RPM Remember When by Don Gamble  

A Racer named Ruffner  

According to students of such things, spectator attendance at sports events involving automobiles is exceeded only by the multitudes that follow horse racing. Regardless of the exact statistics, racing is popular, whether machines or animals are involved, and interest in the various auto­motive sporting activities shows no sign of reaching or even approaching its peak. The big races at the big tracks Day­tona, LeMans, Indianapolis are the ma­jor leagues, the races that make the head­lines, but it is the smaller races and events taking place every week all over the coun­try that t build the attendance totals and provide the foundation for the entire sport.

Despite the frequent existence of a cash prize for race winners, automobile racing does not really seem to be a busi­ness? In the conventional sense, to most of those who participate in the activity. The exception is the track operator, who must have profit in mind to survive. For every top-flight professional driver like Foyt, Jones or Gurney, there are a thousand ordinary individuals on weekends primarily because they enjoy pitting their skills competition, hoping to win enough to break even. Few are this fortunate, but this doesn't reduce participation noticeably' the very root of it, racing itself is the reward for all the' and expense.

Bill Ruffner, a field man in Oakford District, Division V. Bill has been driving a modified in the Penn Western Racing Association for two of the three years the organization has been in existence. Last year was a particularly good one for Bill as he won two feature races and then wound up the season by winning the year's biggest race and $1,140 in prize and lap money.

For five years, Bill owned and drove his own car. Two years ago he began to drive cars owned by J & L Mobile Homes. Bill and two other employees Don Morris and Dennis Doyle take care of the car. Bill is 30 years old and his wife, Doris, and their seven-year-old son, Bill, Jr., across Route 22 from Oakford Station. He has been employed by Consolidated Gas Supply Corporation for 12 years.

Bill is currently serving as president of the Penn Western Racing Association, which adds a lot of other responsibilities to those of driving and preparing a car. Among the duties of the president are representing the drivers and car owners in negotiations with track owners and promoters and mediat­ing disputes between club members. The club races at Jennerstown Speedway, in Jennerstown , Pa. on Sat­urdays and at Ruffsdale Motordrome Speedway, in Ruffsdale , Pa. on Sundays.

The car Bill drives is a 1930 Ford and owned by J & L Mobile Homes of Blairsville, Pa.  The motor is mounted about 26 inches behind the front axle to help concentrate weight on the rear wheels for better traction. This car is built somewhat taller than most to gain an additional transfer of weight in the corners, which is seen as an aid to cornering on slippery dirt surfaces.

The motor is a 427 cu­bic-inch displacement Chevrolet which has been modified to develop about 450 horsepower using a four-barrel carbu­retor.  A nine-inch drive shaft runs from the three-speed trans­mission to the Halibrand quick-change rear axle in which a variety of final drive ratios can be quickly installed. Bill has found that third gear and a rear axle ratio in the neigh­borhood of 6.28:1 is the combination that he uses the most.

(The excerpts from story above are from the August 1967 Horizon’s Magazine of Consolidated Gas Supply Corporation in Delmont , PA. The story of the “101” is from The Mount Pleasant Journal October 1967)

Bill Ruffner Wins “101” at Motordrome Speedway

Bill Ruffner hung on to the leaders tails as though glued there for 210 laps, then came out of the pack like a streaking comet and blazed his way to a two lap lead at the finish to become the first “10l" mile winner at Motordrome Speed­way at Ruffsdale Sunday. Dale Hafer, the fast qualifier was second.

Dale Hafer starting on the pole took the lead and held it for 83 Iaps where he made his first of many pit stops, which eventually cost him the race. At lap 20 Hafer led with Rick Ferkel and Ruffner trailing him.  On lap 50 Hafer, Joe Viglione and Jim Burns came in that order and in the 75^th lap it was still Hafer, Viglione and now Yip Robinson from Marion Center in that order.

At lap 101 Viglione had taken the lead followed by Bill Ruffner, who now had started to make his move and Tom­my Serockman was also moving up into the thick of things.  Viglione still led at lap 150 with Ruffner on his heels, followed by Hafer, who was trying to get back in the mix after being forced out earlier for a pit stop.

At lap 175 Hafer had taken over second from Ruffner and was in a battle with Viglione.  The 200 lap mark found Viglione still leading but Ruffner now second and Hafer third as he made another pit stop.

At lap 210 Viglione was forced out of the race for a while because of mechanical trouble, and Ruffner took the lead. At 250 laps Ruffner still lead with Hafer several laps back, followed by Serockman in third.  At 275 laps Ruffner still had a commanding lead, with Hafer second and Al Piper third.

At the finish, Ruffner lead with Hafer second Pee Wee Flick moved ahead of Piper who dropped to fourth.  The race was free of any serious accidents, although several cars went over the bank, a few lost wheels one and Yip Robinson’s car caught fire in the pits.

Finish Car      Driver                          Laps   Start

1          14        Bill Ruffner                  303       2

2          9          Dale Hafer                 301       1

3          39        Pee Wee Flick          295       3

4          90        Al Piper                      294     29

5          76        Addison Errett           285     24

6         1         Ron Kinsey                  281       9

7          5          Joe Viglione              271     12

8          145     Mel Minnick                270     25

9          24        Tom Serockman       200     22

10        55        Ed Lynch                    265     18

11        77        Ron Schmucker         264     15

12        67        John Orbin                 257     23

13        50        Ron Griffith                 249       8

14        33        Fred Shaffer              248     17

15        0          Rick Ferkel                242       6

16        158     Wayne Bender          232     21

17        58        Fran Gower                208     28

18        1          Bill Dull                       201     20

19        52        Jim Burns                   184       5

20        41        Yip Robinson             173     11

21        4          Rollie Smith               166     19

22        83        Duffy Johnson            149     14

23        61        Bob Mullen                 135     27

24        17        Jack West                  125     13

25        110     Bill Fletcher                122     16

26        80        Lee Durstine              107     30

27        00        Andy Phillips              104     26       

28        007     Paul DeWald             59          4

29        82        Tim Watt                     54        10

30        2          Jake Campbell          27          7

Alternate cars which did not ­enter the race, but were on standby were: car 10 Lloyd Johnson, No 38 Buddy O’Connor, No 711 Lou Amicone and No. 99 Jim Watt.  

It was interesting to note that in addition to the winner Bill Ruffner there was a very impressive list of drivers that went on to win many features over the next several decades…Dale Hafer, Pee Wee Flick, Joe Viglione, Mel Minnick, Ed Lynch, John Orbin, Rick Ferkel, Fran Gower, Bill Dull, Jim Burns, Rollie Smith, Andy Phillips and Buddy O’Connor.            

Rappin' on Racin' can be heard starting April 7^th on its host radio station, WEDO 810 AM. The show airs Monday evenings from 6:00 - 8:00 PM. Rappin' on Racin' is also available 24/7 on the Internet accessed by way of our website www.speedwayproductions.biz