Eldora 500 - 8/5/67
 

Hope you might humor me by allowing me to indulge in another trip to the "wayback when" of my early racing fandom. This was one of the more unique events I've ever attended in my nearly 50 years of chasing open wheel racing.

500 laps (Yep, he said "500 laps") on the Big "E" half-mile. This was the third, and as it turned out the final, "Eldora 500". I did not attend the '65 race won by Orville Yeadon in his #98. I did make my way up Route 118 for the '66 race won by Larry "Boom Boom" Cannon in the then familar #B4 and again for this last 500.

The Lineup 11 Rows of 3

49 Don Hewitt - 13 laps - 32nd Place
10 Lou Blaney - 285 laps - 15th
53 Bobby Kinser - 123 laps - 26th

72 Don Nordhorn - 500 laps - The Winner in one of the Dizz Wilson cars
84 Wayne Pratt - 402 laps - 10th
-1 Jon Peddie - 472 laps - 4th

B4 Larry Cannon - 395 laps - 9th
98 Grant Wilmot - 433 laps - 7th
-9 Ross Smith - 485 laps - 2nd (15 laps down)

86 Mike Johnson - 77 laps - 28th
77 Chick Hale - 271 laps - 16th
71 Dick Gaines - 217 laps - 20th in the other Dizz Wilson ride

26 Johnny Myers - 203 laps - 22nd
76 Bud Holmes - 460 laps - 6th
58 Bob Davis - 185 laps - 24th

39 Don Walker - 225 laps - 19th
14 Sheldon Kinser - 245 laps - 18th
57 Johnny Noble - 393 laps - 11th

16 Steve Cannon - 30 laps - 31st
32 Russ Hart - 292 laps - 14th
-3 Don Wilbur - 357 laps 12th

-9 Mark Caldwell - 72 Laps - 29th
61 Kenny Simpson - 311 laps - 13th
33 Danny Bowlen - 216 laps - 21st

83 Butch Wilkerson - 174 laps - 25th
-0 Rick Ferkel - 6 laps - 33rd and First Car Out
-7 Kenny Ferrand - 466 laps - 5th

56 Bobby Grear - 414 laps - 8th
96 Kenny Wortman - 198 laps - 23rd
89 Alan Barr - 482 laps - 3rd

64 Casey Jones - 265 laps - 17th
37 Jim Steurer - 42 laps - 30th
19 Orville Yeadon - 96 laps - 27th

In my program I had written the name of Bud Claypool by the #96. I don't know if he drove relief for Wortman or what. Does it really matter after 41 years??:action-smiley-049:

+I make no claims about the name spellings or the exact lap count and/or finishing order. Hey, it was 500 laps and I had a really big cooler in those days.:wink We did our best.
+Hewitt won the pole with a 19.09 lap. Rollie Beale had won the pole for the first two 500's with 19.72 in '65 and 19.22 in '66 and finished 4th and 12th. USAC drivers were not allowed to compete (thus, no Beale in '67) but I wondered if a couple of these guys hadn't pulled a "Smoke Johnson" type caper.
+500 lap time in this race was 3:00:43. Cannon won in '66 from 14th spot in 3:08:14, Yeadon in '65 from 17th in 3hours, 20 minutes.
+Total prize money in '65 was $7,500; upped to $10,000 in '66; then a mind boggling $12,500 this year with an extra $200 for FQ.
+It took a 24.70 to make the show in '65; 20.36 in '66.
+Fuel tank capacities were 35 gals........two (or more) pit stops necessary. Pit stops and subsequent push offs were :eek: though I don't recall any problems.
+Don Nordhorn told me a few years ago (at the 4-Crown) that his strategy was to ride for 400 to 450 laps, then go racing. He oughta know, but my notes show him 3rd after 100 laps and leading at the 200, 300, 400, and, of course, the 500 lap marks. I'd say he was "riding" at a pretty good clip.
+I would always note any flips or crashes. Can't say for sure that nothing of that nature occured, but I had made no such mention in the 1000 laps I watched in the two 500's I attended.
+Enough....perhaps too much if you're not older than dirt like DannyB and myself. :checkered:

Re: Eldora 500 - 8/5/67
 

Originally Posted by FishBurger:
Hope you might humor me by allowing me to indulge in another trip to the "wayback when" of my early racing fandom. This was one of the more unique events I've ever attended in my nearly 50 years of chasing open wheel racing.

