SUPERMODIFIEDS SET NEW TRACK RECORD!

     On May 31, 1976, the Dayton Speedway hosted "open competition" supermodifieds for the running of the Ohio State 500.  Here's what Bucky Albers reported in the Dayton Journal Herald.

     All photographs on this page, with the exception of the first one, are from my own collection.  If you happen to have additional photos of the supermodifieds mentioned in the article please send them to me here, even if the photos were not taken at Dayton.  I'm also hoping for some help in identifying the drivers and cars in these photos.  Finally, I'd be particular interested in seeing photos of Butch Harris and his car before or after the accident he had during this event.  Thanks!

     Mickey

     January 7, 2009

TEXAN OUTRACES SPEEDWAY RAIN

     A couple of Texans with more than a wing and prayer put on quite a show yesterday at the Dayton Speedway, but they didn't get the same reward.

     For his leadfoot driving, Joh McLaren wound up in the winner's circle with $1,500.

     Butch Harris wasn't so fortunate.  For HIS leadfoot driving, he wound up in the hospital with a headache.

     McLaren and Harris were among a contingent of seven Houston drivers who came to Ohio this weekend to participate in the third annual Ohio State 500 for supermodifieds.

     It is a series of five 100-lap races with purses attractive enough to lure some of the finest machinery in the country to the Buckeye state.

     Yesterday's was to have been the final leg of the series, following visits to Cleveland, Sanduskyk, Columbus and New Bremen, but rain made it necessary to postpone Saturday's scheduled program in Columbus until today.

     Rain halted yesterday's proceedings prematurely, but not until after McLaren and Harris had both done their things.

     The first man on the track for qualification, McLaren took his Chevy-powered, winged rear-engine machine around the high banked half-mile oval in a blistering 15.508 seconds.  Since the track measures 70 yards longer than a half mile, McLaren's time figures out to an average speed of more than 125 miles an hour.

     That's considerably faster than Gary Bettenhausen circled it recently in a USAC sprinter, but Gary's car didn't have a wing.

     The 32-year-old Harris had a wing, but he needed a prayer, too, a short time later when he left the crowd with more to talk about than McLaren's qualifying run.

     Darting into the first turn at roughly 100 miles an hour during a warmup period, he lost control, spun clockwise and blasted right through the double steel guard rail between the first and second turns.

     His racer sailed 50 feet through some small trees and brush before landing on its wheels in a farmer's field 20 feet below.  It took nearly 15 minutes for crewmen to extract the unconscious Harris from his car and get him into a waiting ambulance.

     He was very lucky.  An official of St. Elizabeth Medical Center reported that he appeared to be uninjured but would be held overnight for observation.

     After a 90-minute delay to repair the rail, practice resumed,  But a slight shower forced race officials to eliminate the time trails and start the racing program in reverse--with the 100 lapper first.

     It was a wise decision.  They managed to get in 73 laps before a lenghy rain shower made it impossible to continue.

     And when that shower came, McLaren was sitting right where he had said he wanted to be--in front of the pack.

     "I don't plan to lead it until near the end," the 33-year-old Houston machinest said before the race.  "It's more fun to race awhile.  And it makes a better show than if somebody runs and hides."

     McLaren followed his pre-race plan, but perhaps the ominous clouds convinced him to make his move a little sooner than he'd planned.

     Two more Houston drivers, Paige Reynolds and Leroy Halfin, exchanged the lead early in the race, but their pace was too strong for their tires.

     On the 35th lap, Daryl Harrison of Bettsville, OH, took over when Halfin pitted for rubber.  But McLaren was in hot pursuit, and he passed Harrison on the 42nd lap and held the lead the rest of the way.

     The only thing that stopped him was a rain shower that interrupted the race in its 52nd lap.  After the restart he was long gone.

     "We're not all like A.J.Foyt, but we're arrogant enough to think that we can come up here and get some of your money," McLaren quipped.

     He was not arrogant enough, however, to take full credit for his victories at New Bremen (Sunday) and Dayton.  He thanked his race car for those.

     "I believe there are a dozen drivers out here who could break the record with this car," he said, pointing to the racer built by Bill Hite of Jackson, AL.  "A good car makes a difference."

     McLaren is obviously not superstitious.  At one time you never saw a green car or a No. 13 at a race track because both were considered bad luck.  McLaren's car is both green and adorned with the No. 13.

     Yesterday, however, McLaren's No. 13 was converted into No. 43 because there was another No. 13 registered.

     But the number change had no effect on the performance of McLaren or his car.  It was strictly no contest.