Steele County Speedway has a rich
racing heritage.
By Harvey West
The year was 1934. The Great
Depression was still gripping the country, and rural people looked
forward to having their hard days brightened by the annual county
fair, with its livestock and agricultural exibits, carnival sideshows
and rides, food stands and other diversions. That year, new excitement
was added to the fair. Auto races were held on the 1/2-mile horseracing
track for the first time.
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Track
roadsters were popular in the late forties and early fifties
at many midwest dirt tracks. They were booked at Owatonna
several times.
|
The cars were simply called
"race cars," since the term "sprint cars"
wasn't to come into usage until the 1950's. The term "big
cars" was used during the late thirties and forties to differentiate
these high-powered, open wheel cars from the midgets, which were
becoming extremely popular at the time.
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IMCA
sprint car legend Emory Collins of Lemars, IA in action
in 1947. Emory drove the largest Offenhauser in the country,
at 318 cubic inches. |
Prior to World War II, famous
drivers such as Emory Collins and Gus Schrader were annual visitors
to the Steele County track, competing under the sanction of the
IMCA, which conducted racing at most of the country's state and
county fairs. Many old-timers can still remember the sound of
the Collins and Schrader Offenhausers. Theses two friends and
rivals had the largest Offies in the country, at 318 cubic inches.
Not long after the temporary ban on racing was lifted following
World War II, track roadsters also began to appear on Steele County
race cards. These were home-built "hot rods," often
powered by Ford and Mercury flathead V-8's, straight-eight Buicks
and other engines. By the mid-fifties, the roadsters had disappeared
from Minnesota tracks.
 |
The
late Carl Souvie of Owatonna at the wheel of the fast Desoto-powered
Koppy Motors track roadster. This six-cylinder car was a
front runner in the early 1950's. |
Two local drivers, Carl Souvie
and Glen Anderson, competed in the roadsters, and Glen later raced
his GMC-powered sprint car at Owatonna and other Midwest tracks
for several years, setting a track record here. He recently obtained
his old racecar, and beautifully restored it in its late fifties
livery. The Offenhausers still dominated at this time, but were
often challenged by the 440 cubic inch Ranger aircraft engine.
By the mid-sixties, the famous small block Chevy had become the
sprint car engine of choice.
Stock cars began to appear
at Owatonna in the early 1950's. The IMCA sanctioned late model,
long-distance races featuring new cars that were virtually right
out of the showroom. The Hudson Hornets and Oldsmobile 88's usually
 |
Glen
Anderson of Owatonna in his GMC-powered Hillegass sprint
car during the late 1950's. Glen held a track record at
the Steele County Speedway. |
dominated, and such notables
as Ernie Derr, Don White and Ramo Stott churned up the Steele
County dirt. Modified stocks also began to appear at Owatonna.
Mert Williams, Dave Noble, Floyd Matter and Leroy Sharkey were
among the many southern Minnesota stars who were frequent competitors
at Owatonna.
Modifieds of this era were
often prewar coupes powered by late-model overhead valve V-8's,
with Chevy predominating.
- All photos courtesy of Muckle
Fair Museum -
