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Minnesota Dirt Track History Project by GRP [ Back to Minnesota Dirt Track Racing History ] [ Home ] |
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Buzz Barton |
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A Look Back At Various Racing History In And Around Minnesota (by GRP)
Here's a trip down memory lane for some, an interesting accumulation of information for others, and a learning experience for those who are interested in some of the past history of sprint car and late model racing in and around the State of Minnesota. My research project is on-going, but I've decided to go ahead and write up some of the information I've accumulated so far. It's just a start! I welcome comments from anybody who can help out by providing additional information, results, stats and the like regarding the topics covered. So without any further babbling, let's take the green flag! It's a long race so buckle those seat belts good and tight.
Twin City/North Starr Speedway Section:
Since this was my first home track from 1973-1979, I am naturally going to take a close look back at some of the history behind this now defunct speedway. The track was originally built in 1950 by Don Voge and named Twin City Speedway. It was a 1/2 mile dirt oval located near New Brighton and Blaine. Don owned and operated the facility from 1950 through about 1964. The track ran the California-type hotrods, the super modifieds (which eventually evolved into sprint cars) and various stock car classes under Voge's guidance and direction. Don claimed to have the fastest 1/2 mile dirt track in the Upper Midwest. Of course, there were those who disagreed with his opinion. Don had and on again-off again relationship with several name drivers, and many of the top guns from that era would stop by on occasion and run a race or two at his open (unsanctioned) track. A host of local area warriors also frequented the track.
When Voge got into hot water with the IRS, the track was eventually sold. Bill Larson promoted the track for one year (I believe 1965). Voge's archrival Frank Winkley came in to promote races under a Regional IMCA sanction in the years 1966-1968. Winkley tragically lost his life in an automobile accident in early 1968. Phil Steward finished out the decade of the 1960s by hosting racing in the latter half of 1968 and 1969. A 1/4 mile track was built on the site, but it only lasted a few years. A drag strip was also constructed, and numerous local ET bracket drag races were held for many years. The dragway was called North Star Dragway in the 1970s.
With Twin City Speedway in a state of financial difficulty, the track sat dormant during the 1970 and 1971 seasons. Dayle Maloney decided to pump life back into the joint in 1972. He reopened the track to winged super modified (sprint car) racing. The first race was held on a Sunday afternoon. A large crowd was on hand and a decent field of cars sat in the pits. To say there was problems would be an understatement. It was dusty, it was rocky, it was rough. The debut did not go well at all. Dayle plugged along though. Racing was changed to Sunday nights, but the crowds and race cars never returned to the level of the opener. By the end of the season, the financial woes mounted and it looked like the place would sit idle again. Then along came Neil Larson and his Pace Inc. promotion. Neil operated the Fairmont Raceway, and he decided to give Twin City Speedway a try. He renamed the track North Star Speedway. The wings were done away with on the sprints, and the late models and hobby stocks were added to the race program. Neil often paid some appearance money to top name Midwestern sprint car drivers to appear at his race tracks. Neil promoted the track for two years (1973-1974). Many top name drivers passed through North Star's pit gate and turned laps on the 1/2 mile oval under the watchful eye of flagman Ron Fox. Since the MSA had just been formed in 1973, North Star became their home track. This meant that many of the local area hot shoes would run North Star on a regular basis. Financially, Neil Larson never really turned the corner, and at the end of the 1974 season he decided not to renew his lease.
Along came Marion (Buz) Beck. Buz had been a local racer for several years, and just prior to his taking over the promotional reigns at North Star, he had owned and operated the Stillwater Speedway. Buz changed the name to North Starr International Speedway (the word International was eventually dropped but the extra "r" stayed). Buz continued with the sprint car and hobby stock classes. The MSA and Buz sometimes did not see eye to eye, but for the most part, the two parties would reconcile their differences and the MSA would still call North Starr their home track (most of the time anyways). Plenty of great racing took place during Buz' tenure (1975-1979). Like all good things, the storied existence of the speedway came to an end at the close of the 1979 season. The trucking company that owned the land on which North Starr Speedway was located decided to sell the property. Beck's remaining year (or two) on his contract was bought out. The property actually sat idle for a few years, but ultimately an industrial park was built where race cars once sped around a 1/2 mile dirt track. Unknown at the time, the World of Outlaws race of August 12, 1979 would see the final checkered flag wave, leaving only the memories. The drag strip did continue to operate for another year until it also fell victim to what some term as progress.
The following statistics deal mainly with the 1970s era, but I did come across the 1966 and 1967 super modified top ten point standings along with the 1966-1968 late model track champions. Any help in compiling further info would be appreciated.
