1970 – Droste Wins All-Iowa Fair 50-Lapper

Cedar Rapids, Iowa (July 10, 1970) - The hot streak continues for Red Droste, but he literally had to wake up before he raced off with the All-Iowa Fair 50-lap championship Friday night at Hawkeye Downs.

Droste, the defending late model stock car champion, pocketed $500 for the win besides taking over the top spot in the current point standings.

But the Waterloo dandy provided the overflow crowd (estimated at 10,000) with some anxious moments in the late going, after leading the race on the quarter-mile dirt track for the first 34 laps.

Then Chub Liebe pulled alongside on the back stretch of the 34th tour and the veteran from Oelwein kept his 1967 Ford even with Droste’s ’70 Chevy Nova through the start-finish line. Liebe moved in front through the second turn.

That’s the way they stood through the next nine laps, before Liebe seemed to slow up and Droste took him inside going into the third corner on the 44th lap.

That was all she wrote, and the red head maintained about a three-car lead the rest of the way.

Droste said there was no reason Liebe should have taken the front spot to begin with.

“I didn’t know that was him behind me,” explained Droste. “I thought it was a lapped car. Donnie (car owner Don Herbst) signaled me to slow down, so I figured I had a comfortable lead.

“No, I didn’t know if I could catch him (Liebe). That track was treacherous! Just look at it! It’s just like asphalt. I didn’t dare try to get on it (the accelerator).”

Liebe, likewise, lost track. Liebe picked up $375 for his efforts. The next three spots went to Curt Hansen of Dike, Ed Sanger of Waterloo, and Bill Beckman of Lisbon.

Droste had started the feature on the outside pole with previous point leader Bill Zwanziger of Waterloo on the pole. Liebe opened in the third spot.

The two preliminary 10-lap heats went to Larry Schulte of Cedar Rapids and Ed Sanger.


Results –


1. Red Droste, Waterloo
2. Chub Liebe, Oelwein
3. Curt Hansen, Dike
4. Ed Sanger, Waterloo
5. Bill Beckman, Lisbon
6. Glen Martin, Independence
7. Bill Zwanziger, Waterloo
8. Karl Sanger, Waterloo
9. Dale Snyder, Cedar Rapids
10.Harold O’Deen, Marion