This Week in History

1989 - Kevin Pittman of Waterloo, Iowa won the 40-lap IMCA modified championship at the 7th Annual IMCA Super Nationals in Boone, Iowa, on Sunday night, September 10. Pittman passed race leader Tom Bartholomew (with a flat tire) of Huxley, Iowa coming out of turn four on the final lap to take the checkers and the $2,000 payday. Denny Schwartz of Ashmore, Ill., was on Pittman's heels at the finish and finished second while Kelly Shryock of Story City, Dave Erpelding of Algona and Doug Hillson of Blooming Prairie, Minn., following. Jeff Havlik of Madrid took IMCA stock car honors, Bobby Thompson of Des Moines drove his IMCA Sprint car to victory and Greg Kastli of Waterloo won the IMCA late model championship.

1978 - An exhaust leak made things uncomfortable for Bobby Unser at the Wisconsin State Fair Park on Sunday afternoon, but he made things even more miserable for his opponents as Unser cruised to a convincing victory in the Governor's Cup 250-mile USAC Stock car race on September 10. Driving a 1978 Camaro, Unser, out of Albuquerque, N.M., led 190 of the 250 laps and finished well ahead of Dave Watson of Milton, Wis., to pick up the $7,885 winner's share of the $41, 440 purse. An exhaust leak on Unser's car poured fumes into the cockpit giving him a severe headache for the most of the race.

Earl Wagner is congratulated by IMCA officials after winning the 25-lap sprint car feature in Topeka, Kan., on September 9, 1972.

1972 - Earl Wagner, the fast driving plumber from Pleasantville, Iowa, slipped inside of Thad Dosher of Topeka, Kan., on lap 20 and went on to win the 25-lap IMCA sprint car feature at the Mid-America Fair Saturday, September 9th before 2,500 fans. It was Wagners second straight IMCA-sanctioned victory, having scored the win at the Nebraska State Fair in Lincoln on Wednesday. Until he slipped a bit high coming out of turn four on the 20th circuit, the day had belonged to Dosher, much to the delight of the hometown fans. He had set a new track record in qualifying with a time of 23.44 breaking the old record set by Bobby Grim in 1955.

1967 - Having already won the point's championship the week before, Butch Householder of Algona, Iowa, powered his way to three wins on Saturday evening during the final night of stock car racing in Denison, Iowa, on September 9th. On a night where the cars were allowed to run with unlimited carburetors and tires, Householder grabbed wins in his heat, the handicap race as well as the "A" feature. In the main event, Householder was trailing Junior Brunick of Vermillion, S.D., by a good distance until Brunick tangled with Don Wood of Ida Grove, allowing Householder to easily pass by, take the lead and the victory.