1966 Twin City Speedway Supermodified Point Standings (Top Ten): 1. Russ Laursen..........1003 2. Don Mack...............917 3. Jerry Lepinski.........721 4. Ted Ready..............697 5. John Hesselgrave.......598 6. Bill Siercks...........539 7. Dick Smith.............519 8. Jerry Richert..........512 9. Jerry Daniels..........503 10. Ron Belland...........492
1966 Late Model Champion: Vic Klein
1967 Twin City Speedway Supermodified Point Standings (Top Ten): 1. Don "Itch" Daniels.....544 2. Barry Kettering........540 3. Jerry Lepinski.........532 4. Buzz Barton............524 5. Russ Laursen...........481 6. Al Jacobson............459 7. John Stevenson.........336 8. Ron Belland............302 9. Lyn McIntosh...........297 10. Dick Walch............291
1967 Late Model Champion: Vic Klein 1968 Late Model Champion: Don Grams
North Starr Speedway Track Point Champions (1972-1979): 1972 Sprint Car Champion - Dave Skari #2 1972 Late Model Champion - Kenny Mann #2 1973 Sprint Car Champion - Barry Kettering #57 1974 Sprint Car Champion - Barry Kettering #57 1974 Late Model Champion - Tom Nesbitt #1 1975 Sprint Car Champion - Barry Kettering #57 1975 Late Model Champion - Tom Nesbitt #1 1976 Sprint Car Champion - Doug Wolfgang #18 1976 Hobby Stock Champion - Pat Willis #29 1977 Sprint Car Champion - Bob Geldner #63 1977 Hobby Stock Champion - Buzz Cripe #63 1978 Sprint Car Champion - John Stevenson #31 1978 Late Model Champion - Leon Plank #71 1979 Sprint Car Champion - John Stevenson #31 1979 Sportsman Champion - Tom Neisius #73x
Note: I'm still looking for the stock car class point champion from 1973.
North Starr Speedway Career Sprint Car Feature Wins (1973 - 1979): JOHN STEVENSON = 26 *DOUG WOLFGANG = 12 BOB GELDNER = 11 *BARRY KETTERING = 10 DON MACK = 7 DICK SUTCLIFFE = 5 BOB HOP = 4 JERRY RICHERT = 4 DARRYL DAWLEY = 3 LENARD McCARL = 3 ROGER RAGER = 3 BILL ROBISON = 3 SHANE CARSON = 2 LONNIE JENSEN = 2 DAVE SKARI = 2 RALPH BLACKETT = 1 *JIM DARLEY = 1 *RICK FERKEL = 1 TIM GREEN = 1 STEVE KINSER = 1 DON MAXWELL = 1 BILL MELLENBERNDT = 1 *JACK McCORKELL = 1 LYN McINTOSH = 1 MIKE PINCKNEY = 1 STACY REDMOND = 1 RANDY SMITH = 1 *=NORTH AMERICAN SPRINT CAR CHAMPIONSHIP FEATURE WINNER...This was Buz Beck's name for the big season championship race from 1975-1979. I'll have to admit, it had a nice sound to it. I'm still looking for the 1972 North Star results. Drivers like Dave Skari, Jerry Richert, and Barry Kettering amongst others took home some wins that year.
North Starr Speedway Official ONE LAP Track Record: DOUG WOLFGANG.....20.66......8-12-79 SAMMY SWINDELL....20.72......6-24-79
North Starr Speedway Most Feature Wins in One Season: BOB GELDNER...........8.........1977 JOHN STEVENSON........8.........1979 DOUG WOLFGANG.........7.........1976 JOHN STEVENSON........7.........1978
North Starr Speedway Longest Consecutive Winning Streaks: JOHN STEVENSON........4.........1974 BOB GELDNER...........4.........1977 JOHN STEVENSON........4.........1979
North Starr Speedway Sprint Car Feature Winners (1973 - 1979): 1973 5-20-73 DON MACK 5-27-73 RAINED OUT 6-03-73 BARRY KETTERING 6-10-73 JERRY RICHERT 6-17-73 STACY REDMOND 6-24-73 DARRYL DAWLEY 7-01-73 DON MACK 7-08-73 DARRYL DAWLEY 7-14-73 DON MACK 7-15-73 DON MACK 7-22-73 DARRYL DAWLEY 7-29-73 RAINED OUT 8-04-73 DAVE SKARI 8-05-73 BARRY KETTERING 8-12-73 BOB GELDNER 8-18-73 BARRY KETTERING 8-26-73 DAVE SKARI
1974 5-26-74 BARRY KETTERING 6-02-74 DICK SUTCLIFFE 6-09-74 RAINED OUT 6-16-74 DICK SUTCLIFFE 6-23-74 DICK SUTCLIFFE 6-30-74 LONNIE JENSEN 7-07-74 ROGER RAGER 7-14-74 LONNIE JENSEN 7-21-74 BARRY KETTERING 7-28-74 ROGER RAGER 8-04-74 JOHN STEVENSON 8-11-74 JOHN STEVENSON 8-18-74 JOHN STEVENSON 8-25-74 JOHN STEVENSON 8-31-74 DICK SUTCLIFFE 9-07-74 ROGER RAGER
1975 5-26-75 JOHN STEVENSON 6-01-75 LENARD McCARL 6-08-75 BARRY KETTERING 6-15-75 BILL ROBISON 6-22-75 DON MAXWELL 6-29-75 RAINED OUT 7-06-75 LENARD McCARL 7-13-75 BILL ROBISON 7-20-75 BOB GELDNER 7-27-75 BARRY KETTERING 8-03-75 RAINED OUT 8-10-75 JOHN STEVENSON 8-17-75 BARRY KETTERING 8-24-75 RAINED OUT
1976 5-09-76 DON MACK 5-16-76 BARRY KETTERING 5-23-76 BARRY KETTERING 5-30-76 BILL MELLENBERNDT 5-31-76 JOHN STEVENSON 6-06-76 JOHN STEVENSON 6-13-76 BILL ROBISON 6-20-76 DON MACK 6-27-76 DOUG WOLFGANG 7-04-76 DOUG WOLFGANG 7-05-76 DICK SUTCLIFFE 7-11-76 DOUG WOLFGANG 7-18-76 LENARD McCARL 7-25-76 DOUG WOLFGANG 8-01-76 DOUG WOLFGANG 8-08-76 DOUG WOLFGANG 8-15-76 JIM DARLEY 8-22-76 DOUG WOLFGANG 8-29-76 BOB GELDNER
1977 5-01-77 BOB GELDNER 5-08-77 DOUG WOLFGANG 5-15-77 RAINED OUT 5-22-77 RAINED OUT 5-29-77 BOB GELDNER 5-30-77 BOB GELDNER 6-05-77 BOB GELDNER 6-12-77 BOB GELDNER 6-19-77 DOUG WOLFGANG 6-26-77 BOB GELDNER 7-03-77 BOB GELDNER 7-04-77 JOHN STEVENSON 7-10-77 DOUG WOLFGANG 7-17-77 JOHN STEVENSON 7-24-77 RALPH BLACKETT 7-31-77 BOB HOP 8-07-77 BOB GELDNER 8-14-77 RICK FERKEL 8-21-77 JOHN STEVENSON
1978 4-30-78 MIKE PINCKNEY 5-07-78 RAINED OUT 5-14-78 JOHN STEVENSON 5-21-78 JERRY RICHERT 5-28-78 RAINED OUT 5-29-78 DOUG WOLFGANG 6-04-78 JOHN STEVENSON 6-11-78 DON MACK 6-18-78 JOHN STEVENSON 6-25-78 RAINED OUT 7-02-78 RAINED OUT 7-04-78 LYN McINSTOSH 7-09-78 JOHN STEVENSON 7-16-78 BOB HOP 7-23-78 SHANE CARSON 7-30-78 JOHN STEVENSON 8-06-78 JOHN STEVENSON 8-13-78 JOHN STEVENSON 8-20-78 JACK McCORKELL
1979 4-29-79 RAINED OUT 5-06-79 JOHN STEVENSON 5-13-79 SHANE CARSON 5-20-79 JOHN STEVENSON 5-27-79 JERRY RICHERT 5-28-79 JOHN STEVENSON 6-03-79 JOHN STEVENSON 6-10-79 JOHN STEVENSON 6-17-79 JOHN STEVENSON 6-24-79 STEVE KINSER (WoO) 7-01-79 JOHN STEVENSON 7-04-79 TIM GREEN 7-08-79 JOHN STEVENSON 7-15-79 BOB HOP 7-22-79 JERRY RICHERT 7-29-79 RANDY SMITH 8-05-79 BOB HOP 8-12-79 DOUG WOLFGANG (WoO) 8-19-79 RAINED OUT 8-26-79 RAINED OUT
To close out the North Starr Speedway section, let's take a look at some of today's local area drivers (a few who have now retired) who raced at the track back in the 1970s. In the sprint car class, Joe Kouba, Spike Lempelius, Al Hargrave, Dave Heskin, John Sernett, and Roger Rager competed at North Starr. In the late model division, Jim Bruggeman, Steve Egersdorf, Rick Egersdorf, Tom Nesbitt, Brent Laursen, Terry Lanphear, and Leon Plank were some who turned laps at North Starr. In the Sportsman/Hobby Stock division, drivers like Ron Jones, Perry Giles, Bob Houston, Dick Boje, Cliff Gorka, John Bystrzycki, Mike Kelley, and Chuck Priefer raced at North Starr.
Midwest Sprint Association (MSA) Section:
In the winter/spring of 1973, a local group of area sprint car drivers formed the MSA. The effort was spearheaded by Barry Kettering and Ron Larson. The idea was to put together a circuit for local area drivers to run. North Star Speedway would become the MSA's home track running a weekly Sunday night program. The group grew in popularity as the years went by. The MSA suffered a devastating blow in June of 1976 when its very capable leader, Barry Kettering, was killed in a racing accident at Fairmont Raceway. The rest of the 1976 season was a somber blur. The MSA came back strong in 1977 under the leadership of President Dick Carpenter. The club enjoyed three more good years. With the closing of North Starr Speedway after the 1979 season, the club lost its weekly venue. 1980 saw several travel dates, but the schedule had been pared down considerably. The club tried to get something going in 1981, but nothing ever really materialized. The sun had risen and set on the MSA. From 1973 to 1980, the MSA provided some very good sprint car racing around Minnesota and surrounding areas. Plenty of top notch local drivers and Midwest area hot shoes ran MSA races.
MSA Season Point Champions: 1973 - Barry Kettering 1974 - Barry Kettering 1975 - Barry Kettering 1976 - Bob Hop 1977 - Bob Hop 1978 - Lyn McIntosh (Overall & North Div.), Bob Hop (South Div.) 1979 - Bob Hop 1980 - Bill Dollansky
Note: There are some that claim John Stevenson was the 1976 champion. Bob Hop won the title by a narrow margin. I've been told that it may have come down to a couple of shows that did not pay points. If anyone knows the complete story, please let me know. In 1978, the MSA actually had a Northern Division and a Southern Division. Lyn McIntosh was declared the overall MSA champion for 1978, but Bob Hop did win the Southern Division title and can thus lay claim to being a four-time MSA champion.
I have records of alot of the race winners from the MSA era, but it is not complete by any means. Several modern day drivers had fathers who ran with the MSA. Here's a brief breakdown. Bill Dollansky/Craig Dollansky, Jerry Richert Sr/Jerry Richert Jr, Bob Geldner/Brett Geldner, Dennis Olson/Dann Olson, Dick Kelly/Gene Kelly, Dave Heskin/DJ Heskin, Danny Schatz/Donny Schatz, Lou Kennedy Sr/Lou Kennedy Jr, Don Mack/Todd Mack.
Minnesota State Fair Section:
The racing activity at the Minnesota State Fair has a very long and storied tradition. Competitive auto racing events have been staged at the fair since 1907. The only break in the action occurred during World War II in the five year period from 1942-1946 when the track lay dormant. My research will focus on the post WWII years. Many have termed the period from 1947 to 1963 as the "Golden Age of Racing" at the Minnesota State Fair. Following the War, Americans were eager for some entertainment and the sport of big car auto racing fit the bill just fine. It was exciting, dangerous, and fast-paced. Fans were thrilled by the daring drivers in open cockpit machines, broad-sliding their cars at high speeds on the half mile oval. It was during this era that the sport really started to grow by leaps and bounds. The track was paved for the 1964 season, and it never was able to recapture the luster of the "Golden Age".
Here's a list of the big car/sprint car winners from 1947 through 1978 under the IMCA, AAA, and USAC sanctions at the Minnesota State Fair plus several Open Comp events.
8-23-47 - Emory Collins 8-24-47 - Emory Collins 8-31-47 - Jimmy Wilburn 9-01-47 - Jimmy Wilburn 8-28-48 - Emory Collins 8-29-48 - Ben Musick 9-05-48 - Emory Collins 9-06-48 - Emory Collins 8-27-49 - Tommy Hinnershitz (AAA) 8-28-49 - Spider Webb (AAA) 9-04-49 - Jimmy Wilburn 9-05-49 - Emory Collins
8-26-50 - Troy Ruttman (AAA) 8-27-50 - Tommy Hinnershitz (AAA) 9-02-50 - Emory Collins 9-03-50 - Harry King 9-04-50 - Harry King 8-25-51 - Troy Ruttman (AAA) 8-26-51 - Troy Ruttman (AAA) 8-31-51 - Deb Snyder 9-02-51 - Deb Snyder 9-03-51 - Bert Hellmueller 8-23-52 - Duane Carter (AAA) 8-24-52 - Jimmy Bryan (AAA) 8-25-52 - Jimmy Bryan (AAA) 8-29-52 - Leland "Bud" Randall 8-31-52 - Sid Bufkin 9-01-52 - Deb Snyder 8-29-53 - Bob Sweikert (AAA) 8-30-53 - Wally Campbell (AAA) 8-31-53 - Tommy Hinnershitz (AAA) 9-04-53 - Marv Pifer 9-06-53 - Bob Carpenter 9-07-53 - Jim McWithy 8-29-54 - Don Carr 9-01-54 - Don Carr 9-05-54 - Homer Clayton 9-06-54 - Jim McWithy 8-28-55 - Bud Randall 8-31-55 - Don Carr 9-02-55 - Bud Randall 9-04-55 - Bud Randall 9-05-55 - Marv Pifer 8-26-56 - Bill Chennault 8-29-56 - Bud Randall 8-31-56 - Bill Chennault 9-02-56 - Johnny Pouelsen 9-03-56 - Emmett "Buzz" Barton 8-25-57 - Johnny Pouelsen 8-27-57 - Buzz Barton 8-31-57 - Johnny Pouelsen 9-01-57 - Jerry Kemp 9-02-57 - Johnny Pouelsen 8-24-58 - Jim McWithey 8-26-58 - Jim McWithey 8-27-58 - Jim McWithey 8-28-58 - Pete Folse 8-31-58 - Jim McWithey 8-29-59 - Pete Folse 8-30-59 - Jack Rounds 9-01-59 - Parnelli Jones 9-02-59 - Jack Rounds 9-06-59 - Jim Hurtibise
