FATHERS AND SONS PART OF THE FABRIC OF SPRINGFIELD HISTORY

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media

Springfield, Illinois (September 19, 2019)………The lineage of father/son duos who’ve competed in AAA/USAC Championship Dirt Car racing at the Illinois State Fairgrounds for the past eight decades begins right there with the title of this Sunday’s race: the Bettenhausen 100.

The family patriarch, 1951 AAA and 1958 USAC National Champion Tony Bettenhausen, won the pole twice at the Springfield Mile, both in 1950, and won three times in 10 starts in 1947-50-51.  Tony’s son Gary followed in a similar path, winning the race named for his father twice, in 1978 and 1983, in 19 starts at the one-mile dirt oval.  Gary's brother Merle made two starts as well, including his Champ Car debut in 1970, finishing 8th, followed by a 7th in 1971.

Racing is an endeavor with names and venues that connect the past to the current; not many places still in existence have as much overflowing history as does the Springfield Mile.

On this Sunday's driver entry list, Greenfield, Indiana’s C.J. Leary is the lone son of a father who competed in a USAC Silver Crown car at Springfield.  His father Chuck, the 1995 series Rookie of the Year, made three starts, finishing a best of 7^th in 1999.  C.J., a 2015 series Rookie of the Year himself, has a best finish of 6^th in the first of his three Springfield starts in 2015.  They remain the only father/son to date to both win at least one Silver Crown main event.

After a glance at the history of AAA/USAC Champ Car racing at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, which dates back to 1934, we’ve found no less than 21 sons who’ve joined their fathers as Champ Car starters at Springfield.

Johnnie Parsons, the 1950 Indianapolis 500 winner, was impressive at Springfield where he finished in the top-five on four occasions, winning the 1949 100-miler en route to the AAA title.  Son Johnny made 27 starts at Springfield in a Champ Car, second only to George Snider.  While Johnny never won, he was a three-time pole starter in 1975-94-95 and finished in the runner-up position behind Tom Bigelow.

The Carter family is the only three consecutive generation family of racers at Springfield in a Champ Car.  Duane Carter started six, finishing a best of 7^th in 1949.  Duane’s son Pancho made nine starts at Springfield, winning in his final appearance in 1980.  Pancho’s brother Dana was 12^th in 1982, tops among his three starts.  Pancho’s two sons Dane and Cole each notched starts at Springfield.  Dane made four with a 14^th place result in 2003 while Cole started 3^rd and finished 30^th in his only appearance in 2005, his day ending early following a hard crash early on.

Two-time Indianapolis winner Bill Vukovich started 6^th and finished 15^th in his one Springfield start in 1951.  Son Billy was a more frequent visitor, carving out 14 starts and a 3^rd place finish in 1969.

Chuck Weyant was an 11^th place finisher in both of his Springfield starts in 1954-59.  Chuck’s son Tony Weyant made a pair of starts, topping out with a 13^th in 1980.  Chuck is the great uncle of Springfield native Korey Weyant who will be in competition in his green/white No. 99 this Sunday at Springfield.

Eddie Sachs, a two-time Indianapolis 500 pole winner and the 1958 USAC Midwest Sprint Car champion, finished as the runner-up at Springfield in 1960, was 3^rd in 1956 and 7^th in 1959.  Son Eddie Sachs, Jr., made a single appearance in 1991, finishing 35^th in the Bettenhausen 100.

Parnelli Jones, the 1963 Indianapolis 500 winner, won the pole at Springfield in 1961 and finished in the runner-up spot in 1962.  Son Page’s career was tragically cut short due to injury, but he did make one start at Springfield in 1994, starting 19^th and finishing 28^th, bowing out with an oil tank issue just 16 laps into the 100-lap race.

Texan Jim McElreath made 18 Springfield starts between 1962 and 1992.  He won the pole for the race in 1965 and finished inside the top-five on six occasions with a best of 2^nd in 1978.  Son James made just three starts, starting 6^th and finishing 4^th during his best performance less than two months before his death in a sprint car crash at Winchester (Ind.) Speedway.  Jim and James remain the only father/son to compete in the same Champ Car race at Springfield, something they did twice in 1976-77.

In 11 Springfield starts, 1975 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year Bill Puterbaugh finished in the top-five twice, 5^th in 1972 followed up by a best of 3^rd in 1973.  Son Billy Puterbaugh, Jr. was a top-five runner himself in 1998, finishing 5^th, the best performance in his three starts.

Mike Mosely, a three-time Milwaukee Indy Car winner, started in the top-ten in both of his Springfield appearances with a best finish of 10^th in 1970.  His son, Mike Mosley, Jr. took home a 27^th place result in his first and only Bettenhausen 100 run in 1998.

Eastern superstar Dick “Toby” Tobias came west to Springfield twice in the early 1970s, finishing 12^th in 1972.  His son, Rich Tobias, Jr., started the 100-miler seven times, finishing in the runner-up spot in 2004.

Arizonian Ron Shuman had three top-fives in his Springfield career, including a second-place result in 1983.  Son Casey Shuman, the 2016 USAC Silver Crown Rookie of the Year, has made two starts with a best result of 7^th in 2015.

Shorty Templeman, who won the first three National Midget driving titles under the USAC banner in 1956-57-58, appeared twice at Springfield in a Champ Car, taking a 5^th in 1961.  Shorty’s son Clark Templeman crossed the stripe in 8^th in 1978 for his best run at the Illinois State Fairgrounds.

USAC Hall of Famer Bob East made a pair of starts during his driving career with a 15^th in 1978 as his top result.  Son Bobby East went on to become a USAC National Midget champ in 2004 and twice a Silver Crown titlist in 2012-13.  In four Springfield Champ Car starts, Bobby was at his best in his final start there, a 3^rd, in 2014.

An 8^th was Illinoisan Jerry Russell’s best in eight Springfield starts, which came in his first try in 1984.  Son Steven Russell took his shot at the Mile twice, earning a 14^th in 2014.

Indy Car, NASCAR and drag racing veteran John Andretti had a solid debut in his lone Springfield start in 1985, scoring a 7^th place finish.  Jarett Andretti joined his father as a Springfield starter in 2013, racing home to a 12^th place result.

West Coast Sprint Car racing legend Brent Kaeding came to the Midwest to tackle the Springfield Mile on three different occasions, taking 7^th in 1986.  His son, Bud Kaeding, was excellent in the Crown cars during his career, winning the series title in 2007.  The Californian’s best afternoon at Springfield came in the first of his nine starts, starting 4^th and finishing 2^nd in 2000.

Blake Hollingsworth made a pair of starts at Springfield, his 12^th place start and 22^nd place finish in 1993 was the better of the two.  Son Shane Hollingsworth, the 2009 Hoosier Hundred victor, entered his name into the Bettenhausen 100 record book, winning the pole for the 2008 race and finishing 3^rd.

Not often does the son make his debut at a racetrack before his father, but that’s just the case with three-time NASCAR champ and four-time USAC National titlist Tony Stewart.  Tony made four Springfield Silver Crown starts with a finish of 10^th serving as his best, which came during his 1995 Triple Crown season.  Tony’s father Nelson Stewart dabbled in Silver Crown racing beginning in 2004, failing to qualify for the big show after missing the transfer in the qualifying race.

Sunday’s Bettenhausen 100 in Springfield gets underway with pits opening and registration starting at 7am (Central), the ticket office and grandstands opening at 9am, the drivers meeting at 9:30am, Silver Crown practice from 10am to 11:10am, DIRTcar Modified hot laps at 11:15am, Fatheadz Silver Crown Qualifying at 11:35am, Silver Crown Qualifying Race at 12:30pm, Modified feature at 1pm, pre-race ceremonies at 1:30pm and the Bettenhausen 100-mile race at 2pm.

Tickets will be available on raceday or by calling the State Fair office at 217-782-1979. Info and tickets can also be obtained by calling the Track Enterprises office at 217-764-3200.  Advance Tickets (Presale) are $25 for adults and $10 for children 11 and under.  On race day, tickets are $30 for adults and $10 for children 11 and under.  Infield tickets are $20 for adults and $5 for children 11 and under.  Pit passes are $35 for adults and $20 for children 11 and under.

This Sunday’s Springfield race can be watched LIVE and on-demand on FloRacing, listened to via live audio on the USAC app as well as live timing and scoring on both the USAC app and the Race-Monitor app.

FATHER AND SONS TO COMPETE IN A AAA/USAC CHAMP CAR EVENT AT THE ILLINOIS STATE FAIRGROUNDS:

John & Jarett Andretti

Tony & Gary/Merle Bettenhausen

Duane & Pancho/Dana Carter

Pancho Carter & Dane/Cole Carter

Bob & Bobby East

Blake & Shane Hollingsworth

Parnelli & Page Jones

Brent & Bud Kaeding

Chuck & C.J. Leary

Jim & James McElreath

Mike Sr. & Mike Mosley, Jr.

Johnnie & Johnny Parsons

Bill Sr. & Billy Puterbaugh, Jr.

Jerry & Steven Russell

Eddie & Eddie Sachs, Jr.

Ron & Casey Shuman

Nelson & Tony Stewart

Shorty & Clark Templeman

Dick & Rich Tobias, Jr.

Bill & Billy Vukovich

Chuck & Tony Weyant