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AUGUST 9th



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ONE DAY

AUGUST 9

1917
Barney Oldfield drove a streamlined Miller with fully enclosed cockpit, called the "Golden Sub", to new one mile (80 mph), five mile (77.2 mph), 25 mile (75.4 mph), and 50 mile (73.5 mph) speed records.
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1925
Len Sutton... Born ... Sutton became involved in auto racing after serving in the Navy during World War II. He spun out in the first corner on his first lap at a dirt track. Sutton won Oregon Racing Association championships in 1949, 1950, 1954, and 1955. He flipped his car to avoid cattle during the 1954 Carrera Panamericana road race (now Baja 1000). He was in a body cast for 4 months. He also won midget car racing championships in Portland before he headed east to become a national touring driver. He raced in the AAA and USAC Championship Car series from 1955 to 1965, with 76 career starts, 43 top ten finishes, and 3 victories. Sutton completed his rookie test for the Indianapolis 500 in 1956. He flipped his car while attempting 140 miles per hour for the 1957 Indianapolis 500. He slide upside down with his helmet scraping the asphalt for nearly 1000 feet. A report in the following day's Indianapolis News said "Sutton was at first believed dead by observers on the scene." His injuries included broken shoulder, serious abrasions on his back, and a fractured skull. He returned to Indianapolis the the following year and made his first start in the event. That year he finished 32nd after being eliminated in a multi-car accident during the first lap. He competed in the 500 six more times and had his best result in 1962. After starting the race 4th, he led 9 laps and finished second behind his teammate Rodger Ward. The next year, he set an unofficial Indianapolis Motor Speedway record when he went over 155 miles per hour during a tire test. Known for his versatility as a driver, Sutton also competed in roadsters, midgets, sprint cars, and stock cars. He finished 31st in the 1963 Daytona 500. Sutton decided to retire from driving during a 1965 race at Langhorne Speedway. Fellow competitor Mel Kenyon was severely burned in the race. After retiring from driving, Sutton went into broadcasting and was a member of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network for many years. Sutton died at his home in Portland at age 81 after a long battle with cancer.
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1947
Tommy Mattson , driving the Culp #3, won the AAA Eastern Sprint Car race at the Bedford Speedway in Bedford, PA.
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1951
Walt Faulkner won the AAA Midget race at the Quad City Speedway, East Moline,IL.
Deb Snyder won the IMCA Sprint Car race at the Southern Iowa Speedway, Oskaloosa, IA.
Frankie Luptow won the IMCA Sprint Car race at the State Park Speedway, Wausau, WI.
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1952
Deb Snyder won the IMCA Sprint Car race at the Faribault Fairgrounds, Faribault, MN.
Duane Carter , driving the Carter #2, won the AAA Eastern Sprint Car race at the Bedford Speedway in Bedford, PA.
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1953
Deb Snyder won the IMCA Sprint Car race at the Black Hills Speedway, Rapid City, SD.
Duane Carter won the AAA Sprint Car race at the Boonville Fairgrounds, Boonville, IN.
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1956
Bobby Grim won the IMCA Sprint Car race over Bob Tattersall at the Buena Vista Raceway, Alta,IA.
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1957
Bobby Grim won the IMCA Sprint Car race at the Southern Iowa Speedway, Oskaloosa,IA.
Cotton Farmer won the IMCA Sprint Car race at the Knoxville Raceway, Knoxville,IA.
Rex Easton won the USAC Midget race at the Cincinnati Race Bowl, Cincinnati,OH.
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1958
Bobby Grim won the IMCA Sprint Car race at the Southern Iowa Speedway, Oskaloosa,IA.
Arnie Knepper won the IMCA Sprint Car race at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds, Springfield,MO.
Shorty Templeman won the USAC Midget race at the Motor City Speedway, Detroit,MI.
Chuck Arnold won the ARDC Midget race at the Orange County Fair Speedway, Middletown,NY.
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1959
Pete Folse won the IMCA Sprint Car race at the Faribault Fairgrounds, Faribault,MN.
Eddie Johnson won the USAC Midget race at the Lorain County Speedway, South Amherst,OH.
Don Branson won the USAC Sprint Car race at the Salem Speedway, Salem,IN.
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1962
Pete Folse won the IMCA Sprint Car race at the Eldon Raceway, Eldon,IA.
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1963
Gus Linder won the Sprint Car race at the Greater Pittsburgh Speedway, Pittsburgh,PA. Lou Blaney was second followed by Herb Buck and Bob Burris.
Chuck Rodee won the USAC Midget race at the Indianapolis Speedrome, Indianapolis,IN.
Jerry Weld won the Sprint Car race at the Riverside Stadium, Kansas City,MO.
Ray Tilley won the Super Modified race at the Williams Grove Speedway, Williams Grove,PA. Bobby Abel finished second followed by Donnie Eisenhour, Bobby Gerhart and Gene Goodling.
Wally Dallenbach won the Modified - Sportsman Stock Car race at the Vineland Speedway, Vineland, NJ. ( Click here for the race report. )
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1964
Don Branson won the USAC Sprint race at the Terre Haute Action Track, Terre Haute,IN. Johnny Rutherford was second followed by Jud Larson, Bud Tingelstad and Lloyd Ruby.
Parnelli Jones won the 40-lap USAC Midget race at the Lincoln Speedway, Abbottstown, PA.
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1975
Mark Donohue set an American closed-course speed record of 221.120 MPH at Talledega, Alabama, in a Porsche 917/30.
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1992
Kyle Petty won the NASCAR Winston Cup Bud at the Glen over Morgan Shepherd at the Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, NY.
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1998
Jeff Gordon won the NASCAR Winston Cup Bud at the Glen over Mark Martin at the Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, NY.
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2000
Herb Thomas... Died ... A NASCAR pioneer who won the Grand National Racing (now Winston Cup) championship in 1951 and 1953; ranks 12th on the career victory list with 48 wins in 230 starts; won Southern 500 three times in the 1950s; inducted in International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1994.
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