8-27-60 - A. J. Shepherd 8-30-60 - A. J. Shepherd 8-31-60 - LeRoy Neumayer 9-04-60 - LeRoy Neumayer 8-26-61 - Jim McElreath 8-29-61 - Pete Folse 8-30-61 - Pete Folse 9-01-61 - Jim McElreath 9-03-61 - Jerry Richert 8-25-62 - Jerry Richert 8-26-62 - John White 8-27-62 - Jerry Richert 8-28-62 - Jerry Richert 8-29-62 - Jerry Richert 8-24-63 - Jerry Daniels 8-25-63 - Jerry Daniels 8-26-63 - Jerry Daniels 8-31-63 - Bill Horstmeyer 9-01-63 - Harold Leep (last IMCA winner on the dirt) 8-29-64 - ?? (USAC) 8-30-64 - ?? (USAC) 9-04-64 - Jim McCune (first IMCA winner on the new pavement) 9-05-64 - Gene Bell 9-06-64 - Bob Pratt 6-13-65 - Harold Smith (nonfair event) 8-27-65 - ?? (USAC) 8-28-65 - ?? (USAC) 9-03-65 - Harold Smith 9-04-65 - Jerry Richert 9-05-65 - Jerry Richert 8-27-66 - Jerry Richert 8-28-66 - Russ Laursen 9-02-66 - Russ Laursen 9-04-66 - Dean Mast 8-26-67 - Jerry Blundy 8-27-67 - Jerry Richert 9-01-67 - Todd Gibson 9-03-67 - Karl Busson 8-24-68 - Tom York 8-25-68 - Tom York 8-30-68 - Ray Wright 9-01-68 - Tom York 8-23-69 - Norm Ellefson & Darl Harrison (Twin 50s) 8-29-69 - Norm Ellefson 8-31-69 - Norm Ellefson
8-30-70 - Fred Linder (won both Twin 50s) 9-04-70 - Jerry Richert 9-06-70 - Darl Harrison 8-29-71 - Norm Ellefson (won both Twin 50s) 9-05-71 - Jim Linder 8-26-72 - ?? (Twin 50s) 9-03-72 - Jerry Hansen 8-26-73 - ?? (USAC) 8-27-73 - ?? (USAC Twin 50s) 8-31-73 - Jerry Hansen 9-01-73 - Jerry Hansen 8-24-74 - Duane Carter, Jr. & Rollie Beale (USAC Twin 40s) 8-25-74 - Tom Bigelow (won both USAC Twin 75s) 8-30-75 - Tom Bigelow & Joe Saldana (USAC Twin 40s) 8-28-76 - Marvin Carmen 8-29-76 - Don Mack 8-27-77 - ?? 8-28-77 - ?? 8-26-78 - Curt Kelley (MSA) 8-27-78 - Don Mack (MSA)
Jackson Nationals Section:
The Jackson Speedway (Jackson, MN) has been holding auto racing events on the 1/2 mile dirt oval for almost 70 years. The VFW Racing Association promoted the program there for nearly 40 seasons. Sprint cars have been on the program since the early super modified days. The sprints have run with various cubic inch engine limits over the years (305, 317, 360, 410). If this place could talk, imagine the volumes of stories that it could tell. In recent years, numerous improvements have been made at the track including a new grandstand and new restrooms. A Minnesota history summary would not be complete if it did not include a look at the Jackson Nationals. The winners are only listed for the primary classes of sprint cars each season. Jackson started its version of the Nationals in 1979.
Jackson Nationals Sprint Car Winners (1979-2007): 1979 - Marv DeWall 1980 - Jack McCorkell 1981 - Jack McCorkell 1982 - Don Reiners 1983 - Rocky Hodges 1984 - Bobby Davis, Jr. 1985 - Doug Wolfgang 1986 - Bobby Allen 1987 - Doug Wolfgang 1988 - Steve Kinser 1989 - Rick Hood (Outlaw Sprints) 1989 - Brett Geldner (360 Sprints) 1990 - Tim Monson 1991 - Gary DeWall 1992 - Tim Monson 1993 - Doug Wolfgang 1994 - Brian Schnee 1995 - Lou Kennedy, Jr. 1996 - Doug Wolfgang 1997 - Lou Kennedy, Jr. 1998 - Jake Peters 1999 - Rob Tvedte 2000 - Randy Nygaard 2001 - Tim Monson 2002 - Jake Peters 2003 - Travis Whitney (360 Sprints) 2003 - Terry McCarl (410 Sprints) 2004 - Matt Folstad (360 Sprints) 2004 - Terry McCarl (410 Sprints) 2005 - Scott Winters (360 Sprints) 2005 - Wayne Johnson (410 Sprints) 2006 - Gregg Bakker (360 Sprints) 2007 - Gregg Bakker (ASCS 360 Sprints)
Knoxville Nationals Section:
The Knoxville Raceway located on the Marion County Fairgrounds in Knoxville, Iowa has an extremely rich and storied past history. With numerous Minnesota drivers racing at one of the nation's most famous tracks, it is only fitting to include a summary of the Knoxville Nationals winners. The Nationals is widely recognized to be sprint car racing's most prestigious event. We'll also take a look at how our Minnesota drivers have fared in the National Championship A Feature on this historic 1/2 mile oval throughout the years. I highly recommend visiting the Knoxville Raceway website and checking out the extensive information available under the History Section.
