The Nebraska Hot Rod Racing Association

A Sunday afternoon of racing begins at Hastings, Nebraska

by Lee Ackerman
Papillion, Neb. - If you think auto racing is a dangerous sport today, let me tell you about the good old days. Well maybe just the old days. Have you ever seen a movie where two young guys go drag racing down the street in their souped up deuce coupes? Let’s go back to the late 40’s and early 50’s and I’ll tell you about the Nebraska Hot Rod Racing Association.

It all started in Hastings in 1948 when a group of hot rod owners got together to form a racing association to race on dirt tracks. That first year they ran a series of exhibition races during Big Car (Sprint Car) show.

In 1949 the association started holding their own races with the first being held at Hastings in June. Now you have to remember this was back before you could order a race chassis from a manufacturer and these cars were pretty crude. Guys just took old cars or hot rods and started chopping. Out came the cutting torches and they started cutting away.

Safety features were almost non-existent. Some of the cars had a roll bar behind the drivers, but that was about it. Later some drivers put bars in front of them. The reason for these bars was that some of the fairground tracks they raced on had fences (both wooden and wire) and those fences could decapitate a driver if he had the misfortune to drive through them.

In the few short years of the association’s existence, they raced at tracks in Hastings, Fairbury, York, Nelson, Broken Bow, Holdrege, Beatrice, North Platte, Ord, Osceola, Wahoo and Franklin. They also raced at least twice at Riverside Speedway (also called Blue Heron) which was located just across the South Omaha Bridge in Iowa. In addition, they held events at tracks outside of Nebraska at tracks in Belleville and Concordia, Kansas and Savannah, Missouri.

Chuck Sears of Hastings, Neb., was one of the top drivers in the NHRRA. - Bob Mays Collection

 

Many of the best drivers from the NHRRA have been inducted into the Nebraska Auto Racing Hall of Fame. Those include 1949-1950 NHRRA champion Gordie Shuck of Edgar, 1951-52 champion Andy Anderson of Hastings, Frank Brennfoerder of Lincoln, Jim Gessford and Chuck Sears of Hastings and Bill Smith of Lincoln. Other drivers who had success in the hot rods include Curley Wadsworth, Gaylord Heiger and Bob Rager.

On occasion these drivers would be joined by out of state drivers such as future NASCAR stars Johnny Beauchamp and Tiny Lund from Harlan, Iowa. Such was the case late in the 1949 racing season when the Hot Rods made two trips to the Gage County Fairgrounds in Beatrice.

On Sunday, August 28, 1949 a larger than capacity crowd estimated at more than 2,500 fans packed the Gage County Fairgrounds for their first look at the “Hot Rods.” Several hundred folks were also watching from beyond the southeast corner. After, time trials drivers and pit crews passed the hat to these spectators raising another $40.63 which was added to the purse. The total purse for the day was $717.23 a good size purse for 1949.

The drivers were greeted with a spongy and rough track but they made the best of it in time trials. Johnny Beauchamp of Harlan, Iowa would turn laps several seconds faster than the Hot Rods had turned at Hastings the week before. Beauchamp set fast time of 33.2 seconds with Edgar, Nebraska’s Gordie Shuck having second fastest time at 33.7 and Howard Madsen turning a lap at 33.9 seconds. Also in the field was another future NASCAR star in DeWayne (Tiny) Lund of Harlan as well as Billy Smith of Lincoln, who has since become known to the racing world as simply “Speedy Bill.”

The first race of the day was a match between the two fastest cars Beauchamp and Shuck. The two battled it out with Beauchamp getting the win and $21.54, Shuck got $14.34. The next race was for the seven slowest cars and it would be Oscar Warford of Ord, Nebraska winning the event over Norman Shaffer.

 

Dale Swanson and Johnny Beauchamp in the Hot Rod days

 

The next event found the six fastest cars racing (with Shuck temporarily sidelined with car problems). Beauchamp won win that event with Jim Kucera of Ord second and Dick Richardson third. Howard Madsen would then win the consolation event with Billy Smith running second. The last race before the feature had the six fastest cars in an inverted start. This provided lots of excitement as Beauchamp passed a car a lap to take the win with Shaffer and Worford rounding out the top three.

The last race found the fastest eight cars going for 10 laps, twice the distance of the previous events. This event Beauchamp ran into more than he could handle as Shuck had returned to the action and he would hold off Beauchamp in a heated battle to the win. Following Shuck and Beauchamp were Warford, Shaffer and Kucera. Beauchamp ended up being the day’s big money winner with $200.81

VFW officials apologized for getting things off to a slow start but it was their first attempt at race promoting. They said they would learn through experience just like the drivers who were mostly young men of 18 or 19 years of age.

Bob Rager of Lincoln, Neb. - Bob Mays Collection

 

On October 2, 1949 the “Hot Rods” returned to Beatrice Fairgrounds where a crowd of about 1,200 fans in the grandstand plus another 1,000 watching for free on the adjoining railroad tracks had returned to see these crazy young men again. Beauchamp would once again set fast time in the Dale Swanson Hot Rod with a lap of 30.08 seconds with Shuck tripping the clocks at 32.1 seconds.

This time in the match race or trophy dash which this time included several cars, it was Shuck’s turn to take home the win in another closely fought battle. Keith Holster of Lincoln would win the second race which pitted six of the faster cars. Max Schlagel of Lincoln was second and Leonard Colhorst of Beatrice third.

Norm Plouzek of Crete would nose out Beatrice’s Mark Clausen in the slower heat with Billy Smith finishing third. The winner’s race was next and again it was a Beauchamp-Shuck battle with Beauchamp coming home just in front of Shuck with Del Whitcomb of Beatrice third. The 10 lap feature would once again be a battle between Beauchamp and Shuck with Beauchamp getting the best this time. Keith Holster, Max Schlagel and Mark Clausen would round at the top five. Beauchamp would leave Beatrice this time the feature winner but his earnings for the day were just $94.22.

The Hot Rods would continue to race for another two or three years but by 1953, the car counts were dropping and many drivers opted to race either in the new United Motor Contest Association for sprint cars or raced coupes and sedans in stock car races. But back in the day it was those “Daredevils and their flying Jalopies.”

 

Frank Brennfoerder of Lincoln, Neb. - Bob Mays Collection

 

The USAC Stock Cars at Du Quoin (1960 – 1969)

 

By Kyle Ealy

Du Quoin, Ill. – It’s been a Labor Day Weekend tradition for over 60 years; stock cars competing on the “Magic Mile” dirt oval at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds in southern Illinois.

