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

All photos were taken on June 3, 1972.

(Sorry I wasn't accomplished enough to take any action shots.)

Joe Saldana

Gary Ponzini

Gary Bettenhausen

Duane Carter

Benny Rapp

I enjoy your posts and pics. I was probably there for that race. Can't say I remember it but I'm guessing I brought my daughter with me. She would have been 9 at the time. I started bringing her with me when She was 5. She became a big sprint car fan and was a huge Jerry Blundy fan. She and Marge sent cards and letters back and forth for many years. I do miss the good old days.

COOL!!! I was there too. Seems like Bettenhausen won the race.

www.teamwmotorsports.webs.com

Your post got me to wondering about the results on that day so I went back and did some checking.

My records show that 29 cars took the track for qualifying attempts on that day, with Benny Rapp failing to complete a lap. Interestingly, I have no record of Gary Bettenhausen even making an attempt to qualify and he is also not listed in any of the subsequent race results. I would have to dig deeper to see if I have any other information about what might have happened to him on that day.

The top 5 qualifiers were Joe Saldana - 21.14, Billy Thrasher - 21.25, Greg Weld - 21.37, Don Nordhorn - 21.43, and Duane Carter - 21.44. Joe Saldana held the one lap track record at Knoxville at that time with a lap of 20.37. Bob Shaw was the "slowest" qualifier at 22.61.

Heat race winners were Joe Saldana from the back of the field (7th starting spot), Billy Thrasher, also from the back of the field in 7th starting spot, Rollie Beale from the 6th starting postion, and Billy Cassella from the 5th starting spot.

The 12 lap consolation race was won by Greg Weld from the pole position.

The main event was 40 laps long with the following finish: 1) Sam Sessions, 2) Don Nordhorn, 3) Greg Weld, 4) Tom Bigelow, 5) Billy Thrasher, 6) Rollie Beale, 7) Bob Pratt, 8) Bill Puterbaugh, 9) Johnny Parsons, 10) Larry Cannon, 11) Joe Saldana, 12) Steve Cannon, 13 or 14) Gary Ponzini, 13 or 14) Bruce Walkup, 15) Billy Cassella, 16) Karl Busson, 17) Bill Koepfer, 18) Larry Dickson, 19) Rick Goudy, and 20) Charlie Masters.

These are only my records, though, so don't take this as anything official as I did have both Gary Ponzini and Bruce Walkup listed as finishing 13th, with no one listed in 14th position.

Glad there are a few fans out there who still appreciate the history of our sport.

Time Trials: 1. 25, Joe Saldana, Brownsburg, IN, 21.14; 2. 15, Billy Thrasher, Fort Worth, TX, 21.25; 3. 5, Greg Weld, Kansas City, MO, 21.37; 4. 6, Don Nordhorn, Wadesville, IN, 21.43; 5. 14, Duane Carter, Huntington Beach, CA, 21.44; 6. 4, Sam Sessions, Nashville, MI, 21.51; 7. 3, Rollie Beale, Toledo, OH, 21.60; 8. 12, Tom Bigelow, Whitewater, WI, 21.61; 9. 29, Bruce Walkup, St. Paul, IN, 21.78; 10. 10, Johnny Parsons Jr., Reseda, CA, 21.78; 11. 22, Billy Cassela, Wierton, WV, 21.70; 12. 92, Rick Goudy, Los Angeles, CA, 21.71; 13. 2, Larry Dickson, Marietta, OH, 21.74; 14. 18, Bob Pratt, Union City, IN, 21.74; 15. 11, Larry Cannon, Oakwood, IL, 21.78; 16. 95. Karl Busson, Toledo, OH, 21.86; 17. 72, Bill Puterbaugh, Indianapolis, IN, 21.86; 18. 81, Charlie Masters, Waddy, KY, 22.01; 19. 38, Chuck Allen, San Diego, CA, 22.07; 20. 42, Gary Ponzini, Morgan Hill, CA, 22.09; 21. 51, Earl Wagner, Pleasantville, IA, 22.10; 22. 30, Eddie Leavitt, Kearney, MO, 22.30; 23. 20, Bill Koepfer, Fostoria, OH, 22.30; 24. 55, Gordy Lee, Speedway, IN, 22.35; 25. 71, Steve Cannon, Springfield, IL, 22.35; 26. 88, Jim McCune, Toledo, OH, 22.37; 27. 44, Darl Harrison, Tiffin, OH, 22.55; 28. 52, Bob Shaw, Dundee, NY, 22.61; 29. 34, Benny Rapp, Lambertville, MI, NT.

Heat one (10 laps), NT: 1. Saldana 2. Carter 3. S. Cannon 4. Puterbaugh

Heat two 3:41.63 (NTR): 1. Thrasher 2. Pratt 3. Sessions 4. Masters

Heat three, 3:47.28: 1. Beale 2. L. Cannon 3. Koepfer 4. Goudy

Heat four, 3:47.65: 1. Cassela 2. Bigelow 3. Ponzini 4. Busson

Semi (12 laps), 4:40.95: 1. Weld 2. Nordhorn 3. Parsons 4. Walkup 5. Harrison 6. Allen ...

Feature (40 laps), 16:21.23 (NTR): 1. Sessions 2. Nordhorn 3. Weld 4. Bigelow 5. Thrasher 6. Beale 7. Pratt 8. Puterbaugh 9. Parsons 10. L. Cannon 11. Sldana 12. S. Cannon 13. Ponzini 14. Walkup 15. Cassella 16. Busson 17. Koepfer 18. Dickson 19. Goudy 20. Masters

Sessions passed Weld early for the lead. He was fourth in the Indy 500 the week before. He was paid $1,000 for the win. Kunzman, Snider, Tobias and McElreath skipped the event for Milwaukee. Wagner caught a wheel from Saldana in heat one and crashed hard. Dickson crashed in the semi after contact with Nordhorn and the two exchanged shoves.

If this post isn't results, stories or something c
constructive, it isn't me! 
@BillWMedia
www.OpenWheel101.com

Thank you Bill.

I did better than I thought I might have done keeping track of things.