Knoxville Nationals Winners (1961-2007): 1961 - Roy Robbins 1962 - Jerry Richert (Only Minnesota driver so far to win this event.) 1963 - Greg Weld 1964 - Kenny Weld 1965 - Kenny Weld 1966 - Jay Woodside 1967 - Thad Dosher 1968 - Ray Lee Goodwin 1969 - Kenny Gritz
1970 - Joe Saldana 1971 - Jan Opperman 1972 - Kenny Weld 1973 - Kenny Weld 1974 - Dick Gaines 1975 - Eddie Leavitt 1976 - Eddie Leavitt 1977 - Doug Wolfgang 1978 - Doug Wolfgang 1979 - Ron Shuman
1980 - Steve Kinser 1981 - Steve Kinser 1982 - Steve Kinser 1983 - Sammy Swindell 1984 - Doug Wolfgang 1985 - Doug Wolfgang 1986 - Steve Kinser 1987 - Steve Kinser 1988 - Steve Kinser 1989 - Doug Wolfgang
1990 - Bobby Allen 1991 - Steve Kinser 1992 - Steve Kinser 1993 - Steve Kinser 1994 - Steve Kinser 1995 - Steve Kinser 1996 - Mark Kinser 1997 - Dave Blaney 1998 - Danny Lasoski 1999 - Mark Kinser
2000 - Mark Kinser 2001 - Danny Lasoski 2002 - Steve Kinser 2003 - Danny Lasoski 2004 - Danny Lasoski 2005 - Kraig Kinser 2006 - Donny Schatz 2007 - Donny Schatz
Knoxville Raceway Season Point Champions (1954-2007): 1954 - Kenny Crook 1955 - Kenny Crook 1956 - Jack Delano 1957 - Dean Sylvester 1958 - Earl Wagner 1959 - Earl Wagner
1960 - Jerry Hayes 1961 - Earl Wagner 1962 - Bud McCune 1963 - Greg Weld 1964 - Bill Utz 1965 - Jerry Blundy 1966 - Jerry Blundy 1967 - Bill Utz 1968 - Dick Sutcliffe 1969 - Bob Williams
1970 - Joe Saldana 1971 - Ray Lee Goodwin 1972 - Lonnie Jensen 1973 - Dick Sutcliffe 1974 - Lonnie Jensen 1975 - Roger Rager (Mound, MN) 1976 - Doug Wolfgang 1977 - Doug Wolfgang 1978 - Shane Carson 1979 - Randy Smith
1980 - Mike Brooks 1981 - Tim Green 1982 - Tim Green, Winged Sprints 1983 - Randy Smith, Winged Sprints 1983 - Mackie Heimbaugh, Modified Sprints 1984 - Rocky Hodges, Winged Sprints 1984 - Stacy Redmond, Modified Sprints 1985 - Randy Smith, Unlimited Sprints 1985 - Dean Chadd, Modified Sprints 1986 - Danny Lasoski, Unlimited Sprints 1986 - Wayne Redmond, Modified Sprints 1987 - Randy Smith, Open Sprints 1987 - Mike Chadd, Limited Sprints 1988 - Randy Smith, Open Sprints 1988 - David Hesmer, Limited Sprints 1989 - Danny Lasoski, Open Sprints 1989 - Mike Twedt, Limited Sprints
1990 - Danny Lasoski, Open Sprints 1990 - Jordan Albaugh, Limited Sprints 1991 - Randy Smith, Open Sprints 1991 - Dwight Snodgrass, Limited Sprints 1992 - Danny Lasoski, 410 Sprints 1992 - Dwight Snodgrass, Limited Sprints 1993 - Danny Lasoski, 410 Sprints 1993 - Danny Young, 360 Sprints 1994 - Danny Lasoski, 410 Sprints 1994 - Lee Nelson, 360 Sprints 1995 - Johnny Herrera, 410 Sprints 1995 - Larry Pinegar, 360 Sprints 1996 - Danny Lasoski, 410 Sprints 1996 - Randy Martin, 360 Sprints 1997 - Skip Jackson, 410 Sprints 1997 - David Hesmer, 360 Sprints 1998 - Skip Jackson, 410 Sprints 1998 - David Hesmer, 360 Sprints 1999 - Terry McCarl, 410 Sprints 1999 - David Hesmer, 360 Sprints
2000 - Terry McCarl, 410 Sprints 2000 - John Kearney, 360 Sprints 2001 - Terry McCarl, 410 Sprints 2001 - Randy Martin, 360 Sprints 2002 - Terry McCarl, 410 Sprints 2002 - Brian Brown, 360 Sprints 2003 - Terry McCarl, 410 Sprints 2003 - Billy Alley, 360 Sprints 2005 - Kerry Madsen, 410 Sprints 2005 - Jake Peters, 360 Sprints 2006 - Billy Alley, 410 Sprints 2006 - Jake Peters, 360 Sprints 2007 - Brian Brown, 410 Sprints 2007 - Josh Higday, 360 Sprints
Here's how Minnesota drivers have finished in the Knoxville Nationals A Main: 1961: No MN drivers listed in cars that finished. 1962: Jerry Richert 1st!!! 1963: No MN drivers listed in cars that finished. 1964: Don "Itch" Daniels 14th 1965: No MN drivers listed in cars that finished. 1966: No MN drivers listed in cars that finished. 1967: No MN drivers listed in cars that finished. 1968: No MN drivers listed in cars that finished. 1969: Dick Forbrook 13th 1970: Dick Forbrook 17th, Roger Rager 18th 1971: No MN drivers qualified for the A Main. 1972: Dennis Olson 15th 1973: No MN drivers qualified for the A Main. 1974: Roger Rager 8th 1975: Roger Rager 2nd, Bob Geldner 9th, John Stevenson 17th 1976: Jack McCorkell 17th 1977: John Stevenson 11th, Bob Geldner 15th, Roger Rager 22nd 1978: Jack McCorkell 14th 1979: John Stevenson 4th 1980: John Stevenson 7th 1981: John Stevenson 15th, Bob Geldner 16th, Bob Hop 17th 1982: Keith Frantsen 15th, Roger Rager 19th 1983: Bob Hop 22nd 1984: No MN drivers qualified for the A Main. 1985: No MN drivers qualified for the A Main. 1986: John Stevenson 11th 1987: No MN drivers qualified for the A Main. 1988: Jerry Richert, Jr. 19th 1989: No MN drivers qualified for the A Main. 1990: Jerry Richert, Jr. 15th 1991: No MN drivers qualified for the A Main. 1992: No MN drivers qualified for the A Main. 1993: Craig Dollansky 18th 1994: Jerry Richert, Jr. 20th 1995: Jerry Richert, Jr. 20th, Craig Dollansky 23rd 1996: Craig Dollansky 3rd 1997: Craig Dollansky 7th 1998: No MN drivers qualified for the A Main. 1999: Craig Dollansky 22nd 2000: Craig Dollansky 5th 2001: Craig Dollansky 24th 2002: Craig Dollansky 3rd 2003: No MN drivers qualified for the A Main. 2004: Craig Dollansky 6th 2005: Craig Dollansky 10th 2006: Craig Dollansky 7th 2007: Craig Dollansky 4th
