1980 – Combs edges Plank in ‘Yankee Classic’

Rodney Combs captured the third annual Yankee Dirt Track Classic at Hawkeye Downs. Making the trophy presentation is NASCAR steward Ed Otten. 

Cedar Rapids, Iowa (September 14, 1980) – Rodney Combs of Lost Creek, W.Va., led only two laps on Sunday night, but one of them was the final lap of the race as he captured the third annual Yankee Dirt Track Classic 100-lap feature at Hawkeye Downs Speedway.

In what was one of the most competitive 100-lap races ever held on the Downs’ half mile – 14 cars were running on the lead lap at the end – Combs took the lead from Leon Plank of Mondovi, Wis., as the two leaders drove through lapped traffic in turn four of the final lap.

The only other time Combs led was on the 98th go-round when he and Plank crossed the start-finish line side-by-side with Combs’ front bumper barely in front of Plank’s car.

Pole-sitter Roger Dolan of Lisbon, Iowa, took the lead at the start of the event and held the top spot until lap 48 when Plank moved from third to first in one move going through turn two. Plank then led through lap 97, and again on lap 99.

Obviously happy with his win, Combs nonetheless had high praise for Plank.

“He drove one heckuva race,” Combs said. “I know what he must be feeling because I’ve lost a few races the same way he did tonight. As it was, I could only run on the outside, and he was really hooked up on the inside, and it would have made for one heckuva finish without those lapped cars in the way. I was just fortunate enough to be hooked up on the outside groove.”

The two leaders came up on two lapped cars – one on the outside and one on the inside.

Plank was obviously not a happy man after the race. At first refusing to comment, he finally remarked, “Niffenegger (Mike) got sideways in front of me, and I had to hit the brakes. That cost me the race.”
Combs’ win marked the first time an out-of-stater had won the Yankee Classic. Verlin Eaker of Mechanicsville, Iowa won the initial event in 1978 and Fred Horn of Marion, Iowa, won last year’s race.

Plank, although he resides in Wisconsin, had raced at Hawkeye Downs enough to be considered a regular by many in the crowd and the final result was not a popular one with many in the stands.
However, Combs showed a lot of class as he was interviewed afterwards.

“That’s racing,” Combs said. “I feel very badly for Leon, but it’s happened to me before. I know how he feels.”

Finishing behind Combs was Plank, Dolan, Dick Schiltz of Waterloo and Kevin Gundaker of St. Louis.

Combs’ win was worth $5,000, Plank earned $4,000, Dolan $3,000 of the $25,000 purse.

Combs also broke the track record in qualifying, eclipsing Dick Schiltz’s mark of 23.172 seconds with a new mark of 22.265 seconds.

Billy Moyer Jr. of Des Moines won the trophy dash while heat wins went to Gundaker, Horn, Dick Potts of Morocco, Ind., Jim Curry of Norman, Ind., John Connolly of Delhi and Plank. Dave Chase of Council Bluffs won the consolation.

Results –


1. Rodney Combs, Lost Creek, W. Va.
2. Leon Plank, Mondovi, Wis.
3. Roger Dolan, Lisbon
4. Dick Schiltz, Waterloo
5. Kevin Gundaker, St. Louis
6. Jim Curry, Norman, Ind.
7. Fred Horn, Marion
8. Dave Chase, Council Bluffs, Iowa
9. Ken Walton, Viola, Iowa
10. Mike Wallace, St. Louis
11. Tom Hearst, Wilton
12. Billy Moyer Jr., Des Moines
13. Dick Potts, Morocco, Ind.
14. Ed Sanger, Waterloo
15. Lance Matthees, Winona, Minn.
16. Dan Dickey, Packwood
17. Mike Niffenegger, Kalona
18. Em Fretheim, Decorah
19. Larry Wasserfort, Cedar Falls
20. Mel Morris, West Liberty
21. Bill Zwanziger, Waterloo
22. Gary Crawford, Independence
23. Don Hoffman, Des Moines
24. Johnny Johnson, Morning Sun, Iowa
25. John Connolly, Delhi
26. Steve Keppler, Marion
27. Curt Hansen, Dike
28. Bill McArdle, Hazel Green, Wis.
29. Kenny Farrell, New Hampton

Today in Racing History

 

 

September 13, 1975

 

 

 

1993 - Hansen wins ASA Madison 200

Scott Hansen en route to winning the ASA-sanctioned Madison 200. - Bobby Jones Photo

Oregon, Wis. (September 12, 1993) - A little luck and a lot of practice went into Scott Hansen's victory at Madison International Speedway on Sunday afternoon.

