1962 – Ward Wins 200-Miler at State Fair

 

Rodger Ward

Milwaukee, Wis. (August 19, 1962) – Rodger Ward of Speedway, Ind., fought off the threats of A.J. Foyt of Houston, Tex., for 100 miles to win the 200-mile Tony Bettenhausen Memorial on Sunday at State Fair Park.

The victory was worth $11,310 to Ward, who finished second ahead of Foyt in the thrilling two-car duel which continued through the final 100 miles.

With the caution flag out five times, Ward’s speed of 100.03 miles per hour was almost two miles per hour off the record at the one-mile paved track at the Wisconsin State Fair.

The heat on the track was so intense that three of the top-10 finishers were treated for heat exhaustion after the race. They were Bobby Marshman of Pottstown, Penn., who was third, Eddie Sachs of Coopersburg, Penn., who was fourth, and the seventh-place finisher Bud Tinglestad of Dayton, Ohio. They were all treated at the track.

Temperatures on the track reached 135 degrees. The official high during the race was 93 degrees, equaling the peak for the summer in Milwaukee. However, a crowd of 29,755 jammed the stands, contributing to a purse of $39,185.

Ward took the lead on the 54th mile from Parnelli Jones of Torrance, Calif., and led the rest of the way, with Foyt in close pursuit. They made it a two-man scrap for the lead the last 100 miles, pulling a lap ahead of the rest of the field.

Ward, winner of this year’s Indianapolis 500, drove the Leader Card Special owned by Robert Wilke of Milwaukee.

Thirty-two laps were run under caution with four accidents involving five cars.

The big crash occurred when Lloyd Ruby of Wichita Falls, Tex., lost his engine going into the south turn, sending Don Branson of Champaign, Ill., into a spin. Bob Veith of Fort Bragg, Calif., hit Branson, whose car hit Ruby’s.

Chuck Hulse of Downey, Calif., sailed over the rear of Ruby’s car but was the only one able to continue. Al Farmer of Dallas, Tex., spun attempting to avoid the other cars and hit the wall.


Results –


1. Rodger Ward, Speedway, Ind.
2. A.J. Foyt, Houston, Tex.
3. Bobby Marshman, Pottstown, Penn.
4. Eddie Sachs, Coopersburg, Penn.
5. Jim McElreath, Arlington, Tex.
6. Roger McCluskey, Tucson, Ariz.
7. Bud Tinglestad, Dayton, Ohio
8. Ronne Duman, Dearborn, Mich.
9. Parnelli Jones, Torrance, Calif.
10.Allen Crowe, Springfield, Ill.