1975 Winchester 400
The 1975 Winchester 400 motor race, the sixth annual (run yearly since 1970), was held as the "Dri-Power 400" under American Speed Association sanction on September 28, 1975, at the Winchester Speedway, in Indiana (USA).
Bob Senneker of Dorr, Michigan became the first driver to win the Winchester 400 in consecutive years. He grabbed the lead for the third and final time on lap 262 from southern standout Harry Gant. Art Sommers finished in the second position with Randy Sweet, Tom Maier, and Carl Smith rounding out the top-five finishers.
The race
Larry Moore of Dayton, Ohio was the fastest competitor in qualifying as he turned a lap of 17.272 seconds (104.155 MPH). Moore leaped out to the early lead in the 200-mile event with Senneker close behind followed by Maier, Vern Schrock, and Rodney Combs.
Senneker ducked past Moore for the lead following the first of the 13 caution periods that would slow the race. On the 50th lap, front-running Roger Herp spun collecting Rick Knotts, Bruce Gould, and the second-place running machine of Moore. Senneker was able to squeeze through the incident, but lost the lead to Maier with Sweet moving into the runner-up spot. Sweet passed Maier on lap 88 to take the lead, but immediately dropped off the pace the next lap putting Maier back in front. Gant took the race lead for the first time on lap 95.
Gant would opt for fresh tires during a caution on lap 114, giving the lead to Sommers. Senneker moved back in front on the 142nd lap and would hold the position until making his second stop on lap 237. The handed the lead back to Gant, but all eyes were on Senneker as he charged back to the lead on lap 262 and pulled away from all competitors. At the checkers, Senneker was five laps ahead of second-place finisher Sommers. Sweet was another lap back in third with Tom Maier receiving relief help from Moore to take fourth and Carl Smith in fifth. Senneker collected nearly $8,000 for his second-straight win in the fall classic.
Table of results
| Results of the 6th Annual DRI-POWER Winchester 400 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Start | Car # | Driver/Hometown | Sponsor/Make | Laps | Winnings (in US$) |
Status | |
| 1 | 2 | 184 | Bob Senneker / Dorr, MI | Chevrolet | 400 | $7,815 | running | |
| 2 | 7 | 33 | Art Sommers / Warren, MI | Chevrolet | 395 | $3,420 | running | |
| 3 | 6 | 17 | Randy Sweet / Portage, MI | Chevrolet | 394 | $2,015 | running | |
| 4 | 4 | 40 | Tom Maier / Midland, MI Larry Moore / Dayton, OH |
Chevrolet | 394 | $2,145 | running | |
| 5 | 20 | 2 | Carl Smith / West Jefferson, OH | Chevrolet | 390 | $1,250 | running | |
| 6 | 9 | 77 | Harry Gant / Taylorsville, NC | Chevrolet | 390 | $1,810 | running | |
| 7 | 30 | 81 | Ron Hayes / Brownsburg, IN Dave Dayton / Indianapolis, IN |
Chevrolet | 382 | $1,000 | running | |
| 8 | 21 | 1 | Ed Hoffman / Niles, IL | Chevrolet | 379 | $900 | running | |
| 9 | 39 | 02 | Jim Brandenburg / Springfield, OH | Chevrolet | 359 | $550 | running | |
| 10 | 32 | 53 | Terry Bivins / Shawnee, KS | Chevrolet | 358 | $800 | suspension | |
| 11 | 17 | 8 | Jim Cushman / Worthington, OH Rodney Combs / Hamilton, OH |
Plymouth | 346 | $750 | running | |
| 12 | 19 | 88 | Mike Eddy / Midland, MI | Chevrolet | 331 | $700 | running | |
| 13 | 36 | 66 | Gene Prosser / New Castle, IN Darwin Blankenship / Anderson, IN |
Chevrolet | 327 | $650 | running | |
| 14 | 37 | 84 | Frank Demske / South Bend, IN | Chevrolet | 320 | $600 | fan belt | |
| 15 | 39 | 96 | Harold Scott / New Castle, IN | Chevrolet | 315 | $850 | fan belt | |
| 16 | 28 | 20 | Clyde Brown / Indianapolis, IN | Chevrolet | 295 | $550 | transmission | |
| 17 | 23 | 25 | Ted Johnson / Columbus, OH | Chevrolet | 292 | $450 | engine | |
| 18 | 29 | 76 | L.J. Lines / Greensboro, IN Don Skaggs / Cambridge City, IN |
Chevrolet | 278 | $400 | rear end | |
| 19 | 18 | 98 | Jody Ridley / Chatsworth, GA | Ford | 253 | $350 | accident | |
| 20 | 35 | 51 | Neal Sceva / Urbana, OH | Ford | 190 | $300 | clutch | |
| 21 | 33 | 21 | Rick Knotts / Kalamazoo, MI | Chevrolet | 190 | $250 | coil | |
| 22 | 3 | 10 | Vern Schrock / Middlebury, IN | Chevrolet | 182 | $225 | oil pump | |
| 23 | 22 | 26 | Mark Lamoreaux / Bloomington, MN | Chevrolet | 174 | $200 | distributor | |
| 24 | 16 | 18 | Roger Herp / Byron Center, MI | Chevrolet | 155 | $195 | engine | |
| 25 | 14 | 0 | Lonnie Breedlove / Indianapolis, IN | Chevrolet | 155 | $190 | oil leak | |
| 26 | 15 | 171 | Ed VanderLaan / Grand Rapids, MI | Chevrolet | 150 | $185 | oil pressure | |
| 27 | 27 | 44 | Don Keevin / Anderson, IN | Chevrolet | 144 | $180 | tie rod | |
| 28 | 26 | 30 | Ray Fullen / Anderson, IN | Ford | 86 | $175 | head gasket | |
| 29 | 10 | 69 | Don Higgins / New Castle, IN | Ford | 75 | $170 | rear end | |
| 30 | 5 | 5 | Rodney Combs / Hamilton, OH | Chevrolet | 65 | $165 | accident | |
| 31 | 12 | 7 | Dave Sorg / Fort Wayne, IN | Chevrolet | 64 | $160 | engine | |
| 32 | 1 | 12 | Larry Moore / Dayton, OH | Chevrolet | 50 | $1,250 | accident | |
| 33 | 24 | 68 | Bruce Gould / Milford, OH | Ford | 49 | $150 | accident | |
| 34 | 40 | 7-11 | Bill Reed / Elhhart, IN | Chevrolet | 45 | $145 | handling | |
| 35 | 25 | 13 | Jim Hurtubise / Tonawanda, NY | Chevrolet | 34 | $140 | steering | |
| 36 | 31 | 9 | Jeff Faber / Cincinnati, OH | Chevrolet | 30 | $130 | fuel system | |
| 37 | 11 | 61 | Kenny Hemphill / Vandergrift, PA | Chevrolet | 29 | $125 | timing | |
| 38 | 8 | 87 | Dave Dayton / Indianapolis, IN | Chevrolet | 24 | $120 | ignition | |
| 39 | 34 | 97 | Jim Brandenburg / Springfield, OH | Chevrolet | 11 | $120 | head gasket | |
| 40 | 13 | 07 | Don Gregory / Columbus, OH | Chevrolet | 9 | $120 | engine | |
Race statistics
- Average Speed: 72.066 mph (115.979 km/h)
- Margin of Victory: 5 laps
- Time of Race: Two hours, 46 minutes and 30.81 seconds
- Lead Changes: 10 among 6 drivers
- Lap Leaders: Larry Moore 1-33; Bob Senneker 34-50; Tom Maier 51-87; Randy Sweet 88; Maier 89-94; Harry Gant 95-113; Art Sommers 114-141; B. Senneker 142-236; Gant 237-261; B. Senneker 262-400
- Cautions: 13 for 113 laps
- Entries: 44 Qualifiers: 40
External links
| Preceded by 1974 Winchester 400 |
1975 Winchester 400 Winner: Bob Senneker |
Succeeded by 1976 Winchester 400 |
Coordinates: 40°10′31″N 85°1′37″W / 40.17528°N 85.02694°W