Hansen’s car was clearly the fastest as he surged into the lead on lap 21 of the American Speed Association’s Madison 200 and stayed in front despite losing his brakes during the nationally televised race on TNN.

A native of Green Bay who now lives in Milwaukee, Hansen held off West Salem's Jay Sauter with the help of 10 caution periods, including the final yellow flag on lap 196 of the 200-lap event. It was the first American Speed Assocation race at the track since 1986 when it was called Capital Speedway.

“We needed every caution there was because we were out of brakes early,” said Hansen, who practiced with his short track car at MIS on Thursday and then ran in the track’s weekly Friday night program.

“We just learned a lot – how tight the race track was – and incorporated some of it into this car and it worked out real well,” he added. “It’s a good thing it wasn’t 210 laps.”

Hansen’s triumph also tightened the ASA points race, moving him within 37 points of leader Johnny Benson Jr. Benson, who has 2,484 points, spun and hit the turn four wall on lap 21 and went on to finish 24th, 25 laps down.

Hansen has 2,447 points followed by Sauter with 2,411. Mike Eddy, who expired on lap 71 with mechanical problems, is fourth with 2,306.

Sauter said the numerous yellow flags only hurt his chances to capture his first ASA race of the season.

“After the re-starts my car was a little slow for about two laps,” he said. “I just didn't need the yellows at the end. With two more laps, maybe we could have got (Hansen).”

Jeff Neal of Lake Villa, Ill., made an impressive run, qualifying fourth and finishing third, and Winston Cup veteran Ken Schrader placed fourth. Steve Holzhausen of Bangor was fifth, and Edgerton native Rich Bickle Jr. finished ninth in a car he borrowed from Gordie Brunette of Rice Lake.

It was Bickle’s first ASA race since 1991, and he said he was “tickled’ with his top 10 finish considering he never saw the car he drove until about 15 minutes before race time.

“I got killed on re-starts,’ said Bickle, who started last in the 35-car field after narrowly failing to qualify for Saturday night’s Winston Cup Miller Genuine Draft 400 at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway.

Joe Shear (11th) of Clinton and Ken Lund (13th) of Oregon both completed all 200 laps. Dave Watson of Baraboo crashed on lap 75 and finished 31st, and Winston Cup driver Dick Trickle, a Wisconsin Rapids native, was 33rd after a mishap on lap 69.


Results –



1. Scott Hansen
2. Jay Sauter
3. Jeff Neal
4. Ken Schrader
5. Steve Holzhausen
6. Dennis Lampman
7. Mike Miller
8. Brad Loney
9. Rich Bickle Jr.
10. Kent Stauffer
11. Joe Shear
12. Glenn Allen Jr.
13. Ken Lund
14. Harold Fair
15. Bob Senneker
16. Tony Raines
17. Jay Sommers
18. Joe Nott
19. Tom Jones
20. Carl Miskotten III
21. Tony Roper
22. Terry Wente
23. Gary St. Amant
24. Johnny Benson Jr.
25. Jim Weber
26. Russ Gamester
27. David Anspaugh
28. Butch Miller
29. Todd Forbes
30. Tom Harrington
31. Dave Watson
32. Mike Eddy
33. Dick Trickle
34. Randy McDonald
35. John Lemke

1977 – Kenimer Wins Rossburg’s World 100

Rossburg, Ohio (September 11, 1977) – A pair of notable fellows from Georgia swept the top two spots Sunday afternoon in the seventh annual World 100 at Eldora Speedway before an estimated crowd of 10,000.

Doug Kenimer, from Dahlonega, Ga., crossed the finish line first to collect the $10,000 prize and he was followed by Snooks DeFour, from Chatsworth, Ga.

Kenimer, who started on the outside of the fifth row, came out on top of 178 entries from 15 states. He got the lead on lap 31 and stayed in front the rest of the way. For the second year in a row, Tom Helfrich of Haubstadt, Ind., finished third. All three drivers piloted Camaros.

The victory for Kenimer was a satisfying one, who was leading the 1975 event before suffering a broken suspension. He fell short in the 1976 race as well, finishing second.

Kenimer, who started in the same spot as last year’s winner, Charlie Hughes, did, moved into eighth past Bill Morton and then by Ken Walton on lap 10 for seventh.

Kenimer continued to steadily advance through the field. He gained sixth on lap 15 past Billy Teegarden, and moved into fifth seven laps later by passing Floyd Gilbert.

