1958 – Rodger Ward Wins Du Quoin Midget Race

 

Rodger Ward won the 100-mile USAC midget race at the Du Quoin State Fair. 

Du Quoin, Ill. (August 31, 1958) – Rodger Ward of Los Angeles won the United States Auto Club’s 100-mile national championship midget auto race Sunday at the Du Quoin State Fair. Ward’s winning time was 1 hour, 10 minutes, and 18.25 seconds.

Bill Cheesbourg of Tucson, Ariz., finished second with Don Branson of Urbana taking third.

At least 23 miles of the race was run under caution for four different accidents. No drivers were injured and 15 of the 28 starters finished the contest.

Ward led for 46 of the first 47 laps before making a pit stop. Cheesbourg then took over the lead and held it for the next 37 laps on the 1-mile track before he was forced to make a pit stop. Ward regained lead and never relinquished thereafter.


Results –

1. Rodger Ward, Los Angeles
2. Bill Cheesbourg, Tucson, Ariz.
3. Don Branson, Urbana
4. Shorty Templeman, Seattle, Wash.
5. Bob Wente, St. Louis
6. Chuck Weyant, Springfield
7. Dempsey Wilson, Fort Hawthorne, Calif.
8. Bill Homeier, Pacoima, Calif.
9. Len Sutton, Portland, Ore.
10.Bill Chennault, Kansas City

1975 – Twin 50 Victories for Phillips at I-70

Larry Phillips 

Odessa, Mo. (August 30, 1975) – Larry Phillips of Springfield had it all together Saturday night at I-70 Speedway as he easily won the Dahmer Chevrolet Twin 50’s. In both events, Phillips lapped every car at least once but Terry Brumley, also from Springfield, who finished second in both races.

Phillips also set fast time of 18.84 seconds, won the trophy dash and the fast heat for his fourth clean sweep of the season. And he set a new track record of 16 minutes and 5.87 seconds in the first 50-lap feature.

Finishing third behind Phillps and Brumley in both 50-lappers was Wayne Woody of Marionville.

Randy Roberts of Independence won the slow heat. Vester Cates of Lawson won the first middle heat while Dave Klingsporn of Monett won the second middle heat.


Results –


Feature #1 –

1. Larry Phillips, Springfield
2. Terry Brumley, Springfield
3. Wayne Woody, Marionville
4. Ed Hoffman, Niles, Ill.
5. Bob Williams, Independence
6. Randy Roberts, Independence

Feature #2 –

1. Larry Phillips
2. Terry Brumley
3. Wayne Woody
4. Willie Crane, Springfield
5. Randy Roberts
6. Jerry Nussbaum, Oak Grove

1969 – Christen in Lancaster Win

 

Arnie Christen 

Lancaster, Wis. (August 30, 1969) – Arnie Christen of Mineral Point passed Tom Hughes of Monticello, Iowa, on the 17th lap and went to win the 25-lap feature at the Grant County Fairgrounds.

The third lap of the race needed three restarts but not before eliminating five cars from the 18-car field. Jim Wigman of New Diggings suffered the most damage when his car when airborne and over the guardrail between turns three and four. Wigman escaped with minor cuts and bruises, but his car as completely demolished.

Bill McDonough of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, won a hard-fought consolation over Jerry Cain of Platteville with Dan Stanton of Linden finishing third.

Dick Chapman of Dubuque was a double winner, taking the trophy dash and the third heat. Other heat winners included Wigman and Gene Chapman of Dubuque.

Thirty-seven cars signed in to compete for a $2,000 purse.


Results –


Time trials – Tom Stewart, Washington (27.39)
Trophy dash – Dick Chapman, Dubuque
Heat #1 – Jim Wigman, New Diggings
Heat #2 – Gene Chapman, Dubuque
Heat #3 – Dick Chapman
Consolation – Bill McDonough, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Feature –
1. Arnie Christen, Mineral Point
2. Tom Hughes, Monticello, Iowa
3. Dick Chapman
4. Loras Ehrlich, Dubuque
5. Gene Chapman
6. Wahlee Brown, Rock Island, Ill.

1961 – 3,500 See Melius Cop Cedarburg ‘75’

 

Miles “Mouse” Melius accepts the Midwest Speedways trophy from promoter John Kashian for his record win. – Henry Vieth Photo

Cedarburg, Wis. (August 30, 1961) – Before the season’s largest crowd, Miles Melius, “The Flying Ace” from Slinger, captured the 75-lap modified feature, setting a new track record in the process. Melius’ speed of 50.22 miles per hour erased the former record, one he had set on September 9, 1959, when he had averaged 47.29 miles per hour in winning the first 75-lap race on record.

