By Kyle Ealy
West
Liberty, Iowa – One of the most highly anticipated racing events at the beginning of each season was the
Spring Championships, held at the Muscatine County Fairgrounds during mid to
late April.
The idea of the Spring Championships was started by long-time promoter Dale Gegner of Brighton, Iowa, and it would prove to be popular with drivers and fans alike.
The idea of the Spring Championships was started by long-time promoter Dale Gegner of Brighton, Iowa, and it would prove to be popular with drivers and fans alike.
An all-time
record crowd of 9,000 would see stock car racing at its best on April 16, 1977.
The day had ideal weather, an excellent racing surface and 81 cars in the pits.
Late Models and Sportsman were vying for a $5,000 purse.
Drivers from
Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Wisconsin, and Ontario, Canada were on hand for the
season opener. But it was an Illinois driver, Duane Steffe from East Moline,
who showed everyone the fast way around the track, winning the 25-lap feature.
Steffe
started on the outside of the front row and took the lead immediately. Doing
superb driving in only his second time out in a new Camaro, Steffe would fend
off challenges by Steve Keppler of Marion, Iowa, and polesitter Gary Webb of
Davenport, Iowa, early on in the contest. Ray Guss of Milan, Ill., and Tom
Hearst of Wilton, Iowa, would soon join the battle and both would eventually
get past Webb and battle Keppler for second. While those three hot shoes
battled back and forth, Steffe checked out and sailed to victory. Keppler,
Guss, Hearst and Ron Weedon of Pleasant Valley, Iowa, rounded out the top
five.
Jim
Burbridge of Delhi, Iowa, Bill Zwanziger of Waterloo, Iowa, Ron Hemsted of Lone
Tree, Iowa, Gary Crawford of Independence, Iowa, and Don Hoffman of Des Moines
were heat winners and Hemsted also won the 15-lap consolation.
The evening
got off to a fast start with three drivers breaking the track record in time
trials. Dike, Iowa’s Curt Hansen’s 1975 mark of 24.21 seconds would be broken
first by Tom Hearst at 24.11 seconds. Ray Guss would lower it a little more,
touring the half-mile in 23.98 seconds. Last but not least - Ken Walton of
Viola, Iowa, would become the new track record holder with a time of 23.69
seconds.
Kenny Fenn
of Washington, Iowa, and Ron Pallister of Wapello, Iowa, won their heats and
then battled it out in the Sportsman main event. Pallister had the pole and led
the first half of the race but it was the veteran Fenn getting by Pallister for
the lead and the eventual win.
With the
huge success of the event, promoter Dale Gegner knew a good thing when he saw
it and was already making plans for next year’s season opener.
The second
edition of the Spring Championship took place on April 15, 1978, before 6,000
race fans. Seven states represented the 54 Late Models and 26 Sportsman, with
drivers competing for a whopping $10,000 purse.
The Late
Model feature was made up of the 20 fastest qualifiers, with top six cars
inverted. That place Ed Sanger of Waterloo, Iowa and John Simenec of Rock
Island, Ill., on the front row for the 30-lapper.
Simenec
grabbed the lead at the drop of the green and held off all challengers for the
first 17 circuits. On the 18th lap, however, Simenec’s “Tri-City Buggy” Camaro
developed engine problems, forcing the disappointed driver to the pit area.
Mike Niffenegger of Kalona, Iowa, who had been running behind Simenec for the
last 10 laps, suddenly found himself in the lead.
Although he
was given some tough competition from Bill Martin of Council Bluffs, Iowa, and
then Gary Crawford of Independence, Iowa, “The Flying Dutchman” wouldn’t relinquish the top spot and
held on to collect the $1,000 first prize. Crawford would hang on for second
with Martin taking third. Tom Hearst and Roger Dolan of Lisbon, Iowa, would
finish fourth and fifth.
Bob Kosiski
of Omaha would set fast time while Duane Steffe, Jim Burbridge, Martin, Curt
Hogue of Ames, Iowa and Bill Breuer of Wapello, Iowa, were heat winners. Rom
Hemsted won the semi-main.
