THROUGH THE YEARS…1951

By Stan Kalwasinski

            Tinley Park’s Melvin E. Bettenhausen, better known as Tony Bettenhausen, established himself as the premiere “champ car” driver in American Automobile Association (AAA) competition, scoring eight victories out of 14 starts in Murrell Belanger’s Belanger Special No. 99 during the 1951 season.

            Belanger, who hailed from Crown Point, Ind., had New York’s Lee Wallard in his car when it won the Indianapolis 500 on May 30.  Less than a week later, Wallard was badly burned in a racing accident at Reading, Penn., opening the door for Bettenhausen’s once-in-a-lifetime racing season.  Bettenhausen was in the cockpit of the George Salih/”Frenchy” Sirois-cared-for Indy 500 winner for the next stop on the AAA circuit—the Rex May Memorial 100 lapper at the “Milwaukee Mile” located on the grounds of the Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis. 

            Bettenhausen won the June 10 event on the one-mile dirt oval and started his record-run.  A few weeks later, Bettenhausen captured another 100 miler, this time at Langhorne, Penn.  Additional 100-mile dirt track wins would come at Springfield, Ill., Syracuse, N.Y., Denver, Col., San Jose, Cal. and two victories at DuQuoin, Ill., giving Bettenhausen, who turned 35 years old on September 12, the 1951 “National” Champ Car title. 

            Racing in the Chicago area got underway indoors at the International Amphitheatre at 42^nd and Halsted Street, located next to the famed “Stockyards.”  Bettenhausen in Harry Turner’s Offenhauser (“Offy”)-powered midget took top honors in he season opener on January 13 ahead of Cletus “Cowboy” O’Rourke and Ray Knepper.  During the feature, an out-of-control Leroy Warriner pinned starter Bill Vanderwater against the judges’ stand in the small infield.  Vanderwater escaped with minor bruises and abrasions.

            Tony Russo, younger brother of veteran Paul Russo, drove his own V8 Ford-powered midget to victory on January 20 in front of Leroy “Lefty” Hirschman and Ralph Pratt.  The season finale indoor show took place on January 27 with veteran Ray Richards capturing the 100 lapper, besting O’Rourke, Jack Kabat and Myron Fohr.  During the feature, Bettenhausen flipped into Pratt’s cockpit with both drivers escaping injury and coming back to finish fifth (Pratt) and sixth (Bettenhausen).  The veteran O’Rourke, whose racing career dated back to around 1932 at the old Evanston Speedway, was crowned the overall ’51 Amptheatre champion.

            Raceway Park opened on Easter Sunday, March 25, and presented 66 stock car shows and 14 midget dates.   Henry Smith in his No. 13 won the opening day stock car headliner—his only win of the season.  Bill Van Allen of Chicago would claim stock car championship honors at Raceway for the ’51 season.  Van Allen and his ’46 Nash would win 10 feature races during the season.  Among the 24 year-old Chicago driver’s victories was the track’s fourth annual 300 Lap Classic.  A crowd of over 7,000 fans saw Van Allen capture the Sunday afternoon, October 14, contest over Don Odell and Bud Koehler, who wheeled ’49 Fords behind Van Allen’s winning Nash No. 6.  In heated action throughout the afternoon, Van Allen took the lead from Odell with 10 laps to go.    

            Wheeling a rapid-running ’50 Mercury most of the season, Bob Pronger won a total of 19 feature races at Raceway during the campaign, but his torrid pace slowed with Van Allen grabbing the points lead away in mid-September.  16 different drivers scored feature wins at Raceway Park in 1951.  In addition to Van Allen and Pronger, feature winners were Odell (6 wins), 1950 track champion Hal Ruyle (6), Koehler (5), Johnny Slowiak (4), “Cheap Charley” Johnson (3), Larry Farr (2), Rich Irvine (2), Bud Ferguson (2) with Smith, Bob Meyers, Eddy Anderson, Rich Sutkus, Chet Ogrentz and Dennis Rubino winning one apiece.

