Ney, Dean Claxton, Pappy Collins, and Woody Fritz were left to battle for the scraps left over by Jones
Ney, Dean Claxton, Pappy Collins, and Woody Fritz were left
to battle for the scraps left over by Jones
(1969)
Tony Queirolo gets credit for an early season track speed record in the Modified ranks, but Johnny Brazil came back with two of his own to lower the mark to 14.40
Jerry Weaver sets the only Early Model record of the season on July twenty-fifth, with a 16.41 clocking while heavy hitter Joe Rushton of Hughson is the winner of a 200 lap Modified show.
Several faces still involved in Stockton racing show up this season for the first time as far as records we concerned. Henk Gaalswyk, father of Late Model driver John Gaalswyk, picks up a semi win on May sixteenth, with Late Model track champion David Philpott's father John grabbing a heat second on May 30th. Shortly after that on July fourth, a future two time Late Model champion by the name of Tim Gillit reaches a semi main second place finish. Johnny Sass, a retired 1953 Jalopy driver, and his wife Eva, also come on board at Stockton this season, with Johnny taking the Chief Steward position, and Eva at the scoring pads. As of this writing, Johnny has over forty years of racing involvement to his credit and is the current-long time-Merced Speedway announcer. Johnny and Eva work Stockton through 1977 and enjoy seeing soon to become, top Stockton and central California area scorer Dean Rich, and Stockton's super announcer, Ron Andaya start their long career's
Brazil takes the Modified championship this year along with all the top numbers as he runs off fourteen fast times, nine feature victories, twenty-one main top five runs, and twenty-five total wins. Trying their best to match him this year are Queirolo, Fred Hunt, Don Hickman, and Joe Rushton.
Jerry Weaver is once again the wild man in the
Early Model action over the season, ending the year with ten fast times, ten dash wins,
and a division all time standard of seventeen feature victories. Six of the main event
wins fell in succession to establish another all time mark as he took the division crown
for the 69 season. Other top drivers on the season included Modesto drivers Howard Wooley
and Don Peeper, followed by Dan Reed, and Stockton's Oly Olson.
Henry Brown of Stockton, Limited Sportsman Class, is the owner/driver of this
350 cubic inch Chevy /4bbl and this '52 Dodge hauler with a 350 chevy.
The 69 season spelled the beginning of the end for the narrowed body Limiteds as only 21 drivers look part, and not all on the same night The cars were allowed to run time trials and dash events by themselves. but were forced to ran main events in combination with the Modifieds. Ray Donaldson of Turlock made the best showing against the Modifieds and laid claim to the last Limited Sportsmen track title at 99 Speedway.
