1964 Year in Review
Ray Delisle won 3 of the first 5 events of the 1964 and held the point lead for the remainder of the 1964 season to win the Speedbowl Championship. It was the first championship as a driver for Delisle, who was seriously burned in an accident at the Speedbowl in 1960.
This season both Modified and Sportsman cars ran together in the headlining division. Delisle drove the Simons Bros #9 Excavator Special, a Sportsman car, to the title while driving against mostly higher powered Modified cars. And despite the Sportsman cars proving they could be competitive by winning several features thoughout the year, there was frequent protests from the Modified teams that certain Sportsman cars were starting in the front of the field per the handicapping system when they weren’t fast enough to do so. These issues in addition to Delisle sweeping both Championships, led the Speedbowl to discontinue the Sportsman points within the Modified division after the 1964 season.
Billy Harman led the division with 6 wins. Delisle and Charlie Webster, driving the Fred Beaber #716, had 5 wins each. Webster won both a 50 and a 60 lap race in August. Hank Stevens also won a 50 lapper. Don Collins and Dick Dunn won the two 75 lap events.
There were two Grand American Late Model events held this season. A 150-lap event in June won by Dick Dixon and a 100-lap event in September won by Jim Reed. The NEMA midget event on July 13th was rained out and not rescheduled.
3-time winner Ed Gladue beat 2-time winner Bob Potter by 7 points for the Bomber Championship. Bill Staubley led the division with 8 wins. Jerry Glaude won the Connecticut State Bomber Championship 50 lap race which closed out the Speedbowl season.
On August 4th, Bomber driver Billy Scrivener married Alyce Mae Potter on the frontstretch prior to the night’s features in one of the most unique events in Speedbowl history. Scrivener then got in his #4 Roger Bonville machine and promptly won his heat, but unfornately the good luck didn’t last and he suffered a DNF in the feature.
The popular Powder Puff Derbies returned. Don Collins’ wife Ginny took the victory in the 10 lap exhibition held on July 18th.