1956 – Grim Wins before 5,000

 

The Hurryin' Hoosier Bobby Grim 

Wausau, Wis. (August 16, 1956) – Bobby Grim of Indianapolis saw his one-lap track record broken, but the Hurryin’ Hoosier walked off with the big money by nailing down the 20-lap feature of the International Motor Contest Association’s speedway car feature at Marathon Park before 5,000 enthused Wisconsin Valley Fair fans.

Jud Larson, a 33-year-old racing veteran out of Austin, Tex., who scored a surprise win over Grim in Algona, Iowa, on Wednesday, broke the local lap record in time trials with a mark of 24.45 seconds. The old record, 24.67 seconds, was set here a year ago by Grim.

The 20-lap showdown turned out to be a hot test between Grim and Larson. The Indianapolis ace took the lead from the first moment and stayed ahead of the field for the 10-mile grind to post a sparkling time of 8 minutes and 36.41 seconds. Larson trailed by 20 to 40 yards but couldn’t close the gap. The other 10 racers were out of serious contention within five laps and spent the rest of the night swallowing dust generated by the two front-runners.

Both Grim and Larson drove Offenhauser’s.

Larson scored a victory in the 5-lap Inaugural Dash with Vic Ellis of Rockton, Ill., second. The start was on a handicap basis with Larson starting in the back, but the Texan was out in front on lap 3 after passing Laurence “Red” Hoyle of Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Grim took the next 5-lap test, the Speedway Dash, while Eddie Loetscher of St. Louis, Mo., won the 5-lap American Triumph Dash. Hoyle came from a dead last starting position to win the 7-lap Australian Pursuit while Jerry Blundy of Galesburg, Ill., won the 3-lap Handicap.

An exhibition was displayed by Ms. Fay Taylor of Dublin, Ireland, who raced three laps and was timed in 1 minutes and 29.54 seconds. IMCA rules forbade women to compete against men, but Ms. Taylor has won several mixed events in other countries during here driving career.


Results –


1. Bobby Grim, Indianapolis, Ind.
2. Jud Larson, Austin, Tex.
3. Eddie Loetscher, St. Louis, Mo.
4. Art George, Los Angeles
5. Jerry Blundy, Galesburg, Ill.
6. Red Hoyle, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
7. Willie Wildhaber, Lexington, Ill.
8. Ray Duckworth, Anderson, Ind.
9. Fritz Tegtmeier, Elgin, Ill.
10.Lee Drollinger, Champaign, Ill.