Uncola Rematch race ad shows pay-off for the big event. (Checkered Flag Racing News ad)By Dale P. Danielski
If Phil Stewart had issues with the Wisconsin short track drivers taking most of the money back home with them after one of his special events at Elko Speedway in 1971 he never mentioned it. More than likely it really didn’t matter as he was putting on races like never seen before in the Upper Midwest. And best of all the pit area was jammed with most of the best and equally significant, the grandstands were packed! With the recently announced Old Style 200 to take place September 18-19 at the Speedway much the same was expected for the event. And boy did that turn out to be true as the event drew the best field of cars yet and the biggest crowd, over 10,000 over the two days.

Jim Back left, 61 raced this Ford in 1971. Marg/Farrar photo)To say everyone was psyched up and ready for round three of the Wisconsin vs Minnesota stock car rivalry was the understatement of the entire summer’s racing. With over $15,000 on the line in purse pay-out and $3,000 of it earmarked for the 200 lap feature winner plus lap money, there was no lack of incentive for drivers. With tickets priced at just $4.00 and $4.50 Saturday and Sunday for adults and $1.00 both days for kids age 8-14 how if you were even remotely interested in the sport could you choose not to attend the event! The race was shaping up to have all the ingredients for the best ever except for one thing. Winner of the two previous challenge events, Dick Trickle was scheduled to race at a USAC stock car race in Pocono, PA., on the same day! Of course that would immediately improve everyone else’s chances to win but that was not what drivers hoped for. All figured they were due to unseat King Trickle this time so he needed to be racing at Elko!

The Tom Reffner winning 1969 Mercury Cyclone. How about that race car hauler! (Dale P. Danielski Photo)The pre-entry list was growing daily as Metro Circuit point leader Dan Prziborowski and track record holder Bill Oas sent in their $10.00 entry forms. Jim Sauter fresh off his big win in the North Star 500 and Twin 100s at the Minnesota State Fair was coming to grab some more Gopher State cash. Bob Jusola also inked an entry as did dirt track star Dave Bjorge. Top runner from Southern Wisconsin Bill Retallick was making the trip and National attention was attracted with the Terry Bivins of Shawnee Mission, KS entry. A five car contingent from Colorado led by Dave Swan was also coming with every intention of taking most of the money back to the Rocky Mountain State. Illinois superstar Joe Shear was expected as was Dick Trickle garage mate Tom Reffner and fellow Central Wisconsinites Marv Marzofka and Jim Back.

Articles, Action from the Old Style 200 race. Some of the happy winners of Old Style 200 racing. (Checkered Flag Racing News Photos)Many drivers were putting dibs on the money the absent Trickle would be leaving behind but wait, just wait a minute here! USAC Stock Car Division supervisor Bob Stroud in a late decision granted Trickle permission to compete in the Old Style 200 as the team Trickle was racing for during the year was not entering the car for the Pocono race. Trickle got into trouble with USAC earlier in the season for racing in an “Outlaw” event (Which paid him over $4,000 by the way) instead of a USAC race and was forced to post a $500 bond stating that he would not race in competing events with USAC. Well, well, no one will know for sure what all transpired here, but the end result had Trickle coming to race at Elko!

Articles, Action from the Old Style 200 race. Some of the happy winners of Old Style 200 racing. (Checkered Flag Racing News Photos)Trickle along with 96 other cars representing 8 States packed the pit area on race day and the field included additional heavy hitters Conan “Moose” Myers from Indiana and Ohio hot shoe Carl Smith. It was a local star however Oas, putting a charge into the large field by shattering his own track record in qualifying. Oas turned a 15:27 lap around the 3/8 mile oval bettering his own previous mark of 15:53. For the feat Oas received a crisp $100 bill and also an all expense paid trip to the 1972 Indianapolis 500 courtesy of the Thermo King company.

