1969 - Connolly Wins CornBelt 1,000 at Speedbowl Park

John Connolly

Sterling, Ill. (October 5, 1969) – John Connolly, from Delhi, Iowa, picked up the rich plum of $1,000 after winning the 100-lap CornBelt 1000 at the Sterling Speedbowl. The late model stock car race was managed and promoted by the staff of Rockford Speedway under the direction of Hugh Deery.

Connolly started on the pole after setting fast time in qualifying. His time of 18.34 seconds on the third-mile dirt oval stole top honors from Roger Dolan of Lisbon, Iowa, who was the first qualifier out with a time of 18.41 seconds.

Jim Gerber of Mt. Joy, Iowa, worked his way into second place by lap 65 and five circuits later, was able to work his way around the rim-riding Connolly for the top spot.

Connolly stayed with Gerber and kept the pressure on and finally on lap 87, Gerber’s Dodge Charger drifted high in turn three and Connolly shot back into the lead.

Gerber managed to recover to stay in second but had nothing for Connolly and his 1969 Ford. Connolly would take the checkers a full straightaway ahead of Gerber.

Darrell Dake of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, would finish third followed by Red Droste of Waterloo, Iowa, in fourth and Bill McDonough of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, rounding out the top five.

Earlier, Gerber won the trophy dash and received a 100-bushel truckload of shelled corn. He and promoter Huge Deery were knee-deep in the rich harvest for the presentation.

Lem Blankenship of Keokuk, Iowa, Benny Hofer of Rock Island, Bob Kelly of Wheaton, and Ron Weedon of Pleasant Valley, Iowa, were heat winners.


Results –


Trophy dash – Jim Gerber, Mt. Joy, Iowa
Heat #1 – Lem Blankenship, Keokuk, Iowa
Heat #2 – Benny Hofer, Rock Island
Heat #3 – Bob Kelly, Wheaton
Heat #4 – Ron Weedon, Pleasant Valley, Iowa
Feature -
1. John Connolly, Delhi, Iowa
2. Jim Gerber, Mt. Joy, Iowa
3. Darrell Dake, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
4. Red Droste, Waterloo, Iowa
5. Bill McDonough, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
6. Ed Sanger, Waterloo, Iowa
7. Jim Strube, Peoria
8. Wendell Essex
9. Jim Havill, LeClaire, Iowa
10.Curt Hanson, Dike, Iowa
11.Ron Weedon
12.Ed Bohlen, Peoria
13.Don Bohlander, Glasford
14.Gary Reeder, Peoria
15.Jerry Roedell, Peoria
16.Dick Nelson, Chicago
17.Bill Munson
18.Paul Lewis, Peoria
19.Don Adams, Milan
20.Red Forbes, Rock Island

1971 - Gould Grabs Big 'E' Purse

Bruce Gould receives his just reward after winning the very first World 100 at Eldora.

Rossburg, Ohio (October 3, 1971) - Ohio late model stock car drivers dominated the winner's list in the first World 100 dirt track championship race held Sunday at the half-mile Eldora Speedway oval.

Bruce Gould of Milford, Ohio, led the way to the checkered flag from the half-way point and claimed the $4,000 first prize. Finishing second was Joe Ruttman of Dearborn, Mich., while George Branscum of Chillicothe came in third.

Rounding out the top five were Paul Woolridge of Frankfort, Ky., and Joe Greenslate of South Shore, Ky.

Chick Hale of Louisburg, Ohio set the pace in qualifying runs, circling the track in 20.20 seconds or 96.02 miles per hour.

Much of the race was run under the caution flag, although no serious injuries resulted.


Results –


1. Bruce Gould
2. Joe Ruttman
3. George Branscum
4. Paul Woolridge
5. Joe Greenslate
6. Joe Stricker
7. Bobby Creveston
8. Larry Moore
9. Pat Patrick
10.Chick Hale
11.Chuck McWilliams
12.Bob Wearing
13.Wayne Watercutter
14.Ralph Latham
15.Earl Smith

1977 – Weedon posts victory in Knoxville special

Knoxville, Ill. (October 2, 1977) – Ron Weedon, veteran late model driver from Pleasant Valley, Iowa, started on the outside pole position by virtue of his qualifying heat win, and went on to win the 20-lap feature event during the open competition special promoted by W.A.S. Productions at the Knox County Fairgrounds.

