1982 – Kosiski sails to Missouri Championship

Joe Kosiski

Odessa, Mo. (June 26, 1982) – Joe Kosiski of Omaha, Neb., nailed his first victory at I-70 National Speedway Saturday night in the Missouri Stock Car Championships.

Kosiski led all 40 laps with the hardest challenge coming from Billy Moyer Jr. of Des Moines, Iowa, with just five laps remaining. Kosiski shut the door fast as the two were moving through lapped traffic coming off turn four.

Moyer, with no place to go, set it sideways as Dave Bjorge of Austin, Minn., slipped past Moyer into second for the finish. Larry Phillips of Springfield, Mo., held fourth followed by Willy Kraft of Lakefield, Minn.

Joe’s younger brother Steve Kosiski, also from Omaha, got the night rolling with a sizzling new track record of 18.97 seconds, erasing the 19.10 second mark set by Larry Moore of Phenix City, Ala., just this past April. This marks the second time since I-70 National Speedway converted to dirt that Steve Kosiski set a new track record.

Kansas Citian Cecil Taylor, crew chief for the legendary Texas driver A.J. Foyt, said Steve Kosiski uses the race track the way it should be used and is one of the country’s smoothest and fastest drivers.

Mel Sorenson of Elkhorn, Neb., made it a Cornhusker State sweep of the feature events, winning the 20-lap sportsman main.


Results –


Time trials – Steve Kosiski, Omaha (18.97)
Heat #1 – Larry Phillips, Springfield, Mo.
Heat #2 – Billy Moyer Jr., Des Moines
Heat#3 – Les Duellman, Fountain City, Wis.
B-main – Dwain Hanson, Lakefield, Minn.
Feature –
1. Joe Kosiski, Omaha
2. Dave Bjorge, Austin, Minn.
3. Billy Moyer Jr.
4. Larry Phillips
5. Willy Kraft, Lakefield, Minn.
6. Les Duellman
7. Dave Chase, Council Bluffs, Iowa
8. Eddie Adkins, Kansas City
9. Wayne Larson, Ames, Iowa
10.Al Urhammer, Radcliffe, Iowa