Beginning in the early 50’s stock cars raced on the historic fairgrounds under the American Automobile Association (AAA) rules and still continue to this day, racing with the sanctioning body of the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA).

But we’ll focus on what many still believe were the heydays of this event, the stars and cars of the United States Auto Club (USAC).

Beginning in 1956 and ending with its demise in the early 80’s the USAC stock cars brought an exciting brand of racing to Du Quoin and with it, some legendary names.

Big-name racing stars such as Marshall Teague, Jerry Unser and Fred Lorenzen (twice) were winners of the race as the 50’s came to a close.

We’ll start our story on September 3, 1960…

Norm Nelson of Racine, Wis., would usher in a new decade of stock car racing at Du Quoin by winning the 100-mile event that day, dominating the race throughout and winning handily.

Nelson would win the 100-lapper in 1 hour, 11 minutes and 15 seconds, breaking the old mark of 1 hour and 16 minutes set by Lorenzen the year before. Nelson banked $2,009 of the $11,640 record purse. 

Paul Goldsmith of St. Clair Shores, Mich., would set a new track record in qualifying, touring the mile in 46.42 seconds, which would draw him the pole position for the start of the race. Goldsmith would lead the race for the first 14 laps building up a comfy half-mile lead, when his motor when kaput and he was forced to retire for the afternoon. Nelson would inherit the lead and never look back.

Don White of Keokuk, Iowa, made a strong run, progressing through the field and moving by Rodger Ward for third place on lap 30 and taking over the second spot on the 38th tour from Tony Bettenhausen. White drove a steady race the rest of the afternoon until his motor ran afoul on the white flag lap. Bettenhausen would seize the opportunity to take runner-up honors, nearly three quarters of a mile behind Nelson at the checkers. Ward would hold on to third, John Rostek of Fort Collins, Colo., was fourth and Elmer Musgrave of Niles, Ill., rounding out the top five.

 

Paul Goldsmith would win the Du Quoin 100-miler in 1961, '62 and '65.

 

 

Goldsmith would come back with a vengeance the next year, and on September 3, 1961, would set qualifying and race records before a crowd of more than 22,000. Goldsmith shattered his own time trial mark he set the year before, circling the track in 44.07 seconds and then win the race in 1 hour, 10 minutes and 18 seconds, beating Nelson’s mark of 1960.

The race itself would be a tremendous duel between Goldsmith and Rodger Ward, with no other driver ever in contention. Ward would take the lead from Goldsmith on lap 4 with Don White, Eddie Sachs of Cooperstown, Pa., and Len Sutton of Portland, Ore., and defending race winner Nelson right behind the front-row starting duo.

The top five raced in a snug formation for the next 18 laps until White dropped out on lap 19, followed by Nelson on lap 29 and Sachs near the midway point, lap 48. By that point, Ward, Goldsmith and Sutton had lapped nearly the entire field and the race had settled down to a two-car tussle between Ward and Goldsmith.

It seemed just a matter of time until Goldsmith would pass Ward as he dogged Ward's back bumper lap after lap. Finally, on lap 63, Goldsmith saw his opening on the north turn and sped to the lead never to be in danger gain as he gradually opened up distance on Ward.

The outcome was not unexpected as Goldsmith won easily, extending a point’s lead that would eventually propel him to his first USAC national crown, and collecting a whopping $5,000 out of a record purse of over $15,000. Ward would hold on to second after a spirited battle, Sutton would claim third, Dick Rathmann of Roselle, Ill., fourth and Bill Cheesbourg of Tucson, Ariz., in fifth.

Race fans, impressed by the ’61 contest, would turn out in record numbers on September 2, 1962. “This is the biggest crowd ever for any event at the fair,” remarked one Du Quoin official as he surveyed the huge crowd of an estimated 23,000 people who paid their way into three grandstands.

The center grandstand, which held 12,000 people, and the 6,500 capacity south stands were packed. The north stands, which seated 3,500 people, were almost overflowing. Hundreds of other fans watched free of charge from the turns, as did the usual gallery of fans who built platforms on truck beds outside the south fence.

The size of the crowd was reflected by the total purse of $20,309, which compared with a 1961 record of $15,100 and a 1960 record of $11,640. The total purse, when accessory prizes were included, set a world record for a stock car race.

Rodger Ward would draw the pole position with a qualifying time of 41.29 seconds in a 1962 Pontiac but it was defending race winner Paul Goldsmith taking the lead when Ward went high going into the north turn on the first lap. Goldsmith would never look back, winning by half a lap over the rest of the 27-car starting field. Goldsmith’s winning time was comparable to his run the year before at 1 hour, 12 minutes and 54 seconds.

Don White, driving a ’62 Ford, was the only other driver on the lead lap and finished second. Dick Rathmann would lead a trio of Illinois drivers with a strong third place showing with Herb Shannon of Peoria and Sal Tovella of Addison following behind.

 

Gary Bettenhausen #99 and Mario Andretti #4 lead the field to green in 1963. - Doug Dempsey Collection

 

 

On Sunday afternoon, September 2, 1963, Norm Nelson, driving a 1963 Plymouth, would nip Goldsmith by a mere .70 seconds to win his second 100-miler at Du Quoin. Nelson took the lead on lap 11 and never relinquished it, winning in a time 1 hour, 13 minutes and 19 seconds.

Goldsmith would challenge Nelson numerous times in the final 20 laps, but “The Great Dane” fought off every advance. Nelson would earn $3,824 in prize money and collect another 200 points in his march to the USAC stock car national championship (which Don White would eventually win).

NASCAR star Curtis Turner and Don White would take third and fourth, both driving ’63 Fords, while Herb Shannon of Peoria, Ill., who set a new track record the day before in qualifying (40.44 seconds), would round out the top five.

Another standing room only crowd watched Joe Leonard of San Jose, Calif., set a new qualifying mark of 39.34 seconds on Saturday and then go on to victory in the 100-mile race on Sunday, September 6, 1964.

Spectators would witness a sensational battle between A.J. Foyt and Rodger Ward for the first 30 laps of the race. Foyt, driving a 1964 Dodge, and Ward, piloting a ’64 Mercury, would pass Leonard on the start and proceed to trade paint for the next 25 laps, going back and forth for the top spot.

Foyt, experiencing tire trouble early, would eventually have to pit during caution on lap 30 ending what could have been a classic tussle between two of the best. Ward would continue to lead for another 10 laps until Len Sutton of Portland, Ore., took over, who would then give way to Leonard at the midway point as the three drivers remain tightly bunched. 

