Who’s That Behind the Wheel?
By Jay Hardin
Track Enterprises Staff
September 27, 2020 (SPRINGFIELD, IL)-With the pandemic confining us all to our homes, the staff at Track Enterprises went to the Illinois State Fairgrounds record book and discovered some interesting names occupying stock car cockpits on the one mile dirt track. Some of the names discovered who ran or attempted to run the 100-mile grinds on the dirt just might surprise you.
Francisco Eduardo Menendez, or as he was known down south, Frank “Rebel” Mundy (1952). Mundy was born in Atlanta and orphaned, adopting the Mundy name when he started racing. He was a motorcycle daredevil and a driver for General Patton in World War II, before meeting Bill France and joining NASCAR in 1949. A dispute with France led him to the Midwest where he won the 1955 AAA Stock car title. He also won the September 1952 AAA stock car event on the Springfield mile in a Hudson. After retiring from driving he held several positions including one in the Penske organization.
Roy Jelenik (1961)-Jelenik’s claim to fame in the USAC Stock Car series wasn’t that he won a lot of races. In fact, he didn’t win any USAC Stock Car races, but was a fine late model racer in northern Illinois. What he did do in USAC was campaign an Edsel. Yes, an Edsel, one of the most unpopular cars ever to come off a Detroit assembly line. While the Edsel wasn’t an eye pleaser in street mode, it didn’t get much better looking as a race car. In fact looking at some photos of the car cornering the Milwaukee Mile it the Edsel was so contorted the car appeared to be in pain. The 1959 version made one trip to Springfield finishing 17th in 1961.
Curtis Turner (1963)-Turner ran afoul of Bill France and NASCAR too many times to count. In the early 1960’s he came north looking for work and actually tried to qualify the Dean Van Lines dirt car for the Bettenhausen 100 at Springfield, missing the show. Stock cars were his true calling and in August of 1963 he shocked everyone in the capitol city by qualifying 6th, taking the lead from A.J. Foyt 5 miles from the end and taking the Ed Martin Ford to victory lane in the inaugural Allen Crowe 100. It was Turner’s only appearance on the Springfield dirt.
Mario Andretti (1965)-Most people know Mario ran stock cars winning the 1967 Daytona 500. But he was still a relatively new commodity when tapped by Zecol Lubaid for a ride in one of their prized Fords. Andretti was fresh off a Rookie of the Year award in the Indianapolis 500 and fighting for a national title as a rookie on the championship trail. His was the only Zecol entry at Springfield for the third Allen Crowe 100 and he started 6 spots behind good friend Billy Foster. Mario advanced from 11th to 7th by the end of the race, completing 99 miles in his only stock car appearance at Springfield. Three Bettenhausen 100 dirt car trophies would come in 1969, 173 and 1974.
Lennie Waldo (1968)-that’s right, a guy famous for racing sprint cars in USAC, especially on the pavement, ran USAC stock cars on dirt. Waldo finished 23rd in the 1968 Allen Crowe 100. The Columbus, Ohio driver made four NASCAR starts in 1968 as well. He ran his first USAC Sprint Car race in 1969 and in 1980 became the USAC Silver Crown Rookie of the Year.
Dick Trickle (1969)-in the late 1960’s the “White Knight” dabbled in the USAC Stock Car ranks. In August of 1969 on a very heavy track he out qualified USAC stalwarts Butch Hartman, Jack Bowsher, Bay Darnell and Norm Nelson to sit outside the front row alongside Don White. Trickle never led a lap and finished 23rd after dropping out on lap 34. Later he would go on to ASA and ARTGO stardom before becoming NASCAR’s oldest Rookie of the Year.
Johnny Parsons (1970)-J.P. had an interesting summer in 1970. He was still 4 years from joining the famous 1974 Indianapolis 500 rookie class but he was already showing signs of talent and versatility. David Duncan had Chrysler products with Dragcraft sponsorship and Parsons picked up the ride for the Allen Crowe 100. He’d run the previous day’s Bettenhausen 100 for Louis Seymour becoming one of the drivers to pull double duty over the weekend. Neither start gathered much attention, he finished 16th in the dirt car and 26th in the stock car.
Larry Cannon (1971)-It wasn’t unusual for championship drivers to cross over to stock cars in the 1960’s and 70’s. Ward, Sutton, Marshman, Foyt, Al & Bobby Unser and even Jigger Sirois were well known in the stock car ranks. However, there were a few sprint, midget and champ car drivers who made somewhat obscure appearances in stock cars. “Boom Boom” was among those drivers, picking up rides as he tried to advance in the USAC ranks. He and open wheel owner Richard Blacker were legends on the Midwest short tracks but Cannon was just starting into the championship ranks. He missed the show in the Bettenhausen but made the Crowe field, lasting 73 laps and finishing 21st in a 1969 Dodge Charger.