In December
of 1977, Steve Becker of Atkins, Iowa, had lost his life in an auto accident.
Becker had been the ’77 Sportsman champion at West Liberty, so to honor Becker,
the Sportsman race was suitably named the “The Steve Becker Memorial Race”.
Mark Keltner
of Morning Sun, Iowa, would win the first annual race, leading start to finish
in the 20-lap main event. Gail Brenner of Wilton took second followed by Randy
Adams of Muscatine, Iowa.
The air was
chilly but the racing action hot on April 14, 1979, as the third annual Spring
Championship launched the season’s competition. Despite the cold weather,
another hearty crowd of over 6,000 filled the stands in anticipation of the
first racing of the season.
Curt Hansen
would capture the 35-lap Late Model headliner and take home $1,000 for his
efforts. The Dike, Iowa, hot shoe would also set fast time and win his heat.
Hansen brought two cars to the party, using his Camaro to qualify and race in
the feature, and driving his Olds Cutlass to victory in his heat race.
With the six
fastest qualifers inverted, Hansen had a third row starting spot for the start
of the feature, but by lap 5 he had wormed his way to second spot behind early leader Pete Parker of Kaukauna, Wis. When Parker's engine soured with only 10 laps scored, Hansen grabbed the top spot. From there on, it was easy
sailing for Hansen as he ran unchallenged for the remaining 25 circuits.
The Late
Model main was not without its casualties as a melee in front of the judge’s
stand at the drop of the green caused serious damage to Darrell Dake of Cedar
Rapids, Gary Webb of Davenport, Iowa, Mel Morris of West Liberty and Don Hoffman
of Des Moines. Who were out of action for the rest of the night.
Mike
Niffenegger, last year’s champion, got mixed up with Hansen on lap 4, drifted
high into the turn four wall, damaging his car to the point he was forced to
retire early.
Roger Dolan,
the 1978 point champion at the half-mile, tangled with Joe Merryfield of Des
Moines a few laps later, went into a flip, and ended his evening early as well.
Ed Sanger,
John Connolly of Delhi, Iowa, Dave Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa and Steve
Keppler would win the war of attrition to round out the top five.
Darrell
Sells of Waverly, Iowa, Gary Crawford, Hansen, and Sanger would score heat wins
while Jim Burbridge of Delhi, Iowa, won the semi-main.
In Sportsman
action, Tony Stewart of Washington, Iowa, won his heat and then cleaned house
in the feature, winning the 25-lapper easily. George Liebfried of
Rickardsville, Iowa, was second and Bryan Housely of Bettendorf, Iowa, was
third.
With ideal
weather, a fast track, a great crowd on hand and 70 stock car drivers
hungry for action, the fourth annual Spring Championship took place on April
19, 1980. Once again, a substantial purse of over $10,000 was being offered.
A new track
record would be established in time trials with Johnny Johnson turning a new
time of 23.245 seconds, breaking Ken Walton’s three-year-old mark set in the
inaugural race. The six fastest timers were Johnson, Mike Niffenegger, Ron
Jackson of Burlington, Iowa, defending winner Curt Hansen, Gary Webb and Mel Morris,
and these top six were inverted to start the feature.
This gave
hometowner Mel Morris, driving the car of John Moss, the pole position. Ironically,
the two fastest timers, Johnny Johnson and Mike Niffenegger, would have to
start the main event in the back row, as they were driving cars other than the
ones they qualified with. Both had problems with their own cars in heat action.
Johnson went with his back-up car while Niffenegger borrowed a car owned by
Butch Cassidy of West Branch, Iowa.
Morris would
immediately jump into the lead with Ron Jackson settling in behind him. Morris
would continue to set a torrid pace until he drifted high in turns one and two,
allowing Jackson to slip by and claim the top spot.
From there,
Jackson would never look back, leading the remaining 26 laps - taking the win
and the $1,000 paycheck to accompany it. Leon Plank of Eau Claire, Wis., would
be the hard charger of the evening, starting 15th and finishing second, but
still well behind Jackson as the checkers flew. Curt Hansen, Roger Dolan and
Gary Webb would round out the top five.
Late Model
heat winners were Johnny Johnson, Bill Beuer, Dolan, Hansen and Verlin Eaker of
Mechanicsville, Iowa. Bill Zwanziger of Waterloo, Iowa, would claim top honors
in the semi-main.
In Sportsman
action, Ron Weedon pf Pleasant Valley, Iowa, driving his faithful “Old Blue”,
took the lead from Ron Pallister of Wapello, Iowa, on the second lap, and
sailed to victory. Mark Keltner would also get by Pallister on the next to last
lap to finish second while Pallister settled for third.
More than 50
Late Models squeezed into the pit area at West Liberty Raceway on April 18,
1981, as the fifth annual Spring Championship kicked off the Iowa racing
season.
Racing
veteran Mike Niffenegger would become the first two-time winner of the popular
event, winning the 30-lap Late Model feature and carrying home the $1,000 top
prize.
Hungry for
racing after a long winter, a great crowd was on hand and watched many of the
top drivers from Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin battle it out.
Johnny
Johnson’s track record of 23.245 seconds was broken by all of the six fastest
qualifiers and was now owned by Tom Hearst of Wilton, Iowa, the defending track
champion. He turned the half-mile in 22.522 seconds.
The top six
qualifiers were inverted with Niffenegger inheriting the pole position. As the
race got underway, Niffenegger jumped into the lead and was never headed,
leading all 30 circuits. He was never comfortable, though, as Curt Hansen,
Hearst, Johnson and Gary Webb, who finished second, third, fourth and fifth
respectively, made it a battle royal to the end.
Ray Guss Sr.
of Milan, Ill., was in the third spot for most of the race, but mechanical
problems towards the end of the race dropped him back in the field and he
finished 12th.
Heat winners
were Hearst, Dave Sidwell of Solon, Iowa, Pete Parker, now driving out of
Walcott, Iowa, and Niffenegger. Keith Remley of Blue Grass, Iowa, won the
semi-main.
Gail Brenner
of Wilton, Iowa, won his heat and then took the win in the Sportsman 20-lapper.
The feature ended none too soon for Brenner, as he climbed out of his car and
was ready to accept his trophy, the radiator hose burst and steam engulfed his
car.
West Liberty
Raceway would experience change for the 1982 season. Larry Kemp and Johnny
Johnson had taken over the promotional reigns from Dale Gegner but fortunately
for drivers and fans, the Spring Championship remained.
Dick Schiltz
of Waterloo, Iowa, would capture the 50-lap NASCAR Grand American Late Model
feature in convincing fashion at the sixth annual Spring Championship on April
24, 1982. Schiltz started the race on the outside of the front row and
dominated the event. He finished well ahead of runner-up Jim Burbridge, who
started on the pole.
Roger Dolan
would prove to be the stiffest competition for the low-flying Schiltz, but
Dolan’s hope for glory ended midway through the contest when he slammed the
turn three retaining wall hard.
Dolan
started on the third row after posting fast time and the mishap occurred while
he and Schiltz were working lapped traffic. Dolan’s slammed into the wall and
rode it around perhaps 150 feet before coming to a stop.
That ended
the race for first but the battle for second waged among Burbridge, Rollie
Frink of Davenport and Steve Keppler, who finished in that order. Kenny Fenn of
Washington came in fifth.
Duane
Steffe, Frink, and Jim Thruman of Freeport, Ill., were heat winners.
For sheer
excitement, it would be tough to beat the two-car race between Scott Sells of
Waverly, Iowa, and Greg Hunter of Independence, Iowa, in the 15-lap Sportsman
feature. Hunter dominated, but Sells made a move on the inside of turn one on
the white flag lap and came out the winner.
Twenty-five
IMCA Modifieds began the evening and the feature race went to Arlo Becker of
Atkins, Iowa, in his familiar #88 AMC Gremlin. It didn’t come easy for the 1981
Cedar County Raceway champion as Mike Wilson of Rock Island, Ill., pushed
Becker the whole way until the final lap when his engine expired.
