Farley, Iowa
(September 21, 1974) – Verlin Eaker of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, had a weekend to
remember at Farley Speedway. Events leading up to and including the Olympia 100
brought Verlin $3,200 within a 25-hour period.
Activities
on the fast-half-mile track began Friday night with timing of 68 late model
entries. Bill Zwanziger of Waterloo, Iowa, turned the track in 23.82 seconds,
giving him the pole position for the 100-lap feature on Saturday.
Curt Hansen
of Dike, Iowa, timed in at 23.88 seconds putting him on the front row with
Zwanziger. Little did anyone suspect, at the time, that neither driver would
finish the main event.
Sam Reakes
of Rockford, Ill., would win the trophy dash as he edged out Karl Sanger of
Waterloo, Iowa. Bob Hesse of Waterloo, Iowa, Tom Hughes of Monticello, Iowa,
Joe Schaefer of Waterloo, Iowa and George Barton of Ankeny would secure heat
wins on Friday night.
Wind and
chilly temperatures didn’t keep the true race fans from coming to cheer on
their favorite race car drivers on Saturday night.
Veteran
driver Tom Hughes of Monticello, Iowa, and Gary Crawford of Independence, Iowa,
would claim consolation victories to start Saturday’s program.
When the
green dropped on the Olympia 100, it was Curt Hansen taking the lead with Bill
Zwanziger falling back into second. Ed Sanger of Waterloo, Iowa, Eaker, and
Darrell Dake of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, were bumper to bumper with the two lead
cars during the early laps.
It was here
that Eaker would make his move. On lap 16, Zwanziger’s engine would go up in a
puff of smoke allowing Eaker to move into second behind the fast running
Hansen.
At the
quarter mark of the race, the track surface was becoming slick and hard, making
passing almost impossible.
On lap 30, a
lapped car would force Hansen out of the groove and to the top of the track,
allowing Eaker to slide by for the lead. Being the quality driver he is, Verlin
would take it from there, never looking back as he led the remaining 70
circuits to claim the $2,500 top prize.
Ed Sanger
would take runner-up honors after running a smooth and steady race. Darrell
Dake would claim third place, Ken Walton of Cedar Rapids in fourth and Karl
Sanger of Waterloo would round out the top five.
Results –
1. Verlin Eaker, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
2. Ed Sanger, Waterloo, Iowa
3. Darrell Dake, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
4. Ken Walton, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
5. Karl Sanger, Waterloo, Iowa
6. Don Hoffman, Des Moines, Iowa
7. Roger Bruggeman, Dubuque, Iowa
8. Bill Beckman, Lisbon, Iowa
9. Sam Reakes, Rockford, Ill.
10. Em Fretheim, Decorah, Iowa
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