Holland International Speedway July 14, 1970

Holland International Speedway

Holland, New York

Tuesday, July 14, 1970

Grand American race #19 of 1970 was held at Holland International Speedway, a 3/8 mile paved oval. It was the first of a 5 event STP Northern Tour. The Tour had a $10,000 point fund that was in addition to regular season long championship points. The Tour point fund came from STP ($5,000) and the track owners ($5,000) and would be paid out based on points compiled during the Tour. The winner will get $1,250 with second receiving $950 and third $800 all the way to last getting $200. Starting line ups were determined by qualifying heats with the starting order of the heats determined by season point standings.

Jim Paschal and Warren Prout had their American Performance Center Javelins running well with Darrell Bryant turning the wrenches and Bill Blair Jr. building the engines. Paschal won the qualifying heat to earn the pole position and led the first 5 laps before team mate Max Berrier went into the lead until lap 233 when Buck Baker got his Firebird past Berrier and led the last 34 laps of the caution free race to claim his first victory of the year. Berrier was a close second with Ken Rush third. Point leader Tiny Lund went out with an oil leak and finished 18 ^th which gave Ken Rush the point lead.

Baker earned $1,300 of the $9,460 purse. Of note on the purses for the Tour events was how the funds were distributed. You would normally have to finish in the top 3 just to break even but in these events the payout did not drop off as fast as you went down the order. No finisher got less than $200.

Twenty seven cars took the green and 16 were running at the finish.

Fin Srt Car # Driver Car Laps Reason out

1 4 87 Buck Baker 70 Firebird 267 Running

2 2 16 Max Berrier 70 Javelin 267 Running

3 8 44 Ken Rush 69 Camaro 262 Running

4 3 41 Gary Myers 69 Mustang 260 Running

5 6 33 Joe Dean Huss 69 Camaro 259 Running

6 11 7 Jimmy Vaughn 69 Camaro 256 Running

7 14 8 Phil Wills 69 Camaro 255 Running

8 12 17 Ernie Shaw 68 Mustang 249 Running

9 16 0 Ed Encher 68 Camaro 247 Running

10 10 88 T. C. Hunt 69 Camaro 243 Running

11 15 26 Richard Childress 68 Camaro 230 Running

12 24 24 Tom Tiller 68 Camaro 224 Running

13 21 89 JamesCox 68 Camaro 223 Running

14 20 4 Tommy Lechlider 68 Camaro 222 Running

15 22 39 Earl Briggs 69 Camaro 216 Running

16 17 9 Stan Starr 68 Camaro 210 Running

17 13 92 Paul Tyler 69 Firebird 208 Oil press.

18 7 55 Tiny Lund 69 Camaro 92 Oil leak

19 19 27 Jerry Hufflin 68 Camaro 83 Steering

20 1 14 Jim Paschal 70 Javelin 69 Rear end

21 27 31 Earl Canavan 69 Javelin 49 Ignition

22 5 15 Wayne Andrews 68 Cougar 40 Engine fail.

23 18 3 Doug Aldridge 69 Camaro 6 Oil leak

24 9 40 Phil Spiak 69 Camaro 5 Oil line

25 23 19 Bobby Brewer 69 Camaro 2 Oil press.

26 25 96 Jim Hall 69 Javelin 1 Ignition

27 26 86 David Boggs 69 Firebird 1 Valve

tough race when over a third of the field break before halfway...would sure hate to travel that far and get 1 lap in....

From Hamburg Photo News

Race preview from Photo News

Race report from the Cortland Standard

Thaknks Chase,

Theses articles confirm that Tiny had the '69 Camaro on this tour. The report I had listed him as driving a 1970 model but my records show the '69. The other thing it corrects is the name of 9th place finisher Ed Anchor. The report I have spelled his name Encher. Most likely driving one of Stan Starr's Camaros.

From Holland International Speedway book.

The 1970 STP Northern Tour was to be 5 events in 11 days and cover a lot of miles so the Shaw Racing Enterprises team carried both of their Cougars. Both were former Bud Moore cars. The first Cougar they had run in 1969 had been updated with 1970 sheet metal and the second Cougar was now a short track car retaining the '68 sheet metal. The '68 was ran at Holland but suffered engine failure. With the next race only 2 days and 400 miles away in Milton Vermont the strategy looked good but it would still be better to have 2 cars running than hauling one around for no reason. The team was able to find a 289 engine in a junk yard and got an invite from Jim Hurtubise to build the engine at his place. Hurc had a shop at his home in North Tanawanda just north of Buffalo and east of the Niagara River. As this was only about and hour out the way the team was able to get the engine together and in the car before heading to Vermont. Just one example of how the racing community looked out for one another in those days. Hurc's helpfulness and generosity has always been remembered.

That's a nice story about racers helping racers, Dennis.