The 200 lap finale proved to be substantially more competitive than the previous two. Jim Back, Marv Marzofka, Jim Sauter, Dan Prziborowski, and Bill Oas all took turns leading. Tom Reffner who didn’t even qualify for the feature by time trials, made it into the main via a qualifying race. Starting mid-pack Reffner methodically worked his way through the 32 car field finally taking the lead from Oas on lap 160. From that point on, no one could catch the “Rudolph Rambler” and he motored to the biggest win up to that point of his 12 year short track racing career. The win was worth $3,300 and bragging rights for Wisconsin the rest of the current and off season. Reffner claimed to be more fortunate than good to win the race but nonetheless he was in first place at the checkers with just 19 cars finishing the 200 lap grind. Very surprisingly in 2nd position at the finish was Al Moldenhauer of Madison, WI. Moldenhauer was known for his prowess in a Midget race car and had only been racing Late Models for a few weeks. The 2nd position was worth $1,500. Norm Setran wasn’t picked as a pre-race favorite either but he placed a very respectable 3rd the last car on the lead lap. The days work netted him $1,000. Filling out the field of finishers were Larry Smith, Marzofka, Kansas star, Bivins, Dick Stang, Don Leach, Don James, Duane Walch, Marlin Walbeck, Bill Oas, Larry Detjens, Mike Murgic, Jeff Haar, Fred Bender, John Boegeman, Terry Semrow, and Del Triesch.

Articles show Don James and Bob Jusola winning main events in Wisconsin. (Midwest Racing News stories)Heavy favorite Dick Trickle probably wished he had gone to Pocono to race as he experienced nothing but bad luck during the weekend. While practicing on Saturday Trickle blew the engine in his Ford and never did make a qualifying attempt. With help from the local racing Duda brothers, Trickle was able to borrow an engine and have it installed just in time to race in a qualifying event. He then proceeded to pass 23 of the 25 cars in the race to earn a spot in the main. Unfortunately Trickle’s luck again went south as he only completed 15 laps when a radiator problem sidelined him.

Besides the 200 lapper the two day extravaganza featured some interesting race events. Ford product, Chevrolet and Chrysler events were all held with Rich Bickle, Carl Smith and Bill Mueller each winning. Of course to be in these races you had to be driving those makes of cars. Midwest Challenge races were also held and determined by regions of the United States. The Minnesota region race winner was Larry Smith with the Wisconsin Region race victor Bob Gunn. The Southern regional winner was Dave Swan while the Eastern region saw Bickle take another win. Last chance qualifying race winners on Sunday were Sauter, Reffner and John Boegeman. The consolation race which put the winner in the 32nd and last feature starting spot, went to Mike Murgic.

All in all it was an unbelievable three challenge events held at Elko Speedway in 1971. Each event was unique and definitely left the huge throng of fans and drivers that attended and participated wondering what Phil Stewart would do in 1972 for an encore. If all goes well perhaps that can be future racing fodder for additional looks into racing’s past feature stories.

Quick notes…Trickle went on to win a total of 56 feature events in 1971. Reffner ended the season with 19…In case you were wondering the Uncola race name was derived from the 7UP beverage which through area bottlers sponsored the races…As lopsided as the three Challenge races appeared in 1971 Minnesota travelers did actually experience a fair amount of success racing in Wisconsin as the photos and headlines here indicate…Don James takes a big win at La Crosse Interstate Speedway…Bob Jusola was in the right place when rain hit to win at Capital Speedway…Special thanks to the Checkered Flag Racing News of which I have archived many for information on these historic Challenge events. Also thanks to the columns by Dave Anderson in Midwest Racing News that very closely covered the Minnesota racing scene. And, I have to give thanks to myself for being crazy enough to keep all this old stuff to look back on and refer to…

Comments welcome to Dale P. Danielski, dale@starmakermultimedia.com 967 10th Ave N Ste A, Onalaska, WI 54650 608-783-5827.