Rodney Combs would give up fourth place to Kenimer on lap 24 and Tom Helfrich would yield third to him two laps later. That left only DeFour and race leader Billy Thomas, but they couldn’t hold their spots either and Kenimer quickly gunned then down for the lead he would never relinquish.

Only Rodney Combs and Junior Smalley failed to finish the race, of the 24-car field. Tire problems forced Smalley into the pits after 59 laps, while Combs suffered diminished visibility and parked his ’77 Camaro for good on lap 66.

Kenimer was considered a surprise winner because he had not even pre-entered for the event. Hiss 1971 Camaro suffered severe damage two weeks ago and wasn’t fully repaired until shortly before the race. He suffered from chassis problems during Saturday’s time trials but those problems appeared to be solved when he dominated his 15-lap qualifier.

The top nine finishers all were on the same lap at the event’s conclusion. Kenimer, a 17-year racing veteran was followed by DeFour, Helfrich, 1974 winner Ed Sanger and Walton.

DeFour was the fastest qualifier with a time of 20.521 seconds. His runner-up finish in the race earned him $2,200.

Feature results –

1.    Doug Kenimer

2.    Snooks DeFour

3.    Tom Helfrich

4.    Ed Sanger

5.    Ken Walton

6.    Floyd Gilbert

7.    Ronnie Faith

8.    Billy Thomas

9.    Billy Teegarden

10.  Vern LeFevers

11.  Bill Morton

12.  Verlin Eaker

13.  Bill Zwanziger

14.  Roscoe Smith

15.  E.H. Vineyard

16.  David Spears

17.  Chuck McWilliams

18.  Roger Regeth

19.  Dan Terry

20.  Chuck Hale

21.  Danny Dean

22.  Pat Patrick

23.  Rodney Combs

24.  Junior Smalley

1968 - Don White wins Milwaukee Governor’s Cup

Don White of Keokuk, Iowa, won the 1968 Governor's Cup at the Milwaukee Mile in record-breaking fashion.

West Allis, Wis. (September 8, 1969) – Don White came up with one his finest driving performances as he scored a record-breaking win the 250-mile USAC championship late model stock car race on Sunday afternoon at State Fair Park Speedway.

White tooled his 1968 Dodge Charger at a record-breaking clip, setting new track records and finishing the race with a new mark of 2 hours, 32 minutes, and 12.067 seconds, averaging 98.52 miles per hour.

After the race, White received the Pure Oil trophy from “Miss Firebird” Winkie Louise, and the Tony Bettenhausen Miller High Life trophy as the “outstanding stock car driver for 1968” at Milwaukee.

There were only three leaders in the race. Parnelli Jones wheeled his 1968 Ford Torino into the lead at the outset but gave way to White on the 10th mile. White held on until the 84th mile when he pitted for gas and Butch Hartman took over. Hartman managed to stay out front until lap 113 when the irrepressible White took the lead again, which he held to the finish.

Ford marshaled an impressive array of talent in A.J. Foyt and Jack Bowsher in Bowsher-prepared Fords and Jones in the Bill Stropped setup, but the trio was no match for White, or even Hartman, for that matter, finishing fourth, fifth and sixth respectively.

White and Hartman gave MoPar engineers something to cheer about as they dominated the event. The little heralded Hartman took on some of the biggest names in racing and more than held his own.


Results –


1. Don White
2. Butch Hartman
3. Norm Nelson
4. A.J. Foyt
5. Jack Bowsher
6. Parnelli Jones
7. Al Unser
8. Dick Trickle
9. Sal Tovella
10. Art Pollard
11. Dave Hirschfield
12. Len Waldo
13. Dave Whitcomb
14. Terry Parker
15. Dave Marcis
16. Frank Freda
17. Bob Haack
18. Vaughn Gerke
19. Glen Bradley
20. Jerry Smith
21. Jim Perry
22. Gene Marmor
23. Paul Feldner
24. Rich Oertel
25. Jack Knippel
26. George Rondelli
27. Tom Jones
28. Dale Jett
29. Bob Robbins
30. Eddie Meyer
31. Tom Knippel
32. Bill Nelson
33. Roger Regeth
34. Gordon Gorman
35. Roger McCluskey
36. John Martino
37. Bob Wawak
38. Fred Zack
39. Herb Hill
40. Elmer Davis

Don White (1) and Parnelli Jones lead the field on their parade lap prior to the start of the Governor's Cup. - Doug Schellinger Collection

1969 – Opperman in Topeka IMCA Sprint Win

Jan Opperman led from start to finish at Topeka.

