A Few Rememberances of MVSC
Reposted by permission from the Midwest Racing Archives Website:
MVSC drivers were some of the best in the state of Iowa, if not the nation.
Click here to read about the Iowa State Fair Modified Stock Car Championships
Columbus Junction, Iowa (May 13, 1967) –Mark Mosier of Washington, Iowa, driving a newly built 1957 Pontiac, took top honors in Mississippi Valley Speed Club action at the Louisa County Fairgrounds in Columbus Junction, Iowa, before a crowd of 3,100. Mosier held off a stubborn John Moss of Iowa City, Iowa, who finished a close second in his 1956 Chevy convertible. Ron Hemsted of Lone Tree, Iowa, took third followed by John Mullink of Iowa City and Tom Stewart of Washington.
West Liberty, Iowa (1969) The Mississippi Valley Speed Club hosted the other Saturday night opener in West Liberty, Iowa. Pokey West of West Chester, Iowa, made it a clean sweep by turning fast time (25. 78), winning the second heat race and grabbing the feature win.
Ron Prymek of Iowa City (25.94) and Mel Morris (26.20) turned in the next fastest times on the 1/2-mile oval. John Moss of Iowa City won the first trophy dash of the new season. In addition to West's heat win, Mike Niffeneggar of Kalona, Moss and Wahle Brown of Rock Island also picked up victories. Bill Hopp of Muscatine was top dog in the semi-main. Other notables in attendance were Ron Hemsted of Lone Tree, Bob Helm of Rochester, Perry Beckler of Tiffin and Steve Fraise of Montrose.
Columbus Junction, Iowa (May 10, 1970) – After several restarts, Pokey West of West Chester picked up the checkered flag for his first feature win in the Mississippi Valley Speed Club this season on Sunday evening.
Benny Hofer of Rock Island, competing in the MVSC for the first time this season, was leading the 25-lap feature when he went high in turn three and went over the top of the track. Neither driver nor car was injured but Hofer was sent to the rear of the field.
On the 18th lap, Jerry Onnen of Wilton Junction went high in the same turn but he took a couple of hard bumps over the turn and was out for the rest of the event. No injuries occurred.
West took over the top spot and held off a hard-charging John Moss of Iowa City to the checkers. Bud Darting of Columbus Junction, Mark Mosier of Washington and Bill Hop of Muscatine rounded out the top five.
West turned in the fastest time of the evening with 26.56 seconds. Larry Jenkins of Wilton won the 5-lap trophy dash. Hofer, Moss, Bob Helms of Rochester and Ron Perdock of Washington were heat winners.
Feature results –
Pokey West, West Chester
John Moss, Iowa City
Bud Darting, Columbus Junction
Mark Mosier, Washington
Bill Hop, Muscatine
Bob Kleindolph, Muscatine
Gary Redlinger, Wellman
Ralph Erickson, Lockridge
Dan Robertson, Muscatine
Don Morgan, Muscatine
Columbus Junction, Iowa (June 21, 1970) - Big John Moss recorded his second Mississippi Valley Speed Club triumph in as many weeks here Sunday night, as he picked up the checkered flag in the 50-lap mid-season championship race. In doing so, he closed to within striking distance of the point leadership, and now trails Mark Mosier by only 3 points.
Moss, who had been running second for the first eighth laps, took over the lead when Mosier was forced to take a pit stop during a restart on the ninth lap. Moss then held his lead the rest of the way, having only brief challenges from Pokey West and Mel Morris.
The race had to be restarted six different times due to numerous accidents, but there was no personal injury and only minor damage to the cars involved.
Morris and West battled continuously during the race for the number two position, with Morris finishing ahead of West by two car lengths. Finishing in fourth place, but quite a distance behind the leaders, was Ron Perdock, with Benny Hofer in fifth and Byron Buchele taking sixth. The rest of the cars that finished the race were all lapped at least twice.
In earlier events, Mosier came close to a track record in the time trials, with an elapsed time of 26.32 seconds, and also came home as the first heat winner. Bud Darting, Mel Morris, and Larry Jenkins picked up wins in the other three heat races, and Benny Hofer won the Semi-Main event. Tex Redlinger won the consolation race.
The most exciting race of the night, and maybe the most exciting of the year, was the second heat race. The entire bleacher section was screaming with frenzy during all 10 laps, as the first four cars ran bumper-to-bumper and side-by-side. It was Darting, West, Moss, and Helm, in that order for 9 laps.
Then Moss made one last challenge, which took him around West on the backstretch; and as he tried to pass Darting on the high side of the 4th turn, he slid high into the crumbs, letting West and Helm back around him. Moss got his car straightened out in time to place 4th.
