrman of Excelsior, Minn., took fifth behind the wheel of a 1970 Roadrunner. 

A crowd of nearly 11,000 saw two other Indianapolis drivers, in addition to McCluskey; compete on a perfect night for racing. Art Pollard finished sixth while Johnny Rutherford came in 13th. Rutherford was making his first stock car start since 1966.

KK Sports Arena would get a new name and two USAC-sanctioned races for the 1971 season. On May 24th, Wisconsin race fans would see one of their own, Racine’s Norm Nelson; score an upset victory at Wisconsin International Raceway. The cool, windy and threatening weather held down the crowd town to approximately 6,000.

Jack Bowsher, running six seconds ahead of Nelson with only eight laps to go, seemed certain of a second straight USAC stock car victory that would increase his 1971 national point leadership. Then it happened…he ran out of gas.

Nelson, who had led twice previously in the race took over the 193rd lap and breezed in for the 33rd victory of a long, illustrious racing career. After gassing up, Bowsher would come back to claim fifth.

Having been in semi-retirement for the past few seasons, a completely exhausted Nelson, the all-time national USAC point leader, had to take oxygen after the rugged race. “They should limit races to 10 laps,” Norm quipped.

As a result of a last-minute cancellation on Roger McCluskey, the 1969 and ’70 national stock car champion, Nelson suited up and slipped in behind the wheel of McCluskey’s ’70 Roadrunner. Nelson had planned on competing in a brand new ’71 model for “experimental purposes”, but when McCluskey, his top driver, got grounded in Milwaukee on his flight from Indianapolis, Nelson got behind the wheel of “Old No. 1”.

A bitterly disappointed Bowsher, driving again for A.J. Foyt, would have none of the “tough luck” approach. “It’s not a matter of luck,” he insisted, “We just didn’t do our job.”

Bowsher had pitted on the lap 97 and apparently his crew either miscalculated on the amount of gas needed or there was too much of a rush to get the car back into action.

Dave Whitcomb, of Valparaiso, Ind., who like Nelson and Bowsher drove a strong race, finished second in a 1970 Dodge Charger. Butch Hartman powered his ‘69 Dodge Charger to third place. Verlin Eaker of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, a relatively new name on the circuit, finished fourth in a ‘69 Dodge Charger.

Four drivers dominated the race, which would turn out to be the most dramatic one in the three years that USAC had sanctioned events. Bowsher led for a total of 96 laps…Nelson held the top spot for 41 circuits…Hartman was out front for 36 laps…then Whitcomb inherited the point for 18 laps.

Bobby Unser would show the class and style of an Indianapolis 500 winner when he came from behind to win the Miller High Life 250 at Kaukauna on August 8, 1971. A crowd of 7,200 witnessed the action.

Unser qualified in the fifth position and gradually moved his way to the top spot midway through the race. The Albuquerque, N.M. native lost the lead momentarily to Verlin Eaker when he made a pit stop, but regained the lead when Eaker made an unscheduled stop.

Unser would collect $3,350 for his victory. He would finish the 125 miles (the longest race to date there) in 1 hour, 39 minutes and 24 seconds for an average speed of 74.77 miles per hour.

Eaker in a 1969 Dodge won the pole position with a qualifying speed of 81.337 miles per hour. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa driver lost the lead to Unser on the 126th lap, but then regained it when Unser went to the pits on the 140th lap. A faulty left-front tire forced Eaker into the pits for a second time on the 145th lap, which allowed Unser to take the lead once again.

From then on it was Unser’s race as Eaker was never able to get closer than a quarter lap. “The car ran very nice,” Unser smiled at the conclusion of the race.

Unser, who has been driving stock cars only part time this year, expressed a liking for the high-banked, paved half-mile. “I like any track I win on. It’s a great track, though.”

Eaker, the only driver besides Unser to complete the entire 250 laps, received $2,340 for his second place finish. Roger McCluskey finished third and won $1,885. Dave Whitcomb of Valparaiso, Ind., was fourth in a ’70 Dodge Charger and received $1,000. Only 14 of the 28 qualifiers were in the field at the race’s end.