Unfortunately for Ward, he would get caught up in one of those “wrong place, wrong time” sequences when Eddie Meyer of Glenview, Ill, rolled his 1964 Ford, and when Lloyd Ruby and Gary Bettenhausen swerved to avoid Meyer, they collected Ward, retiring all three for the rest of the afternoon.

After the clean-up, Leonard and Sutton, both driving ’64 Dodges, would continue to run one-two for the last 40 circuits with Leonard winning by a comfortable margin when the checkers flew. His time of 1 hour, 18 minutes and 50 second (82.1 miles per hour) was almost 3 minutes off the record pace set in 1961.

Foyt, who was not among the top 10 cars at the midway point, put on a racing clinic for the last half of the contest. The 29-year-old Texan, known for his fierce driving, passed car after car in the battle for also-rans and would finish an impressive fifth behind Leonard, Sutton, Bobby Marshman of Pottstown, Pa., in a 1964 Ford, and defending race winner Norm Nelson in a 1964 Plymouth.

The near record crowd would produce a Du Quoin State Fairgrounds record purse of $23,650, of which Leonard would cash in on $4,343 of it. That record would stand for less than 24 hours as the USAC champ car race on Labor Day would produce a $24,050 purse.

After being banned from USAC competition for competing with a rival circuit (NASCAR) in 1964, Paul Goldsmith, now driving out of Munster, Ind., was itching to reclaim his Magic Mile crown upon his return in 1965. And that’s exactly what he did…

On September 5, Goldsmith went out and simply picked up where he left off, leading the last 85 laps and leaving everyone in his rearview mirror. In winning his third 100-miler at Du Quoin, Goldsmith collected $4,303 of the $23,120 purse in a time of one hour, 16 minutes, 4 seconds, the slowest since 1959. He averaged 78.8 miles per hour in his 1965 Plymouth.

The 22,000 plus fans who bought every available seat at Du Quoin waited until 4 p.m. for the race to get started without benefit of time trials. The 27 drivers got their pole positions by a drawing while heavy trucks pounded the race course from early morning to make the race possible.

The most excitement of the race came at the starting line when Bobby Isaac, starting on the inside of row two behind polesitter Gary Bettenhausen and Mario Andretti on the front row, gunned his 1965 Dodge to the soft inside part of the track to shoot into the lead.

Isaac, Goldsmith, Jim Hurtubise, A.J. Foyt and Bettenhausen held the first five positions after 10 laps already marked by several pit stops and stalls by other cars. Isaac went to the pits after 15 laps and eventually dropped out of the race at 50 laps.

All the drivers except Goldsmith had troubles as the soft, muddy conditions took a toll on man and his machine. Through the last half of the race less than half the starters were on the track most of the time and only 10 were running at the finish.

Don White of Keokuk, Iowa had been the man to beat on the USAC stock car circuit in August of 1966 winning three straight races on three one-mile tracks. He scored a victory at the Milwaukee Mile on August 18th, the Allen Crowe Memorial at the Springfield (Ill.) Mile on August 19th and the State Century race at the Indiana State Fairgrounds on August 26th. 

 

The crowd is arriving and the stock cars are getting ready for the 1966 race.

 

So, when White and 1966 Dodge Charger pulled onto the track at Du Quoin, Ill., on September 4th, there was no reason to believe that he was going to lose there either. Before another standing room only crowd of 21,000 fans on a warm Sunday afternoon, White won the pole position with a qualifying mile run of 39.45 seconds and then won the 100-mile test by leading wire to wire. Norm Nelson of Racine, Wis., driving a 1966 Plymouth, finished five seconds behind White as the number one and two drivers in the USAC point’s standings lapped every other car in the race.

White’s Plymouth stable mate, Jim Hurtubise made it a three-car race early. Hurtubise ran second to White briefly but pulled into the pits after 29 laps and never got started again. He finished last in the 25-car field. Nelson had white within his sights during the whole race but was never able to get within reach to muster a charge.

White’s winning time of one hour, nine minutes, and 50.42 seconds was a new race record at Du Quoin at an average speed of 85.910 miles per hour. Paul Goldsmith had set the old record of 1 hour, 10 minutes and 18.52 seconds in 1961 in a Pontiac.

White’s victory was worth $4,337 of the $23,000 purse. Nelson got $3,000 for second; Billy Foster $2,443 for third; Sal Tovella $1,500 for fourth; and Bay Darnell $1,286 for finishing fifth.

An interesting side note to the ’66 event; there was not a single General Motors product among the 25 starters in what was strictly a Dodge-Chrysler-Ford contest.

Despite White’s Du Quoin victory and his four-race winning streak, it would be Norm Nelson in first place in the point standings and he would eventually lay claim to the 1966 USAC stock car national title, his second straight and third overall.

When the USAC boys of summer rolled into Du Quoin on September 3, 1967, it was White at the top of the point standings and he was looking to wrap up the title.

When the checkered waved, it was the ‘66 national champ, Norm Nelson, winning the race and ‘66 Du Quoin winner Don White being crowned as the 1967 USAC stock car driving champion. The real story, however, was how White clinched the championship…

White was the fastest qualifier at 39.54 seconds in his 1967 Dodge Charger but after leading only a dozen laps, he smashed into the north fence and his car was disabled. White quickly went searching throughout the pit area looking for someone who was willing to give up their car. White needed to gain more points; the money wasn’t his primary concern. He found someone who was willing to split…

“You take the money and I’ll take the points," White told Al Unser in the pits a few minutes later. So White took Unser’s 1967 Dodge Charger and finished sixth. The 80 points he gained gave him a total of 2,698 for the season and put him out of reach of second place Jack Bowsher, who had 2,064 points with only one race left.

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

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

 

Don White (1) and Al Unser (5) lead the field to green in the 1968 contest. - Doug Dempsey Collection

 

 

A record breaking crowd waited patiently Sunday, September 1, 1968 until a 4:15 p.m. starting time to see Don White win his second career USAC stock car race at Du Quoin State Fair over a slow track.

Rains which forced cancellation of Saturday’s midget races also left the track muddy early Sunday morning. Trucks - and even a helicopter - were used to dry the track for a belated start, which saw 32 entries begin the 100-mile test.

The crowd of 21,500 put up a record purse of $31,265 for the drivers to split. A slight increase in admission prices this year made it possible for the purse to jump from the previous record of $23,400 set the year before.

The time trials were much slower than usual as drivers had to exercise caution on a tracked packed on the inside and outside but fairly soft down the middle. White would win the pole position with a qualifying time of 41.49 seconds, which was well off the record time. Only seven qualifiers, however, bettered 45 seconds in qualifying times.

The race itself provided loss and less excitement the further it went and the more apparent it became that White would be the winner without much challenge.

