The Columbia Record from Columbia, South Carolina • 8

Gunter: No Chance For Records LR To Skip Open Meet Hl5 hul llu Shamrock senior turned in a elforl during I he preliminaries Itiirrell was tuned at 225 in llu 220 ami Downing was one-leulli of a second slower Itav Stakley of Airisn t's 4-A champions will also enter this event Downing captured the 1IM) and 220 plus tlu broad jump to account for 15 of Mid-Carolina (Mint! kill It's during llu allor-ikhui Inil the must interesting Hrhups will In between Kan Claire's Tom Itiirrell and Mid-Carolina's Unllie Downing The two will compete in both llu 100 anil 220 Downing was clocked al 10 1 in llu KM) lust week while winning his respect ve class Harrell won tlu 4-A affair in a time of winning total of 20 wiuls in Ihe Class 2-A championship finale A close struggle is also in Ihe making in llu shot pul where Sumler's Ronnie Galloway John Price and 1 I Ihilch Taylor will compete Galloway had a loss or in Iasi week's competition while Taylor heaved il 52-8 and ITice had a 52-5' a throw Galloway indicated lie would lie back aiming for a new Stale record in that event The present mark is 55-5 'i set in KM4 by Carolina's Joe Finley It's the second oldest record on Ihe books Thu oldest mark is in Ihe discus and apKars to lu very safe Tor al least another year Georgetown's llal Deal set the record with a hig throw of 170-1 in 1U62 The newest record-setter Thornwell's Maynard Fierce will lie hoping to heller lu- height in the pole vault where In achieved a murk of 13-5 'a in the 1-A meet Fierce finished fourth in the open a year ago while Dorman's Wade Corn won the event with a 12-3 effort Corn went 12-4 last week to take the event in the Class 4-A The relays should also draw interest that is or course if everyone shows up Moultrie's ixistcd the liest limes in the mile and 880 relays of all four classifications and will be favored to take wins in those events It) DOl'C NYK Itrcord Sports Writer Most of llu Stole's outstanding high school track performers are expected to square off against each other at the Bex Enright Athletic ('enter Saturday beginning at 2 pm during' the annual Interscholastic Open Track Meet Ifut several top stars won't he on hand including tawer ltich-land's Eddie Evciun who has dominated the Stale in the high and low hurdles for the past three years The Diamond ilor-net team will not attend at all according to UK track Coach Jeff Cunt or felt we wouldn't have any chance to set any now records since we have to run in explained Gunter Regular track shoes were not allowed on USC's new track for last week's Class 1-A 2-A 3-A and 4-A track finals and many coaches complained that having to wear cut down on times There was only one new record set last week and that came in the field events Just how many of the State's best performers will be on hand is still uncertain and probably won't be known until the first event is run Saturday The open meet brings together the two top finishers if they will attend in each event of last four track finals No point totals will be kept and no champion will be declared There could be several inter- Suit Photo by Ed Tilley Staff Phot By Diva Underwood The Champ Ralph Earnhardt Sportsman Champ At Columbia In 1968 Receives Track Trophy From NASCAR's Pete Kelier (Left) At Recent Banquet Ready To Run Bobby Whiteside Takes Breather Al USC Track During Warmup For Saturday's Interscholastic Open Track Meet Racing Not Waiting Game Columbia Record Walt Riddle Dreher Olympia Have Aces Set 4 Section A Friday May 16 1969 Page 8 Record Sports Editor -T" Columbia GT 200 Reset Rubber Games Scheduled By BOB GROVER Record Sports Writer Olympia and Drchcr arc both gunning for eventual berths in Stale championship baseball play and both have the all-important contest on tap for today Dreher hosts Camden for tlu Lower Slate AAAA title today al 4 pm and Olympia travels to Clearwater for the rubber match in its bcsl-oMhrcc AA series with Langloy-Bath-Clcar-watcr at 5:30 Both teams must win in order to advance and there is no tomorrow in either case Drchcr after winning the opener behind lefty Jeff Butte 5-1 dropped a 3-0 contest to the Bulldogs Wednesday Olympia lost ils 0cncr to I-B-C 5-3 but came back to even the scries al home 1-0 behind the hurling of Mike McLaughlin Mike Marlin the ace of the Olympia staff lost his second game in three years of high school baseball in the opening game and Coach Bobby Giles will come back with the classy southpaw in the contest today Drchcr mentor Bill Knighl will start ace Jeff Butte in hopes of gaining a berth in the Stale Finals Camden ace Harry Lynch who lost the Monday duel with Butte is likely to draw the starling assignment for his club in the third game of the series It ail boils down to one thing Both local teams must win in order to advance and both coaches have an ace in the hole Drchcr will have Butts and Olympia will have Marlin So the coaches of the respective teams will lc hoping Dial their aces will come through once again BY BOB GROOVER Record Sports Writer Waiting isn't normally a part of the racing game but when the dirty word of racing rainout rears its ugly head not much that can be done Grand Touring drivers on the NASCAR circuit were faced with this problem Thursday night when a scheduled 200-lap chase was called because of rain The race has been rescheduled for tonight at 8:30 and one of the finest fields ever for a dirt track GT race is expected for the first race of the year on clay would be nice if there was a way to control the said Columbia promoter Buddy Gooden who had made the decision to call the show was nothing we could do about it so naturally we felt it better to go ahead and call the race hate to do it because of the added expense to the drivers but yo-i have to think of the safety of everybody concerned I don't think anything more dangerous in racing than to try and run on a wet dirt When time trials get underway