Wisconsin native Dave Marcis, now driving out of Arden, N.C., would average 74.28 miles per hour on Sunday, May 21, 1972, to win the 100-mile USAC late model stock car race at Wisconsin International Raceway.

Marcis steered a 1972 Nova around the half-mile track, and earned $2,108 for the triumph. Verlin Eaker drove a 1970 Dodge to his second straight runner-up finish, good for $1,540, and Sal Tovella of Addison, Ill., was third in a 1972 Plymouth. Tovella earned $986.

No other drivers completed the entire 200-lap race as mechanical problems plagued the field.

Jack Bowsher led qualifiers with an average speed of 81.04 miles per hour and led the first 98 tours of the race, but unscheduled pit stops forced him to finish 18 laps of the pace. Lem Blankenship of Keokuk, Iowa, (33) and Butch Hartman (57) were the other leaders of the race, but numerous pit tops prevented them from making a serious run. 

Big-time auto racing had developed nicely in Kaukauna, Wis., over the first few years with some of the biggest stars in stock car racing making there way to put on a show. And while this would be the last appearance of the USAC stock car series at WIR, something brighter was on the horizon.

Daalwyk would conceive the idea for a late model stock car series for Wisconsin drivers. The idea became reality on June 25, 1972, when a crowd of 7,832 watched Dick Trickle win the first of three scheduled races that season. It would be called the Red, White and Blue State Championship Series.

 
And the rest is history…

Remembering Sunset Speedway: The only place to be on Sunday Night!!

By Lee Ackerman
Omaha, Neb. - It has been over 12 years since the City of Omaha grew out to Sunset Speedway in Northwest Omaha and forever silenced the engines after 44 years of competition. The final Sunset occurred on October 8, 2000 with the last race being the Con Agra Cornhusker Classic 100 sanctioned by the NASCAR Busch All Star Tour Series.

Sunset Speedway was the creation of Albert Hadan. Al was a gear head, and motors and cars were his passion. After a stint as a driver and builder of stock cars, he decided that he wanted to build a racetrack to the specifications that the local drivers wanted. In 1954, he set this plan in motion along with his brother August and by 1956 the blue prints had been drawn up for a quarter-mile racetrack and the location was to be 2 miles west of Irvington, Nebraska, a suburb of Omaha. The grandstands would face to the west providing race fans with the most beautiful sunsets.

On May 26, 1957 the first race was held at Sunset and the winner was Glenn Robey, who in 2010 is still racing at the young age of 79, the eighth decade in which he has raced. It became the place to be in the Omaha area on Sunday evenings for the next 44 years. First it was the coupes and sedans and over time those cars were replaced by the popular late model class, and various support classes.

In 1969 the track was sold to a couple of Council Bluffs businessmen named Lyle Kline and Gaylen Brotherson, who improved the facility and added several special events. In 1972 it was the Cornhusker Hawkeye Challenge. Who can ever forget the 1977 Cornhusker Hawkeye ran on a Sunday afternoon because of being rained out the previous evening? It ended up being a race between two Iowa racing legends, Curt Hansen and Ed Sanger. Hansen would pass Sanger on the final turn to win the race.

In 1973 two more specials were added; the Spring Invitational and the Nebraska Triple Crown featuring Late Models, Modifieds and Super Modifieds/Sprint Cars. The Spring Invitational would be a staple at the track for many years and who else but Ed Sanger won the inaugural event. The Triple Crown lasted just five years, but we still remember the legendary Jan Opperman behind the wheel of the Speedway Motors 4x Sprint Car blitzing the field in the 1975 version.

In April, 1976 the track was sold to Larry Kelley and the track would remain in the Kelley family for the rest of its history with Larry’s wife Sharon and son Craig taking over the promotion in 1990. During the late 80’s and early 90’s, the Kelley’s transformed Sunset into one of the premier short tracks in the country with weekly crowds averaging 4,000 fans or more.

On April 18, 1982 the World of Outlaws made their first stop at Sunset with Steve Kinser getting the win after Doug Wolfgang was disqualified for changing a tire on the race track. On July 3, 1986 the NASCAR Busch All Star Tour made the first of many stops it would make over the years at the legendary speed plant. Fittingly, Joe Kosiski would win the race.

