Get Your Nominations In

The Iowa Hall of Fame and Racing Museum is accepting nominations for the Class of 2022 through Thursday March 21st with the 2022 Induction Ceremony schedule for Saturday, November 12th in Webster City.

My good friend Dick Griffith called me last Fall and I received a nomination packet last week in the mail. It is an honor to be asked to participate in the nomination process although I have found that my way of tracking the success of drivers in Iowa over the years, tabulating the All Iowa Points starting with the 1967 season, does not give me the info that I need to properly complete the form. During our phone conversation Dick said that they really wanted to get some nominees from the southeast corner of the state and the first two names that popped into my mind were Ron Jackson and Steve Fraise.

Jackson was the first All Iowa Points Champion in the Sprint Car division in 1967 and then had a long and successful career in the Late Models. "RJ" then closed out his racing career as a successful promoter working with Johnny Johnson for several years at 34 Raceway. Fraise was nearly unbeatable for several years with many of his wins coming outside of the state at Quincy and Holts Summit, but with his stats and the nickname "The Flyin' Iowan" in my mind the driver from Montrose deserves a spot in the Iowa Hall of Fame. 

Ron Jackson with his restored championship ride from 1967

To complete the nomination form though I needed to have the nominee's address, phone number and email address, plus any biographical info that I might have knowledge of. Since I went to school with one of Fraise's cousins I was able to get most of that info, but then I got to the following:

Why is this nominee deserving of being inducted into the Iowa Hall of Fame? This was to include how they got started in racing, championships won, other racing accomplishments and records, tracks and series raced. My hope was that I could get Fraise nominated without tipping him off, that way if he was selected it would be a surprise, but if he was not selected it would not be a disappointment. The only way that I would have been able to gather all of the info needed would have been to go to the man himself, so for me at least, this nomination process needs to come from someone close to each nominee.

Gary Webb

That is why I wanted to write this today to encourage you to nominate the drivers or contributors to our sport that you believe should be considered. Somebody that you can gather the detailed information on and get submitted before March 31st. The forms are available at the Hall of Fame's website that you can access by clicking this link.

And now, in my own way of ranking the drivers through their performance over the years, below you will find the top 100 from the Cumulative All Iowa Points Late Model standings from 1967 through 1990. Let's start from the top and see who is not already a member of the Iowa Hall of Fame. 

Bob Hill with a young announcer

Sanger, Dolan, Hansen, Weedon, Dake and Webb are all in, Rollie Frink would be first on the list at 7th and the 1988 All Iowa Points champion should definitely get some consideration. Not only for his long and successful career, but the fact that he is a fantastic storyteller and his speech would be well worth the price of admission to the induction ceremony.

Actually the three names following Frink would all be well deserving as well; Bill Zwanziger, Red Dralle and Dave Chase. 

Karl Sanger's success was overshadowed by his brother Ed and the 1984 All Iowa Points Champion Ken Walton is already a member of the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame. Look where Curt Martin ranks and that is only through 1990. As his long and illustrious career winds down he definitely deserves a spot in the Hall of Fame.

Don Hoffman

From there it is easier for me to just point out the drivers on this list who have already been inducted into the Iowa Hall of Fame:

Tom Hearst, Bob Hill, Don Hoffman, Denny Hovinga, Verlin Eaker, Johnny Johnson, Red Droste, Ray Guss Jr., Bob Shryock & Bill Rice.

So you can see there are so many drivers that are deserving of this honor and this is just from the Late Model list. Let's not forget about those drivers who have thrilled us over the years in a Modified, Stock Car, Sprint Car, Sportsman, Hobby Stock, etc., etc.

Get your nominations in now!

