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1/9/09, 4:31 PM   #1
USAC Sprints - Terre Haute - 8/9/70
FishBurger
FishBurger is offline
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Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 4,356
 

Traveling west a few more miles and back a few less years for this retro results thread. I chose this because I hadn't done a THAT race here yet and because the feature winner was one of my favorites. Track was a bit off for recording fast times but just fine for racing as the results below will show.

Qualifications 31 Cars - Track Record 22.76 by Johnny Rutherford on 8/5/65
29 Johnny Parsons, Jr. - 24.14
14 George Snider - 25.41 - Wergland
51 Bill Compton - 25.21 - Compton
76 Chuck Booth - 25.37 - W. & W.
71 Don Nordhorn - 25.97 - Industrial Hardwood
55 Gordy Lee - 25.50 - W.L. Otis
32 Merle Bettenhausen - 25.80
11 Rollie Beale - 25.34 - Rodeo Bar
61 Lee Brayton - 27.39
17 Dick Tobias - 24.38 - Ruppert
83 Sammy Sessions - 25.10 - GAPCO
-7 Todd Gibson - 24.30 - QUICK TIME - Forberg
-4 Greg Weld - 24.51 - Leffler
42 Ralph Liguori - 25.03 - R Z
43 Charlie Masters - 29.38 - Welsh
-2 Larry Dickson - 24.85 - Lay's Transmission
99 Duke Cook - 25.72 - Besecker Chevy
15 Johnny Rutherford - 25.28 - Meskowski
-5 Jerry Poland - 24.73 - Smith Speed Shop
60 Bill Puterbaugh - 24.71 - G.W. Pierce Auto
81 Mel Cornett - DNQ - Varney Bros.
80 Lenny Waldo - 24.81 - Wachholz Ford
95 Karl Busson - Cedoz
23 Jim McElreath - 24.71 - McElreath
10 Larry Cannon - 25.27 - Crane Cam
69 Sonny Ates - 25.73 - McClung Adv.
30 Doc Dawson - 25.68
84 Tom Bigelow - 24.82 - Midwest Mfg.
-1 Gary Bettenhausen - 25.48 - City of Syracuse
91 Jimmy Oskie - DNQ - J-Ram
82 Carl Williams - DNQ

Todd Gibson got a $50 Savings Bond from the Terre Haute Jaycees.

All Chevys except for the Wachholz Ford. I added car names from the program inserted entry list. Of course then, as now, entry lists were incomplete and less than 100% reliable ( not unlike my memory :wink ).

First Heat - 7 Cars - 10 Laps - 4:18.39 - TR Greg Weld 4:04.41 6/21/70
71 Don Nordhorn.....................1
30 Doc Dawson.......................7
11 Rolliw Beale........................2
83 Sammy Sessions.................6
84 Tom Bigelow......................4
29 Johnny Parsons, Jr..............3

Second Heat - 7 Cars - 10 Laps - No Time
55 Gordy Lee..........................6
99 Duke Cook.........................3
51 Bill Compton.......................2
60 Bill Puterbaugh....................4
76 Chuck Booth.......................5
-2 Larry Dickson......................7
17 Toby Tobias.......................1

Third Heat - 7 Cars - 10 Laps - 4:21.08
61 Lee Brayton........................6
69 Sonny Ates.........................7
14 George Snider......................2
10 Larry Cannon.......................4
95 Karl Busson.........................3
-5 Jerry Poland........................5
23 Jim McElreath......................1

Fourth Heat - 7 Cars - 10 Laps - 4:21.49
43 Charlie Masters....................6
32 Merle Bettenhausen..............3
-1 Gary Bettenhausen...............5
15 Johnny Rutherford................7
42 Ralph Liguori........................2
80 Lenny Waldo........................4
-4 Greg Weld...........................1

3 of the 4 heats were won from the tail.

Semi-Feature - 8 Cars - 12 Laps - No Time - TR Larry Dickson 4:57.25 6/21/70
29 Johnny Parsons, Jr................1
-5 Jerry Poland.........................4
-2 Larry Dickson.......................2
83 Sammy Sessions...................6
15 Johnny Rutherford.................3
-1 Gary Bettenhausen................5
55 Gordy Lee............................8
61 Lee Brayton.........................7

#76 Chuck Booth, #69 Sonny Ates, and #43 Charlie Masters all DNS for some reason.

Feature - 20 Cars - 40 Laps
60 Bill Puterbaugh.....................13
29 Johnny Parswons, Jr..............16
-4 Greg Weld.............................2
23 Jim McElreath.......................19
17 Toby Tobias...............THE WINNER
-7 Todd Gibson...........................7
-5 Jerry Poland..........................17
80 Lenny Waldo..........................5
84 Tom Bigelow..........................10
-2 Larry Dickson.........................14
95 Karl Busson.............................8
42 Ralph Liguori............................6
51 Bill Compton...........................15
10 Larry Cannon...........................3
15 Johnny Rutherford...................11
11 Rollie Beale..............................9
14 George Snider..........................4 "Ziggy" gets the Hard Charger Award
71 Don Nordhorn..........................20
99 Sammy Sessions......................12 Sessions in for Duke Cook for points
32 Gary Bettenhausen...................18 Gary in the #32 for brother Merle

+Back then when the USAC shows were on Sunday afternoons, you had about a 50/50 chance of seeing good racing. This day the racing was super.
+Toby got a diamond ring from Hillman's Jewelers, $25 cash from VanArsdale Texaco, and a $100 suit from Meis Red Carpet Men's Shop in addition to the purse. Nothing in my notes about any added perks donated by Jerry Shaw or anyone named Walls. I heard later that SHORTBUS offered Tobias a Sterling Beer in trade for the suit.
+Problems all day for Gary B., Willie Davis and the #1 City of Syracuse Spl. Nearly unheard of for that team.
+Many of you will recall that another of my favorites, Gordy Lee, was more noted for his marriage to an exotic dancer :eek: than for his racing. He was a good guy and had red hair like I did once. Gotta root for a guy with red hair and a stripper spouse.
+The front of my program has beaucoup autographs of participants plus left coast midget standout Hank Butcher. All were collected by my ex-wife and I have a picture of SUPERDUKE signing her program. I think that might have been when I first realized that the marriage was doomed. :wink:O::wink

:angry-smiley-007: INCOMING!!! :angry-smiley-007:

:checkered:
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Last edited by FishBurger; 1/9/09 at 9:28 PM.