Butch Hartman flashed to the early lead by passing White and Al Unser of Albuquerque as all three drove 1968 Dodges. Hartman’s lead lasted only three laps before he rammed Jim Perry of Indianapolis into the south inside rail. Hartman’s car was damaged and he left the race.

After the caution flag was lifted on the ninth lap, Unser took the lead with White, Foyt, Parnelli Jones in a 1967 Dodge and Roger McCluskey in a 1968 Plymouth in hot pursuit.

Unser led until he made a pit stop on the 29th lap to fall back to fourth. White and Foyt would run one-two the remainder of the race, except for one brief lead change on lap 76 when White pitted only to regain the top spot when Foyt had to stop for his mandatory stop.

The winning time of 1 hour, 18 minutes and 11 seconds was at a speed of 76.73 miles per hour, way off the marks (1:09:50/85.91 mph) set by White during the ’66 race.

Ed Hoffman of Niles, Ill., put a monkey on Roger McCluskey’s back on September 1, 1969 - and that monkey’s name was A. J. Foyt.

With McCluskey comfortably in first place and only 16 miles from a Du Quoin State Fairgrounds record payday, Hoffman stalled coming out of the south turn. The caution flag went up until Hoffman’s car could be removed. As the field circled the track under the caution, everyone in the house watched Foyt, who had been running in the second position for 33 miles, inching closer and closer to McCluskey’s rear bumper, waiting for the green flag to wave.

When the green flag waved with only 11 miles to race, Foyt was driving on McCluskey’s tail pipe. After they hit the east straightaway, Foyt’s Ford Torino was on the rail with McCluskey’s Dodge Charger beside him.

They raced head and head at full throttle at more than 100 miles per hour for a quarter of a mile until they readied the north turn. McCluskey knew that no driver goes full throttle around the turns at Du Quoin, but A.J. Foyt isn’t just any driver.

McCluskey eased up entering the turn and Foyt didn’t even let up on the gas – and that was the race. They went 10 more laps before Foyt, who won his first USAC big car championship race at Du Quoin in 1960, claimed his eighth triumph at Du Quoin. It was the first time he had won in the stock cars after six previous wins in big cars and one in sprints.

Foyt won the pole with a record qualifying time of 38.71 seconds and defending race champion Don White was almost as fast at 38.75. Both broke the race record of 39.34 by Joe Leonard in 1964. Foyt and White had provided all the early fireworks until White tagged the north wall and exited after 37 miles.

A record purse of $31,597 and a paid attendance of 19,407 brought Foyt a $5,473 payday. McCluskey earned $3,746 for his runner-up finish, Al Unser collected $2,593 for taking third, Bill “Whitey” Gerken of Villa Park, Ill., $2,017 for fourth, and Verlin Eaker of Cedar Rapids, Iowa took home $1,729 for fifth.

The 60’s had ended with Norm Nelson, Paul Goldsmith and Don White dominating the Magic Mile. The 70’s would see a batch of new faces in victory lane at Du Quoin…

Remembering Santa Fe Speedway & The National Clay Track Championship

by Lee Ackerman
Hinsdale, Ill. - It’s a housing development now, and like so many dirt tracks across America it has faded into a memory, but for over 40 years 91st Street and Wolf Road in the Chicago suburb of Hinsdale was the site of one the most famous dirt tracks in America, Santa Fe Speedway. Actually, the history of Santa Fe Speedway goes back to 1896 when Frederick Tiedt built and operated a multi-purpose facility which included in addition to a racetrack, a dance hall, beer garden, bowling alley and other refreshment stands. The original facility was destroyed by a tornado in the 1920’s.

In 1953, Frederick’s son Howard established Santa Fe Park Enterprises, Inc and built the Santa Fe Speedway that most race fans are familiar with. There were actually two tracks, a quarter-mile track and one that was a 7/16th mile facility. From 1953 through 1995, Santa Fe Speedway would provide area fans with one of the most versatile racing programs in the county.

 In addition to stock car races, they hosted sprint car races, big car races, midget races, the AMA national motorcycle series, figure 8 racing, enduros, demolition derbies and power puffs. In 1954 the NASCAR Grand National stock cars even visited the facility. But perhaps the signature event at Santa Fe Speedway was the annual National Clay Track Championship (NCTC).

In 1953 Santa Fe hosted three 200-lap feature races, one of which was the inaugural running of the National Clay Track Championship. Midlothian, Illinois’ Fred Kasten won the first NCTC driving a Buick.  Bill Van Allen won the second NCTC in 1954 at 300 laps. Van Allen would win the NCTC a total of five times to add to his impressive list of six track championships. After several years at 300 laps the event was cut to 100 laps in 1958 before the race was changed to 200 laps (for the reminder of its existence) in 1962.

 

Dick Nelson (11) and Jim O'Conner (8) battle for position during the 1972 National Clay Track Championships. O'Conner would go on to win that day and become a four-time winner of the event (1972, '76, '79 and '83). - Mayer & Storm Photo

 

By the 70’s a new generation of drivers was moving to the forefront at Santa Fe Speedway, and they would be major factors in the NCTC race. Arnie Gardner of Batavia never won a late model championship at Santa Fe, but he was extremely tough in the NCTC winning the event four times. Kankakee’s Jim O’Connor won the track championship three times in the 70’s and added four NCTC wins. When asked about setting up his car for such a long race, O’Connor said, “We went through the whole car the night before. The day of the race we took power away from car as the track got very slick and you didn’t need as much power. We put on a different carburetor and took some gear out.”

Lastly, there was the driver who became known as “Mr. Santa Fe”, Bridgeview’s Tony Izzo. In 1977 he won the first of four straight track championships. After taking three years off from his rule, he returned in 1984 to regain the track championship and would win five straight track championships. Izzo won win the NCTC three times the last in 1978 when he lapped the entire field.

"Mr. Santa Fe" Tony Izzo, won the National Clay Track Championship three times (1974, '77 and '78) - Photo Courtesy of Al Lewis

 

At 200 laps they would run 100 laps then stop all the drivers on the front stretch and the crews would have 8 minutes to refuel, change tires, and make changes or fix what ever needed to be fixed on the cars. Then they would fire them up and run the second 100 laps. While the race started as a local event in the later years when it started paying $10,000 or more to win regional and national drivers started showing up.

Arnie Gardner won the third of his four NCTC titles in 1981 when he used the patented “Santa Fe Bump” to pass Brian Leslie on lap 91. A lead he never relinquished. In 1982 Leslie who had moved from Illinois to Tupelo, Mississippi, returned with a vengeance. It also didn’t hurt that he brought along a new Ray Callahan Bullitt Race Car. After setting fast time, Leslie led the entire 200 laps followed by Izzo.

