AAA CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY 1948 (cont.-16) Ted Horn took the lead for laps 1-6 before being overhauled by Fohr. Fohr remained in front for just five circuits (7-11) before Mel Hansen in a Joe Lencki car got by him to lead laps 12-38. Then Johnny Mantz took over and led laps 39 through 135. On Mantz's 136th circuit a wheel spindle let go and the No. 98 Agajanian Special (KK2000) hit the southeast wall, but Mantz was not hurt. The pole setter, Paul Russo, was eliminated early as an oil plug worked loose in the crankcase, which resulted in an overlong stop at the pits. At the 50 mile mark the running order had been Mantz, Hansen, Andres, Fohr, Wallard, and Horn. Mantz's elapsed time at 50 laps was 33:33:61.
The race order at 100 circuits was Mantz, Horn, Fohr, Mays, and Hal Robson, with Mantz's chocking being recorded at 1:07:06.20. This was a faster time than any posted in any previous
AAA Championship ranked Milwaukee 100 miler. The previous Milwaukee record here for 100 miles had been Bill Holland's win on June 7, 1947 at 1:08:44.60 (82.281 mph). Emil Andres on lap 60, in another KK2000, had also retired due to a broken spindle, but after a slight tag of the wall in turn three, Emil was able to drive the car back to the pits.
Later, in early September 1948, Mantz was rueing about his bad luck for the season. Johnny then pined (quote), "Mechanical trouble has cost me more than $30,000 in prize money so far this year. The breakdowns always occur in worthwhile races. On Aug. 29, at Milwaukee's State Fair Park, a 200 miler was run. In this race at the 30 mile mark I was leading and I set a new Three-A record for 50, 75, and 100 miles. But at 135 miles the spindle arm on my front axle broke and I crashed the wall. The purse for first place was worth exactly $8,000. I still burn about that one."
Johnnie Parsons, who started 10th in the factory No. 7 Kurtis/Walsh Offenhauser machine, gradually moved up. Parsons was 9th on lap 14; 8th on lap 20; 7th on lap 31; 6th on lap 61 and 5th on the 76th. On the 103rd circuit Johnnie passed Van Acker and moved up to 4th. A stop at the pits by Horn on lap 108 moved Parsons into 2nd. Fohr had pitted on his 112th circuit, and Tony Bettenhausen now took over the Marchese owned car, as the relief pilot. Tony had originally started the race in an old 1938 Sparks/Adams machine, but was put out after 20 laps when the axle broke. Bettenhausen was originally entered on the Belanger No. 16 car, but when it was put out in a practice session, Tony took over the Sparks/Adams machine.
After Mantz retired, Bettenhausen moved into the top spot to lead circuits 136-178. The standings at 150 miles were Fohr-Bettenhausen, Horn, Parsons, Van Acker, Ted Duncan, and Bill Sheffer. The elasped time for Bettenhausen at 150 miles was 1:44:56.67. Tony was forced to pit on lap 179 because of a blown right rear tire. At the time of the blowout Bettenhausen had had a one lap lead over over Parsons, who was riding in 2nd place. Tony's stop was very quick, just 24 seconds, but meanwhile Parsons had moved into first. Now Fohr replaced Bettenhausen and climbed back into the car's cockpit. After returning to the track Myron was signaled by the Marchese crew to "Get Parsons". Parsons, who then had a 18 second advantage, however was a sitting duck, as his front right tire was bald and Johnnie feared a blowout. Myron quickly moved up on a hapless Parsons, passed Johnnie on lap 190, and led the rest of the way, i.e circuits 190-200. Fohr's victory margin over Johnnie was 16 seconds. The winning time was 2:18:21.21 (86.75 mph).
Hanson, Mays, and Wallard all encountered magneto problems, which put both Hanson and Mays out, Hanson at 98 laps and Mays at 172. Wallard was in the pits for an inordinately long time to install a new mag but crew chief, Henry Meyer, got Wallard back out and rolling again. Wallard managed to complete 140 laps before being flagged off and it was good enough for an 11th place finish.