The top three finishers were a repeat of last week’s race, the 50-lap modified stock car championship, as two other Slinger aces, Billy Johnson and Fuzzy Fassbender, finished second and third.

The night’s action gave Melius his first clean sweep of the season at Cedarburg with 400 points to move him with 135 points of Billy Johnson, who still leads the standings with 3,060 to Melius’ 2,925.

The event was a real thriller from the drop of the green flag. Ron Luedtke of Lomira hopped into the lead, holding it for the first five laps. Pedro Roehl of Lake Mills, then took over for two laps before John Reimer of Caledonia took charge on the seventh circuit.

Reimer drove a steady race, fending off Fassbender’s challenges until the 35th. On the 39th, Melius jumped into the lead and by the 45th round, the top five positions were Melius, Johnson, Fassbender, Reimer, and Bill Goeden of West Bend were running in the same order as they would finish.

Johnson, “The Cat”, stayed on Melius in a torrid bumper-to-bumper battle. On the 58th lap, Johnson took the lead but could hold it for only three laps, as Melius regained it for good on lap 61 and finished with a half-straightaway advantage at the checkers. It was Melius’ sixth feature win of the season.


Results –

1. Miles Melius, Slinger
2. Billy Johnson, Slinger
3. Fuzzy Fassbender, Slinger
4. John Reimer, Caledonia
5. Bill Goeden, West Bend
6. Etchie Biertzer, West Bend

1976 – Rich Payday for Utz

 

Bill Utz

Sedalia, Mo. (August 29, 1976) – Bill Utz could probably be called the master of the Missouri State Fairground’s one-mile dirt track. A winner twice before in the Missouri Futurity for IMCA sprint cars, Utz, a Sedalia businessman, notched his third career victory in the prestigious race in the auto racing finale on Sunday afternoon.

Utz, who first won the Missouri Futurity in 1966, and then again in 1973, turned the track in record time despite four caution laps.

Utz, who came out of retirement about a month ago, showed no signs of rust in scoring the feature win Sunday afternoon before approximately 5,000 race fans.

“I may keep going for a hundred years,” Utz said after climbing out of his racer for the trophy presentation. But quizzed about whether he was going to Spencer, Iowa, for the IMCA sprint car season finale, the two-time IMCA champion said, “I don’t know. That’s a long way.”

The hometown favorite had a fat paycheck waiting for him after his victory. He collected a total of $2,300, nearly half of which - $1,000 – was for his feature victory. He collected an additional $500 from Firestone for winning the race on that company’s tires. Utz also set fast time ($100), won his heat ($100), and finished third in the match race ($30). The balance of the check ($200) was for appearance money he gets for being the defending point champion for IMCA.

His winning time of 30 minutes and 46.54 seconds in the feature broke the 1969 record set by Jerry Blundy. That new benchmark earned himself another $100.

Utz’s biggest challenge came from Doug Wolfgang of Des Moines, who survived a tangle with Gary Scott of Holts Summit, Mo., in the second heat and was forced to qualify through the consolation just to make the field for the 50-mile main event.

Wolfgang charged from his third row starting position and took over the lead from Gene Gennetten of Parkville, Mo., on lap 10. Wolfgang led for 12 circuits before Utz passed him on the backstretch. Utz led from the 22nd lap on, and the hot pursuit from Wolfgang ended on lap 39 when he pulled into the pit area with mechanical issues.

With Wolfgang out, that left only four cars on the same lap as Utz, who had a commanding half-mile lead over the second-place driver, Tom Corbin of Carrollton, Mo.

In addition to Utz, Corbin, and Gennetten on the same lap, was the IMCA point leader, Sonny Smyser of Glenwood, Mo. But he would eventually be lapped by Utz and finish sixth.

Corbin held on to second place until he started sputtering on lap 48. On lap 49, Corbin was out of fuel and Gennetten passed him on the backstretch of the last lap to secure runner-up money. Corbin coasted across the finish line in third place.

Gary Scott of Holts Summit, Mo., was fourth and Junior Parkinson of Kansas City rounded out the top five finishers.


Results –

Time trials – Bill Utz, Sedalia (36.62)
Heat #1 – Bill Utz
Heat #2 – Sonny Smyser, Glenwood
Heat #3 – Dale McCarty, Kearney
Match race – Junior Parkinson, Kansas City
Consolation – Doug Wolfgang, Des Moines
Feature –
1. Bill Utz
2. Gene Gennetten, Parkville
3. Tom Corbin, Carrollton
4. Gary Scott, Holts Summit
5. Junior Parkinson
6. Sonny Smyser
7. Steve Lewis, Kansas City
8. Bill Campbell, Russellville
9. Jim Braden, Kansas City
10.Cliff Woodward, Kearney

1970 - Goodwin Takes Knoxville Finale

The top-five drivers in points at Knoxville Raceway got together during the season finale. From left to right – Stacy Redmond of Mason City (fifth), Jerry Blundy of Galesburg, Ill. (third), Dick Sutcliffe of Greenwood, Mo. (fourth), season championship winner Ray Lee Goodwin of Kansas City (second), promoter Marion Robinson, and Joe Saldana of Lincoln, Neb., (champion).