"The Tall Cool One" Bob Pierce of Danville, Ill., was the 1984 winner.

 

1984 saw the field include a pair of Iowa hot shoes in Gary Webb and Roger Dolan. Also in the field was a down state Illinois driver who would go onto national prominence in Danville’s “Tall Cool One” Bob Pierce. Tony Izzo would set fast time with a lap of 18.467 seconds with Pierce qualifying second. Jim O’Connor and Tony Izzo would start on the front row as a result of winning preliminary 25-lap features.

O’Connor jumped to the lead until lap 9 when Izzo took over the front spot. Izzo would continue to lead until lap 63 when Pierce made the pass for the lead. On lap 75 it was Izzo back to the lead. The last 25 laps of the first segment saw positions change back and forth and at the break it was O’Connor at the point followed by Pierce. Pierce passed O’Connor on lap 113. By lap 130 John Provenzano had moved into second and would pressure Pierce the rest of the way, but “the Tall Cool One” held on for the win with Provenzano settling for second.

 

The NCTC race that seems to be remembered the most by race fans was in 1990. The field included pole sitter and winner of the previous nights “Silver Crown 50”, Chargin’ Charlie Swartz of Ashland, Kentucky, Bob Pierce, Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, Tennessee and Omaha, Nebraska’s Joe Kosiski. At the start 1990 Santa Fe point champion Bob Pohlman Jr. got the jump on Swartz and pulled away. On lap 50 Provenzano spun bringing out the yellow with only 7 cars on the lead lap. On lap 64, Provenzano experienced transmission problems and coasted to a near standstill on the back stretch. An 18-car pile-up resulted on the backstretch taking out most of the front runners and bringing out a red flag.

 

"The Big One" occurred at the 1990 National Clay Track Championships. - Stan Kalwasinski Photo

 

A long delay ensued as the safety crews pulled cars apart and got things back in order. The race would resume based on the running order at the end of lap 63. The mandatory break at lap 100 would also be eliminated as the teams had plenty of time during the red flag conditions to make the necessary adjustments. Due to the lengthy delay, Provenzano was able to replace his transmission and enter the race in second place.

Swartz led a slimmed down field to the green, but it didn’t take Provenzano long and he passed Swartz for the lead. Pierce would soon get by Swartz for second and challenge Provenzano put Pierce’s car torn up from the big wreck wasn’t good enough to pass Provenzano, who picked up his third “200” win in four years. Provenzano and Pierce ended up being the only cars on the lead lap.

In 1991, arguably the best dirt late model driver of that era, Billy Moyer showed up at Santa Fe to try his hand at the 200. Track veterans Jim O’Connor and John Provenzano would share the front row with Provenzano jumping to the lead only to be passed on lap 8 by Larry Jackson. Izzo then assumed the point with Jackson reassuming the lead on lap 19. Izzo went back to front on lap 35 but the man on the move was Billy Moyer of Batesville, Arkansas. Moyer grabbed the top spot on lap 62 and would go on to pick up the win and $13,000 for his efforts. NCTS mainstay Provenzano would finish second. That year the field included Peter Parker, who finished third, Gary Webb, Joe Kosiski and Willy Kraft.

1993 saw the always tough Provenzano set a new track record with a lap of 17.174 seconds and started on the pole. But before the first lap was in the book, Westmont’s Gibby Steinhaus had the lead from his outside starting position. Steinhaus and Springfield’s Dick Taylor would swap the lead a couple of times before Taylor excited the race on lap 29. The next lap, “the Modern Day Cowboy” John Gill passed Steinhaus for the lead and never looked back. The race was cut short to 160 laps by rain.

 

John Gill remembers how he got the advantage early on in the race and how it was taken away during the mandatory lap 100 stop. “The track was really slick, but there was one dry spot coming high out of four where I could get traction and really fly down the front straight.” During the break he heard a “varoom” in turn four and turned to see an earth mover removing the dry spot. “I guess they thought they were evening up the odds.” Gill commented.

The 1994 race was run under threatening skies that had wiped out the previous night's Silver Crown 50 for the third year in a row. Nick Knippers Jr set fast time and led until Kevin Roderick took the top spot. Soon the race would be a battle between Roderick and Bob Pohlman Jr. By lap 70 Provenzano had joined the battle. Rain started to fall near the end of the first segment and the race was stopped for the mandatory pit stop on lap 102.

The late Kevin Roderick won the National Clay Track 200 in 1994. - Photo Courtesy of Al Lewis

 

During the break the rain subsided, and the race was resumed with Provenzano at the point. Tom Pauley challenged “Little John” but after a while Provenzano started to pull away and Roderick passed Pauley for second on lap 158. Then it happened, late in the race Provenzano was into the backstretch wall allowing Roderick to assume the point. Roderick would go on to win the race, with his closest call coming on the last lap when he had to swerve to miss two cars that crashed on the back stretch. For the late Palos Park driver, it would be his biggest win.

In 1995, the race was shortened to 100 laps, but it didn’t make much difference as the driver who had been as strong as anybody in the race, “Little John” Provenzano picked up his fifth NCTC crown. Sadly, it would be the last NCTC to be run at Santa Fe.

In January 1996 the famous “Dear Driver” letters were mailed out to competitors by the management of Santa Fe saying racing had been suspended for the 1996 season. In March 1999 the famous facility would fall to the wreck ball to make way for an upscale housing development.

Santa Fe Speedway and the National Clay Track Championships are now just a fading memory. But to those many die-hard Chicago dirt track racing fans there will always be a very special place in their heart for both.

A special thanks goes to two racing historians for their contribution to this story. Stan Kalwasinski and Bob Markos. Without their input this story would not have been possible.

The Miller 200 (1970 - 1979)

Editor's note: This is part two covering the 200-mile USAC stock car race at the historic Milwaukee Mile. If you haven't read part one yet or need a quick refresher, here's the link to that story...http://www.midwestracingarchives.com/2013/01/the-milwaukee-200-1960-1969.html

By Kyle Ealy

West Allis, Wis. – As spectacular and star-studded as the annual USAC stock car 200-miler at the Milwaukee Mile was in the 1960’s, the 70’s version of the mid-summer classic wouldn’t disappoint. The new stars of the United States Auto Club stock car division were ready to set the bar a little higher.

