Sam Hanks ... Born ... He won his first championship in 1937 on the West Coast in the AMA. He barnstormed the country, racing on the board tracks at Soldier Field in Chicago and the Los Angeles Coliseum Motordome. Hanks reportedly won the first two board track races at Soldier Field in 1939. Hanks won the 1940 VFW Motor City Speedway championship. After World War II, he captured the 1946 URA Blue Circuit Championship. He won the 1947 Night before the 500 midget car race. He was the 1949 AAA National Midget champion. He won the 1956 Pacific Coast championship in the USAC Stock cars. He won the 1957 Indianapolis 500 at his thirteenth attempt at the race, the most tries of any Indy winner, and announced his retirement from racing in Victory Circle. Hanks was inducted in the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1984, the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1998 and the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2000. He drove the pace car at the Indianapolis 500 from 1958 to 1963.
____________________
1932
Gordon Condon ... Died ... AAA driver 1920's and 30's.
____________________
1947
Ted Horn won the AAA Bainbridge 100 on the 1 Mile Dirt Oval Bainbridge Fairgrounds in Bainbridge, Ohio. Bill Holland was second followed by Charles Van Acker, Tony Bettenhausen and George Connor.
Mel Hansen , driving the Rex Mays Offy, won the 25-lap CARA Midget race over Ted Duncan and Don Brennan at the Soldier Field, Chicago, IL.
____________________
1949
Eddie Haddad won the 40-lap CARA Midget race over Frank Burany, Sam Hanks and Mel Hansen before 9,344 fans at the Soldier Field, Chicago, IL.
____________________
1951
Rex Easton won the AAA Midget race at the Hales Corners Speedway, Milwaukee,WI.
____________________
1952
Marshall Teague drove his Hudson Hornet to victory in the 150 mile AAA Stock Car race on the 1 mile dirt oval at the Wisconsin State Fairgrounds.
Troy Ruttman, driving the Agajanian # 98, won the AAA Eastern Sprint Car race over Mike Nazaruk and Tommy Hinnershitz at the Williams Grove Speedway, Mechanicsburg, PA.
Jim Rigsby won the AAA Sprint Car race at the Winchester Speedway, Winchester, IN.
____________________
1955
Johnnie Tolan won the AAA Midget race at the Illiana Motor Speedway, Schererville,IN.
____________________
1957
Johnnie Tolan won the USAC Midget race at the West 16th Street Speedway, Indianapolis,IN.
____________________
1958
Ernie McCoy won the ARDC Midget race at the Winchester Speedway, Winchester,VA.
Don Branson won the USAC Sprint Car race over A.J. Foyt, Eddie Sachs and Elmer George at the Winchester Speedway, Winchester, IN.
____________________
1960
Leroy Warriner won the USAC Midget race at the Peach Bowl Speedway, Atlanta,GA.
____________________
1962
Bobby Hersh won the Super Modified race over Johnny Mackison, Bobby Abel, Dick Tobias and Neil Haight at the Williams Grove Speedway, Williams Grove,PA.
____________________
1963
Billy Cantrell won the USAC Midget race at the Ascot Park Speedway, Gardena,CA
Chuck Yost won the URC Sprint Car race at the Autodrome de Laval, Laval, PQ. Cookie Osterhout was second followed by Don Gillette, Bobby Courtwright and Bill Brown.
Ray Brown won the ARDC Midget race at the Orange County Fair Speedway, Middletown,NY.
Lou Blaney won the Sprint Car race at the Tri-City Speedway, Franklin,PA.
____________________
1964
Don Meacham won the USAC Midget race at the Springfield Speedway, Springfield,IL.
____________________
1965
Larry Cannon won the Sprint Car race at the Danville Speedbowl, Danville,IL.
____________________
1966
Ned Spath won the CRA Sprint Car race at the Ascot Park Speedway, Gardena,CA. Bob Evans was second followed by Hal Minyard, Bruce Walkup and Hank Henry.
____________________
1968
Al Unser Sr won his first USAC National Championship race, a 100 mile night race on the 1.12 mile dirt track in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. Hometown favorite Mario Andretti was second followed by Billy Vukovich, Gary Bettenhausen and Carl Williams.
Bobby Hogle, in the Alex Morales # 1, won the CRA Sprint Car race at the Ascot Park Speedway, Gardena,CA. Bob McCoy was second followed by Dick Fries, Billy Wilkerson and Ace Duncan.
Bert Brooks won the ARDC Midget race at the Hershey Stadium, Hershey,PA.
Gus Linder won the URC Sprint Car race at the Lincoln Speedway, Hanover,PA. ,Bobby Abel won the regular Super Sprint Car feature.
____________________
1969
David Pearson averaged just over 121 mph, and won the 300 mile NASCAR Grand National race at Trenton, New Jersey. This was the first race on the new 1.5-mile dogleg track.
____________________
1973
Tom Sneva won the USAC Sprint Car race at the Sharon Speedway , Hartford,OH.
____________________
1974
Bruce Walkup won the USAC Sprint Car race at the Eldora Speedway, Rossburg,OH.
____________________
1993
Davey Allison ... Died ... A NASCAR race car driver, best known as the driver of the Robert Yates Racing #28 Texaco-Havoline Ford. Born in Hollywood, Florida, he was the eldest of four children born to NASCAR driver Bobby Allison and wife Judy. The family moved to Hueytown, Alabama and along with Bobby's brother Donnie Allison, family friend Red Farmer, and Neil Bonnett, became known in racing circles as the Alabama Gang. Davey Allison died as a result of a helicopter crash at Talladega Superspeedway on July 13, 1993. Racing legend Red Farmer was a passenger in the helicopter and survived the crash.
ONE DAY
To report wrong information, click here to send E-Mail to webmaster@wheelsofspeed.com 
Back to the Wheels of Speed home page