CHICAGO – Bill Van Allen set a single-season record for feature wins at Blue Island’s Raceway Park as he captured 29 late model stock car main events in his 1960 Studebaker Lark.
However, Van Allen finished in the runner-up spot in the final points standings behind Harry Simonsen, who won 10 feature races in his ’57 Chevy. Simonsen competed in all 64 of Raceway’s stock car programs in 1960, while Van Allen, due to a work commitment, only ran two nights a week during the hectic schedule.
Simonsen and Van Allen were trailed by Ray Young, Bud Koehler and Bob Vickery in the final standings. One of Van Allen’s victories was the track’s annual 300-lap Classic, with Van Allen piloting his little yellow Lark to the checkered flag at the quarter-mile paved oval over Vickery and Ted Janecyk. Rich Miller earned an impressive 20 feature wins on his way to winning the Novice division driving title.
Russ Sweedler took overall driving championship honors in the United Auto Racing Ass’n midget ranks, winning 11 features. UARA sanctioned 47 racing events with Sweedler, the association’s 1958 rookie of the year, besting Johnny Riva, Bernie Wilhelmi, ’53 and ’54 UARA titlist Tony Lenti and Byron Fisher in the final points. Wilhelmi was named NASCAR’s 1960 midget champion as he captured two 25-lap midget main events in February at Memorial Stadium in Daytona Beach.
George Sellery wheeled the Bob Lockard-owned, Falcon-powered midget to victory in the 50-lap Mid Season Championship at Joliet Memorial Stadium, which hosted weekly UARA midget action. Santa Fe Speedway and Raceway Park were also regular stops for the UARA circuit. Sweedler piloted the Bob Steffes No. 96 to victory in the 50-lap Season Championship on the dirt at Joliet, with Mel Kenyon winning the 50-lap season title race at Raceway Park. Sweedler also copped the season finale at Santa Fe.
A couple of other midget specials included Riva winning the 50-lap Tri-State Championship at O’Hare Stadium in Schiller Park, which featured both Offenhauser and Ford-powered midgets and Bob Tomlinson, behind the wheel of the speedy Frank Pavese Ford, claiming victory in a 30-lap special at the half-mile dirt Speed Bowl Park in Sterling.
Fred Lorenzen swept the first six out of seven late model feature races held at O’Hare. Lorenzen and his Nickey Chevrolet ’57 Chevy were red hot at the beginning of the season until the Elmhurst resident turned his attention to NASCAR Grand National competition. Lorenzen made 10 NASCAR starts, turning in three top-five finishes.
Roy Czach an hisd ‘57 Chevy would grab late model championship honors at O’Hare, which was sanctioned by NASCAR. Winning six features along the way, Czach, was trailed by Gilbert Michaels and Lorenzen in the final points. One of Czach’s wins was a non-stop run to victory in the 200-lap Season Championship race in September.
With Lorenzen giving up his two year hold on the United States Auto Club stock car championship, Norm Nelson of Racine, Wis., captured the USAC stock car title in 1960. A bunch of Chicago area drivers competed on the USAC circuit, which saw a nine-race schedule, of which four of the races were held at The Milwaukee Mile. Locals Tony Bettenhausen, Whitey Gerken, Bob Pronger, Gene Marmor and Arnie Gardner finished in the top-10 in the USAC standings. Nelson and Bettenhausen split the Milwaukee dates with two wins a piece.
USAC midgets competed locally at Soldier Field and at the fast, high-banked Mazon Speed Bowl. Leroy Warriner and his Hank Green-owned Offy won twice on the flat quarter-mile paved oval inside Chicago’s mammoth stadium, with Gene Hartley winning once. Warriner also won at Mazon’s paved quarter-mile.
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