Backed by new sponsorship from right down the street, the Miller Brewing Company, the race was appropriately named the “Miller 200”. And for the next 10 years, USAC stock car racing at the Milwaukee Mile in July would truly be, “The High Life”…

Norm Nelson’s Chrysler-backed racing team came to State Fair Park on Sunday, July 12, 1970 to do a job. And sure enough, they did it.

 

Roger McCluskey #1 battles teammate and car owner Norm Nelson #41 during the Miller 200 at the Milwaukee Mile on July 12, 1970.

 

 “A one-two finish, that’s what we came here for,” said Roger McCluskey after the Tucson, Ariz., driver pushed his 1970 Plymouth Superbird to a 77-second victory over teammate Nelson of Racine, Wis., in a 1970 Plymouth Roadrunner. He also set fast time during Saturday’s qualifying, touring the oval at 34.349 seconds.

McCluskey’s only serious challenge came from Don White of Keokuk, Iowa, who raced him neck and neck for some 10 laps around the blistering hot one-mile asphalt ribbon. The track temperature was reported to have reached 105 degrees at race time. 

White edged into the lead at the beginning, only to lose it all when a cracked valve forced him to call it quits on the 52nd lap. “He (White) pushed it hard for a while,” said McCluskey. “I enjoy driving against him.”

“My car handled well,” said McCluskey, who picked up $10,360 of the $57,475 purse –the largest for a USAC stock car race on a one mile track that year. “We didn’t have any problems with the heat.”

McCluskey averaged 98.169 miles per hour for the 2 hour and 2 minute race, leading all but 12 laps. He finished this time - unlike the 1968 race when his feet blistered from the heat and he had to quit earlier than he wanted to.

He said his principal worry was not himself, but the tires and how they would hold up in the sweltering humidity. “We had some new type Goodyear tires, and we had no projection what they’d do,” he said. “We planned a tire change on the first pit stop for fuel because the tires wear more early in the race. The second stop, as it would turn out, was for fuel only.” Both pit stops were extremely brief.

After the second stop, Roger battled A.J. Foyt briefly, with the Texan hanging all over his back bumper for 80 laps before a problem with his transmission sent him to the garage.

Sal Tovella of Addison, Ill., who dueled Nelson most of the afternoon, finished third, giving Plymouth win, place and show on the afternoon. Butch Hartman of Zanesville, Ohio took fourth and Bobby Wawak of Villa Park, Ill., rounded out the top five, both driving 1969 Dodge Chargers. 

Norm Nelson’s two-headed monster would return to the Milwaukee Mile on Saturday, July 10, 1971 and again prove to be the kings of the mountain; in qualifying. McCluskey earned the pole position after shattering the track record (107.242 miles per hour) by more than two seconds and Nelson put forth the next best mark to share the front row for Sunday afternoon’s race. But none of it mattered when Sunday rolled around.

It would be another two-horse team that would steal the headlines come race day, as Jack Bowsher of Springfield, Ohio and his able-bodied teammate, A.J. Foyt, would run one-two in the Miller 200.

Jack Bowsher accepts the trophy after winning the 1971 Miller 200.

 

 

“We came here to race,” Bowsher said of the difference between his team’s and Nelson’s on qualifying and race days. If you want to set a car to qualify and have a week to do it, you can set it up to do a couple of fast laps, but you can’t run 200 laps that way. We didn’t do a thing to the cars to qualify or race.”

Foyt, who qualified third, grabbed the lead away from McCluskey at the start with Bowsher taking his turn at the top spot later on. The dynamic duo led 173 of 200 laps in their 1969 Ford Torino’s and did so in convincing fashion. McCluskey would lead 21 laps in taking home the third spot.

Nelson’s team, based 40 miles from the track had spent all week testing, but it was all for naught. After the race, Nelson conceded that Bowsher and Foyt did their homework in outrunning his team, and the rest of the field for that matter.

“When it got hot and the tires got sticky, the track got oily,” Nelson said.” They were running beautifully and could get around us anytime they wanted. We were just spinning our wheels, so to speak.”

Bowsher averaged 95.763 mile per hour in winning the event, which was timed in 2 hours, 3 minutes and 18 seconds. Bowsher collected $9,048 out of a $55,000 purse, with Foyt cashing in on an additional $6,263. Not a bad payday for what Bowsher called his “low budget operation”.

“When you talk independents, we’re as independent as you can get,” he remarked. “I ain’t kidding. I‘ve got my brother here and my kids helping out. I’ve only got one guy who really works for me.”

1972 Miller 200 winner Roger McCluskey is joined by car owner Norm Nelson in victory lane.

 

 

What’s a race without some controversy?

The end of Miller 200 on July 9, 1972 would have just that. Roger McCluskey passed defending champ Jack Bowsher with four laps left when one of Bowsher’s tires began losing air, then drove his 1970 Plymouth Superbird to what seemed to be a victory in the race at the State Fair Park one-mile track.

Bowsher, of Springfield, Ohio, had led for 119 laps in a 1971 Ford, and claimed afterwards he was leading at the finish. He told USAC officials that instead of finishing five seconds (4.7 actually) behind McCluskey, he was actually ahead by almost a lap when the checkers waved. He claimed he gained the advantage early in the race when McCluskey made two pit stops for tire changes.

USAC officials responded by saying their scoring tapes and charts, along with those kept by Bowsher’s camp, would be sent to USAC headquarters in Indianapolis for review, with a decision to be rendered in a couple of days.

McCluskey averaged 89.644 miles per hour in his “unofficial” victory, as 54 laps were run under caution flags for a series of minor accidents. He said afterwards that he was afraid he was out of the race after his two early pit stops. “When I had two tires go I thought I’d had it,” he said. “But we switched to a harder compound tire and they wore well.”

Bowsher’s tire problems ended just after the race when the tire went completely flat, and the soft tire slowed him down noticeably.

“I saw Bowsher slowing down. He slowed even more, so then I thought I’d put the heat on him,” McCluskey said. “I didn’t run as hard as I could have, but it was enough to leave him behind.”

Three days later, USAC officials upheld the decision and awarded the victory to McCluskey. 

Contrary to what Bowsher’s team claimed, McCluskey made five pit stops, all during the caution flag. “Bowsher made three pit stops, two on the green and one on the yellow,” remarked Richard Sauer, chief of timing and scoring for USAC. “Bowsher’s scorer gave him credit for a lap he didn’t complete.”

Neither 90-degree-plus heat nor brake failure could stop Larry “Butch” Hartman, after he scored one of his infrequent victories in the Miller 200 on Sunday, July 8, 1973.

Hartman, who won the USAC stock car point title in 1972 without winning a race, took the lead with 29 miles left and held it the rest of the way, averaging 90.314 miles per hour in his Dodge Charger, and earned $10,165.