During the 1990’s Sharon and Craig Kelley would make the track into one of the finest facilities in the country. Running three classes of cars; Late Models, Grand National (Limited Late Models) and Pro Ams (Street Stocks), you could count on at least 30 cars in every class. If you won the late model feature one week, it wasn’t unusual for you to have to run one of two B features the next week just to make the feature.

The Kelley’s instituted a number of innovations that helped to provide for a good, timely evening of racing. They used 4WD Pickup Track Packers to prepare the track on time, without using race cars. Point average inversions produced better heat and feature races. On a yellow flag the cars were stopped, realigned and sent on their way making for faster restarts and had perhaps the best fire and safety crew, equipment and safety rules in the industry. The Kelley’s were nominated 3 different times for the national Auto Racing Promoter of the year award.

One thing seemed to never change at Sunset no matter who ran the facility. It was still a close drive from anywhere in Omaha, the Sunset Inn was famous for its broasted chicken and the grandstands were very close to the track and you could literally feel the action and look into the driver’s eyes.

Another thing that did not seem to change at Sunset was that the last name of many of the drivers never seemed to change. There always seemed to be a couple of Robeys and Tilleys, some Jorgensen’s, plenty of Zeitners, a Wyman or two and of course the ever present Kosiski clan which hauled out more track championships than anyone can count.

But it all came to an end that October day 10 years ago with that final race. It was a bitter sweet day/night. It was a great day for racing but it would be the final event ever held at the track. A week before the area racing community had lost Dwight Wrich (son of former Sunset Speedway Champion Bill Wrich) in a fiery crash in Iowa. As the sun began to set in the west fans began to feel a knot in their stomach’s, knowing it would be the final time they saw the sun set at Sunset Speedway.

Fittingly the winner of the last race at Sunset was named Kosiski; Joe Kosiski to be exact. After all, no other family had dominated the racing at Sunset the way the Kosiski family had. Taking the lead ironically on lap 53 from veteran Gary Webb, Kosiski would win the 100-lap affair with Darren Miller second and Steve "Ace" Ihm third.

”I have so many memories of Sunset.” says former track announcer Stan Cisar Jr. “Those emotional first wins by Howard Koziol and Scott Koskovich. Koskovich hitting the edge of a billboard in turn three and cutting his car in two. The epic battles between Dave Chase and the Kosiski’s, and later Kyle Berck and the Kosiski’s. The list just goes on and on.”

As long time Sunset fan Ron Meyer wrote in his 2006 Dirt Late Model Story on Sunset; “I sat in the same section at the track for years. I should have cut out the plank I sat on before they tore down the grandstands. I swear it had an impression of my butt,” recalled Meyer.

If you talk to people in the Omaha area, they all have a story about Sunset; even if they weren’t race fans at some point in their lives they went to Sunset. They remember cars going off the backstretch into the trees and usually showing up a couple of minutes later at the pit gate in turn four.

They remember Roger Hadan’s horrific crash in turn three with the car separating at the firewall. Miraculously Hadan did not suffer any injuries. “I was knocked out and when I came to there were all these flashlights shining and I thought I was gone.” remembers Hadan. “Then I saw Speedy (Hill, the longtime Sunset Safety Chief), and I said, 'What are you doing in my car.'” The car was totally separated and Hill was standing next to Hadan’s leg.

They remember Bob Parker and Bud Burdick winning in the early years, the great battles between Bob Kosiski and Jim Wyman in the early 60’s. They remember Ed Kosiski on his way to winning the Busch All Star race in the early 90’s running so high through turns three and four that they thought he would knock down the outside wall at any time.

Avid Sunset race fan Wayne Cue remembers the night Bill Martin rode down the entire length of the front stretch retaining wall with sparks flying everywhere. Recently an “I Remember Sunset Speedway” Facebook site was set up and it quickly had over 1,250 members, many sharing their memories of Sunset.

But most of all they remember that Sunset Speedway was only place to be on a Sunday night!

Ernie Derr – Season by Season

The Legendary Ernie Derr - Photo Courtesy of Sal Picalo

Keokuk, Iowa - One of the greatest stock car drivers the Midwest, and perhaps the United States, Ernie Derr of Keokuk, Iowa, passed away on January 8. This a season by season recap of Ernie Derr; a man who dominated the racing scene like no one else.