Results –
1. John Moss, Iowa City, Iowa
2. Mel Morris, West Liberty, Iowa
3. Pokey West, West Chester, Iowa
4. Ron Perdock, Washington, Iowa
5. Benny Hofer, Rock Island, Ill.
6. Byron Buchele, Muscatine, Iowa
7. Mark Mosier, Washington, Iowa
8. Dan Robertson, Muscatine, Iowa
9. Bill Abney, Muscatine, Iowa
10. Bud Darting, Wilton, Iowa
Columbus Junction, Iowa (October 9, 1971) - Mel Morris of Atalissa took the lead on the 22nd lap of the 50-lap feature event here from John Moss of Iowa City and held it to win the final race of the 1971 Mississippi Valley Speed Club season.
Ron Hemsted of Lone Tree, the point leader most of the season, finished in sixth place in the feature and wound up with 212 points for first place in the point standings. Moss, with a third place finish in the feature, finished in second place in the point standings with 183 points. Pokey West of West Chester, finishing second in the feature, wound up third in the point standings with 181 points.
Byron Buchele of Muscatine won the 5-lap trophy dash. Ray Guss of Milan, Ill., won the first heat race. Morris took the honors for the second heat race and Larry Jenkins of Wilton Junction grabbed the checkered flag for the third heat race. Bud Darting of Wilton Junction picked up the checkered flag for the fourth heat race. Perry Beckler of Tiffin won the semi-main event.
Results –
Trophy Dash – Bryan Buchele, Muscatine
First Heat – Ray Guss, Milan, Ill.
Second Heat – Mel Morris, Atalissa
Third Heat – Larry Jenkins, Muscatine
Fourth Heat – Bud Darting, Columbus Junction
Semi-Main – Perry Beckler, Tiffin
Feature –
1. Mel Morris, Atalissa
2. Pokey West, West Chester
3. John Moss, Iowa City
4. Bill Newman, Burlington
5. Ron Prymek, Iowa City
6. Ron Hemsted, Lone Tree
7. Jim Gerber, Long Grove
8. Bud Darting, Columbus Junction
9. Larry Jenkins, Wilton Junction
10. Ron Perdock, Washington
Iowa City, Iowa (May 30, 1972) - It was a profitable weekend on the Mississippi Valley Speed Club circuit for Jim Gerber of Long Grove, Larry Jenkins of Wilton and Ron Prymek of Iowa City.
The three each won trophy dashes, heat races or feature events Saturday night at West Liberty or Monday night at Columbus Junction to take the first three spots in that order in unofficial drivers point standings.
Gerber now has 49 points, Jenkins 46 and Prymek 41 to rank ahead of last week's leader, Mel Morris of West Liberty who now stands fourth with 38 points.
Gerber had his big night Saturday at West Liberty, winning the first heat and the feature, but Jenkins also picked up valuable points by finishing second in the feature and also won the trophy dash.
Gerber took over the lead on the 19th lap of the 25-lap feature and held it the rest of the way in a race marred by spinouts, wall crashes and several restarts. The finishing order of the feature was protested when a couple of cars violated rule 35 (no water, oil or gas may be added on the red or yellow light).
Prymek, who won the feature at Columbus Junction a week ago, came back on Monday with a clean sweep at the Louisa County Fairgrounds half-mile to surge into third place in the point standings. Prymek won the trophy dash, second heat and the feature. Although he did not win an event, Jenkins was again a strong third place behind Prymek and Gerber.
Morris was right on Prymek's tail through two restarts, but went to the pits with a blown engine on the 18th lap of the 25-lap event, marred on the last couple of laps by a passing rain shower.
Ron Hemsted of Lone Tree, who is sixth in current point standings, and a heat winner Saturday night, was running fifth in the feature before pulling out with mechanical problems on the restart.
Results
West Liberty –
1. Jim Gerber, Long Grove
2. Larry Jenkins, Wilton
3. Benny Hofer, Rock Island
4. Ron Hemsted, Lone Tree
5. Perry Beckler, Tiffin
6. Ron Prymek, Iowa City
7. Richard Hamilton, Muscatine
8. Mel Morris, West Liberty
9. Lyle Gehn, East Moline
10. Ed Mellecker, Iowa City
Columbus Junction –
1. Ron Prymek, Iowa City
2. Jim Gerber, Long Grove
3. Larry Jenkins, Wilton
4. Perry Beckler, Tiffin
5. Bob Helm, Andalusia
6. Don Morgan, Muscatine
7. Benny Hofer, Rock Island
8. Charlie Moffitt, Stanwood
9. Bill Douglas, West Liberty
10. Ken Boyse, Wellman
May 1973, West Liberty, Iowa
In an action-packed feature, John Moss took over the lead on lap 16 when Mel Morris of West Liberty spun in turn four and went on to pick up the Mississippi Valley Speed Club win at the Muscatine County Fairgrounds in West Liberty on May 5. Mike Niffenegger of Kalona, who set fast time on the evening (26.14), took second while Morris recouped and earned third place.