1958 – Beauchamp Fails to Snap Jinx in Playland Feature

Don White

Council Bluffs, Iowa (June 14, 1958) – For 64 laps Saturday night at Playland Park, it looked like Johnny Beauchamp would shake the jinx that’s plagued him this season.

That’s the number of laps the Harlan, Iowa, driver led the field in IMCA’s 100-lap late model stock car contest. But Beauchamp, the defending International Motor Contest Association champion, who hasn’t won any kind of feature at Playland this season, couldn’t shake his hex.

With a half-lap lead, Beauchamp looked like a shoo-in until he spun on the 67th lap. The slip dropped him back to fifth place and he could only regain one position as Don White of Keokuk, Iowa, sped to victory before 3,228 race fans.


Results –


1. Don White, Keokuk
2. Ernie Derr, Keokuk
3. Bud Burdick, Omaha, Neb.
4. Johnny Beauchamp, Harlan
5. Bud Aitkenhead, Omaha, Neb.
6. Darrell Dake, Cedar Rapids
7. Al Warrender, Harlan
8. Lloyd Jorgenson, Audubon
9. Bob Ward, Creston
10.Newt Bartholomew, Carlisle