Weedon took advantage of a rough and dusty track to hold off Darrell Dake of Cedar Rapids, Iowa for the win.

Dake, who started on the pole, battled side by side with Weedon for the first few laps until Weedon was able to secure the top spot. Dake pulled in on Weedon’s bumper where he remained for the rest of the race.

Ron Jackson of Burlington, Iowa, ran with the leaders until midway through the race when he ran into visibility issue in lapped traffic and fell slightly off the pace finishing third.

Ray Guss of Milan, Ill., finished a distant fourth and Tom Bartholomew of Waterloo, Iowa, rounded out the top five.

John Connolly of Delhi, Iowa, came from well back in the pack to win the semi-main and qualify for the feature event. Dave Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa, finished second, also qualifying for the feature.

For Tom Herbert of Silvis, Ill., the semi was a heartbreaker. Herbert led for most of the race until he was passed by Connolly. He then was edged at the checkers doe second by Birkhofer, falling back to third and failing to qualify for the main event.

Heat races were won by Weedon, Dake, Jackson and Johnny Babb of Ottumwa, Iowa.

An excellent turnout of 39 cars were on hand for the open competition on a chilly but sunny autumn day.

Results –
Heat #1 – Darrell Dake, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Heat #2 – Ron Weedon, Pleasant Valley, Iowa
Heat #3 – Ron Jackson, Burlington, Iowa
Heat #4 – John Babb, Ottumwa, Iowa
Semi-main – John Connolly, Delhi, Iowa
Feature –
1. Ron Weedon
2. Darrell Dake
3. Ron Jackson
4. Ray Guss, Milan, Ill.
5. Tom Bartholomew, Waterloo, Iowa
6. Gary Webb, Davenport, Iowa
7. John Connolly
8. Duane Steffe, East Moline, Ill.
9. Ken Walton, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
10. Dave Birkhofer, Muscatine, Iowa

1972 – Eaker Tops Eldora Clay; Captures World 100

Verlin Eaker (far left) captured the World 100 late model stock car event at Eldora Speedway. He's joined in victory lane by Miss World 100, and car owners Al Frieden and Dale Snyder. - Scott Eaker Collection

Rossburg, Ohio (October 1, 1972) – Eldora Speedway hosted 81 top late model drivers and cars in Sunday’s second annual World 100, and it was Cedar Rapids, Iowa’s Verlin Eaker carting off the $5,000 first-place money. Eaker also picked up $180 in lap money, staying in front from the 82nd lap.

Cincinnati’s Pat Patrick showed the way for the first 46 circuit in his 1970 Chevelle, owned by Cliff Polking. Bill Zwanziger of Waterloo, Iowa, would get past Patrick on lap 47 and hold the top spot until lap 82 when Eaker would roar past en route to the victory.

Zwanziger would spin out, finishing 16th with Patrick regaining the runner-up and staying there until the end. Bruce Gould of Milford, Ohio, driving a 1971 Torino, would take third.

Chevrolet drivers Earl Smith of Anniston, Ala., and Chick Hale of Lewisburg, Ohio rounded out the top five. Ron Edwards of Cincinnati copped the semi-feature ahead of Bob Davis of Mansfield, Ohio.

Besides the $1,500 second place money, Pat Patrick also collected $460 in lap money. Gould would take home $1,000.

Eight heats were necessary for the large number of late models. Dick DeBolt, Mike Shaw, Ed Sanger, Dale Woolworth, Ron Edwards, Roger Paul, Jim Patrick and Buster Blackford took home honors.


Results –

 

1. Verlin Eaker, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
2. Pat Patrick, Cincinnati, Ohio
3. Bruce Gould, Milford, Ohio
4. Earl Smith, Anniston, Ala.
5. Chick Hale, Lewisburg, Ohio
6. Joe Bennett, Fort Wayne, Ind.
7. Jim Fleming, Bellevue, Ohio
8. Jerry Miller, Hazel Park, Mich.
9. Danny Dean, Mt. Vernon, Ohio
10. Dick DeBolt, Union City, Ind.

