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JULY 31

1912
Henry Guerand... Born ... AAA driver from the 1930's.
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1916
Louise Smith ... Born ... She was tied for the second woman to race in NASCAR at the top level. She was known as "the first lady of racing." She went as a spectator to the her first NASCAR race at the Daytona Beach Road Course in 1949. She couldn't stand watching the races, so she entered her family's shiny new Ford coupe in the race and rolled it. Her hometown Greenville, South Carolina paper featured photos of the wreck, and the town knew about it before she got home. The race was the first race to feature three female drivers (Ethel Mobley and Sara Christian). The trio also competed later that season at the Langley Speedway. She raced from 1949 to 1956. She won 38 races in her career in numerous formats: late models, modifieds (28 victories), midgets, and sportsman. She returned in 1971 as a car owner for numerous drivers. She sponsored Ronnie Thomas' Rookie of the Year attempt in 1978. She became the first woman inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1999.
1948
Ted Horn won the AAA Eastern Sprint Car race at the Delaware State Fairgrounds,Harrington, DE.
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1949
Johnny Mantz won the Indianapolis Classic AAA Indy Car non-championship race at the half mile dirt oval Williams Grove Speedway, Mechanicsburg, PA. Duane Carter was second followed by Rex Mays, Lee Wallard and Buster Warke.
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1950
Emory Collins won the IMCA Sprint Car race at the Calgary Exhibition, Calgary, AB.
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1952
Deb Snyder won the IMCA Sprint Car race at the Nodak Speedway, Minot, ND.
Vic Carter won the AAA Midget race at the Sportsman's Park, Bedford,OH.
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1954
Johnny Thomson won the AAA Eastern Sprint Car race over Tommy Hinnershitz at the Delaware State Fairgrounds,Harrington, DE.
Dick Brown won the AAA Midget race at the Thompson Int. Speedway, Thompson,CT.
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1955
Jimmy Bryan won the Indianapolis Classic AAA Indy Car non-championship race at the half mile dirt oval Williams Grove Speedway, Mechanicsburg, PA. Jimmy Davies was second followed by Don Freeland, George Amick and Bob Sweikert.
Shorty Templeman won the AAA Midget race at the Blue Island,Chicago, IL.
Bill Randall won the ARDC Midget race at the Old Bridge Stadium,Old Bridge, NJ.
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1958
Bobby Grim won the IMCA Sprint Car race at the Nodak Speedway, Minot,ND.
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1959
Don Branson won the 50 lap USAC Midget race at the Quad Cities Speedway, Miline, IL.
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1960
Bob Wente won the USAC Midget race over Tony Bettenhausen at the Dayton Speedway, Dayton,OH.
Ted Wise won the Sprint Car race over Steve Ungar and Ralph Quarterson at the Sharon Speedway, Hartford, OH.
Parnelli Jones won the USAC Sprint Car race over Don Branson, Eddie Sachs, Leon Clum and A.J. Foyt at the Salem Speedway, Salem,IN.
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1962
Bill Horstmeyer won the IMCA Sprint Car race at the LaCrosse Fair Speedway, LaCrosse,WI. Scratch Daniels was second followed by Pete Folse, Jerry Richert and Johnny Rutherford.
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1963
Bill Randall ... Died ... He raced sprint cars and midgets, winning the Eastern USAC Sprint Car title in 1957 and finishing third in the ARDC Midget Championship in 1961. In Champ Cars he raced at Daytona in 1959 in the USAC event driving a Kurtis 500C Offy, finishing 14th. He tried to qualify for the Indy 500 in 1961 but was unsuccessful. In 1962 he qualified for a race at Trenton driving a Kuzma but went out with a broken throttle. In other series he enjoyed considerable success winning races in events sanctioned by NEMA, BSRA, UCOA, ARDC and USAC. He was killed in an ARDC Midget race at Lime Rock, a road course, in July 1963. As Midgets almost always raced on ovals many of the drivers were unfamiliar with right hand bends at racing speeds. On the first lap he colided with Len Thrall and Bert Brooks and rolled, sliding over 100 feet up side down. He died four days later from his injuries.
Bob McCoy won the CRA Sprint Car race at the Ascot Park Speedway, Gardena,CA. Allen Heath finished second followed by Bobby Hogle, Ned Spath and Jim Steele.
Gordon Woolley won the IMCA Sprint Car race at the LaCrosse Fair Speedway, LaCrosse,WI.
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1964
Mel Kenyon won the USAC Midget race at the Baer Field Speedway, Fort Wayne,IN.
Dick Gaines won the Sprint Car race at the Bloomington Speedway, Bloomington,IN.
Bobby Malzahn won the 50 lap Mid-Summer Modified Championship Stock Car race at the Reading Fairgrounds, Reading, PA. ( Click here for the race report. )
Wally Dallenbach won both of the twin 20's Modified Stock Car races at the Vineland Speedway, Vineland, NJ. ( Click here for the race report. )
Johnny Dubendorf won the Modified Stock Car race at the Williams Grove Speedway, Mechanicsburg, PA. ( Click here for the race report. )
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1965
Irvin King won the Sportsman-Modified race over Bobby Abel, Bud Folkenroth, Chuck Brannon, Bob Tester, Mort Stine and Willie Muselman at the Lincoln Speedway, Hanover, PA.
Bob Weisenmeyer won the Modified Stock Car race at the Flemington Fairgrounds, Flemington, NJ. ( Click here for the race report. )
Pete Swarmer won the Modified race at the Port Royal Speedway, Port Royal, PA. ( Click here for the race report. )
Lou Johnson won the URC Sprint Car race at the Harrington Fairgrounds, Harrington, DE. ( Click here for the race report. )
Bob Tattersall won the USAC Midget race at the Champaign Fairgrounds, Champaign,IL.