All Iowa Points Late Models Total Points

Pos Driver Hometown 1967 - 1990

1 . Ed Sanger Waterloo 19,870

2 . Roger Dolan Lisbon 14,420

3 . Curt Hansen Dike 11,873

4 . Ron Weedon Pleasant Valley 10,352

5 . Darrell Dake Cedar Rapids 10,096

6 . Gary Webb Davenport 9,776

7 . Rollie Frink Davenport 9,545

8 . Bill Zwanziger Waterloo 9,476

9 . Red Dralle Evansdale 8,600

10 . Dave Chase Council Bluffs 8,421

11 . Karl Sanger Waterloo 8,305

12 . Ken Walton Viola 7,974

13 . Curt Martin Independence 7,908

14 . Denny Osborn Cedar Falls 7,892

15 . John Connolly Delhi 7,725

16 . Tom Hearst Wilton 7,534

17 . Rick Wendling Hazelton 7,382

18 . Dave Birkhofer Muscatine 6,918

19 . Gary Crawford Independence 6,829

20 . Bob Hill Randall 6,826

21 . Bill Martin Council Bluffs 6,734

22 . Joe Kosiski Omaha NE 6,477

23 . Dan Nesteby Waterloo 6,475

24 . Stan Stover Reinbeck 6,472

25 . Jim Burbridge Delhi 6,289

26 . Ray Guss Sr. Milan IL 6,171

27 . Don Hoffman Des Moines 6,107

28 . Bob Kosiski Omaha NE 6,091

29 . Steve Fraise Montrose 6,035

30 . Denny Hovinga Pocahontas 6,033

31 . Steve Kosiski Omaha NE 5,971

32 . Dick Schiltz Waterloo 5,918

33 . Greg Kastli Waterloo 5,564

34 . Tom Bartholomew Waterloo 5,438

35 . Duane Steffe East Moline IL 5,390

36 . Ron Jackson Burlington 5,363

37 . Glen Martin Independence 5,105

38 . Bob Helm Andalusia IL 4,970

39 . Verlin Eaker Mechanicsville 4,967

40 . Johnny Moss Iowa City 4,903

41 . Johnny Johnson Morning Sun 4,886

42 . Red Droste Waterloo 4,843

43 . Lem Blankenship Keokuk 4,721

44 . Bill Barthelmes Troy Mills 4,719

45 . Randy Sterner Blair NE 4,700

46 . Ray Guss Jr. Milan IL 4,697

47 . Bob Shryock Estherville 4,690

48 . Mel Morris West Liberty 4,541

49 . Jim Gerber Long Grove 4,481

50 . Mike Niffeneggar Kalona 4,476

51 . Ed Kosiski Omaha NE 4,363

52 . Dale Fischlein Davenport 4,349

53 . Bill McDonough Cedar Rapids 4,333

54 . Greg Hunter Independence 4,179

55 . Joe Merryfield Des Moines 4,168

56 . Bill Rice Des Moines 4,163

57 . Gary Tigges Durango 4,158

58 . Pokey West West Chester 4,120

59 . Bill Beckman Lisbon 4,093

60 . Steve Keppler Marion 3,991

61 . Darrell DeFrance Marshalltown 3,841

62 . Dave Bjorge Austin MN 3,814

63 . Jeff Aikey Cedar Falls 3,806

64 . Jerry Wancewicz Omaha NE 3,757

65 . Don Bohlander Glasford IL 3,749

66 . Arnie Braland Boone 3,742

67 . Bill Breuer Wapello 3,703

68 . Joe Schaefer Waterloo 3,702

69 . Jerry Pilcher Ottumwa 3,586

70 . Fred Horn Marion 3,565

71 . Dan Dickey Packwood 3,492

72 . George Barton Ankeny 3,382

73 . Ron Tilley Omaha NE 3,346

74 . Darrell Sells Waverly 3,295

75 . Bob Hilmer Dysart 3,259

76 . Bob Lekander Burlington 3,223

77 . Glenn Robey Omaha NE 3,214

78 . Tony Stewart Washington 3,202

79 . Steve Watts Danville 3,090

80 . Ron Hemsted Lone Tree 3,052

81 . Em Fretheim Decorah 3,037

82 . Roger Bruggeman Dubuque 3,002

83 . Jay Johnson West Burlington 2,983

84 . Ron Gustaf East Moline IL 2,970

85 . Jerry Holtkamp Williams 2,938

86 . Craig Jacobs Des Moines 2,888

87 . Lynn Idler Ionia 2,873

88 . Keith Leithoff Omaha NE 2,865

89 . Bob Bonzer Liscomb 2,838

90 . Doc Mayner Winthrop 2,828

91 . Ron Boyse Kalona 2,787

92 . Terry Buresh Bellevue NE 2,770

93 . Ken Farrell New Hampton 2,753

94 . Jim Wyman Griswold 2,670

95 . Joel Rasmussen Ames 2,642

96 . John Hampel Nodaway 2,642

97 . Greg Davis Boone 2,615

98 . Terry Gallaher New London MO 2,596

99 . Kenny Fenn Washington 2,557

100 . Jeff French Mount Ayr 2,533