Fifty-Six
Late Models lined the pit area with each one of them looking for the $1,000
prize when the seventh annual Spring Championships took place on April 23,
1983. A crowd of 5,000 plus braved chilly temps and windy conditions to witness
Eastern Iowa’s first race of the season.
Rick
Wendling of Hazelton, Iowa, jumped from the pole position to take an early lead
in the 30-lap Late Model contest. Dave Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa, who started
on the outside of the third row, charged past four cars to settle into second
place by the time the first lap was scored official.
Wendling
would continue to set the pace until he and Birkhofer encountered slower
traffic by lap 11. Wendling would have issues getting around a slower car as
the pair exited turn four, allowing Birkhofer to slip inside as they entered
turn one to take the lead.
While
Birkhofer opened up a sizeable margin, a four-car battle for second place
ensued between Wendling, Rollie Frink, defending champion Dick Schiltz and
Roger Dolan.
A yellow
flag on lap 25 bunched up the field, setting the stage for a five-lap sprint to
the finish. With the track cleared, Dolan and Schiltz were able to keep
Birkhofer in their sights but neither could mount a challenge as they exchanged
positions between themselves.
Schiltz
finished second followed by Dolan with Rick Wages of Moline, Ill., and Frink
rounding out the top five.
Heat winners
were Frink, Wendling, Mark Keltner of Morning Sun, Iowa, Denny Osborn of Cedar
Falls, Iowa, and Birkhofer. Tom Hearst won the C-feature and Ed Sanger was the
B-feature winner.
Mike Schulte
of Norway, Iowa, won both his heat and the 20-lap feature in the IMCA Modified
division. John Brumley of Riverside, Iowa, finished second and Todd Jensen of
Waterloo, Iowa, took third.
Steve Watts
of Danville, Iowa, driving a brand-new Dodge Challenger was untouchable as he
won the Street Stock feature.
The 1984
Spring Championship would take several weeks to get underway. Originally
scheduled for April 14, rainy weather postponed the event until the following
Saturday, April 21. However, snow would come into play that Saturday and the
race would be re-scheduled for April 28.
The saying,
“The third time’s a charm” would prove true as April 28, 1984, would see the
eighth annual Spring championships come alive. A tally of 42 Late Models, 24
IMCA Modifieds and 25 Street Stocks signed in at the pit shack.
Ed Sanger
would start on the outside of row one in the 35-lap Late Model feature and
quickly jumped into the lead ahead of polesitter Hal Russell of Blue Grass,
Iowa. The veteran waited out a couple of early cautions before opening up a
lead while some of the faster qualifiers were working their way up from the
fifth and sixth rows.
While Sanger
checked out, the rest of the field raced for second place with fast qualifier
Johnny Johnson, Bob LeKander of Burlington, Iowa and last year’s winner Dave
Birkhofer doing the majority of the sparring. Each driver held down that spot
at least twice before Birkhofer won the battle. LeKander would nail down third
place while Johnson held on for the fourth spot. Ken Walton rounded out the top
five.
Walton,
Birkhofer, Ron Pallister of Wapello, Iowa and Curt Martin of Independence,
Iowa, won heat races and Frank Springsteen of Morning Sun, Iowa, was the B-main
winner.
Former IMCA
Modified national champion Dale Fischlein of Davenport, Iowa, took the lead in
the Modified main event but after five laps, his engine went up in a puff of
smoke and he limped to the pit area.
Mike Cothron
of Moline, Ill., inherited the lead after Fischlein’s exit and fended off Todd
Jensen and then Mike Frieden of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to score the victory.
Rod Smith of
Monmouth, Ill., set the pace early on in the Street Stock headliner but it was
not to be, as Ron Barker of Dubuque, Iowa, slipped past him five laps from the
finish to take the win.
The 1985
season would see yet another change in management at West Liberty as Al Frieden
would be calling the shots. Frieden announced that there would be changes at
the half-mile. Fortunately, the Spring Championship was not one of them.
