[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: