August 10, 2015 (By Jay Hardin)-Fifty years ago the final weekend of auto racing got a little bit busier as for the first time in the 100 plus years of the Illinois State Fair stock cars were added to the grandstand entertainment lineup. The event was far more than an experiment and drew not only the hardcore racing fans but those curious about the new type of ‘act’ taking center stage.
Auto racing began at the Illinois State Fair as early as 1905 with exhibitions and it appears real competitive events began in 1910. Sprint Car type races were held throughout the next several years until 1929, sometimes on both weekends of the fair. Motorcycle races were also held during the fair, but the competition was either of the open wheel or two wheel variety. Stock car races were held on the grounds in 1950, 1952 and again for good in 1961 but never during the run of the Illinois State Fair.
That changed on August 20, 1965. The Allen Crowe Memorial 100, first held after the fair in 1963, was moved to the final Friday of the Illinois State Fair with the champ cars on Saturday and an AMA Motorcycle race Sunday. The 11th event of the 1965 USAC Stock Car series schedule was to be the first of the season contested on dirt, with two events following Springfield at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds and The Indiana State Fairgrounds.
Just twenty-two of the big machines made the trek to Springfield, the entry list a bit shy perhaps due to the 150 and 200 mile events at Milwaukee on August 15 and 18, with Paul Goldsmith taking the Fair Stock 150 in a Ray Nichels Plymouth and Norm Nelson winning the Fair Stock 200 in his own machine. Nelson came into Springfield in search of his second USAC Stock Car crown with Goldsmith in search of his third.
Big names dotted the entry list including those of Parnelli Jones, Joe Leonard, Bruce Jacobi, Don White Billy Foster and Gary Bettenhausen. Two new names appeared as well, Indy 500 Rookie of the Year Mario Andretti was in one of the Zecol Fords and Bobby Isaac was in a Dodge as a teammate to Goldsmith, Nichels switching both to Dodges for the dirt. Two no-shows were A.J. Foyt and Jim Hurtubise. The latter had crashed a Norm Nelson Plymouth at Milwaukee and was nursing some broken ribs. Car owner Nelson accepted a comeback award for ‘Herk’ before the 100-miler from Crowe’s widow Juanita.
Five drivers broke Don White’s 1962 track record with Norm Nelson setting quick time with a 38.27. Bay Darnell was a surprising second with Peoria native Herb Shannon timing third. Isaac and a Chrysler Hemi would start fourth with Canadian Billy Foster fifth.
Nelson’s Plymouth shot into the lead when starter Johnny Shipman threw the green, right away Roger Regeth collected J.C. Klotz and Don White for the first caution of the day. Wite continued on with a gaping hole in the driver’s door of his machine. When the green returned on lap 5, Isaac stunned a capacity crowd by taking the lead from Nelson. Goldsmith was on the charge and in second when Sal Tovella took out several feet of outer guardrail and chain link in turn one on lap 18. Tovella’s car flipped, he was unhurt but a spectator outside the track suffered minor injuries from flying debris.
Isaac was able to keep the lead as Foster and Shannon both dropped out. It looked like Isaac, who ran out of gas while leading at Milwaukee, was going to cruise to victory. However, he spun coming out of turn 4 on lap 63 and handed the lead to teammate Goldsmith! Fortunately he was able to keep going and lose only the lead. An extended caution at lap 72 allowed him to close on the leader and when racing resumed it took Isaac only two circuits to overhaul Goldsmith and lead the rest of the way. Goldsmith followed Isaac home for a 1-2 Nichels finish, Nelson came home third with White fourth, Bettenhausen fifth and Andretti seventh.
The winner of the 3rd Allen Crowe Memorial 100, Bobby Isaac would become famous as a NASCAR driver in the K&K Insurance Dodge winning 37 races and the 1970 NASCAR championship. Unfortunately he passed away in 1977. Goldsmith, a USAC star and Indy 500 veteran, would also head south to join NASCAR. Norm Nelson would win the USAC Stock Car championship, Mario Andretti the USAC National Championship.
A capacity crowd filed out of the grandstand and made their way home, or to the many food stands, or to the midway for carnival rides, a fact not lost on vendors nor fair management. Thousand saw stock car racing for the first time during the run of the Illinois State Fair, but it would not be the last time. The annual Allen Crowe 100 became as much a part of the fair as the Giant Slide or the Expo Building. Today it remains the highlight if the final day of each Illinois State Fair.
The annual Allen Crowe 100 takes place Sunday, August 23 at the Illinois State Fair.