1959: A LITTLE BIT OF HARTLEY & SOUL
The 1959 USAC National and Midwest Midget championships went to a man who probably more nearly personified midget auto racing than any other driver of his era, Gene Hartley of Roanoke, Ind.
Throughout the mid to late-1950s, Hartley had competed in and won as many midget races as anyone. In 1957-58, he was third in the national point standings. He was fourth in 1956 and fifth in 1955. In addition, he finished second in the 1958 Midwest Midget standings. Over the last three years, while Shorty Templeman has been dominating the midget picture, Hartley was one of the chief contenders. It almost seemed proper justice for Hartley to break Shorty’s reign.
Hartley took the point lead in mid-July and kept it all the way to the end of the season. Jimmy Davies charged up to challenge for the lead during the final months of the season, but his bid fell short by a fairly sizeable margin of 202.2 points. Hartley was prepared to take time off from his winter occupation and travel to the west coast to defend his lead in the winter races. However, he won a 100-lap event of the half-mile Terre Haute (Ind.) Action Track on October 4 and that practically clinched the title. Therefore, he passed up the western races, but Davies couldn’t make up the difference.
Hartley drove in 47 feature events and won 11. This means that he was winning almost every fourth race. He added eight seconds, three thirds, five fourths, three fifths and three sixths. This adds up to 33 times in the top-six. Hartley belongs to the group known as “heady” drivers. Undoubtedly, this is a result of a lifetime of association with the sport. He has a particularly fine touch on paved racetracks. He was the fastest qualifier on eight occasions and consistently was among the fastest qualifiers. This means that most of the time, he had to hustle through the field for his victories because most of the midget features are started in inverted order.
An astonishing 30 different drivers won feature events in 1959, the all-time record for the series. Leroy Warriner of Indianapolis, Ind. was second in the number of victories at five and he finished fifth in the final point standings. Davies and Don Branson were second in qualifying honors, each turning in the fastest time in five programs.
Earl Motter of Fresno, Calif. won the first race of the season and briefly led the points, but George Amick took the second race and the point lead. Amick was killed in a champ car race in April at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, but his lead held until June when Shorty Templeman won at Galesburg (Mich.) Speedway and became the leader in the standings.
Templeman’s number one position, which had become so familiar in the decade of the 1950s within the division, lasted only nine days. Bob Wente, a young driver from Saint Louis, Mo., surged to the front with a third place finish at Ohio’s Columbus Motor Speedway on June 18. Templeman couldn’t get the lead again the rest of the season and finally ended up third in the national standings and fourth in the Midwest.
Wente had only been racing for five years and only a couple of years against top-flight competition, but he clung stubbornly to the point lead for a month. Finally, the pressure of Hartley’s fantastically consistent finishes was too much.
Danny Oakes of North Hollywood, Calif., who began his racing career at the wheel of a roadster in 1932 in Santa Maria, Calif., won the 1959 Pacific Coast Midget Championship for his first USAC title. The 48-year-old Oakes didn’t win any races, but he was consistently in the top-five and beat Earl Motter of Fresno, Calif. in the final point standings by 1.25 points.
Leroy Warriner of Indianapolis, Ind. won the 1959 USAC Indoor Midget championship at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Ind., winning the title in grand style by scoring a clean sweep as the fastest qualifier, then started last in the 100-lap feature, but maneuvered into first by the 84th lap.
Winning titles wasn’t new to Warriner. He was the 1953 AAA National and Midwest champ and won the 1946 Florida Midget title. Starting in midgets in Greenfield, Ind. in 1939, at the age of 41, Warriner became a first-time USAC champion.
In August, Fred “Jiggs” Peters scored a victory in the longest ever USAC National Midget feature, a 250-lap feature on the one-mile New Jersey State Fairgrounds aboard Ken Brenn’s Offy, a co-sanctioned event with ARDC.
Roll bars were made mandatory for the series starting in 1959. They were required to be constructed of 4130 or 4140 S.A.E. chromoly tubing with a minimum outside diameter of 1 3/ 8 inch with a minimum wall thickness of 0.095 inches.
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USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: February 15, 1959 – Ascot Stadium – Gardena, California
FEATURE: (89 laps) 1. Earl Motter, 2. George Amick, 3. Jimmy Davies, 4. Billy Cantrell, 5. Danny Oakes, 6. Shorty Templeman, 7. Bill Homeier, 8. Chuck Booth, 9. Dempsey Wilson, 10. Ed Normi, 11. Wayne Weiler, 12. Tony Lenti, 13. Bill Cheesbourg, 14. Danny Jones, 15. Johnny Moorhouse, 16. Johnny Wood, 17. Johnnie Tolan, 18. Davey Moses. FQ: Johnny Moorhouse (22.500)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: March 22, 1959 – Ascot Stadium – Gardena, California
FEATURE: (100 laps) 1. George Amick, 2. Johnnie Parsons, 3. Mike McGreevy, 4. Johnny Boyd, 5. Shorty Templeman, 6. Johnnie Tolan, 7. Ray Crawford, 8. Danny Oakes, 9. Tommy Copp, 10. Gene Gurney, 11. Dempsey Wilson, 12. Wayne Weiler, 13. Don Davis, 14. Billy Cantrell, 15. Danny Jones, 16. Johnny Moorhouse, 17. Jimmy Davies, 18. Don Cameron. FQ: Johnny Boyd (22.340)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: April 26, 1959 – Ascot Stadium – Gardena, California
FEATURE: (100 laps) 1. Johnny Boyd, 2. Billy Cantrell, 3. Jimmy Davies, 4. Johnny Moorhouse, 5. Wayne Weiler, 6. Joe Garson, 7. Norm Hall, 8. Earl Motter, 9. Bob Cortner, 10. Gene Gurney, 11. Cal Niday, 12. Don Cameron, 13. Johnnie Tolan, 14. Johnny Wood, 15. Chuck Hulse, 16. Don Edmunds, 17. Dempsey Wilson, 18. Shorty Templeman. FQ: Earl Motter (16.220)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: April 26, 1959 – Alabama State Fairgrounds – Birmingham, Alabama
FEATURE: (23 laps) 1. Bob Wente, 2. Chuck Rodee, 3. Leroy Warriner, 4. Eddie McVay, 5. Tommy Copp, 6. Jerry Kemp, 7. Bob Harkey, 8. Gene Force, 9. Roger Lane, 10. Bud Bogard, 11. Don Nordhorn, 12. Bud Williams, 13. Bob Schroeder. FQ: Chuck Rodee (25.250)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: May 3, 1959 – New Bremen Speedway – New Bremen, Ohio
FEATURE: (50 laps) 1. Don Branson, 2. Elmer George, 3. Rex Easton, 4. Bob Wente, 5. Gene Weyant, 6. