1960 – Folse Tops Record Race Field at Fair

 

Pete Folse is joined by car owner Hector Honore and Al Sweeney of National Speedways, Inc.,in victory lane at Des Moines. 

Des Moines, Iowa (August 28, 1960) – Pete Folse ran off with yet another major sprint car feature, but his vanity probably was ruffled slightly to the delight of a throng of 15,000 spectators at the Iowa State Fair.

Jerry Richert, a comparative newcomer to dirt tracks, defeated the defending International Motor Contest Association champion in a rip-roaring 5-lap trophy dash staged following the 10-mile feature.

The threat of rain caused the program to be juggled in order to run the main money events. As a result, the match race was run out of its usual order.

Richert, a hot-tempered youngster out of Forest Lake, Minn., earlier had the third heat in his billfold coming into the final turn, only to spin out when struck from the rear by Ray Duckworth, the Anderson, Ind., veteran, and winner.

Richert took after Duckworth, but cool hands restrained him. Richert got back in the feature with a second place finish in the consolation and placed third in the 10-miler behind A.J. Shepherd of Gardena, Calif., a rival to Folse.

Pete had his hands full in the afternoon matinee in handling Shepherd, who races most of the season with another IMCA promoter.

The west coast driver, one of more than a dozen Californians who came with a record entry of 74 cars this week, had Folse boxed in during the early laps of their heat, but the Frenchman pulled away in the last few laps.

In the main go, Folse broke in front on the second lap with Shepherd on his exhaust stack, got a 50-yard margin only to lose it when Bill Sullivan spun and blocked traffic on the northeast corner on lap 13. Pete, however, fired away from Shepherd on the restart and won by 75 yards when he received the checkered flag.

After his victory, Folse was put in the match race, starting behind Richert, Duckworth, and Sullivan in that order. Pete passed his first two rivals, but his Offenhauser couldn’t get inside of Richert’s Chevrolet on the slick turns and Folse ate dust all the way.

Of the record entry, the largest in Fair history, 60 cars appeared Sunday with 43 running time trials before officials were forced to close qualifying laps that determined the fastest 25 cars.


Results –


Trophy dash – Jerry Richert, Forest Lake, Minn,
Heat #1 – Buzz Barton, Tampa, Fla.
Heat #2 – Pete Folse, Tampa, Fla.
Heat #3 – Duke Hindahl, Pekin, Ill.
Consolation – Jerry Shumaker, Wichita, Kan.
Feature –
1. Pete Folse
2. A.J. Shepherd, Gardena, Calif.
3. Jerry Richert
4. Jerry Blundy, Galesburg, Ill.
5. Mickey McCormick, Hutchinson, Kan.
6. Jim McElreath, Arlington, Tex.
7. Ray Duckworth, Anderson, Ind.
8. Buzz Barton
9. Bill Burdick, Omaha, Neb.
10.Sonny Helms, Avon Lake
11.Duke Hindahl
12.Al Chamberlain, Altoona, Penn.