The finishing order was (top five): 1. Myron Fohr-Tony Bettenhausen (Offenhauser/Marchese), 2. Johnnie Parsons (Offenhauser/Kurtis), 3. Ted Horn (Offenhauser/Horn-Simonek), 4. Ted Duncan (Offenhauser/Corley), and 5. Bill Sheffer (Offenhauser/Bromme). The winning time was 2:18:21.21 or 86.734 mph. The lap leaders had been: Horn 1-6, Fohr 7-11, Hansen 12-38, Mantz 39-135, Bettenhausen (in relief for Fohr) 136-178, Parsons 179-189, and Fohr 190-200. Parsons and Duncan made one pit stop each, while both Fohr and Sheffler had two, and Horn three. The two winners split the
Championship points with Fohr getting 266 and Bettenhausen 134. The total prize money was $26,250 and the winner's share was $6,213.
The winner, Myron W. Fohr (1912-1994), was never a genuinely recognizable name among the general public. Fohr, at 200 pounds, looked more like a professional boxer or prize fighter than a racing car driver. Fohr was heavy set and his arms and legs seem to be pure muscle. Apparently and obviously there was little or no fat in Fohr. His career in racing began in 1932. When the popularity of the midgets moved eastward to the mid-west, Myron raced them, beginning in 1935. After the World War II, Fohr raced stock cars, midgets, sprint cars, and the
AAA Championship cars. His
AAA Championship debut occurred at Milwaukee on June 8, 1947. With regard to the
Championship division proper he almost always ran for the three Marchese brothers, Carl, Tudy, and Tom. Fohr's first try at Indianapolis was in 1948, but he ended up as the second alternate with a posted time of 121.531 mph and was bumped out on the last day of the time trials. Surprisingly it was exactly the same vehicle used at Indianapolis by Fohr, which now had become the Milwaukee 200 winner. The
AAA Championship newcomer and rookie, Parsons, after another spectacular drive again placed second, and obviously Frank Kurtis and Ed Walsh had now found the right combination for their car.
The 4th place finish by Ted Duncan, among the 21 starters, represented a great effort. Of Duncan I know nothing. Ted is said to have won minor regional titles in the mid-west before World War II, i.e. at Chicago and St. Louis. He appears to have mostly competed in midgets. Duncan drove in the
AAA Championship ranks during 1948-1950, with a total of five starts. Ted Duncan was at Indianapolis in 1949 and 1950 but didn't make the starting lineup either year.
By placing 3rd here at Milwaukee, Ted Horn was getting closer to cinching his third straight
AAA National Driving Title, a feat not previousy attained. The only previous consecutive
AAA National Titlists were Louie Meyer in 1928-1929, Rex Mays in 1940-1941, and Horn himself in
1946-1947. After the Milwaukee 200, with five races remaining on the 1948
Championship schedule, the point totals were 1. Ted Horn 1600, 2. Mauri Rose 1000, 3. Duke Nalon 910, 4.Bill Holland 840, 5. Mack Hellings 820, 6. Myron Fohr 586, 7 Charles Van Acker 560, and 8. Lee Wallard 524.5. Only the top five
AAA point leaders still had a mathematical chance of becoming the 1948
National Driving Titlist. However Horn was now in a very strong postion. Rose, with 1000 counters, would no longer race on dirt, and ran only at Indianapolis. Bill Holland had dropped out of the 1948
AAA title chase after running at Milwaukee on June 6, while Hellings was out the rest of the season with injuries. Only Nalon with 910 points was a possible and theoretical threat, but Duke also quit the 1948
AAA Championship Trial after completing at Springfield on August 21.
The 1948 Milwaukee 200 was evidently a success as the West Allis Milwaukee Mile continued to stage an annual
AAA Championship 200 miler every August, until the
AAA and its Contest Board ceased to sanction races after late 1955. However for 1955, be it noted, the August
AAA Milwaukee race was upped to 250 miles. Even in the mid-1960s, the August Milwaukee classic was ranked second in stature and only behind the Indianapolis 500 in importance, as an contest on the USAC
Championship Trail. For instance, when Jimmy Clark won the 1963 Milwaukee 200 in a Ford/Lotus on August 18th, the race still had the acknowledged status as second in rank, i.e. as only behind the much, much larger Indianapolis 500. But the distance, gap, and interval between the importance of the Indianapolis 500 and the Milwaukee 200 was staggering.
The next stop on the
AAA Championship schedule was for September 4 (Labor Day) at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds, located in southern Illinois. It was the site's first
Championship contest.
Edited by john glenn printz, 25 May 2010 - 15:51.