1969 – Gerber Charges to Raceway Mid-Season Title

 

Jim Gerber has his Dodge on the truck and ready to go home to Mt. Joy after scoring an easy victory in the 50-lap mid-season championship at Quad City Raceway.

East Moline, Ill. (July 13, 1969) – For three-quarters of a lap, Ron Weedon was the season point leader at Quad City Raceway.

Then, Jim Gerber jumped him, and the point leadership swung back to Gerber as the veteran Mt. Joy, Iowa, driver herded his Dodge Charger to an easy victory in the 50-lap mid-season championship for late model modified stock cars at the East Moline track.

Gerber had reported to the track as the point leader, but a postponed 25-lap feature from an earlier rainy weekend was run to launch the late model program, and points from this race were counted in determining the lineup for the mid-season run.

Weedon won that delayed feature, getting a break when Don Dane of Peoria hit the wall on the 21st lap while holding a commanding lead. Dane retired from competition for the night, Weedon won the race and the points he earned boosted him ahead of Gerber for the year.

As point leader, Weedon had his choice of starting inside or outside in the first row for the 50-lapper. He chose the outside, and it looked like a wise decision when he bolted ahead of Gerber as starter Dave Copeland dropped the green flag.

But Weedon’s lead was brief, for Gerber was charging all the way. Weedon stayed in the high groove while Gerber kept pace on the inside, and as the cars slithered through the fourth turn of the first lap, Gerber nosed ahead.

The race could have ended then, for Gerber ran away from the field. Weedon’s car was the only one he didn’t lap, and Gerber was closing on him towards the finish.

Seventeen cars started the feature and 12 were still running when Gerber took the checkered flag. Everything moved along nicely through nine laps as Gerber opened up a quarter-lap lead, but on the 10th lap, Terry Ryan and Lyle Behne tangled and a series of restarts began.

Jerry Reinhart of Moline had zipped by Weedon for second place on lap 4 but spun out on his own on the 13th circuit and dropped back, eventually finishing fifth. Dean Montgomery of Milan had his car running hot, but he got far back and was finally lapped by Gerber on lap 46, finishing third. Ray Guss of Milan finished fourth.


Results –


Mid-Season Championship -

1. Jim Gerber, Mt. Joy, Iowa
2. Ron Weedon, Pleasant Valley, Iowa
3. Dean Montgomery, Milan
4. Ray Guss, Milan
5. Jerry Reinhart, Moline
6. Terry Ryan, Davenport, Iowa


Make-Up Feature –

1. Ron Weedon
2. Gerry Reeder, Peoria
3. Benny Hofer, Rock Island
4. Bob Stogdell, Silvis
5. Dean Montgomery
6. Lyle Behne, Coal Valley