Wednesday, August 21, 2024

1983 - Third Straight for Roper in Springfield Stocks



Dean Roper won Sunday afternoon’s Allen Crowe 100 stock car race. Sid Hutchcraft, representing the Illinois State Fair, makes the trophy presentation. – Bryan Gapinski Photo





Springfield, Ill. (August 21, 1983) – Dean Roper of Fair Grove, Mo., scored his third straight USAC stock car victory of the season in Sunday’s Allen Crowe Memorial 100 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds.

The event was part of a twin-bill show that also included USAC midgets. Arnie Knepper of Belleville, Ill., was the winner in that event.

It was the third USAC stock victory in three races this season for Roper, who won the race with a time of 1 hour, 11 minutes and 21 seconds for an average of 84 mile per hour. He earned $3,500 from a total purse of $18,155.

Roper, driving a Grand Prix, took the lead from Terry Pearson on lap 39 of the stock car main event and went on to defeat runner-up Bob Brevak by three seconds. Joe Wallace finished third, Butch Garner was fourth, and Tom Meinberg rounded out the top-five finishers.

Bobby Jacks earned the pole position for the contest with a 36.317-second tour of the one-mile dirt oval but it was fellow front row starter Meinberg who grabbed the lead at the opening green.

Jacks forged into the lead spot on lap 6 and was still in front when Jack Hughes spun and slammed into the wall in turn three on lap 15, prompting the event’s first caution.

A Jacks’ pit stop returned the lead to Meinberg on lap 18, four miles before the green returned. Pearson became the third driver to pace the chase on lap 24. A Rick Benson spin in the first turn put action under the yellow for five more miles beginning on lap 29. Pearson then led the next five green flag circuits before yielding to Roper.

By virtue of his triumph, Roper increased his lead in the season’s point standings to 280 points over runner-up Rick O’Brien.


Results –


1. Dean Roper
2. Bob Brevak
3. Joe Wallace
4. Butch Garner
5. Tom Meinberg
6. Rick O’Brien
7. Bobby Jacks
8. Gordon Blankenship
9. Mike Brown
10.Clyde Dagit
11.Roger Drake
12.Terry Pearson
13.Rick Benson
14.Jiggs Lindhorst
15.Corrie Stott
16.Herman Huffman
17.Ken Snyder
18.Jack Hughes
19.Rich Hampton
20.Steve Drake
21.Larry Nau
22.Eric Smith
23.Ken Rowley
24.Ken Schrader

 

No comments:

Post a Comment