The late Jim Hurtibise was honored just this year in North Tonawanda, New York:

The Buffalo News Champion auto racer and North Tonawanda native to be recognized

NORTH TONAWANDA The North Tonawanda History Museum this week will be marking the anniversary of one of the major accomplishments of Jim Herk Hurtibise, a legendary auto racer of the 1950s and 1960s.

On May 21, 1960, as a rookie, he broke the Indianapolis track record by nearly two miles per hour. He came very close to being the first to turn a lap in less than one minute. Unfortunately, mechanical problems kept him from winning.

Hurtibise, who was born in North Tonawanda in 1932, is being celebrated with an exhibit at the museum, 54 Webster St., and on Thursday admission will be reduced to $3 from 1 to 3 p.m. in his honor Thursday .

On June 7, 1964, during a race in Milwaukee, Hurtibise qualified third fastest behind legends Rodger Ward and A.J. Foyt. They were running nose to tail on the 51st lap when Wards car seized up. Foyt jumped on the brakes, causing Hurtibises car to vault over Foyts tail. Hurtibise rammed the wall and his right rear tire snapped off and struck him in the chest, breaking three ribs and puncturing his lung. He was unconscious as methanol flooded his car, erupting into an inferno.

Hurtibise, who was pulled from the flaming wreck, was close to death in a hospital critical care burn unit. He recovered but doctors said his burned hands would remain paralyzed. He directed the doctors to mold his hands so he could put them around a steering wheel and continue to race.

Hurtibise continued to race, but never matched his earlier successes. Still, he remained a fan favorite throughout much of his career.

He died of a heart of a heart attack on Jan. 6, 1989.

Hurtibise, who was called Herk or Hercules by fans, is memorialized in a tune called, The Ballad of Jim Hurtibise, which was written and produced in the 1960s by local radio personality Luther Gieringer, who used the name Dopey Duncan on station WKAP in Allentown, Pa. The song is sung by Dee Dee for Dopey Duncan and the Bee Bees. A CD version of the song will be available for sale for a $25 donation to the museum. A DVD with the song and photos of Hurtibise will be $35.

Donna Zellner Neal, executive director of the museum, researched and provided historical background on the song, which she said was brought to their attention by museum supporter Gary Ranney, who brought them a copy of the 45 record.

The tune, which is also sometimes called Hercules starts out with sounds of race cars zooming by and memorializes that tragic race in Milwaukee in 1964:

They call him the mighty Hercules

Yet he isnt even 6 feet tall.

But when hes in that racing car,

Hes bigger than them all.

Old demon fire struck one day,

and tried to take his life,

but Old Herk, he fought right back

and found another life.

Hercules! Hercules!

There never was a man that stood more tall

than the mighty Hercules.

At Indiana practice lap he had another call.

That might brute of a racing car

was smashed against a wall.

But old Herk he walked away,

determined as could be

hed get another try to qualify

with the fastest 33.

Hercules! Hercules!

There never was a man that stood more tall

than the mighty Hercules.

He saw that Novi standing there.

It beckoned him aboard.

When the crowd hear that he qualified,

they all stood up and roared.

Hercules! Hercules!

There never was a man that stood more tall

than the mighty Hercules.

Five hundred miles is a long way for any man to go.

When he gets to that checkered flag,

hell have done his best.

On a roster of courageous men

with the heart to play the game,

among the bravest of them all,

Im sure youll find his name.

Hercules! Hercules!

There never was a man that stood more tall

than the mighty Hercules.

There are many races yet to run

that will try his very soul,

but the folks who know Jim Hurtubise

are sure hell make his goal.

Hercules! Hercules!

There never was a man that stood more tall

than the mighty Hercules.

Gieringer also had a body shop in Minesite, Pa., near Allentown, which is still there and carries the name of Dopey Duncan, although it is operated by the Horwith Brothers, according information provided to Neal by Herk fans in Pennsylvania.

Great info Dave. Helps correct my spelling too. It's Tonawanda and not Tanawanda. I knew his nickname came from Hercules but didn't spell it right.

July 16th is the anniversary of another story of a racer helping a fellow racer. On July 14, 1966, Bobby Allison's Chevelle was trashed at Fonda Speedway in the oft-told story of J.T. Putney's wiping out his own car, two owned by Clyde Stetler and Bobby Allison.

With only two days before the next race in Islip NY on July 16th, Allison rallied the services of a cousin who lived in New York. They were able to replace the hood and right front fender, bang out the back end body work, repair some suspension parts, etc. - just enough to make the show.

Who helped Bobby thrash on the car with a tight deadline of traveling and repairing? James Harvey Hylton.

Bobby did indeed make the show - much to the surprise of NASCAR officials who saw how the car left Fonda. Tiger Tom Pistone dominated the first half of the Islip race, but burned brakes ended his night. Hylton then took over and dominated the SECOND half the race. He was headed for victory when he ran short of fuel with just 8 laps to go. His need to hit the pits benefited the second place driver who then inherited the lead and the win. That driver: Bobby Allison.

Good stuff.