Forum: Minnesota Dirt Track Racing Forum (go)
Moderators: StanM

Anyone have the line-ups or results from the Gopher 50 at Owatonna in 1984?

I took photos that day and I was trying to do some driver/car match ups.

I have some of the results. I worked that day, so I did not arrive until just about race time. It was supposed to be the night before, but heavy rain nixed that night. I remember I had to sit in the open section to the north only a few rows up from the bottom. The place was packed! I got a car count of 54 late models that night from the five heat races, as 53 cars raced and one was already scratched. I do have the complete 25 car feature race finish. It was definitely a very talent laden field of late models.

Let me know which car/driver combos you are looking for. I cannot guarantee that I will remember all of them for sure, but I think I can help match up some of them.

Here's the 25 car feature finish: Willy Kraft, Pete Parker, Lance Matthees, Jerry Redetzke, Craig Jacobs, Dick Schiltz, "Super" Joe Kosiski, Gary Hopp, M J McBride, Bob Shryock, Leon Plank, Todd Steuber, Steve Kosiski, Dave Bjorge, Phil Prusak, Jay Johnson, Terry Lanphear, Tom Hearst, Tom Steuding, Steve Fegers, Billy Moyer, Gary Webb, Jim Bruggeman, Ed Sanger, Les Duellman.

I might have them also,,,, I will check and see what I have... My brother and I were helping with it that year.....

I do remember that rain out faintly,,, spent most of the rain out under the grandstand drinking beer with Doug Clark... LOL (who would have figured!!! LOL)...

Brian

Thanks much! I got all the drivers matched to my photo negatives just from the feature info. Strange I would have not gotten Moyer, though he was still near the beginning of his career.

This was very near the end of my photography days, at the end of the 1984 season I sold off all my camera equipment and my mailing lists.

Drivers/Cars I captured that day;

0 Les Duellman
00 Ron Luitjens
001 Bill VanderVoort
JD1 Bob Hill
3 Bob Shryock
3d Dan Olson
B4 Terry Lanphear
4f Joe Salner
4x Phil Prusak
5 MJ McBride
7 Tom Stueding
10 Pete Parker
11 Leroy Schulke
B12 Steve Kosiski
19 Buddy Watkins
22 Ed Sanger ( Miller car )
42 Mark Emerson
45 Curt Martin
47 Bob Obermueller
53 Joe Kosiski
54 Jim Bruggeman
56 Gary Webb
57 Scott Braun
63 Steve Eggersdorf
71 Steve Fegers
71 Leon Plank
73 Tom Hosch
76 Dick Johannek
78 Kenny Farrell
80 Gary Hopp
82 Em Freitheim
83 Willy Kraft
90 Lance Mathees
95 Craig Jacobs
97 Ron Schreiner

It would be awesome to see a few of those pics from that day to rekindle some memories of some of the car/driver combos back in that era. I recall Dann Olson drove a late model for a few years before embarking on a successful modified racing career. It was always fun watching Dann's father Dennis race his #59 sprinter at various MSA events (mostly at North Star for me).

I think it might have been the next year or two (1985 or 1986) at the Gopher 50 that another future modified standout Ron Jones piloted the Food-N-Fuel #1 late model at Owatonna. Ron Luitjens from Brewster also went on to have a very successful modified racing career. Heck, he might still be at it. Ron Schreiner and Les Duellman have also done very well in the mods as has Willy Kraft in more recent years. Who would have known at the time that several late model racers would become standout modified drivers in the future. The modified division in the Upper Midwest was in its early infancy back in those days.

Bottom line though...the Gopher State 50 Late Model Stock Race was the pinnacle event in Minnesota dirt late model racing back then. It just does not have the same luster as it once did, although it has evolved into a more "national" type of race at Deer Creek with WoO sanctioning. I still miss the "old days" of the Gopher 50 at Owatonna though. I did not attend the first few years when it started at Chateau.

Here are a few from that Gopher 50, Olsen, Duellman and Bob Hill

Thanks! That is awesome seeing and even if only for a moment, reliving "a few laps" from that era.