1955 - It's Grim Again at Des Moines

 

Bobby Grim

Des Moines, Iowa (September 2, 1955) – Bobby Grim, the hurrying Hoosier, fattened both his purse and his leadership in the point standings by winning the Gus Schrader Memorial Sweepstakes race at the Iowa State Fair on Friday night before 11,000 race fans.

Grim stayed out in front of 16 rivals all the way in the 12.5-mile feature race to haul down $600 for his night’s chores. He was clocked in 11 minutes and 33.03 seconds for 25 laps.

There was only one minor crack-up in only the third program ever to be staged under the lights. Jerry Blundy of Galesburg, Ill., spun into the inside rail on the west curve and was bumped by Curley Wadsworth of Kansas City on the 9th lap.

Even after the single-file restart, Grim was never challenged and the feature became a duel for second place money.

Ken Gottschalk of St. Louis, Mo., starting in the fourth position, took runner-up honors after slipping past Herschel Wagner of Hickman Hills, Mo., on the 23rd lap.

Red Hoyle of Phoenix, Ariz., who started seventh in the field, finished fourth while Don Hutchinson took fifth after starting in the same position.

Eddie Loetscher of Kirkwood, Mo., wheeled his Offenhauser from his 12th starting spot to a sixth-place finish.

Earlier, to the delight of the fans, Grim hustled to claim fourth position in the opening 7-lap heat and couldn’t improve his fourth place start in the trophy dash.

Loetscher, Fritz Tegtmeier of Elgin, Ill., and Bob Cleburg of Rio, Wis., were heat winners. Gottschalk claimed the trophy dash. Curley Wadsworth, who was involved in the crack-up in the feature, headed the last-man-out handicap.


Results –


Time trials – Fritz Tegtmeier, Elgin, Ill. (28.89)
Heat #1 – Edie Loetscher, Kirkwood, Mo.
Heat #2 -Fritz Tegtmeier
Heat #3 – Bob Cleburg, Rio, Wis.
Trophy dash – Ken Gottschalk, St. Louis, Mo.
Handicap – Curley Wadsworth, Kansas City
Feature –
1. Bobby Grim, Indianapolis
2. Ken Gottschalk
3. Herschel Wagner
4. Red Hoyle, Phoenix, Ariz.
5. Don Hutchinson, Kansas City
6. Eddie Loetscher
7. Jimmy Campbell, Oak Grove, Mo.
8. Bob Cleburg
9. Ray Duckworth, Indianapolis
10.Fritz Tegtmeier