Don White led from the 79th to the 130th lap before taking a pit stop. He regained the lead on lap 132 and held it until his Charger blew an engine and hit a wall on lap 165. That gave the lead to Roger McCluskey. But he had to stop because of a flat tire on lap 171. Hartman grabbed the lead at that point and breezed to victory despite having no brakes.

“My brakes started going after the first 50 miles and for the last 100 miles I didn’t have any brakes at all,” the South Zanesville, Ohio, veteran said. “I told my crew it was a hard way to do it, but the way the car handled I should leave the brakes off next time.”

Johnny Rutherford exited the race early when he was overcome by the heat and high humidity, but Hartman said it didn’t bother him. “The heat never bothers you when you’re out front,” he said. “You won’t believe the cold chills I had when I saw the white flag out.”

McCluskey finished second in a Plymouth Roadrunner, while H. B. Bailey of Houston, Tex., was third in a Pontiac Firebird. Ramo Stott was fourth in a Dodge Charger and Jack Bowsher fifth in a Ford Torino.

Hartman, called the “Cheese Champion", because he didn’t earn a single win during his title run in ’72, said the label irritated him at times. “People, don’t realize I’m finishing well and getting the points,” he snapped. “I’d rather have eight seconds than only one first.”

 

Ohio's Butch Hartman would successfully defend his Miller 200 title on July 14, 1974.

 

Hartman could have very well been labeled the “Cheese Champion” again the next year, but for a different reason. After his Miller 200 victory in ’73, Hartman couldn’t stop winning at Milwaukee, claiming three more USAC victories and he was the odds-on favorite when the Miller 200 returned on July 14, 1974.

 Hartman would go on to score his fifth straight victory at Milwaukee that Sunday afternoon, but rest assured, his win wasn’t easy. Even with a half-lap lead in the closing laps of the race, Hartman never started counting his money. “At no point was I confident,” he said afterwards. Even in those last 10 laps when I was out in front, I was nervous as hell. Nothing was certain.”

He averaged 86.884 miles per hour in winning the event. He collected $10,019 of a $54,800 total purse.

Hartman, driving a 1974 Dodge Charger, took the lead from polesitter Bobby Unser after 35 laps. Unser would eventually leave the race after breaking a valve in his ’74 Charger.

Hartman would pit and Dick Trickle of Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., would inherit the top spot on lap 87 and hold it until lap 117 when Hartman took over. Trickle would remain behind Hartman until he spun his ’72 Charger on lap 143 on an oil slick caused by the blown engine of Paul Feldner of Richfield, Wis., in a ’72 Charger. Trickle’s car hit the wall, but he walked away uninjured.

Hartman’s final challenge would be from Ramo Stott who had been hampered by brake problems in his 1972 Plymouth all afternoon long but had somehow managed to stay with the leaders. “I knew he was right behind me,” Hartman said. “But I also knew he had some brake issues. It was one heck of a race he (Ramo) drove.”

Norm Nelson would finish third despite being hampered when he made a pit stop on the 50^th lap, picked up a piece of metal while leaving the pit area and had to return only three laps later with a flat tire. Jack Bowsher was fourth and Bay Darnell fifth.

In the 1960’s, you could say that Don White owned the Milwaukee Mile, scoring an amazing 11 USAC stock car wins during that decade. But the 70’s had treated the Keokuk, Iowa veteran differently. He had only won twice at “The Mile” and it had been nearly three years (September 10, 1972) since his last victory.

On the other side the fence, the 70’s had been overly generous to Butch Hartman. The four-time USAC stock car national champion and two-time defending Miller 200 titlist had won seven of the last eight USAC stock car races at the famed oval and was enjoying another banner season on the USAC circuit.

 

A familiar face in victory lane during the 60's, Don White of Keokuk, Iowa, would score his final Milwaukee victory on July 13, 1975.

 

On July 13, 1975, it would be a showdown of the old guard versus the new star…

The old guard would win out as the 49-year-old White drove his 1972 Dodge Charger past Hartman on the 142nd mile of the 200-mile event, then held off both Bay Darnell and Hartman down the stretch for the victory, worth $9,518 from the record $62,600 purse.

“This has been a long time coming,” said White. “It gives me a lot of satisfaction because I build my own cars, I drive my own cars, I do it all myself.”

White had no sponsorship on his car and was so low on cash he had to qualify using year-old tires. “It gives me a great deal of satisfaction knowing you can put a car together yourself and still beat the guys who have money to burn.”

Darnell was second, Hartman managed third despite losing more than a lap after an early accident, and Irv Janey was fourth. All drove 1974 Chargers, while fifth place finisher Ralph Latham piloted a 1975 Chevelle.

The 200-miler was delayed by six yellow caution flags and numerous spins and crashes, including a spectacular collision on the 85th lap. Ramo Stott’s Plymouth blew an engine and burst into flames, and then Jack Bowsher crashed into the wreckage. Neither driver was hurt, but both cars were out of the race.

Butch Hartman would come back with a vengeance the next year, overcoming both the sweltering heat and an unruly race fan to win the Miller 200 on July 11, 1976. Hartman, driving a 1976 Camaro, passed Sal Tovella to take the lead for good on the 158th circuit and ran away unscathed for the remainder of the contest. The three-time winner of the event picked up $9,734 of the $60,000 purse, the richest on the USAC stock car circuit.

Afterwards, Hartman used the ‘ol one-two combination on a fan using obscenities towards the Zanesville, Ohio speedster. “I don't like it,” he said after the scuffle, which ended with the spectator escorted away by police officers. “I don't allow words like that in my home and there’s no place for them here either. There’s no sense in language like that in front of women and little children.”

Hartman, who started on the pole for the Sunday afternoon race, finished with a winning speed of 88.115 miles per hour, outdistancing Tovella at the end by six seconds in 97 degree heat that sent the track temperature to 147. Jack Bowsher, driving a 1976 Ford Torino, finished a distant third and Larry Moore of Dayton, Ohio, in a 1974 Charger was fourth. Fifth place went to Dave Whitcomb of Valparaiso, Ind., in a 1976 Camaro.

Defending champion Don White lasted 51 laps before pulling in because of brake problems. Ramo Stott, the ‘75 USAC national champion, was knocked out of the race with a broken crank shaft pulley on the 89th lap.

Tovella, driving a 1974 Plymouth, was hampered by rear spring and right rear fender damage suffered when his car was involved in a multi-car pile-up on the 72nd lap after Paul Feldner’s 1974 Charger blew an engine. Oil from Feldner’s car spilled onto the track, and Hartman avoided the oil, but Tovella spun and crashed into Feldner's car. Four other cars hit either Feldner’s car or the wall, but no serious injuries were reported.

