Dick
Hutcherson (1) and Ramo Stott battle early on during the 200-lap IMCA late
model feature at the Iowa State Fair.
Des Moines, Iowa (August 22, 1964) – Dick Hutcherson was the big money winner Saturday in the twin racing program at the Iowa State Fair.
Hutcherson, the 32-year-old International Motor Contest Association defending stock car champion, smashed three of his own track marks to win the 200-lap late model grind before an official crowd of 12,500 Saturday afternoon.
“Handsome” Dick, who made only two pit stops, led all the way, finishing seven laps ahead of his hometown rival Ernie Derr in a record time of 1 hour, 35 minutes and 54 seconds. Hutcherson also broke two other records.
Lenny Funk, the Otis, Kan., wheat farmer, finished third, trailing the winner by nine laps. Bob Jusola of Mound, Minn., was fourth and Jim Washburn of Keokuk was fifth.
Washburn had second place nailed down for 120 laps of the race until he broke an axle and limped the rest of the way, allowing Derr, Funk and Jusola to slip by him.
Derr, a five-time national champion, went into a slide coming off of turn four on lap 2 and was hit by fellow townsman Ramo Stott. Derr was forced to return to the sidelines to unbend a damaged fender, losing four laps in the process.
“If Ramo hadn’t straightened me out, I would have been in trouble,” Derr explained afterwards.
Stott pushed Hutcherson until lap 76 when he was forced to the pits with a broken rear axle. Stott managed to get back in action on lap 83, finishing seventh, 26 laps back.
The rutted track condition sent more than a dozen other cars in the starting field of 21 to the pits for frequent repairs.
Hutcherson, who made a 15-second stop for fuel at the halfway mark in his record-breaking drive, revealed he made his second stop “only as insurance”.
“I probably could have gone the whole distance without any stops,” grinned the Keokuk contractor, who won the Iowa International 300 here last month.
Hutcherson. who drives a “high-winder” Ford, set the following marks, along with a new half mile record of 26.73 seconds during qualifying: 25 miles - 22 minutes and 57.30 seconds to beat a 1955 time of 26:22.84 by Herschel Buchanan; 50 miles - 46:45.92 to beat his 1963 mark of 47:33.17; 75 miles - 1 hour, 11 minutes, 52.75 seconds to beat his 1962 record of 1.15:08.90; 100 miles - 1.35.54.48 to beat a former 1:37.27:43 record set by Derr in 1962.
Results –
1. Dick Hutcherson, Keokuk
2. Ernie Derr, Keokuk
3. Lenny Funk, Otis, Kan.
4. Bob Jusola, Mound, Minn.
5. Jim Washburn, Keokuk
6. Bill Thomas, Lake Elmo, Minn.
7. Ramo Stott, Keokuk
8. Dick Johnson, St. Paul, Minn.
9. Dave Steffens, Minneapolis
10.Leon Bowman, Wichita, Kan.
11.Bob Todd, Kansas City
12.Don Harmon, Des Moines
13.Ole Brua, Albert Lea, Minn.
14.Roland Wilson, Bedford
15.Buzz McCann, Minneapolis
“Handsome” Dick, who made only two pit stops, led all the way, finishing seven laps ahead of his hometown rival Ernie Derr in a record time of 1 hour, 35 minutes and 54 seconds. Hutcherson also broke two other records.
Lenny Funk, the Otis, Kan., wheat farmer, finished third, trailing the winner by nine laps. Bob Jusola of Mound, Minn., was fourth and Jim Washburn of Keokuk was fifth.
Washburn had second place nailed down for 120 laps of the race until he broke an axle and limped the rest of the way, allowing Derr, Funk and Jusola to slip by him.
Derr, a five-time national champion, went into a slide coming off of turn four on lap 2 and was hit by fellow townsman Ramo Stott. Derr was forced to return to the sidelines to unbend a damaged fender, losing four laps in the process.
“If Ramo hadn’t straightened me out, I would have been in trouble,” Derr explained afterwards.
Stott pushed Hutcherson until lap 76 when he was forced to the pits with a broken rear axle. Stott managed to get back in action on lap 83, finishing seventh, 26 laps back.
The rutted track condition sent more than a dozen other cars in the starting field of 21 to the pits for frequent repairs.
Hutcherson, who made a 15-second stop for fuel at the halfway mark in his record-breaking drive, revealed he made his second stop “only as insurance”.
“I probably could have gone the whole distance without any stops,” grinned the Keokuk contractor, who won the Iowa International 300 here last month.
Hutcherson. who drives a “high-winder” Ford, set the following marks, along with a new half mile record of 26.73 seconds during qualifying: 25 miles - 22 minutes and 57.30 seconds to beat a 1955 time of 26:22.84 by Herschel Buchanan; 50 miles - 46:45.92 to beat his 1963 mark of 47:33.17; 75 miles - 1 hour, 11 minutes, 52.75 seconds to beat his 1962 record of 1.15:08.90; 100 miles - 1.35.54.48 to beat a former 1:37.27:43 record set by Derr in 1962.
Results –
1. Dick Hutcherson, Keokuk
2. Ernie Derr, Keokuk
3. Lenny Funk, Otis, Kan.
4. Bob Jusola, Mound, Minn.
5. Jim Washburn, Keokuk
6. Bill Thomas, Lake Elmo, Minn.
7. Ramo Stott, Keokuk
8. Dick Johnson, St. Paul, Minn.
9. Dave Steffens, Minneapolis
10.Leon Bowman, Wichita, Kan.
11.Bob Todd, Kansas City
12.Don Harmon, Des Moines
13.Ole Brua, Albert Lea, Minn.
14.Roland Wilson, Bedford
15.Buzz McCann, Minneapolis
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