Comprised by Auto Racing Analysis

Stock car legend Ernie Derr was by far the most dominant driver in the IMCA Stock Car series from 1952 through 1971, amassing 12 IMCA national titles and posting 339 IMCA race wins as documented by Auto Racing Analysis from microfilmed IMCA records, National Speed Sport News, Illustrated Speedway News, and Speed Age. All told, from 1951 through 1975, Ernie Derr amassed a total of 358 race wins, with his 339 IMCA victories joined by 11 wins in ARCA (first known as MARC), three in USAC Stock Car series competition, and five unsanctioned non-series wins.

Derr won at least one race every year from 1951 through 1955 and from 1957 through 1975, giving him 24 total years with at least one race win and a streak of 19 consecutive years (1957-1975) with at least one race victory. Although the vast majority of his race wins came on dirt, he scored nine paved track victories as well.

Derr was a double-digit race winner (10 or more wins) in 17 seasons, won 20 or more races in a season 10 times, and won 31 races in a season twice (1959 and 1962).

Ernie Derr’s wins were achieved on 64 tracks in 18 states. Derr won 157 races driving Dodges, 137 at the wheel of Pontiacs, scored 48 wins driving Oldsmobiles, won 15 times in Plymouths, and scored one win piloting a Mercury. By corporation, he won 185 races wheeling GM products, took 172 races driving MOPAR products, and won once in a FOMOCO brand.

Derr achieved 73 win streaks during his career. He posted one astounding 15-race win streak, two eight-race win streaks, two seven-race win streaks, one six-race win streak, five five-race win streaks, eight four-race win streaks, 24 three-race win streaks, and 30 two-race win streaks.

1950 marked the beginning of Ernie Derr’s racing career; he ranked seventeenth in 1950 IMCA Stock Car points. In 1951 Derr scored his first win on July 1 in an IMCA Stock Car 250-lapper at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines driving a Mercury. The victory was to be his only triumph driving a FOMOCO product! Derr finished fifth in IMCA Stock Car points that season.

Derr won eight IMCA Stock Car races in 1952 driving an Oldsmobile, achieving his first two-race win streak and later a three-race win streak. He finished second in IMCA Stock Car point standings to champion Dom Perlick, also driving an Oldsmobile. Perlick won 16 races in 1952.

Ernie Derr won the 1953 IMCA Stock Car championship title, scoring 16 wins in the 59-race season at the wheel of his Oldsmobile. Derr achieved three two-race win streaks in 1953. Derr’s brother-in-law Don White, also driving an Oldsmobile, was runner-up for the title. White posted 17 race wins but had only one in the final 19 races of the season compared to six wins during the period for Derr.

Also in 1953, Derr made his only start in NASCAR Sprint Cup competition, contesting the August 2 Davenport Speedway race in Iowa. He placed eleventh in a race won by Herb Thomas.

In 1954, Don White won the IMCA Stock Car title with Derr placing second in points. White won 28 races in the 55-race season in his Oldsmobile while Derr drove his Oldsmobile to “only” 12 wins. Derr achieved two three-race win streaks in 1954.

 

In 1955, Ernie Derr expanded his efforts and ran MARC (now ARCA) races in addition to IMCA. IMCA officials retaliated by stripping Derr of his points and thus he had no ranking in the IMCA Stock Car point standings that year despite the fact he won six sanctioned races driving his Oldsmobile. Derr won six MARC (ARCA) races in 1955 wheeling his Oldsmobile, taking victory at Lakewood in Atlanta, Georgia, scoring four wins in Ohio (twice at the Ohio State Fairgrounds plus single wins at Toledo Raceway Park and Dayton Speedway) and a win at Heidelberg Raceway in Pennsylvania. His final win of 1955, on August 17 at the Louisa County Fairgrounds in Columbus Junction, Iowa in IMCA competition, was the 49th of his career and his 48th and final victory behind the wheel of an Oldsmobile.