1973 – Stover wins Fairgrounds' Title Race

Stan Stover

Des Moines, Iowa (September 29, 1973) - Stan Stover of Reinbeck won his second late model stock car season championship race and Larry Embrey of Grimes captured his first sportsman season title Saturday night at the Iowa State Fairgrounds.

Stover, who also won the title in 1971, started on the outside of the first row, took the lead on the second lap and was never threatened by the 22-car field in the 35-lap event before a crowd of 4,395.

It started to rain shortly after the feature began and Stover, who drove a 1969 Chevelle, said, "It made it a little tough, but I was working too hard to worry about it. They could have shortened the race a little though."

Randy Sterner of Blair, Neb., placed second in the late model feature and Bill McDonough of Cedar Rapids clinched the season point crown by finishing third.

Embrey, who drove a 1965 Chevelle, said he had "no confidence whatsoever" despite leading the field of 24 the entire way because it was "the first season championship I've finished in the six years I've raced here."

The victory gave Embrey the season point title. Billy Geil and Marvin Korns, both of Des Moines, placed second and third, respectively. Ron Van Roekel of Otley, driving a 1958 Ford snared the sportsman semi-main with Bill Carter of Des Moines taking second and Fred Knapp of Des Moines, who was second in point standings before Friday, taking third. Knapp failed to finish the feature due to fan belt problems.

The late model semi-main was won by McDonough. Lefty Robinson of Des Moines claimed second and George Barton of Ankeny was third.


Results –


Sportsman -

1. Larry Embrey, Grimes
2. Billy Geil, Des Moines
3. Marvin Korns, Des Moines
4. Ken Gerhart, Des Moines
5. Cliff Van Zandt, Des Moines
6. Virgil Webb, Des Moines
7. Jerry Campbell, Des Moines
8. Jim Welshon, Indianola
9. Dave Kepley, Ames
10.Gordon Head, Des Moines
11.Shorty Selsor, Des Moines
12.Art Moose, Indianola
13.Ken Paulding, Des Moines
14.Mike Pinckney, Des Moines
15.Bill Davis, Des Moines



Late Model -

1. Stan Stover, Reinbeck
2. Randy Sterner, Blair, Neb.
3. Bill McDonough, Cedar Rapids
4. George Barton, Ankeny
5. Cal Swanson, Reinbeck
6. Joe Merryfield, Des Moines
7. Bob Hilmer, Dysart
8. Larry Wasserfort, Waterloo
9. Ken Davidson, Des Moines
10.Bill Rice, Des Moines
11.Bill Ludington, Carlisle
12.Bugs Vincent, Nevada
13.Bob Bonzer, Liscomb
14.Bob Burrell, Des Moines
15.Dick Oldham, Des Moines

1975 – Shear Tops Rockford Nationals

Joe Shear is joined by his son Joe Jr. and father Al Shear after he won the National Short Trak Championship 200-lapper at Rockford Speedway. - John Quinn Photo

Rockford, Ill. (September 28, 1975) – Joe Shear of South Beloit won the 10th annual National Short Track Championships at Rockford Speedway on Sunday afternoon.

It was the third time and second in a row that the six-time Rockford champion has dominated the 200-lap event, the highlight race of the weekend of super late model stock car racing which carries a purse of over $20,000.

There were only three leaders in the race, all from the Beloit-South Beloit area. Coming from the pole position, Don Leach of Beloit, Wis., took the initial lead in hi 1973 Camaro. Leach stayed in front until lap 12 when a confrontation in turns one and two on the high-banked quarter-mile asphalt cost him his radiator.

Dave Watson, also from Beloit and who also started on the front row, took over in his ’73 Camaro and would proceed to lead the pack for the next 77 circuits.

On lap 90 Watson went high in the first set of turns and Shear went under him for the lead. He would go unchallenged for the remaining 111 laps.