at 6:30 25 drivers will be shooting for 22 berths in the S6100 100-mile chase Tiny Lund defending champion in the newly-formed division of NASCAR will head a star-studded field or the third such event in Columbia Lund was a winner nine of his 18 times out in a Mercury Cougar last season and has taken two checkered flags this year in trying to defend his title Buck Baker a three-time win 1 Outlaw Earnhardt About Running Tar Heel Tracks Out Of Business about to run Ralph out of the mountains and we would be glad to have him back with This statement from NASCAR official Pete Keller about sportsman driver Ralph Earnhardt of Kannapolis NC brought a roar of laughter from other drivers at a local restaurant Tuesday night during the annual NASCAR Awards banquet for point standing winners at Columbia Augusta and Savannah Speedways Buddy Gooden is promoter at all three tracks If you have ever been to any kind of a car race the past 21 years the name of Ralph Earnhardt should ring a bell The smiling and slow-talking driver and builder of cars drew the most attention at the gathering He has been missed by everyone connected with the sport of speeds in South Carolina this year Earnhardt is considered to be an by NASCAR this year Ralph done anything wrong and banned by NASCAR from driving on tracks sanctioned by the organization He just failed to pay membership this year which runs in the neighborhood of $20 is kind of an ugly handle to grinned Ralph when asked what it was like to have that kind of a description of his situation However Ralph who is about to run three tracks out of business this year has a great case for his defense over why he decided to go the other way this year is the he said looking over his shoulder at drivers in the area of all I would like to say that I would rather run at Columbia Speedway than any other track in the Southeast is a proven fact that it is the best dirt track in that area but why should I come 150 to 200 miles for a race that pays the same thing in my back yard am just getting old I reckon and I would also like to devote more time to building cars for other drivers I get just as much kick out of seeing a car that I build or a chassis I build win with some other driver than win myself" Earnhardt has been to the post in his 1965 Chcv-ellc with a 375 engine 12 times this year in the three tracks in Concord Charlotte and Kannapolis and has come home a winner 10 times He is four-for-four at Charlotte and three-for-four at the other tracks can leave my house at 5 o'clock in the afternoon and be home at midnight he said to Columbia Greenville and the tracks in Georgia just about forces me to spend at least one night on the road Enjoys Building Engines For Others Earnhardt's shop is located in the back yard of his home about 30 50 but it my he said have five children and they are' all within hearing distance and any time the wife needs me she just has to yell" Ralph said he received a big thrill last Friday at Charlotte won the sportsman feature with my he grinned built the engine and chassis for the guy who finished second In the semi-modified division I built the engine and chassis for the winner and the chassis for the fellow' who finished second fellow who won the hobby division had a chassis I built for him It was a nice feeling It makes all that hard work worthwhile when you see this Earnhardt who won the sportsman championship at Columbia Speedway last year and won the point standing championship for the state said he built 10 cars over the winter and their drivers are enjoying great success this spring year was my best year as a he remarked guess the reason was experience I understand more things now Also when you arc building cars ft helps you understand more about what's going on and what it takes to have the best I won the national championship in (See WALT RIDDLE 10-A Col I) I Photo by The Associated Press Photo by Tho Associated Press 'Who's Cookie Rojas And Umpire Harry Wendelstedl Have Chat Before Rojas Is Thrown Out Of Game Eyeing Jackpot Wally Dallcnbach 32 (L) Thinks lie Has Good Shot At Winner's Circle At Indy 500 May 30 Dallcnbach Has Been Racing Since He Was 15 der BAKER 10-A Col 3) Majestic Prince ReadyJet Speed Ready Eight Enter Next Leg Of Triple Crown BALTIMORE (AIM Majestic Prince is ready jet speed ready for Saturday's Prcak-ness Slakes the second leg of the Triple Crown Frank McMahon's winner of the Kentucky Derby zoomed a half mile over the Pimlico track Thursday morning in 45 seconds just a iifth of a second off the world record set by Tamrin's Jet in a race at Sun-land Park in New Mexico earlier this car The powerlul eheslnut ripped olt the lirst quarter in 22 4-5 and three-eighths in 33 4-5 He galloped out live-eights in 58 a tilth ol a second lower than the Piniliru record set by Valian Bull in a race April 28 1367 is ready as a man can make said trainer Johnny tangden who rode Majestic Prince in the workout and then entered him in the Freakness where he will meet seven other 3-ycar-olds including Itokehy Stable's Arts and tatters the Derby runner-up Top Knight owned tv the estate of Steven Wilson winner of the Flamingo and Florida Derby hul a disappointing filth in the Kentucky Derby also was entered after blowing out a half mile in 46 2-5 Tlu field in order of post position and the jockey assignments: Top Kniglil Manuel Yrna Elmcndorfg Caption Action Kenny Knapp Glenn Banker's and Nick Glad's Flame Robert Wilson Clai-Ihiiiic Farm's Jay Ray Earlie Fires Majestic Prince Hill Hartack Arts and tatters Hranlio liaeza Pelican Stable's Al Halt ah Ray Broussard and i li a 1 Phipps' Greengrass Greene George Cusiniano Each will carry 126 pounds for the 1 classic Post lime is 5:40 pin FDT for Hie richest of the Triple Grown races which il all eight start will have a gross purse of 182 IMM) with to Ihe winner The race will lx- televised (See ARTS Hl-A (ol BILL IIAHTACK Aftrr No 2 JOHNNY LONGDFN Head)' 1 I.