Originally Posted by randyrad I realise this thread's about THAT. Was ref made to Sprint Cars on Springfield mile ? Just curious - could today's Sprint Cars run safely on the flat dirt miles ? If yes, how would you structure the race ? How would it wear on the motors ? Just curious. Always wondered.

I'm dying to see it happen, but I really doubt it ever will.

[Hubie]

Thanks for posting this thread, I always read them!

History is important

[Wallsracing]

Originally Posted by fishburger bruce harrison asked about posting results for this race on the previous that thread. I figure that anyone who lives "just outside anchorage, ak" deserves some warm sunny weather diversion, so here goes: qualifications - 33 cars - (tr johnny rutherford 22.76 on 8/15/65) -1 gary bettenhausen - 23.55 82 carl williams - 23.70 83 sammy sessions - spun on both laps 76 doc dawson - 25.39 84 tom bigelow - 24.60 65 johnny capels - 24.73 - bignotti sprinter 99 duke cook - 24.60 11 rollie beale - 24.52 69 sonny ates - 24.39 15 johnny rutherford - 23.83 30 dee jones - 24.49 -2 larry dickson - 23.27 quick time 32 larry cannon - 25.31 50 ronnie burke - 25.15 37 chuck booth - 24.81 42 ralph liguori - 24.48 51 bill compton - 24.71 16 al smith - 24.96 55 gordy lee - 24.91 -4 greg weld - 24.26 35 jerry karl - 24.72 29 bruce walkup - 24.02 95 karl busson - 24.47 49 andy brown - 25.51 43 charlie masters - 25.54 80 lennie waldo - 24.30 71 don nordhorn - 24.31 60 bill puterbaugh - 23.83 52 butch wilkerson - 25.44 77 salt walther - 24.91 47 bentley warren - 26.32 -5 jerry poland - 25.50 81 al beale - dnq first heat - 7 cars - 10 laps - no time (tr greg weld 4:04.41 on 6/21/70) 32 larry cannon.......................3 55 gordy lee...........................7 51 bill compton........................6 30 dee jones...........................1 71 don nordhorn.......................5 60 bill puterbaugh.....................4 -2 larry dickson.......................2 second heat - 7 cars - 10 laps - no time 76 doc dawson........................5 77 salt walther........................6 35 jerry karl............................7 11 rollie beale..........................2 69 sonny ates.........................3 29 bruce walkup.......................1 -1 gary bettenhausen................4 third heat - 7 cars - 10 laps - 4:11.96 52 butch wilkerson....................6 16 al smith..............................4 65 johnny capels......................5 84 tom bigelow.........................7 95 karl busson..........................2 -4 greg weld............................1 82 carl williams.........................2 fourth heat - 7 cars - 10 laps - no time -5 jerry poland.........................4 50 ronnie burke........................1 37 chuck booth........................5 99 duke cook...........................3 42 ralph liguori........................7 80 lennie waldo.......................6 15 johnny rutherford.................2 semi-feature - 12 cars - 12 laps - no time (tr larry dickson 4:57.25 on 6/21/70) 80 lennie waldo........................6 71 don nordhorn.......................2 42 ralph liguori.........................1 51 bill compton.........................5 35 jerry karl............................12 65 johnny capels......................10 37 chuck booth..........................8 55 gordy lee.............................7 77 salt walther..........................9 76 doc dawson..........................4 43 sammy sessions.....................3 49 andy brown..........................11 feature - 20 cars - 40 laps - 18:39.97 (ntr for 40 laps) 29 bruce walkup................the winner 60 bill puterbaugh........................4 15 johnny rutherford...................9 82 carl williams...........................5 -1 gary bettenhausen..................3 -2 larry dickson..........................2 -4 greg weld..............................6 71 don nordhorn.........................7 69 sonny ates...........................20 95 karl busson...........................17 42 ralph liguori..........................16 30 dee jones.............................11 11 rollie beale.............................8 99 duke cook.............................18 16 al smith................................13 50 ronnie burke..........................19 32 larry cannon..........................15 76 doc dawson...........................14 -5 jerry poland...........................12 43 sammy sessions.....................10 - hard charger award +this must have been the first time that a 40 lapper had gone from green to checkers, as the previous tr was listed as "jim mcelreath gapco spl. 6/21/70 no time". +noteworthy that the 8/9/70 feature winner, dick tobias, didn't show for this event. Neither did johnny parsons, jr., jim mcelreath, todd gibson,jimmy oskie,mel cornett, lee brayton, merle bettenhausen, or george snider. Otoh, feature winner this day, bruce walkup plus johnny capels, dee jones, ronnie burke, al smith, jerry karl, andy brown, butch wilkerson, salt walther, bentley warren, and al beale were in pits for this show but missing on 8/9/70. +i believe andy brown was also a goalie for the indianapolis racers hockey team. I might have him confused with another driver though. +i thought back then that al smith would be the first "smith" to race in the indy 500. He was a tough competitor, especially on pavement. Didn't happen. I gave up on indy after '03 but i'm not sure there has been a "smith" qualify there to this day. Not many brazilians named "smith" i guess. :wink maybe an english or aussie "smitty" will come along to break the "smith" barrier. +doc dawson was a good guy and a very competent sprint car shoe. One of my good racing friends back then was jim vanmeter from springfield, oh. Jim had a sprint car he ran in the local shows and his very good friend doc was always after him early in his career to let him drive the car. Jim never relented, saying that if doc ever got hurt in his car he'd never forgive himself and neither would jim's wife, maridelle. Tragically, doc was later killed in someone else's car on 10/3/76 at the illinois state fairgrounds. (courtesy of google lookup) jim has also been deceased for a number of years and i miss the vanmeters a lot. +in the previous that thread i mentioned some autograph gathering by my ex-wife. On this day, tom bigelow signed but instead of on the program cover he insisted on affixing his little mouse sig inside the backpage showing a full page twelve photo sequence of himself in a nasty tumble he rode out in the midwest mfg. #84 at in a previous that event. +enough!!! :checkered:

is this our superduck..i mean superduke

[Vukie]

http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/...p?player=18454

http://www.retrorockets.org/1/htmllib/oswb0044.htm

[Bruce Harrison]

Originally Posted by Wallsracing is this our superduck..i mean superduke

The one and only, driving Gene Besecker's purple #99

[FishBurger]

Brought back to the top to see if this is the race posted about in a newer thread.

[Gregg]

The Bignotti car that Capels was driving, is this the former Al Unser owned sprinter?

Also, why Jerry ******? Are we at war with a European country or something?

[Al Pierce]

Originally Posted by ronmil Marv, Wish I had kept detailed records such as yours. I checked my little book and it showed that I was there, then went to Haubstadt that night, but got rained out.

Ron...I'm really disappointed. I thought you kept all those stats, etc. in your memory. I didn't think you would ever rely on a "little book".

[Mud Packer]

Originally Posted by Al Pierce Ron...I'm really disappointed. I thought you kept all those stats, etc. in your memory. I didn't think you would ever rely on a "little book".

As I get older I need to have that "little book" just to remember things. In fact, that "little book" has become an entire set of encyclopedias.

[kart31rac]

Was the Jerry ******, is that Blundy. As to the springfiels mile, I have watched the sprint cars run there, if they brought them back I would be there. There was nothing like the mile on sunday afternoon and Joes on sunday night, Wow I miss that place.