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THURSDAY, MAY 6. 1971. . . by BOB SPEEDYWill sprint car racing become a major television sport?After seeing the USA/C show from Terre Haute via the tube last Saturday afternoon the possibility seems favorable.From the opening shot of Dee Jones strapping himself into the locally owned Bob Finn sprint machine to the closing shot of Don Nordhorn and George Snider in their controversial finish, the live broadcast was first class excitement all the way.ABC is to be congratulated on their coverage of the event. In some areas of the broadcast there was room for improvement, such as the cameras not following what die announcers were reporting. But all said and done it was a goodshow.Ralph Liguroi and the Terre Haute '‘Action Trade” just don’t seem to get along too well. This Tampa, Florida, native flipped his sprinter after ramming die guard rail in the first turn during the second heat race. He has had several nasty looking accidents on this half mile dirt oval over the past few years but has managed to escape unhurt or just a little shaken. When Ralph stays out of trouble he is a top contender in any sprint show. As one fellow put it, “He has more moves than a fiddler’s elbow.”George Snider was declared the official winner with Nordhorn second, Sam Sessions third and Jim McElreath fourth. Rounding out the top ten were Larry Cannon, Rollie Beale, Merle Bettenhausen, Butch Wilkerson, Carl Busson, and Jimmie Oskie.The name Don Nordhorn should ring a bell with local racing fans. This 37-year-old Wadesville, Indiana resident competed in several races at Sun Valley Speedway. In 1968 Don started on the outside of the first row in the “Little 500.” He was the Tri-County (Cincinnati) champion in 1968, the same year he was track champion at Haubstat, Indiana. He is a past South Central Indiana Racing Association point champ in the sprint division.Don made the move to USAC in 1969 and finished 13th in points for the sprint circuit. He ran his only championship event that year finishing 10th at Nazareth, Pennsylvania’s mile-and-an-eighth dirt oval. In 1970, Don moved up to 7th in the point standings picking up one sprint victory at Nazareth on July 13 in a 50-mile feature event. In seven outings this year Don has a fourth, fifth and a second place finish to his credit. The second place finish came at Terre Haute in last Saturday’s event and in this writer’s mind should have been Don’s win because of what appeared to be illegal passing under the yellow flag. The officials eay Snider did right so that’s the way it will stand.At Springfield, Illinois, a couple of years ago, Nordhorn was attempting to make the starting line up for a USAC championship event on the one mile dirt oval. When he pulled onto the track in these Ray Smith Speedshop dirt track car. the man on the PA system announced in a loud clear voice, “And now pulling onto the track, from Wadesville, Indiana, a newcomer in the USAC ranks, NORD HORN!” Weil, Nord didn’t make the race that day but he gained a lot of attention with his unusual name.Out of the top ten finishers in Saturday’s USAC sprintshow, seven have competed in sprint events at Sun Valley Speedway at one time or another. Larry Cannon, Butch Wilkerson, and Nordhorn all ran with the ASA while Beale, McElreath, Sessions and Busson all participated in the LMCA events at the local level.This coming Saturday, the IMCA sprints will be in town for the qualifications for the “Little 500.” The public is admitted free to this event which starts with warmups at 10 a.m. and qualifying at 4 p.m. Tickets for this year’s classic speed show are now on sale at Sun Valley Speedway. Call 642-0206 and reserve your ticket for the May 22 runningof the 23rd annual “Little 500.”
Newspaper Details
Anderson Herald
Anderson, Indiana, US
Thu, May 06, 1971
Page 43
Full Page
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NY, USA 02 Oct 2020
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