More than 90
cars were in the pits and an estimated 3,000 lined the grandstands as the ninth
annual Spring Championships took place on Saturday, April 20, 1985.
Tom Hearst
would win the Late Model headliner, but he would need to take the lead twice to
accomplish the 40-lap victory.
Ken Walton
would lead the first five laps before Hearst took over on lap 6. However, on
lap 16, Hearst suffered a flat tire and was forced to the sidelines during the
caution period. A quick tire change in the pit area brought Hearst back on the
track but to the rear of the field.
Walton took
the green flag and settle comfortably into the lead while Hearst started his
charge through the field. By lap 20, the Wilton, Iowa, veteran was in 15th, by
lap 27 he was in 10th, and by lap 34 he was in the top five.
On lap 35,
Hearst would pass both Dave Birkhofer and Rollie Frink to take over third place
and a lap later, speed by Terry Gallaher of Quincy, Ill., for second. On lap
37, Hearst would power by Walton to regain the top spot. Walton would exit a
lap later with a broke spindle.
Hearst would
win by several car lengths over Terry Gallaher with Frink, Birkhofer and Scott
Sells rounding out the top five.
Bob Hill of
Story City, Iowa, Hearst, Frink and Scott Sells of Waverly, Iowa were heat
winners and Curt Martin took the semi-main.
Rick Wages
of Moline, Ill., led from start to finish in winning the IMCA Modified feature
over Dave Hammond of Camanche, Iowa and Hershel Roberts of East Moline, Ill.
Scott
Megonigle of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was dominant in the Street Stock division,
winning the heat and feature.
An unofficial car
count registered 26 Late Models, 56 IMCA Modifieds, 29 Street Stocks and 16
Bombers.
Davenport, Iowa,
native Dale Fischlein, driving out of Independence, Iowa, went from a heat race
disqualification and dead last starting position in the feature to victory lane
in the Late Model 50-lapper.
Fischlein
capture the third heat but was disqualified when his car failed to meet the
minimum weight by 20 pounds. Because of the disqualification, Fischlein was
required to start dead last in the 24-car field.
Steve
Johnson of Low Moor, Iowa, led the first three laps before being passed by Jay
Johnson of Wapello, Iowa, who led through lap 18. Roger Dolan would take
command on lap 19 before Johnson got it back on lap 22. Johnson would lead
until lap 25 before Dolan regained the top spot and led through to lap 29.
Fischlein had made his way through the field and was in fifth.
Rollie Frink
would get involved in the battle up front and pass Dolan on lap 30 and lead to
lap 33 when Dolan took charge for the third time. However, Dolan would suffer a
flat tire on a lap 34 caution period and restarted at the rear after a tire
change. Fischlein had made his way to third.
On the
restart, Frink would take charge with Bill Breuer and Fischlein hot on his
tail. Fischlein would pass Breuer on the backstretch and on lap 37, make his
move around Frink for the lead.
Two laps
later, however, Fischlein would lose his spot at the front momentarily as Frink
got past him on the backstretch only to see Fischlein regain the point as the
pair exited turn four.
Fischlein
would spend the remaining 10 circuits holding off Frink’s advances before
finally taking the Johnny Oberthien’s checkers to seal the win. Frink, Breuer,
Darrell Dake, and Curt Martin rounded out the top five.
The IMCA
Modified feature aw a tremendous see-saw battle between Gus Hughes of Monticello,
Iowa, and Steve Boley of LeClaire, Iowa. But the match race ended when Boley’s
car overheated and headed for the pits. Hughes eventually was overtaken by
Butch Cole of Kewaunee, Ill., who went on to win the non-stop 20-lapper.
Larry
Richardson of West Liberty survived a crash-filled 15-lap Street Stock feature
to post the win and Lyle Pearson of Martelle, Iowa, won the Bomber main.
The West
Liberty race would continue but the name on the marquee would no longer be the
“Spring Championship”. The next year, Promoter Al Frieden would have a
three-day event at the three tracks he promoted, Cedar Rapids, West Liberty and
Dubuque and call it the “The Weekend Spectacular”.
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