A summary of Minnesota drivers Knoxville Nationals A Main appearances shows Craig Dollansky with 12, John Stevenson and Roger Rager with 6, Jerry Richert, Jr. with 4, Bob Geldner with 3, Bob Hop, Jack McCorkell and Dick Forbrook with 2, and Dennis Olson, Keith Frantsen, Don Daniels and Jerry Richert, Sr. with 1. That's twelve different Minnesota drivers who have appeared in the Knoxville Nationals A Main over the years. From 1961-1969, the results I have been able to locate only show the drivers who finished the race, so there may have been a Minnesotan or two who DNFed during those years not included in the above rundown.
Minnesota Drivers Career Knoxville Wins: Counting all sprint car racing events during the course of a season, John Stevenson is the winningst Minnesota driver at Knoxville so far. Johnny "Lightning" Stevenson accumulated 14 feature wins from 8-11-78 to 6-26-82. Other Minnesota drivers claiming feature wins at Knoxville include Roger Rager, Bob Hop, John Sernett, Craig Dollansky, Jerry Richert Jr, Todd Wessels, Keith Frantsen, Tony Norem, Ryan York and Dustin Lindquist. Listed below is a summary of the total wins followed by the dates on which they occurred. Roger Rager had five wins prior to 1976, but I do not have the dates of those wins although he did win on opening night in 1972. Roger Rager and Dustin Lindquist are the only two Minnesota drivers to win features in both 410 and 360 competition at Knoxville.
John Stevenson = 14 Craig Dollansky = 11 Jerry Richert, Jr. = 10 Roger Rager = 10 Tony Norem = 4 John Sernett = 3 Dustin Lindquist = 3 Bob Hop = 1 Keith Frantsen = 1 Todd Wessels = 1 Jerry Richert, Sr. = 1 Ryan York = 1
410/Unlimited/Open Sprint Car Division: 8-10-62 - Jerry Richert, Sr. (Knoxville Nationals Championship Feature) Prior to 1976 - Roger Rager (5 wins) 8-11-78 - John Stevenson (Knoxville Nationals NQ Feature) 6-16-79 - John Stevenson 7-07-79 - John Stevenson 7-28-79 - John Stevenson 9-02-79 - John Stevenson 7-04-80 - John Stevenson 7-26-80 - John Stevenson 6-05-81 - John Stevenson 6-27-81 - John Stevenson 7-11-81 - John Stevenson 7-11-81 - Roger Rager 7-18-81 - Bob Hop 8-09-81 - John Stevenson (2 feature wins on this night) 6-19-82 - John Stevenson 6-26-82 - John Stevenson 6-11-83 - Keith Frantsen 8-16-86 - John Sernett (Knoxville Nationals NQ Feature) 4-23-88 - Jerry Richert, Jr. 5-11-88 - Jerry Richert, Jr. 4-22-89 - Jerry Richert, Jr. 5-27-89 - Jerry Richert, Jr. 8-18-89 - Jerry Richert, Jr. (Knoxville Nationals NQ Feature) 9-02-89 - Jerry Richert, Jr. 7-27-91 - Jerry Richert, Jr. 7-04-92 - John Sernett 8-08-92 - Jerry Richert, Jr. 7-09-94 - Todd Wessels 4-22-95 - Jerry Richert, Jr. 5-13-95 - Craig Dollansky 6-24-95 - Craig Dollansky (WoO) 7-22-95 - Jerry Richert, Jr. 6-28-97 - John Sernett 7-12-97 - Craig Dollansky 8-01-98 - Craig Dollansky 8-14-98 - Craig Dollansky (Knoxville Nationals NQ Feature) 8-07-99 - Craig Dollansky 8-13-99 - Craig Dollansky (Knoxville Nationals Prelim Feature) 8-28-99 - Craig Dollansky 8-10-00 - Craig Dollansky (Knoxville Nationals Prelim Feature) 4-27-01 - Craig Dollansky (WoO) 6-24-04 - Craig Dollansky (WoO) 5-05-07 - Dustin Lindquist
360 Sprint Car Division: 6-05-99 - Roger Rager (Masters Classic) 5-27-00 - Tony Norem 6-15-00 - Roger Rager (360 Nationals Prelim Feature) 6-30-00 - Tony Norem 4-21-01 - Tony Norem 6-01-01 - Roger Rager (Masters Classic) 7-28-01 - Tony Norem 7-19-03 - Ryan York 6-03-05 - Roger Rager (Masters Classic) 5-20-06 - Dustin Lindquist 6-17-06 - Dustin Lindquist
Cheaters Day Race Section:
The annual Cheaters Day race at the Sioux Empire Fairgrounds in Sioux Falls, SD has been another long-running local area sprint car event. The race was usually held at the Sioux Empire Fairgrounds, but on a few occasions, it had to be held at Husets Speedway. Since the closing of the fairgrounds to racing action, the tradition now continues at the Husets Speedway. Many Minnesota drivers have participated in this race over the years with Don Daniels, Jerry Richert Sr., Don Mack, John Stevenson, and Todd Mack notching wins for our home state. A winners summary is listed below.