Tiny Lund (1972)-OK, so Lund did make an appearance at Springfield in the May 1971 NASCAR Grand American race. And he had run several times on the Indiana State Fair mile prior to taking on Springfield. The big man who won the 1963 Daytona 500 wasn’t a southern boy, but a stock car racer from Iowa. Owner Bob Baskowitz put together a Chevelle for 1972 and ran Lund in selected USAC events. One was the 10th running of the Allen Crowe 100 where Tiny started 29th and moved to 18th before oil pressure problems at 60 miles sidelined the robin egg blue Chevy.
HB Bailey (1973)-the NASCAR veteran was a beneficiary of the rule allowing “pony” cars in the stock car ranks. His 1973 Pontiac TransAm made one appearance on the Illinois dirt in the 11th Allen Crowe 100 starting 18th and finishing 24th when a valve went out in the Pontiac motor. Bailey was still running Pontiacs in NASCAR when the first Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis ran, Bailey was the first driver to take a qualifying lap for the historic event.
Bill Puterbaugh & Eldon Rasmussen (1975)-the “Roxana Rocket” and Canadian Rasmussen were noted for open wheel exploits. Rasmussen for supermodifieds in the northwest, Puterbaugh for sprint cars in the Midwest. Both were coming off noteworthy performances in the 1975 Indianapolis 500. Puterbaugh as a rookie made the field thanks to owner Lee Elkins and some help from George Bignotti, Rasmussen for being involved in the spectacular Tom Sneva crash. Both were entered for the Allen Crowe 100 in 1975, Puterbaugh in a Chevy and Rasmussen in an Olds. Both missed the show.
Davey Allison (1984 & 1985)-it couldn’t have been easy being Bobby Allison’s son, carrying Miller beer sponsorship and the future hope of the Alabama gang. Bobby chose to have Davey start his way up the ranks in ARCA and the move eventually paid off. Davey took well to the mile dirt tracks too, starting 12th as a rookie in 1984 before being caught up in a lap 82 accident and ending 18th. In 1985 he started 4th but suffered numerous issues which limited him to 70 laps completed but still running at the end.
Steve Boley (1985)-Boley’s career as a standout in dirt track late models spans about five decades and the West Liberty pilot has won numerous short track features. He was an ARCA and Springfield rookie in 1985 starting 34th in the 35 car field and lasting 45 miles before mud plugged the radiator and the engine boiled over. Boley did make three appearances in the Illinois Fall Nationals during the 1990’s on the Springfield Mile.
Scott Bloomquist (1991)-If the 60’s & 70’s dirt races brought out the champ car drivers, ARCA dirt races brought out the late model stars. Boley, John Gill, Bob Hill, Dick Taylor, Joe Ross Jr. and Billy Thomas are just a few of the short track late model starts who took on ARCA’s best at Springfield. Bloomiquist is certainly one of the best in short track late model history and was a star when he acquired an Oldsmobile from the Gherke family prior to the 1991 Allen Crowe 100. Bloomer qualified the Olds 2nd and was giving the fans a thrill with a rim ride that hadn’t been seen in years. He was closing on leader Glenn Brewer when the telltale spray out of the overflow indicated the radiator was plugged. Bloomquist returned to the Springfield Mile for the Illinois Fall Nationals late model events winning in 1999 and in 2005.
Steve Kosiski (1992-1996)-The Kosiski family is legendary in upper Midwest late model racing. Family patriarch Bob won 16 track championships. Steve was a 7 time NASCAR Busch All Star Series champ. In 1992 Steve became another of the late model set to gravitate to the ARCA dirt events. Steve finished 18th in 1992, qualified outside of the front row in 1993, had a 10th in 1994, a 9th in 1995 and finished 6th in his final race in 1996.
Red Farmer (2002 & 2004)-Ol Red was a charter member of the Alabama Gang and had raced nearly everywhere except on the Illinois fairgrounds dirt. By the time he came to Springfield in 2002 Farmer was one of the most popular drivers in NASCAR, a three time NASCAR Sportsman champion and the 1956 Modified champion. He’d become good friends with Tony Stewart and was entered in a car as a teammate to Jason Jarrett, son of Dale Jarrett. Red qualified 8th in 1992 but dropped out, in 2004 he qualified 3rd and finished fifth at the age of 71!
These are just a few of the names who’ve raced stock cars on the Springfield Mile and had race fans asking “who’s in that car” or later “I didn’t know he/she raced here”. Its part of the lure to come and watch the full bodied ARCA Menard’s stock cars on dirt, you never know who might show up.
The ARCA Menard’s Series returns to the Illinois State Fairgrounds on Sunday, October 4. Grandstand ticket sales will be limited to 20% capacity in order to promote a safe atmosphere and allow for proper social distancing. In addition, face coverings will be required, temperatures will be checked upon arrival, and multiple hand washing and sanitizing stations will be placed throughout the venue.
To ensure a ticket, fans are encouraged to order online at www.trackenterprises.com or by calling the office at 217-764-3200. The 58th Illinois Truck & Equipment Allen Crowe 100 is slated to begin just after 2 p.m. central time.