1956 produced no race victories for Derr as a mixed schedule of IMCA, MARC (ARCA) and USAC Stock Car racing saw him rank thirteenth in USAC points and thirtieth in IMCA. Derr did post some notable runner-up race finishes including seconds in the Dayton and Canfield MARC (ARCA) races and runner-up IMCA finishes at the Missouri, Minnesota, and Iowa State Fairgrounds events.

June 23, 1957 produced the 50th win of Derr’s career, the victory coming at the wheel of his new mount, a 1957 Pontiac, at the McLeod County Fairgrounds in Hutchinson, Minnesota. Derr scored five 1957 IMCA race wins, finishing the season fourth in IMCA Stock Car points behind champion Johnny Beauchamp (runner-up finisher in the 1959 Daytona 500), Bob Burdick, and Don White. Beauchamp dominated the 1957 IMCA season in his 1957 Chevrolet, taking 34 wins.

Ernie Derr returned to double-digit win status in 1958, taking 14 wins in the 59-race IMCA season. Ernie posted two three-race win streaks and won the long-distance events at Hawkeye Downs, the Minnesota Fairgrounds, and at Shreveport’s Louisiana State Fairgrounds in his Pontiac. Derr finished second in IMCA Stock Car points to champion Don White. Driving Fords, White won 25 races including eight in a row before Derr ended the streak with his own three-race win streak at season’s end.

Ernie Derr began a streak of four consecutive IMCA Stock Car championship titles in 1959 with his second title. Derr won 31 races in the 55-race IMCA season at the wheel of his Pontiac, and with his November 1, 1959 win at Shreveport’s Louisiana State Fairgrounds, his thirty-first win of 1959 ran his career total to 99 wins and his IMCA career total to 93. Derr amassed 11 win streaks in 1959 including four three-race win streaks. Dick Hutcherson, another Pontiac pilot, won five times and was the runner-up for the point title.

The 1960 IMCA Stock Car season began April 3 at Shreveport’s Louisiana State Fairgrounds and Derr scored the victory, win #100 of his career. Derr went on to wheel his Pontiac to 22 wins, amassing six win streaks during the 46-race season. Ford driver Ramo Stott was the runner-up for the title, taking 10 wins.

 

Ernie Derr - 1961

 

Ernie Derr took his third consecutive IMCA Stock Car title in 1961, driving his Pontiac to another 22 IMCA wins, this time in a 52-race season. Derr achieved four win streaks, including two three-race streaks and six consecutive wins at the conclusion of the season. Ford drivers Dick Hutcherson and Ramo Stott finished second and third in points. Stott won 12 races and Hutcherson earned eight victories as the Ford duo combined for 20 wins, two short of Derr’s 22 for Pontiac.

Derr concluded 1961 with a MARC (ARCA) victory in a 250-lapper at Birmingham International Raceway in Alabama. The win counted for the 1962 MARC season. He then won the March 4, 1962 Lakewood Speedway MARC race, giving him his first-ever win streak in MARC (ARCA) competition. On March 18, 1962 Derr scored his first paved track win, taking the MARC (ARCA) series victory at Meyer Speedway in Houston, Texas.

The 1962 IMCA Stock Car season opened April 29 at Shreveport’s Louisiana State Fairgrounds, and Derr drove his Pontiac to victory for his seventh consecutive IMCA win, and won again at Hawkeye Downs in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on May 6 to run his victory skein to eight! Derr won 28 IMCA races during the 51-race season to achieve his fourth consecutive Stock Car title. Along the way he ran his career victory total to 175 and his IMCA win total to 165. As in 1961, Dick Hutcherson finished second in 1962 points and Ramo Stott third. Ford drivers Hutcherson and Stott each achieved six race wins and their 12 wins for Ford again fell short of Derr’s 28 for Pontiac.

Derr also took victory in the October 14, 1962 ARCA race at Lakewood Speedway in Georgia in a race counting for the 1963 ARCA season. The win was his tenth in ARCA competition. Earlier in the year, Derr competed in ARCA’s April 1, 1962 Virginia International Raceway road course event, placing twelfth!

