Danny Oakes... Born ... In the 1940s and 50s, he was one of America's leading Midget Race Car drivers winning 100s of races around the country. He won the Turkey Night Grand Prix and 3 West Coast Midget Championships in 1945. In 1947, he won the American Automobile Assn. Midget title and the United States Auto Club Pacific Coast Midget championship in 1959. At age 40, he tried to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 from 1952 to 1955, without success. But as a mechanic, he put many others into the winners circle and earned the reputation as one of the best mechanics in the Indy pits. As chief mechanic in 1963, for 1952, 500 winner Troy Ruttman, his car finished 12th and driver Johnny White, brought Oakes his best finish of 4th in 1964. He quit driving midgets in his mid-60s, but continued his racing career into his 70s as a throttle man in offshore boat racing. He was inducted into the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1996.
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1948
Tony Bettenhausen won the 25 Mile AAA Indy Car non-championship race on the 1 mile dirt oval at the Milwaukee Mile, West Allis, WI.
Ted Horn won the AAA Eastern Sprint Car race at the Metrolina Speedway, Charlotte, NC.
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1951
Potsy Goacher won the AAA Midget race at the Cincinnati Race Bowl, Cincinnati,OH.
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1952
Vic Carter won the AAA Midget race at the Kokomo Speedway, Kokomo,IN.
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1953
Russ Klar won the AAA Sprint Car race at the Illiana Motor Speedway, Schererville, IN.
Nick Valenta won the CRA Sprint Car race at the South Mountain Speedway, Phoenix, AZ.
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1954
Mike Nazaruk won the AAA Sprint Car race at the Salem Speedway, Salem, IN.
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1957
Norm Hall won the USAC Midget race at the South Bend Motor Speedway, South Bend,IN.
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1958
Jack Turner won the USAC Midget race at the Sportsdrome Speedway, Jeffersonville,IN.
Bobby Grim won the IMCA Sprint Car race at the Red River Valley Speedway, Fargo,ND.
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1959
Leroy Warriner won the 50 lap USAC Midget race at the Flat Rock Speedway, Flat Rock,MI.
Roger Bailey won the ARDC Midget race at the Danbury Fairgrounds, Danbury,CT.
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1960
Johnny Roberts won the USAC Midget race at the Springfield Speedway, Springfield,IL.
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1961
Allen Crowe won the 50 lap USAC Midget race at the Springfield Speedway, Springfield,IL.
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1962
Gordon Johncock won the Supermodified race at the Louisville Fairgrounds, Louisville, KY.
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1964
Red Riegel won the ARDC Midget race at the Hatfield Speedway, Hatfield,PA.
Bobby Hogle won the CRA Sprint Car race at the Champion Speedway, San Francisco,CA.
Greg Weld won the Sprint Car race over brother Kenny Weld at the Lakeside Speedway, Kansas City,KS.
Bobby Abel won the Sprint Modified race over Bud Folkenroth and Johnny Roberts at the Lincoln Speedway, New Oxford, PA.
Chuck Rodee won the USAC Midget race at the South Bend Motor Speedway, South Bend,IN.
A.J. Foyt won the USAC Sprint Car race over Bud Tingelstad and Jud Larson at the Williams Grove Speedway, Williams Grove,PA.
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1965
A.J. Foyt won the Trenton 150 USAC Indy Car race on the 1 mile paved oval at the Trenton International Speedway, Trenton, NJ. Jim Hurtubise was second followed by Bobby Grim , Don Branson and Joe Leonard .
Bobbie Adamson won the Sprint Car race over Ted Wise, Steve Travers, Gus Linder and Bob Burris at the Blanket Hill Speedway, Kittanning,PA.
Ralph Quarterson won the Sprint Car race over Bill Banick and Ron Anderson at the Sharon Speedway, Hartford, OH
Carl Steffy won the Mid-Season Championship Stock Car race at the Grandview Speedway, Bechtelsville, PA. ( Click here for the race report. )
Rags Carter won the Modified Stock Car race and Del George won the Limited Sportsman race at the Nazareth Speedway, Nazareth, PA. ( Click here for the race report. )
Ed Spencer won the Modified Stock Car race and the Semi-Late Model race at the Susquehanna Speedway, Newberrytown, PA. ( Click here for the race report. )
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1971
Mark Donohue drove his McLaren to victory in the 200 mile USAC Championship race on the 2 mile banked Michigan International Speedway. Billy Vukovich finished second followed by Roger McCluskey, Wally Dallenbach and Cale Yarborough.
Richie Evans won the Modified Stock Car race at the Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Malta, NY. Maynard Troyer finished second followed by Jerry Cook, Bugsy Stevens and Ed Flemke.
Gordon Johncock drove his Wildcat to victory in the Norton Twin 200's USAC Championship race on the 2 mile banked Michigan International Speedway. Johnny Rutherford finished second followed by A.J. Foyt, Johnny Parsons and Roger McCluskey.
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1982
Gordon Johncock drove his Wildcat to victory in the Norton Michigan 500 CART Championship race on the 2 mile banked Michigan International Speedway. Mario Andretti finished second followed by Bobby Rahal, Al Unser and Tom Bigelow.
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1993
Dale Earnhardt won the NASCAR Winston Cup Miller 500 over Rusty Wallace at the Pocono Raceway, Pocono, PA