Tom Reffner, the Rudolph, Wis., ace who has been winning everything in sight on the Midwestern circuit behind the wheel of his “Blue Knight” 1974 AMC Javelin, opened the weekend of racing by setting a new track record on the Rockford oval. Going into Saturday’s qualifications, the track mark was 14.17 seconds set by Shear in 1973. On his first tour of the track, Reffner topped the mark with a 14.04 second time. His second trip around was a blistering 14.002 seconds.

The winner of the two 50-lap qualification races was Tony Strupp of Slinger, Wis., and Bob Sensiba of Middleville, Mich. The checkered in the four 30-lap qualification events were taken by Dave Weltmeyer of Harvey, Bill Venturini of Chicago, Jeffrey Haar of Robbinsdale, Minn., and Jim Weber of Roseville, Minn.

Action in the third annual National Short Track Pit Stop contest was brisk and the $1,000 first place money was collected by the crew of Danny Bellard of Beloit, Wis. They performed all the required chores in 55.11 seconds.


Results –

1. Joe Shear, South Beloit
2. Mike Miller, Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.
3. Dick Trickle, Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.
4. Tom Reffner, Rudolph, Wis.
5. John Ziegler, Madison, Wis.
6. Doug Strasburg, Johnson Creek, Wis.
7. Bob Sensiba, Middleville, Mich.
8. Dave Watson, Beloit, Wis.
9. Bob Jusola, Minneapolis, Minn.
10. Ray Young, Dolton

1981 - Gawlinski wins Bettenhausen Classic

Frank Gawlinski shows off his hardware after scoring his first ARTGO-sanctioned victory in the Tony Bettenhausen 100.

Schererville, Ind. (September 27, 1981) – Coming back from an early race spin and using 10 additional yellow flags to his advantage, Frank Gawlinski was the victor in Sunday afternoon’s ARTGO-sanctioned Tony Bettenhausen Classic 100-lap late model stock car race at Illiana Motor Speedway.

The 34-year-old Lynwood, Ill., leadfoot wheeled his 1981 Camaro past race leader Tom Jones with only seven laps to go to score the win. For Gawlinski, the 1980 Illiana track champion, it was his first ARTGO feature win of his career, which began late model competition back in 1977.

Jones’ victory hopes faded on lap 94, when Gawlinski, who credited the numerous yellow flags in giving him a chance to make chassis adjustments, charged into the lead. Lap 95 saw the caution light flash again as Larry Middleton, running an impressive fourth, and Alan Kulwicki got tangled up in turn four, with Middleton spinning and Kulwicki grazing the outside guardrail.

With a trophy dash to the checkers set, Gawlinski maintained the edge and went on to victory, becoming the 16th different winner of the Bettenhausen Classic and the ninth different winner on the ARTGO tour in 1981.

Trailing Gawlinski at the end of the 100-laps were Tom Jones, Ed Hoffman, ’74 race winner Tom Reffner and Billy Venturini.

Jim Sauter set a new track record during time trials, turning a lap in 19.331 seconds, to set fast time for the day.

Results –

1. Frank Gawlinski, Lynwood, Ill.
2. Tom Jones, Northbrook, Ill.
3. Ed Hoffman, Niles, Ill.
4. Tom Reffner, Rudolph, Wis.
5. Billy Venturini, Chicago, Ill.
6. Joe Shear, South Beloit, Ill.
7. Steve Moll, Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.
8. Larry Middleton, East Hazel Crest, Ill.
9. Tony Hertko, Joliet, Ill.
10. Ray Young, Dolton, Ill.
11. Alan Kulwicki, Milwaukee, Wis.
12. Gil Tarbutton, Hebron, Ind.
13. Rich Sundling, Addison, Ill.
14. Junior Hanley, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
15. Jim Back, Vesper, Wis.
16. Jack Carey, Orland Park, Ill.
17. Jim Sauter, Necedah, Wis.
18. Billy Kuhn, Freeport, Ill.
19. Dave Weltmeyer, Harvey, Ill.
20. Dick Trickle, Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.
21. Fred Campbell, Battle Creek, Mich.
22. Mel Whalen, Shakopee, Minn.
23. Ron Bloomberg, Elgin, Ill.
24. Jim Weber, Rosemount, Minn.
25. Trace Embrey, Schererville, Ind.
26. Larry Schuler, New Lenox, Ill.