History was made that afternoon as well as Arlene Hiss became first woman to drive in a Milwaukee stock car race. She was lapped twice by the field in the first 16 laps and spun out in the second turn of the 29th lap. Neither she nor her car suffered any damage, and Tom Williams, owner of the car, took over the driving duties until the 72nd lap when his was the third car in the multi-car crackup.

 

In the early 1970’s, a young man by the name of Dave Watson started his career in short track racing. His goal was to one day, go big-time. The Beloit, Wis., driver decided to be patient, though, and wait until the time was right to pursue that dream. By 1976, the 30-year-old driver had made huge strides, winning 41 of 76 features he entered and becoming one of the top short track drivers in the nation. After the ’76 season, Watson decided it was time to move up in the ranks, or, as he put it, “I’ve kinda reached a plateau in racing. I’ve won everything there is to win in short track racing. We can’t go anywhere else but down.”

 

 Dave Watson is interviewed by announcer Jack Baker after winning the 1977 Miller 200. - Stan Kalwasinski Photo

 

On Sunday, July 10, 1977, at the Milwaukee Mile, Dave Watson got his first taste of big time stock car racing. And all he did in his rookie appearance was whip everyone and win the Miller 200 with drivers of the capability of NASCAR star Bobby Allison, who finished five seconds back in second place, Indy 500 veteran Bobby Unser, who took third, and USAC champions Don White and Ramo Stott in his wake. Not bad for a debut…

But things weren't entirely easy for Watson. He was held up a lap in the pits as a penalty for passing cars in the backstretch under the yellow caution flag. After getting his lap back, he eventually made his way to the front and on lap 158 roared past Allison to take the lead. However, USAC officials had the binoculars out watching him as circled the track.

“They told us his right rear tire was chunking off and we’d have to call him in,” said Watson’s car owner Dave Deppe. Deppe, who owned a disposal company in Baraboo, Wis., convinced USAC officials that everything was just fine, they conceded and continued to let him race. The whole time, Watson wasn’t even aware of the incident and didn’t even hear about it until he was in victory lane afterwards, hoisting the trophy and collecting his winnings of nearly $10,000.

Still, almost an hour after the victory, USAC officials still weren’t satisfied and started combing Watson’s car for violations. Routinely, the top five finishers at Milwaukee were always torn down for inspection but the perusals usually didn’t go beyond a quick check of the engine and gas tank.

Deppe was called in to the impound area during the inspection and was engaged in conversation with officials for over a half hour before the car finally was cleared and the results declared official. Asked afterward what the trouble was, Deppe said, “The biggest problem was that a rookie driver and a guy that owns a garbage truck business won a race.”

The rookie driver mentioned afterwards that he wasn’t awed by who he was competing with, not even the veteran Allison. “I thought he was at as much of a disadvantage as I was,” Watson said. “He hadn’t raced here before either so I figured he and I were on equal ground.”

Allison would get his revenge the next year, July 9, 1978, but amidst a little controversy. Allison, driving an AMC Matador, was the first to cross the finish line when the checkers came out, three seconds ahead of runner-up Sal Tovella.

But, to a lot of people’s confusion, both drivers proceeded to take a victory lap…

Tovella’s crew signaled for him to head to the winner’s circle and two and a half hours of conflict followed. Tovella’s crew was under the impression that Allison was one lap behind at the end of the 200-mile race. They argued that Allison had made a series of illegal pit stops under the yellow flag during laps 131 through 134, which according to their own scoring, put him one lap back at the finish.

Neither Bobby Allison (left) or Sal Tovella (right) were willing to concede the 1978 Miller 200. - Stan Kalwasinski Photo

 

A couple of hours later, long after fans had left and race cars had been loaded up, Bill Saxon, the USAC stock car director, said an investigation of records showed that Allison had completed the required 200 laps and was the winner. The confusion, Saxon said, developed because Allison had been credited with one long pit stop when actually he made three quick pit stops under yellow flag conditions.

The final Miller 200 of the decade would take place on July 8, 1979 with Joe Ruttman of Upland, Calif., the younger brother of racing legend Troy Ruttman, leading more than three-quarters of the way and pulling ahead for good at the Wisconsin State Fair Park track. Ruttman’s victory, his first at the Milwaukee track, came before a crowd of 21,169 and earned him the winner’s share of a $75,000 record purse

Joe Ruttman receives the celebratory kiss after winning the Miller 200 on July 8, 1979. - Stan Kalwasinski Photo

Ruttman, who led 152 of the 200 laps on the paved one-mile oval, took the lead for good when he passed Terry Ryan of Davenport, Iowa going into the third turn of lap 130. Ryan, Ruttman, A.J. Foyt and defending race winner Bobby Allison had battled for the lead for the previous 20 laps. Ruttman managed to stay a second ahead of Ryan and Foyt for the next 10 laps and then began increasing his lead to as much as five seconds.

Foyt had won the pole position on Saturday with a record speed of 112.15 miles per hour. He led the first seven laps but was slowed throughout the event having to pit on seven different occasions, including one when he was called in by USAC officials for pitting too early when a yellow flag was posted. Foyt was bothered most of the day by handling and tire problems.

Ruttman averaged 96.33 miles per hour in his ’77 Pontiac Phoenix and finishing ahead of Ryan and Foyt, who both drove ’78 Camaros. Tom Sneva of Spokane, Wash., was fifth in a ’79 Ford Granada, and Jim Cushman of Mount Vernon, Ohio, was sixth in a ’78 Plymouth Volare.

Even though he won by five seconds, Ruttman didn’t feel he was the best driver on the track. “I had the better car today,” Ruttman said. “I didn't finish ahead of (A.J) Foyt because I’m a better driver than he is. I could see that he had lots of problems with his car today. I felt sorry for him, but then he’s beat me an awful lot of times, and I wanted to beat him for a change.”

The Miller 200 at the Milwaukee Mile would be USAC-sanctioned for two more years, in 1980 and 1981. Rusty Wallace, an up-and-coming star from St. Louis, Mo., would give race fans and fellow competitors a sneak preview of his driving talents by winning both races.

 

Rusty Wallace of St. Louis, Mo., would win the last two USAC-sanctioned Miller 200 stock car races in 1980 and 1981. - Stan Kalwasinski Photo

By 1982, however, the USAC stock car division was losing its luster and while the Miller 200 would continue at The Mile, it would be sanctioned by the American Speed Association for the race’s remaining years.

By 1984, the USAC stock car division had faded into obscurity.