Topeka, Kan. (September 6, 1969) – Jan Opperman, driving the Bill Smith 4x, was an easy winner on Saturday in the first of two days of IMCA sprint car racing at the Mid America Fair.

Opperman of Hayward, Calif., starting on the outside of the front row, took the lead at the drop of the green flag and was never seriously challenged during the 25-lap event.

Dick Sutcliffe of Greenwood, Mo., finished second, Jay Woodside of Kansas City was third, Don Mack of East Grand Forks, Minn., took fourth and Eddie Leavitt of Kearney, Mo., rounded out the top five.

In the day’s only mishap, Buzz Rose of Lemita, Calif., hit the spun-out car of Joe Saldana of Lincoln, Neb., flipped high in the air, then barrel-rolled over and over down the steel guardrail. Taken to an area hospital, Rose was reported to have sustained a skull fracture and several broke vertebrae.

Results –

Fast time – Buzz Rose, Lemita, Calif. – 24.50

Trophy dash – Jan Opperman, Hayward, Calif.

First heat – Jay Woodside, Kansas City

Second heat – Ron Perkins, Bethalto, Ill.

Third heat – Dave Ross, Jetmore, Kan.

Consolation – Darl Harrison, Tiffin, Ohio

Feature –

1.    Jan Opperman

2.    Dick Sutcliffe, Greenwood, Mo.

3.    Jay Woodside

4.    Don Mack, East Grand Forks, Minn.

5.    Eddie Leavitt, Kearney, Mo.

6.    Dave Ross

7.    Bill Utz, Sedalia, Mo.

8.    Chuck Lynch, Springfield, Ill.

9.    Darl Harrison

10.  Chuck Kidwell, Harvard, Neb.

11.  Stan Borofsky, Kansas City

12.  Johnny Babb, Ottumwa, Iowa

1972 - Trickle boosts national record to 62 with three wins

Dick Trickle

St. Paul, Minn. (September 5, 1972) - Dick Trickle of Wisconsin Rapids hiked his national record for short-track, late model stock car feature victories in a single season to 62 at St. Paul, Minn., Monday with a $4,000 win at the Minnesota State Fair after his win there Saturday and his 61st triumph of the year at Golden Sands Speedway on Sunday night.

Trickle also grabbed the season crown in the Red, White and Blue state championship series at Kaukauna's Wisconsin International Raceway Sunday afternoon, despite a runner-up finish to Joe Shear of South Beloit, Ill., in the Blue and final event of the series.

The Rapids speedster survived five unscheduled pit stops and an empty gas tank Monday to win the North Star 500-lap event at St. Paul by three laps over Dick Stang of Minneapolis.

Trickle's time was 3 hours, 22 minutes and 35.94 seconds. Trickle was forced into the pits several times when his hood kept popping up and coasted his 1970 Mach 1 Mustang in for refueling with seven laps to go after building up a five-lap lead.

Trickle set a 50-lap record on the St. Paul track in 18 minutes and 15.80 seconds on Saturday, but was forced out of another 50-mile feature that day by engine trouble.

Nekoosa's Marv Marzofka won that event while Rudolph's Tom Reffner placed third in Saturday's state fair opener and second in the next event to win the overall trophy.

Shear drove his 1972 Camaro to victory Sunday in the 100-lap, 50-mile Blue race at Kaukauna, but Trickle finished second and beat Shear in the series point standings by a 2,440-2,110 margin. Wausau's Larry Detjens finished third in the 33-car field, with Reffner placing fourth, Necedah's Jim Sauter fifth and Vesper's Jim Back sixth.

Shear had fast time at Kaukauna in 21.62 and also won the third heat, with Trickle taking second and Sauter third.

Reffner won the Sands time trials in 13.44 seconds, followed in order by Trickle (13.50), Marzofka (13.60), Back (13.67) and Dave Field of Port Edwards (13.73). Marzofka won the fast dash, with Reffner second and Trickle third, while Earl Sharping of Rapids was third in the second heat and Marzofka third in the third heat.

In the Sands feature, Reffner was second, Marzofka third, Detjens fourth and Back fifth. Trickle took the lead for good on the 20th lap.

Reffner won Saturday night's state championship feature at Dells Motor Speedway at Wisconsin Dells, with Madison's John Ziegler placing second. Marzofka was third and Detjens fourth.

At the Dells, Bill Wirtz of Rapids as well as Nekoosa's Lyle Nabbefeldt, Rib Lake's Marlin Walbeck, Field and Detjens were involved in a fourth-heat smashup and Detjens was fast timer in 14.669. Back was next at 14.764.