Wednesday, August 30, 2023

1953 – White Drives to First in Sioux 100-Miler

 


Sioux Falls, S.D. (August 30, 1953) – Don White, the undersized stock car driver with oversized will-to-win, pushed his gleaming-red ’53 Oldsmobile to top money in the 100-mile IMCA late model stock car race on Sunday afternoon before a throng of 7,768 which overflowed into the infield at the Sioux Empire Fair.

The diminutive Keokuk, Iowa, driver thus earned his second straight big race win, having streaked to victory at the Iowa State Fair on Saturday.

White’s time for the 100-miles was 2 hours, 4 minutes, and 8.31 seconds. He grabbed the checkered flag with a three-lap lead over Ralph Dyer of Shreveport, La., who finished second on a flat tire. Dyer blew a left rear tire with six laps to go and barely got in ahead of Bill Bailey of Encino, Calif., steaming from behind in his 1952 Hudson. Dyer drove a 1953 Nash.

Several tires were blown, and one sent Chuck Magnison of Minneapolis crashing through the fence at the top of the first turn and rolled down the embankment. Although his new Hudson Hornet was washed out, Magnison, the Minnesota stock car champion, was uninjured.

Some of the best driving of the day was turned in by Herschel Buchanan. The Shreveport, La., driver burned out a wheel bearing in the early going and sat out 26 laps in the pits. He fairly scorched the half-mile oval to fight his way back to sixth place at the windup.

Cars forced out of the running included a ’53 Nash driven by race promoter Frank Winkley, making his first stock car appearance of the year. Winkley’s car burned out a wheel bearing on the 120th lap.

Verdeen Rath of Pipestone, Minn., who ran in fourth place much of the afternoon, was forced out on lap 115 with a blown head gasket.


Results –


1. Don White, Keokuk, Iowa
2. Ralph Dyer, Shreveport, La.
3. Bill Bailey, Encino, Calif.
4. Tubby Harrison, Topeka, Kan.
5. Dick Evans, Tulsa, Okla.
6. Herschel Buchanan, Shreveport, La.
7. Marshall Gardner, Sioux Falls, S.D.
8. Hank Hannestead, Hollywood, Calif.
9. Joe Volch, Sioux Falls
10.Frank Winkley, Minneapolis

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