Dick Hutcherson ended Ernie Derr’s title streak at four seasons by taking the 1963 IMCA Stock Car title. Hutcherson drove his 1963 Ford to 31 race wins during the 60-race season, putting away the title with a 10 wins in 11 races stretch from August 3 through August 18. Derr, in his final year driving Pontiacs, won 11 races and ranked second in points. Derr’s 137th and final win driving a Pontiac came in the September 21, 1963 IMCA race at Hutchinson Fairgrounds in Kansas. The win was the 186th of his career and his 176th in IMCA competition.

1964 began a new era for Ernie Derr as he switched to MOPAR products. Ernie drove a 1963 Dodge in ARCA competition at Daytona, finishing fourth in his qualifying race and second in the 250-mile main event to NASCAR star Nelson Stacy’s 1964 Ford! ARCA great Iggy Katona finished third behind Derr.

Derr won the March 22, 1964 ARCA event at Meyer Speedway in Houston (his second career paved track win) driving a Dodge. Derr then won the 1964 IMCA season-opener April 19 at the Louisiana State Fairgrounds in a Dodge. Ernie then switched to 1964 Plymouth entries, scoring his first Plymouth victory in the May 17, 1964 Hawkeye 250 in Cedar Rapids. Derr won 15 IMCA races, achieving three win streaks including one four-race win skein. Ernie fell to third in IMCA points in 1964, behind champion Dick Hutcherson and runner-up Ramo Stott. Hutcherson won 30 races (including a nine-race win streak) in the 57-race 1964 season in his 1964 Ford. Stott won 12 races in a 1964 Plymouth as the Stott-Derr MOPAR combination racked up 27 wins to Hutcherson’s 30 Ford victories. Derr achieved a milestone, the 200th win of his career, with his second victory of August 16, 1964 in Mason City, Iowa, at the North Iowa Fairgrounds.

After a year of familiarization with the MOPAR products, Derr, aided by the support of fellow Auto Racing Analysis profile subject Ronney Householder, now a top racing executive with Chrysler Corporation, bounced back to win the 1965 IMCA Stock Car title, the beginning of a seven-year streak of Ernie Derr IMCA Stock Car titles driving Dodges.

Derr won 21 of the 38 IMCA Stock Car races driving 1965 Dodges. Ernie opened the season with two wins; amassed six two-race win streaks and one three-race win streak, and won the season finale. Derr ended 1965 with 223 career victories and 212 wins in IMCA competition. Ramo Stott was the runner-up for the 1965 title; Stott won 15 races in a 1965 Plymouth as MOPAR dominated the series.

Derr contested the 1966 Daytona ARCA race in a Dodge, finishing fourth behind winner Jack Bowsher, runner-up Ramo Stott, and Andy Hampton.

Ernie scored 21 IMCA wins in the 38-race season for the second consecutive year in 1966 en route to his second consecutive and seventh total IMCA title. Derr achieved a five-race win streak in July and a seven-race September-October win streak. On September 3 he scored his first IMCA paved track victory by taking the 300-lap event at the Minnesota Fairgrounds in St. Paul. He then won the September 5 Minnesota Fairgrounds 500-lap classic for his fourth career paved track win. Ramo Stott again was runner-up for the title, again winning 15 races in a Plymouth.

Ernie Derr at Des Moines - 1967 - Kyle Ealy Collection

 

Ernie Derr’s 1967 IMCA Stock Car title-winning season was comprised of 26 race wins in the 40-race season at the wheel of his Dodges. Derr won the season’s first three races and later achieved three-race, five-race, three-race, and six-race win streaks before winning the final three races of the season. He scored two 250-win milestones, in overall wins and in IMCA Stock Car wins, during 1967, and ended 1967 with 270 career wins and 259 IMCA Stock Car race victories. Ramo Stott was again the runner-up for the title, this time with nine wins in his Plymouth stockers.

Ernie Derr’s 1968 IMCA Stock Car title, his fourth consecutive, featured 19 race wins in a 36-race season. The season started slowly for Derr, as Ramo Stott won the season-opener at Devils Bowl with Derr taking the season’s second race before Stott won the next two events. Derr then won the season’s fifth race but Verlin Eaker then won race six and Stott race seven so that after seven races Stott had four wins to Derr’s two. Derr then won five consecutive races, from June 16 through July 21. Derr posted a four-race win streak from August 31 through September 5 and another four-race win streak from September 22 through October 20. Stott ended the season with seven wins.