            Koehler was the midget champion at Raceway for the second time in his career.  Koehler won four midget features during the campaign, including the Wally Zale Memorial contest.  Other midget feature winners at Raceway included Mike O’Halloran (2), Pete Peterson (2) and Dick Ritchie (2) with Don Branson, Dwight Brown, Bernie Jacobsen and Hank Nykaza winning once.  Ford V8 midget feature winners were Bill Boyles (3), Howie Bradshaw (2) and Bob Leatherman, Louie Cooper, Bob Ellingham, Bud Abraham, Ed Yeager and Rick Kerr with single wins. 

            Soldier Field was the scene of two-nights-a-week stock car action during the season with California native Jim Rathmann grabbing 10 feature wins on his way to his second consecutive ‘Field stock car title.  Rathmann used a ’49 Olds and a ’51 Olds to get the job done.  The highlight of the season was the annual Chicago Park District Police Benevolent race, which was won by Tom Pistone in his ’50 Ford.  A crowd estimated between 40,000 and 50,000 fans watched Pistone win the sixth annual event in mid-September ahead of Rathmann and Pat Flaherty.   

            Wisconsin’s Frank Burany won three 100-lap AAA-sanctioned midget headliners at Soldier Field during the ’51 season.  Burany and his Plaza Brothers Offy had a knack of making off with feature wins at the flat-as-a-pancake, quarter-mile paved oval.  Johnnie Parsons was also victorious in a AAA 100 lapper at the Field during the season.  Art Cross was also a winner in local AAA midget racing, nailing down a win at the paved Rockford Speedway in June. 

            The high-banked quarter mile Rockford speed plant was part of Andy Granatelli’s Hurricane Racing Circuit, which also stopped weekly at the quarter-mile dirt oval inside the famed “Milwaukee Mile.”  Al Shear was the champion at the Rockford speed plant. 

            Kenny Boyer of Highland was the champion at Harry Molenaar’s Schererville Speedway, capturing five feature races during the 13-race Sunday afternoon schedule.  Marion Lowry closed out the season at the Indiana half-mile dirt track, winning the 100-lap season finale on October 21.   Savage Speedway in Gary, Ind. also hosted weekly stock car racing. Nick Trgovich of East Chicago, Ind. and his ’40 Ford won the season title race at Savage. 

            Bernie Wilhelmi of Joliet was the stock car “king” at the Mazon Speed Bowl.  Trailing Wilhelmi in the points were Bud Ferguson and Frank Welch, who were followed by Bill Barnes of Joliet, Joe Birsa and Bob Waters.  Chuck Green of Ottawa won a 100-lap main event on October 7 ahead of Bill Finkle of Marseilles and Rinehart Deking of Chicago, Ill.  The Midwest Stock Car Racing Association presented a total of 37 stock car events at the track—27 Sunday afternoon and 10 nights.  Only one midget race was held with Mike O’Halloran winning on Labor Day evening during the annual Fair.   Paul Bell was the champion stock car driver at the Waukegan Speedway, while Les Snow captured stock car honors at the Kankakee Fairgrounds oval. 

            Admiral Stadium on River Road in Des Plaines hosted three-quarter “TQ” midget racing with the likes of  “Skippy” Michaels, Ted Hartley and Ronnie Kaplan winning feature races held around the baseball diamond.  By the end of the year, the track was sold to Commonwealth Edison and was eventually torn down. 

In October, Chicago’s Eddy Anderson drove a ’51 Oldsmobile to victory in an International Motor Contest Association (IMCA)-sanctioned 300-lap stock car race at the Oklahoma Fairgrounds, in Oklahoma City. 

            Walter Johnson broke Ray Elliott’s monopoly of winning United Auto Racing Association (UARA) championships as he bested John Meyers, Sonny Bessette, Jim Bender, Pete Peterson and Roy Ryeberg for the ’51 UARA title.  Winner of four straight UARA championships, Elliott finished only 16^th in the standings. 

                                                                                    END