500 laps (Yep, he said "500 laps") on the Big "E" half-mile. This was the third, and as it turned out the final, "Eldora 500". I did not attend the '65 race won by Orville Yeadon in his #98. I did make my way up Route 118 for the '66 race won by Larry "Boom Boom" Cannon in the then familar #B4 and again for this last 500.

The Lineup 11 Rows of 3

49 Don Hewitt - 13 laps - 32nd Place
10 Lou Blaney - 285 laps - 15th
53 Bobby Kinser - 123 laps - 26th

72 Don Nordhorn - 500 laps - The Winner in one of the Dizz Wilson cars
84 Wayne Pratt - 402 laps - 10th
-1 Jon Peddie - 472 laps - 4th

B4 Larry Cannon - 395 laps - 9th
98 Grant Wilmot - 433 laps - 7th
-9 Ross Smith - 485 laps - 2nd (15 laps down)

86 Mike Johnson - 77 laps - 28th
77 Chick Hale - 271 laps - 16th
71 Dick Gaines - 217 laps - 20th in the other Dizz Wilson ride

26 Johnny Myers - 203 laps - 22nd
76 Bud Holmes - 460 laps - 6th
58 Bob Davis - 185 laps - 24th

39 Don Walker - 225 laps - 19th
14 Sheldon Kinser - 245 laps - 18th
57 Johnny Noble - 393 laps - 11th

16 Steve Cannon - 30 laps - 31st
32 Russ Hart - 292 laps - 14th
-3 Don Wilbur - 357 laps 12th

-9 Mark Caldwell - 72 Laps - 29th
61 Kenny Simpson - 311 laps - 13th
33 Danny Bowlen - 216 laps - 21st

83 Butch Wilkerson - 174 laps - 25th
-0 Rick Ferkel - 6 laps - 33rd and First Car Out
-7 Kenny Ferrand - 466 laps - 5th

56 Bobby Grear - 414 laps - 8th
96 Kenny Wortman - 198 laps - 23rd
89 Alan Barr - 482 laps - 3rd

64 Casey Jones - 265 laps - 17th
37 Jim Steurer - 42 laps - 30th
19 Orville Yeadon - 96 laps - 27th

In my program I had written the name of Bud Claypool by the #96. I don't know if he drove relief for Wortman or what. Does it really matter after 41 years??:action-smiley-049:

+I make no claims about the name spellings or the exact lap count and/or finishing order. Hey, it was 500 laps and I had a really big cooler in those days.:wink We did our best.
+Hewitt won the pole with a 19.09 lap. Rollie Beale had won the pole for the first two 500's with 19.72 in '65 and 19.22 in '66 and finished 4th and 12th. USAC drivers were not allowed to compete (thus, no Beale in '67) but I wondered if a couple of these guys hadn't pulled a "Smoke Johnson" type caper.
+500 lap time in this race was 3:00:43. Cannon won in '66 from 14th spot in 3:08:14, Yeadon in '65 from 17th in 3hours, 20 minutes.
+Total prize money in '65 was $7,500; upped to $10,000 in '66; then a mind boggling $12,500 this year with an extra $200 for FQ.
+It took a 24.70 to make the show in '65; 20.36 in '66.
+Fuel tank capacities were 35 gals........two (or more) pit stops necessary. Pit stops and subsequent push offs were :eek: though I don't recall any problems.
+Don Nordhorn told me a few years ago (at the 4-Crown) that his strategy was to ride for 400 to 450 laps, then go racing. He oughta know, but my notes show him 3rd after 100 laps and leading at the 200, 300, 400, and, of course, the 500 lap marks. I'd say he was "riding" at a pretty good clip.
+I would always note any flips or crashes. Can't say for sure that nothing of that nature occured, but I had made no such mention in the 1000 laps I watched in the two 500's I attended.
+Enough....perhaps too much if you're not older than dirt like DannyB and myself. :checkered:

:eek::eek::eek::eek:

Re: Eldora 500 - 8/5/67
 

76 Bud Holmes - 460 laps - 6th....Bud got cramps and had to pull in ... Dad put Phil Miller in it to finish the race ... If you ever see Phil ask him about it ... It`s worth your while ....

Dan Hurst

Re: Eldora 500 - 8/5/67
 

In regard to pit stops. I think it was 67 ( might have been 66 -you know how the memory gets after awhile) they really lit Lou Blaney up on his second pit stop - pretty good sized fire as I remember it.