Sioux Empire Fairgrounds/Husets Speedway Cheaters Day Feature Winners (1964-2007): 1964 - Earl Wagner 1965 - Don "Itch" Daniels 1966 - Lloyd Beckman 1967 - Bob Williams 1968 - Bob Williams 1969 - Joe Saldana
1970 - Dave Skari 1971 - Darryl Dawley 1972 - Ray Lee Goodwin 1973 - Earl Wagner 1974 - Eddie Leavitt 1975 - Dick Morris 1976 - Jerry Richert 1977 - Gene Gennetten 1978 - Don Mack 1979 - Bobby Layne
1980 - John Stevenson 1981 - Randy Smith 1982 - Tim Green 1983 - T. J. Giddings 1984 - Todd Mack 1985 - Ken Chapman 1986 - Marlon Jones 1987 - Randy Smith 1988 - Danny Lasoski 1989 - Jack Hewitt
1990 - Danny Lasoski 1991 - Jac Haudenschild 1992 - Danny Lasoski 1993 - Doug Wolfgang 1994 - Chad Radel 1995 - Johnny Herrera 1996 - Marlon Jones 1997 - Donny Schatz 1998 - Donny Schatz 1999 - Danny Lasoski
2000 - Terry McCarl 2001 - Not Run (what a shame) 2002 - Gregg Bakker 2003 - Justin Henderson 2004 - Jake Peters 2005 - Justin Henderson 2006 - Wade Nygaard 2007 - Wade Nygaard (prelim, final canc.)
WISSOTA Championship 360 Sprint Car Section:
In 1992, the WISSOTA Promoters Association decided to sanction the 360 Championship Sprint Car Division. National sanctioning ran through the 2005 season when WISSOTA announced they would no longer sanction the sprints. National champions along with the Western 100 winners are listed.
WISSOTA Sprint Car Champions (1992-2005): 1992 - Chuck Swenson 1993 - Mike Sitzmann 1994 - Chuck Swenson 1995 - Lou Kennedy, Jr. 1996 - Donny Schatz 1997 - Travis Whitney 1998 - Mark Toews 1999 - Roger Rager 2000 - Tony Norem 2001 - Jimmy Kouba 2002 - Loren Langerud 2003 - Loren Langerud 2004 - Dustin Lindquist 2005 - Chuck Swenson
WISSOTA Western 100 Sprint Car Winners (1994-2005): 1994 - Randi Miller (Black Hills Speedway) 1995 - Randi Miller (Black Hills Speedway) 1996 - Randi Miller (Brown County Speedway) 1997 - Curt Lund (Brown County Speedway) 1998 - Randi Miller (Black Hills Speedway) 1999 - Rik Sandberg (Brown County Speedway) 2000 - Wade Nygaard (Brown County Speedway) 2001 - Rained Out (Brown County Speedway) 2002 - Brad Pake (Brown County Speedway) 2003 - Brad Pake (Brown County Speedway) 2004 - Loren Langerud (Brown County Speedway) 2005 - Curt Lund (Brown County Speedway)
Gopher 50 Late Model Section:
Speaking of the late models, it's time to take a look back at what most people would describe as Minnesota's most heralded late model event, the Gopher State 50 Late Model Stock Car Race. The event actually started at the Chateau Speedway in Lansing back in 1980 and 1981. In 1982, it was moved to the Steele County Fairgrounds race track in Owatonna to accommodate the fan and car turnouts. In 2005, the Deer Creek Speedway became the new host for this long-running annual race and added sanctioning with the WoO Late Models. This event is firmly entrenched as part of the history of our great sport here in Minnesota. A summary of the past winners is listed below.
Gopher State 50 Late Model Stock Car Race Winners (1980-2007): 1980 - Leon Plank 1981 - Steve Kosiski 1982 - Steve Kosiski 1983 - Joe Kosiski 1984 - Willy Kraft 1985 - Leon Plank 1986 - Tom Steuding 1987 - Willy Kraft 1988 - Steve Kosiski 1989 - Billy Moyer
1990 - Scott Bloomquist |