Knoxville, Iowa (August 29, 1970) – Ray Lee Goodwin of Kansas City out charged Joe Saldana of Lincoln, Neb., to win the 25-lap season championship Saturday night on the half-mile oval at the Marion County Fairgrounds. Goodwin won by six-car-lengths.

It was one of the most torrid races of the season with the lead changing hands seven different times which had four different leaders before the checkered flag brought the season to an end.

Roger Rager of Lincoln, Neb., who started on the pole position for the main event, went to the sidelines on lap 2 with a blown engine. Stacy Redmond of Mason City took over for a couple of laps but gave way to a hard-charging Dick Sutcliffe of Greenwood, Mo.

For the next 10 laps, Sutcliffe, Goodwin, and Saldana dueled under a blanket with Earl Wagner of Pleasantville closing in on them. On lap 14, Sutcliffe blew an oil line, sidelining him for the rest of the night.

Goodwin would take charge and go on to win despite several challenges from Saldana. Wagner would nail down the third spot with Stan Borofsky of Kansas City fourth and Curt Houge of Ames fifth.

Goodwin, who was second fastest behind Saldana in time trials, also won the trophy dash and the second heat race. Other heat winners were Saldana and Rager with Borofsky winning the consolation.

Following the night’s racing, Ellis Metcalf, President of the Marion County Fairboard, made trophy presentations to the top-five in points. Saldana was crowned points champion for 1970.


Results –


Time trials – Joe Saldana, Lincoln, Neb. (22.09)
Trophy dash – Ray Lee Goodwin, Kansas City
Heat #1 – Joe Saldana
Heat #2 – Ray Lee Goodwin
Heat #3 – Roger Rager, Lincoln, Neb.
Consolation – Stan Borofsky, Kansas City
Feature –
1. Ray Lee Goodwin
2. Joe Saldana
3. Earl Wagner, Pleasantville
4. Stan Borofsky
5. Curt Houge, Ames
6. Dale McCarty, Kansas City
7. Burt Sonners, Des Moines

 

1957 – Lap Check Gives Burdick Victory in Fair 100-Miler

 

Bob Burdick

St. Paul, Minn. (August 29, 1957) – Bobby Burdick won the ninth annual Minnesota State Fair 100-mile late model stock car race Thursday on a lap-count recheck after Don White of Keokuk, Iowa, had been declared the victor before a grandstand crowd of 24,315.

It wasn’t until White had already been presented the trophy and the grandstand had emptied that race director Frank Winkley completed a check of the finishing order and pronounced the 22-year-old Burdick of Omaha, Neb., the official winner.

Burdick’s winning time of 1 hour, 41 minutes, and 28.79 seconds eclipsed the old State Fair mark of 1 hour, 50 minutes, and 53.57 seconds, set last year by defending champion Johnny Beauchamp of Harlan, Iowa, who finished third.

The confusion resulted from a discrepancy between the lap record kept by the official scorers and check charts kept by the Boy Scouts on each car. The check charts showed Burdick, White, and fourth-place finisher Ernie Derr, also of Keokuk, Iowa, and White’s brother-in-law, all with the same number of laps.

Burdick protested that he had won, Winkley went through the official scorer’s chart, counting each of the 200 laps for the first three cars, and it proved Burdick to be the winner by about a lap.


Results –

1. Bob Burdick, Omaha
2. Don White, Keokuk, Iowa
3. Johnny Beauchamp, Harlan, Iowa
4. Ernie Derr, Keokuk, Iowa
5. Jerry Draper, Moline, Ill.
6. Newt Bartholomew, Carlisle, Iowa
7. Bob Dugan, Waukegan, Ill.
8. Frank Richards, Marion, Iowa
9. Al Warrender, Harlan, Iowa
10.Dick Johnson, St. Paul
11.George Miller, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
12.Dick Pellow, Minneapolis
13.Milt Shave, Fond du Lac, Wis.
14.Larry Peterson, Oshkosh, Wis.
15.Chub Liebe, Oelwein, Iowa
16.Don Hoeg, Bloomington
17.Darrell Dake, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
18.Joe Dolphy, New Brighton, Minn.
19.Bruce Norman, Minneapolis
20.Norman Morgan, Minneapolis
21.Bob Hardy, Beaumont, Tex.
22.Don Lewis, Fond du Lac, Wis.