Re: Eldora 500 - 8/5/67
 

Once again, Ross Smith (Finished 2nd) comes up. He's part of that Sayler Park (Cincy Oh) group. . Don't remember if that #9 was an Oakie Draut owned car or not. Someone on here might remember?

Also, "Cowboy" Don Walker, I'm pretty sure, is Jeff Walker's dad. Don drove down from Kokomo every week and sold fuel for me when I promoted Lawrenceburg in 1980-81-82. Great guy!!!!

Oh! and Alan Barr (finished 3rd) came down and taught me how to run a road grader after I completely botched up the first track I ever prepared!!! After that, we had great tracks!! Alan was another of the great guys I met through promoting and racing at Lawrenceburg.

Re: Eldora 500 - 8/5/67
 

Originally Posted by FishBurger:
Larry "Boom Boom" Cannon in the then familar #B4

Yellow and white sprinter owned by Wink Bridges, wrenched by Unc Blackmer, sponsored by Tri-R Construction.
A good laugh around here was that one night Larry kept "dialing it in" with the weight-jacker until he adjusted them right out of a good run. Supposedly Unc was so POed that he stopped the tow rig along the side of the road part way home, got out a hacksaw, and removed the weight-jacker permanently.

Re: Eldora 500 - 8/5/67
 

If they did 500 laps at Eldora nowadays, the Hoosier tire rep would retire a very rich man at the end of the night. :rolling
David.

Re: Eldora 500 - 8/5/67
 

Originally Posted by Ovalmeister:
If they did 500 laps at Eldora nowadays, the Hoosier tire rep would retire a very rich man at the end of the night. :rolling
David.

Supposedly there is a story that Yeadon and some of the others came up with a tire that they ran in all three 500's. Not the same type tire - the same tire period.

Re: Eldora 500 - 8/5/67
 

Originally Posted by Speedwrench:
Supposedly there is a story that Yeadon and some of the others came up with a tire that they ran in all three 500's. Not the same type tire - the same tire period.

Oh Jesus, I hope Don Moore doesn't read this! (Kidding Don!)
David.

Re: Eldora 500 - 8/5/67
 

Originally Posted by Ovalmeister:
If they did 500 laps at Eldora nowadays, the Hoosier tire rep would retire a very rich man at the end of the night. :rolling
David.

Alan Barr run all 3 500s on the same right rear tire ask him if you seehim Butch

Re: Eldora 500 - 8/5/67
 

Alan Barr........what a nice guy !!!!!!!!!!!

Re: Eldora 500 - 8/5/67
 

That tire was called a "bowtie" I have asked him about it and its a great story.

Re: Eldora 500 - 8/5/67
 

Fish, the owner is not exactly sure what year but hewitt had fast time in her car and was leading and herman wise from atlanta blew his engine and parts off it put a hole in the oil pan. That really sucked...lol

Re: Eldora 500 - 8/5/67
 

I do remember a 100 lap race at eldora in 1974 or 1975. It was the only time calvin gilstrap raced at eldora. Finished 9th.

Re: Eldora 500 - 8/5/67
 

Wow that is some history right there. Thanks Marv!

I can't imagine how a 500 lapper at one of the Ind. bullrings would go. I thought the 100 lapper that Briscoe won at Haubstadt two years ago was good. I love longer races.

Re: Eldora 500 - 8/5/67
 

Off Topic a little, but I remember flagging a 500 lap ARCA race there. Les Snow won it. The track just got blacker as the night went on.

Re: Eldora 500 - 8/5/67
 

Dad just updated the race ... Phil drove until the last pit stop and Sheldon got in and finished the race... Dad also mentioned the Wilson cars had oversized fuel tanks and Dizz supposedly put a truck inner tube in the tank to make up the extra room ... It was rumored that the inner tube went flat and there was controversy swirling around that the winning car might have been one pit stop short ... but since Dizz isn`t around to dispute this and he was always nice to me as a kid, I`m gonna leave it as conjecture. :checkered:

Dan Hurst

Re: Eldora 500 - 8/5/67
 

Originally Posted by smith19:
Fish, the owner is not exactly sure what year but hewitt had fast time in her car and was leading and herman wise from atlanta blew his engine and parts off it put a hole in the oil pan. That really sucked...lol

Herman Wise was from Cumming, GA which is close to Dawsonville but not Atlanta