Midwest Racing Archives: 1964 - Nelson Stacy at Home, $5,000 Richer in ARCA

Saturday, February 9, 2019

1964 - Nelson Stacy at Home, $5,000 Richer in ARCA

Nelson Stacy

Daytona Beach, Fla. (February 9, 1964) - Nelson Stacy of Daytona Beach is right at home in the Auto Racing Club of America (ARCA) - and $5,000 richer as a result of winning its 250-mile championship Sunday.

It is less expensive to compete in ARCA than NASCAR, where Stacy has been since 1960, because the cars must be closer to stock models in engine specifications.

They may not go as fast as NASCAR’s best-proved Saturday when Richard Petty of Randleman, N.C., set a 50-mile NASCAR mark of 171.919 miles an hour in a 1964 Plymouth. But Stacy’s 154.103 miles per hour in the ARCA 250-miler was just short of the track record and came despite seven laps under the caution flag.

The yellow flag was out for a pair of spectacular spins that provided some heart stopping moments but ended without injury to Ramo Stott of Keokuk, Iowa; Jack Bowsher of Springfield, Ohio; Jim Cushman of Columbus, Ohio, and Mike Klapak of Warren, Ohio, who were in the middle of them.

Stacy, a 42-year-old grandfather who drove tanks in World War II and taxicabs just afterward, broke into racing with ARCA, then known as Midwest Auto Racing Club and won its championship three times.

“I ran pretty well the way it was planned,” Stacy said.

His strategy was to keep his 1964 Ford off the pace, within catching distance of the 1964 Plymouths of Stott and Earl Balmer of Floyds Knobs, Ind., who set the early place.

Stott’s engine blew and spun him out on the 27th lap of the 2.5-mile track. Balmer went out with an oil leak on the 67th.

Stacy finished one lap ahead of Ernie Derr of Keokuk, Iowa. Derr earned $3,000 by inches over Iggy Katona of Willis, Mich., who got $2,000 for third. Dick Mitchell of Trenton, Mich., collected $1,100 for fourth and Cushman $800 for fifth.

Derr had a 1963 Dodge Katona a 1964 Ford, Mitchell a 1963 Ford and Cushman a 1964 Plymouth.

Results –