1982 – Sauter Edges Shear in WIR ARTGO

Jim Sauter

by Gary Vercauteren

Kaukauna, Wis. (August 31, 1982) – Jim Sauter came home the big winner by less than a car length over Joe Shear in the 100-lap ARTGO Dixieland Challenge late model stock car race Tuesday at Wisconsin International Raceway before an enthusiastic crowd of 6,392.

Sauter and Shear waged a thrill-packed, bumper-to-bumper battle for the lead for the final 85 laps on the half-mile paved oval. Sauter, still recovering from a crash here in July, wore a size 8 shoe on his right foot and a size 11 shoe loaned to him from his son. He sustained a broken ankle in the July crash and had a cast removed earlier in the week, but the foot was still swollen.

The feature got off to a poor start as Willie Goeden lost control of his Firebird in the fourth turn and slammed into the outside retaining wall on the first lap. His car received substantial front end damage, but he emerged uninjured.

The race had been rained out from August 3 and threatened weather nearly forced another cancellation a rain hit the track an hour before the program. But the wet stuff subsided right before qualifying.

Sauter was the top qualifier in the 50-car field with a time of 19.583 seconds, just a hair off the track record of 19.42 seconds set by Mark Martin in 1981.


Results –


1. Jim Sauter, Necedah, Wis.
2. Joe Shear, South Beloit, Ill.
3. Dave Watson, Milton, Wis.
4. Terry Baldry, Omro, Wis.
5. Rusty Wallace, Valley Park, Ill.
6. Jim Back, Vesper, Wis.
7. Gary Roehrborn, Kimberly, Wis.
8. Al Schill, Franklin, Wis.
9. J.J. Smith, Appleton, Wis.
10.Jay Sauter, Necedah, Wis.
11.Augie Derenne, Luxemburg, Wis.
12.Cliff Ebben, Appleton, Wis.
13.Kevin Stepan, Mosinee, Wis.
14.Bob Abitz, Freedom, Wis.
15.Bob Iverson, Hyde, Mich.
16.Darrell Waltrip, Franklin, Tenn.
17.Dick Trickle, Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.
18.Tom Reffner, Rudolph, Wis.
19.Butch Miller, Lawton, Mich.
20.Jim Weber, Roseville, Minn.