J.D. Leas won the Sprint Car race at the Debo Speedway, Steubenville,OH.
Allen Heath won the USAC Midget race at the Kearney Bowl, Fresno, CA.
Audie Swartz won the IMCA Sprint Car race at the Eldora Speedway, Rossburg,OH. Karl Busson finished second followed by Rollie Beale, Benny Rapp and Bill Eubanks.
Kenny Weld won the Sprint Car race at the Knoxville Raceway, Knoxville,IA.
Ron Lux won the Super Modified race at the Oswego Speedway, Oswego,NY.
Joe Kelly won the Modified-Sportsman Stock Car race and Dutch Schaefer won the ARDC Midget race at the Wall Stadium, Belmar,NJ. ( Click here for the race report. )
Red Coffin won the Stock Car race at the Dorney Park Speedway, Allentown, PA. ( Click here for the race report. )
Bobby Malzahn won the Modified Stock Car race at the Victory Speedway (Orange County Fairgrounds), Middletown, NY. ( Click here for the race report. )
Leroy Felty won the Modified Stock Car race at the Selinsgrove Speedway, Selinsgrove, PA. ( Click here for the race report. )
Larry Voss won the Stock Car race at the Hatfield Speedway, Hatfield, PA. ( Click here for the race report. )
Abe Levengood and Mike Grbacwon the Novice Stock Car races at the Flemington Fairgrounds, Flemington, NJ. ( Click here for the race report. )
Bill Slater won the Modified Stock Car race at the Norwood Arena, Norwood, MA. ( Click here for the race report. )
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1966
Bob Tattersall won the USAC Midget race at the Tri-City Speedway, Granite City,IL.
Scratch Daniels won the IMCA Sprint Car race over Jerry Poland, Jerry Richert, Edgar Elder and Dean Mast at the Winchester Speedway, Winchester,IN.
Mario Andretti won the USAC Sprint Car race at the Cumberland Fairgrounds, Cumberland, MD. Don Branson was second followed by Roger McCluskey, Bobby Unser and George Snider.
Jon Backlund won the Sprint Car race over Gene Gennetten, Dick Sutcliffe, Bobby Ward and Jerry Weld at the Olympic Stadium, Kansas City,MO.
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1968
Johnny Coy won the ARDC Midget race at the Islip Speedway, Islip,NY.
Billy Vukovich won the USAC Midget race at the Knoxville Raceway, Knoxville,IA. Mel Kenyon was second followed by Bob Tattersall, Sammy Sessions and Roger West.
Gus Linder, in the # 69 Mickey Banas Special, won the Super Sprint Car race over Ray Tilley, Bobbie Adamson, Bobby Allen and Smokey Snellbaker at the Williams Grove Speedway, Williams Grove,PA.
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1970
Jan Opperman won the Super Sprint Car race over Johnny Grum, Kenny Weld, Jim Sheaffer and Lynn Paxton at the Williams Grove Speedway, Williams Grove,PA.
Dick Sutcliffe won the Sprint Car race over Jerry Blundy and Wib Spaulding at the Tri-City Speedway, Granite City,IL.
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1971
Leroy Felty won the URC Sprint Car race over Buck Buckley, Bill Schroth, Rich Bonnell and Walt Bettler at the Delaware State Fairgrounds, Harrington,DE.
Ted Wise won the Sprint Car race over Chuck Engstrom and Jim Willett at the Jennerstown Speedway, Jennerstown,PA.
Steve Smith won the Super Sprint Car race over Jan Opperman, Ed Zirkle, Ken Slaybaugh and Dub May at the Lincoln Speedway, Hanover,PA.
Larry Cannon won the USAC Sprint Car race at the Reading Fairgrounds, Reading,PA. Larry Dickson was second followed by Joe Saldana, Gary Bettenhausen and Rollie Beale.
Billy Cassella, in the Al Hamilton # 77, won the Super Sprint Car race over Mitch Smith, Bobbie Adamson, Tom Spriggle and Herman Wise at the Selinsgrove Speedway, Selinsgrove,PA. The ARDC Midget race was won by Mitch Smith.
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1977
Johnny Rutherford won the 200 mile Texas Grand Prix USAC Indy Car race at the 2 mile paved oval Texas World Speedway, College Station, TX. Gordon Johncock was second followed by Pancho Carter, Johnny Parsons and Tom Sneva.
Benny Parsons won the NASCAR Winston Cup Coca-Cola 500 over Richard Petty at the Pocono Raceway, Pocono, PA.
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1983
Dale Earnhardt won the NASCAR Winston Cup Talladega 500 over Darrell Waltrip at the Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega, AL.
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1988
Ken Schrader won the NASCAR Winston Cup DieHard 500 over Geoffrey Bodine at the Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega, AL.
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1991
Al Loquasto ... Died ... Al drove in the USAC and CART Championship Car series, racing in the 1969-1980 and 1982-1983 seasons, with 61 combined career starts, including the 1976 and 1977 Indianapolis 500. He finished in the top ten 11 times, with his best finish in 7th position in 1975 at Ontario. He also drove in the USAC Sprint Car division and competed in six NASCAR Cup Series events in his career. Loquasto died in a plane crash in Fogelsville, Pennsylvania July 31, 1991.
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1993
Tim Adams and Paul Verhoest won the Twin 25 TQ races at the Sullivan County Speedway, White Lake, NY. ( Click here for the race report. )
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