Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

Cajones mucho...uh....uh...El-Frito Bandito! Yuh, sumpthin like that.

Yes that was a real Edmunds Supermodified eating dirt.

Thanks for the memories Brian. I was a thirteen year old kid in the stands that day.

I know Jerry Blundy won this race more that once I believe, don't remember the years.

I definately saw Trostles #98 in that clip, assuming it was Earl Wagner at the wheel.

Be nice to have a line-up or finish, I know some midwest guys used to go out for this.

Nice stuff, as always!

www.teamwmotorsports.webs.com

Saw the flat track motorcycles there but never the sprint cars. Bummer

Mike,

At the top of the beginning of the piece it says 1968.

It was at the old fair grounds. The last race there was October 4th of 1970. That was THE worst day I ever witnessed at a short track. Ernie Pursell was killed in the 2nd non-qual heat - a 10 lapper. The accident happened on the 2nd lap. When Pursell got into the outside fence, Walt Rief (sp?) (who was qualified for the feature - was in the infield on the front stretch) He jumped over the fence, onto the track waving his arms to try to shut down those who were approaching the flipping Pursell. When everyone scrambled for somewhere to avoid the scene, one of them hit Walt. Neither Rief nor Pursell survived.

The 100 lap feature started later. Jimmy Gordon had something go wrong and the car was not performing about 30 or so laps into the race. He pitted on green, the crew made a VERY quick repair and sent him right back out. He ran a couple laps, passing cars like they were parked. I think every person there was watching him make up spots he had lost. He passed a couple cars going up the back stretch then lost it in T-3. The car flipped wildly coming to rest against the fence where it got hit broadside by another car that had gone wide in the corner due to the incident ahead.

I think it was the 35th lap. It got very quiet as the crowd was all in shock. JC Agajanian was promoting the show. He stood down on the start/finish line with a microphone and said he didn't have the heart to ask the drivers to continue the event.

The track was to be torn out after the event. In all the years they raced there, including USAC every fall, there had never been a driver lost and that day they lost 3. I didn't go to another race, anywhere, for 4 or 5 years!

Here is the gentleman that won this race this day in '68. He also won it in '69 & '70 (cut short). What are the chances/averages of this happening?

In this newspaper article it is mentioned of winning the race at Sacto three years running.

http://www.galesburg.com/sports/x469075100

B

The video shows Wayne Weiler in the famous Peat Brothers coupe take the lead. The heading says it was the 1968 race and I thought I saw the same car burn to the ground at the World 300 in Mobile in 1967. Don Hamilton was driving. I'd be thrilled ot know that the car suvived the fire. The paint job was more of a silver color than the blue one shown here. They had towed the car to the souttheast and were planning on going to Oswego and run the tough supermodified circuit along the Gulf Coast as well. Any info on the car? It was the neatest I'd ever seen.

I have a letter from Jerry written shortly after this tragedy.

To say that the victory for Jerry was bittersweet is an understatement. He clearly felt quite badly about the events of that day.

They could have been off a year on the announcers part, but I heard it say 1968. So I listed it that way. Many thought there was no need to be totally correct since everything in the future was going to be better. Even Don Edmunds was surprised when there was a surge of interest in recent years for his design plans, memories, etc. He said if he knew then how big a deal it would be today, he would have saved a lot more.

No idea if the Peat Brothers coupe survived, but I'm pretty sure in the next several years to come either it, or a clone will surface. There is a kind of uptick in getting the old supers back out there, even if they have to be built from straight tubing. I've got 2 myself. People outside of the race tracks love those old supers.