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Central Division SCCA Formula B 1969

One of the largest and most competitive FB fields in the SCCA was won by Chet Freeman in his new BT29, despte not joining in until August, when seven of the 11 races were already run. It was the fifth successive title for the eastern half of the division but the early pacesetters had been from the west: Dan Murphy in the latest Winkelmann design, the ex-Tom Tufts Chevron B14 of Thomas Gelb and the Merlyn-Alfa of Howard 'Bud' Jackson. Jackson ended the season with his Alfa engine fitted into a newer Brabham BT21C.

Another late arrival to the contest was Syd Demovsky who fielded a new Chevron B15 and finished fifth overall, ahead of the one-year-old Brabham BT21Cs of fellow Chicagoan Karl Kohnke. Only Freeman, Murphy and Demovsky had new cars, one fewer than in 1968.

Final standings

1. Chet FreemanBrabham BT29Ohio Valley25 pts†
2. Dan MurphyWinklemann WDB2Milwaukee22 pts 
3. "Bud" JacksonBrabham BT21C-AlfaIowa21 pts†
4. Thomas GelbChevron-HRE (B14)Milwaukee18 pts†
5. Syd DemovskyChevron B15-FordChicago17 pts†
6. Karl KohnkeBrabham BT21CChicago15 pts 
7. Kenneth NeilsenMerlyn-LotusDetroit12 pts 
8. Jon ReskiLeGrand Mk 9BLand O'Lakes10 pts 
9. Dave DoursBrabham (BT16)NEOhio9 pts 
10. Gib KugelCrosslé 12F-FordOhio Valley8 pts 
11. William MarshBrabham BT21Indianapolis5 pts 
12. Evan NoyesBrabham BT18Indianapolis5 pts 
13. Peter W NyeBrabham BT18NW Ohio4 pts†
14. Thomas C. JonesCooper (T83)NEOhio2 pts†
15. Walter GalleLotus 22/35Chicago1 pt   
16. Robert NunemacherAlexis-FordDetroit1 pt   
17. Thomas RichmondLotus [22]-FordDetroit1 pt   

† Indicates total includes points earned out of home division.

1969 Schedule

18 May 1969Meadowdale RacewayChicago Region
01 Jun 1969BrainerdLand O'Lakes Region
15 Jun 1969Road AmericaChicago Region
29 Jun 1969Wisconsin State Fair ParkMilwaukee Region
13 Jul 1969Blackhawk FarmsIndiana NW Region
20 Jul 1969Mid-OhioCincinnati Region
03 Aug 1969Grattan RacewayWestern Michigan Region
24 Aug 1969Blackhawk FarmsBlackhawk Valley Region
07 Sep 1969Mid-OhioNEOhio Region
21 Sep 1969Michigan International SpeedwayDetroit Region
05 Oct 1969Indianapolis Raceway ParkIndianapolis Region

Central Division sources

Most of our knowledge of CenDiv racing comes from the SCCA's Sports Car magazine and from Competition Press & Autoweek. We are very keen to acquire, borrow or receive copies of 1960s, 1970s and 1980s SCCA regional publications from this Division. There were many such newsletters in this Division, including:

  • Auto-Graph (Indiana Northwest Region)
  • Backfire (Western Michigan Region)
  • Blower (Northeast Ohio Region)
  • Class Q and later CinChronizer (Cincinnati Region)
  • Clutch Chatter (Indianapolis Region)
  • Clutch Chatter (Northwestern Ohio Region)
  • Crashbox (Golden Triangle Region)
  • Down Shift (Central Illinois Region)
  • Downshift (Kentucky Region)
  • The Drift (Milwaukee Region)
  • Drifting (Des Moines Valley Region)
  • The Fifth Wheel (Northeastern Michigan Region)
  • The Four Wheel Drift (Fort Wayne Region)
  • Iowa Regional News (Iowa Region)
  • Newsletter (Central Kentucky Region)
  • Ohio Valley Regional News and Observers Stand (Ohio Valley Region)
  • Open Exhaust (Detroit Region)
  • Piston Patter (Chicago Region)
  • Pit Board (South Bend Region)
  • The Pit Stop (Southern Indiana Region)
  • The Racket (Tennessee Valley Region)
  • Recaps (Eastern Tennessee Region)
  • Rev Record (Western Ohio Region)
  • S.I.R. SCCA Newsletter (Southern Indiana Region)
  • Smoke Signals (Blackhawk Valley Region)
  • The Tonneau (Land O'Lakes Region)

Also relevant are some non-SCCA publications, notably that of the Midwestern Council of Sports Car Clubs (MCSCC), based in the Chicago area:

  • Klaxon (Midwestern Council of Sports Car Clubs)

We are also keen to get scans of entry lists from SCCA Nationals in this Division.