1970 - Clutch Cools, Mosier Heats Up to Take Fair's Feature

Mark Mosier

Des Moines, Iowa (August 27, 1970) - Mark Mosier of Washington coaxed his 1964 Chevelle to victory in the 25-lap Iowa State Super Stock Championship car race at the Iowa State Fair on Thursday despite a faulty clutch.

Mosier was leading the pack through the first 10 laps but dropped back to third behind Gene Schattschneider of Algona, Iowa, and Arlo Becker of Atkins, Iowa, for the next 11 circuits.

A delay for a re-start midway through the race helped cool the clutch and the 37- year-old Mosier was able to move ahead on the 22nd lap as Schattschneider dropped back when his car threw rubber off a tire.

“That clutch was really groaning for a couple of laps before that re-start,” Mosier said. “I’d taken it easy for a couple of laps when the clutch started going . . . might not have made it if it hadn’t been re-started.”

A crowd of 5,900 saw Phil Reece of Des Moines take the consolation in a time that might be a record for slowness for 10 laps — 24 minutes and 44.15 seconds — nearly 9 minutes more than it took to run the 25-lap main (15:47.62).

There were plenty of thrills — a backstretch collision that put Bill Rice of Des Moines out of action but left him uninjured, some spectacular spinouts by Everett Hutchinson and Harvey Patterson of Northwood, Iowa —plus time out to burn gasoline off the track.

The consolation field probably covered more laps than the feature performers.

Hutchinson almost won the fourth heat race. The Sac City, Iowa, driver was leading by a seemingly safe margin when his car spun between the third and fourth turns — that became a habit of that as the afternoon wore on — and placed eighth as Don Hoffman of Des Moines won.


Results –


Heat #1 – Mark Mosier, Washington, Iowa
Heat #2 – Jim Havill, LeClaire, Iowa
Heat #3 – Joel Rasmussen, Ames, Iowa
Heat #4 – Don Hoffman, Des Moines
Consolation – Phil Reece, Des Moines
Feature -
1. Mark Mosier
2. Arlo Becker, Atkins, Iowa
3. John Moss, Iowa City
4. Butch Householder, Algona, Iowa
5. Ron Hemsted, Lone Tree, Iowa
6. Earl Tice, Ames, Iowa
7. Ron Prymek, Iowa City
8. Gene Schattschneider, Algona, Iowa
9. Jim Havill
10.Denny Hovinga, Laurens, Iowa
11.Bill Newman, Burlington, Iowa
12.Jerry Roberts, Prairie City, Iowa
13.Mel Morris, West Liberty, Iowa
14.Wayne Meyer, Algona, Iowa
15.Ken Davidson, Des Moines
16.Greg Davis, Boone, Iowa
17.Roger Carmody, Osage, Iowa
18.Gary Lindgren, Ogden, Iowa