Derr’s 1968 win total was augmented by two non-sanctioned Late Model wins at the Iowa Fairgrounds in Des Moines on May 4 and May 11, 1968.

Ernie Derr’s fifth consecutive IMCA Stock Car title, earned in 1969, was the result of an amazing 25 race wins in a 30-race season, or 83.33%. Derr and his Dodge racers achieved 1969 win streaks of four, seven, and 12 races as he won the final 12 races of the 1969 IMCA season. Ford pilot Fred Horn was point’s runner-up; he won only one race. The other four races of the 1969 season were won by Ole Brua (two wins), Verlin Eaker, and Marv Marzofka (winner of the August 24 Minnesota Fairgrounds 300 driving a 1967 Mercury Cyclone). Derr ended 1969 with 317 career race wins and 304 IMCA Stock Car race victories.

Derr began the 1970 season with three consecutive IMCA Stock Car race wins, running his IMCA Stock Car win streak to 15 consecutive race victories, from August 30, 1969 through May 17, 1970. Fred Horn ended the streak by winning the May 30, 1970 Mid-America Fairgrounds race in Topeka, Kansas! Derr won 20 of the 30 IMCA Stock Car races en route to his eleventh IMCA title and sixth consecutive. He achieved two four-race and one five-race 1970 IMCA Stock Car race win streaks. Ron Hutcherson took the runner-up spot in 1970 points, driving his Ford to three race victories. Fred Horn also took three wins. Freddy Fryar took four wins, all at the Louisiana Fairgrounds.

Ernie Derr’s twelfth and final IMCA Stock Car title came in 1971. Ernie won 16 races during the 31-race season. Derr achieved 1971 IMCA win streaks of four races twice, one of three races, and also posted one two-race win streak. He ended the season with 353 career race victories and 339 IMCA Stock Car race wins, the final IMCA victory coming in the 1971 season finale on October 31, the Louisiana Fairgrounds 150 in Shreveport.

Ron Hutcherson was the point runner-up for the second consecutive year in 1971 with five wins in his Fords. Ernie Derr’s son Mike scored his first IMCA victory on August 22, 1971 at the Missouri Fairgrounds in Sedalia as the torch passed to the next generation of the Derr family in IMCA Stock Car racing.

Ernie Derr broke new ground in 1972, however, taking his first USAC Stock Car win as he drove a Dodge to victory in the May 7 Missouri Fairgrounds event. Derr also won a 75-lap non-sanctioned Late Model race at Ozark Empire Fairgrounds in Springfield, Missouri on August 13.

Derr’s USAC Stock Car efforts in 1973 were more extensive, and while not producing a race win did place Derr eighth in the point standings. Notable finishes included runner-up results in races at the Missouri Fairgrounds and Hawkeye Downs and third-place finishes at Knoxville, the Indiana Fairgrounds, and Du Quoin.

Derr’s sole 1973 race win documentable by our research came in an unsanctioned September 23 race at Twin City Speedway in Champaign, Illinois in the track’s inaugural race program!

Ernie Derr’s 1974 USAC Stock Car campaign was his most extensive yet in that series and resulted in a sixth-place point ranking. Derr won the July 28 Terre Haute race in a Dodge and posted runner-up race finishes at Knoxville, the Missouri Fairgrounds (twice), Terre Haute (June 2), and the Shawano Fairgrounds.

1975 saw Ernie Derr put his final race win in the record book as he won the July 3 Iowa State Fairgrounds 150-lap USAC Stock Car race driving a Dodge. This 358th win of his career was also his third and final USAC Stock Car win. Derr ranked twenty-fourth in 1975 USAC Stock Car points.

Ernie Derr won races on 64 different tracks. He won the most races, 36, on the Louisiana State Fairgrounds in Shreveport. Twenty-seven wins were posted on the Iowa State Fairgrounds track in Des Moines. Derr won 18 races at Hawkeye Downs in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and won 18 races at the Minnesota Fairgrounds in St. Paul. Derr scored 16 wins at Madison Speedway in Minnesota and 16 victories at the MId-America Fairgrounds in Topeka, Kansas.