1975 – Champ Fails to Show

Davenport, Iowa (September 5, 1975) – Davenport point champion Ed Sanger failed to show up for the season championship race Friday night at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds, but the title still went to Waterloo.

Fellow Waterloo driver, Bill Zwanziger, who gained the pole position for the feature when Sanger chose to race elsewhere, claimed the checkered flag for the season championship crown in the late model division.

The runner-up in the point standings also came away with the title in the sportsman division as John Simenec of Rock Island, who finished second to Gary Kerres of Edgington, Ill., in the point standings, claimed the checkered flag before a crowd of 3,500. Simenec also won the mid-season title.

In the late model feature, Zwanziger and Roger Dolan who started from the outside position in the second row, battled for the lead throughout the 30-lap finale while Lem Blankenship of Keokuk stayed in close pursuit.

Going into the final lap, Zwanziger went high to the outside and Dolan gambled on getting to the inside. The Lisbon, Iowa, driver got into trouble and wasn’t able to overtake Zwanziger.

Duane Steffe of Colona, Ill., turned in his best effort of the season by placing third. Ron Weedon of Pleasant Valley was knocked out of competition early in the feature with mechanical issues.


Results –


Late Model - 

Heat #1 – Roger Dolan, Lisbon
Heat #2 – Duane Steffe, Colona, Ill.
Semi-main – Bob Helms, Andalusia, Ill.
Feature –
1. Bill Zwanziger, Waterloo
2. Roger Dolan
3. Duane Steffe
4. Darrell Dake, Cedar Rapids
5. John Connolly, Delhi

Sportsman - 

Heat #1 – Red Bell, Davenport
Heat #2 – Gary Kerres, Edgington, Ill.
Feature –
1. John Simenec, Rock Island, Ill.
2. Phil Larson, Iowa City
3. Dave Wheeler, Davenport
4. Gene Hirst, Walcott
5. Ted Klaes, Davenport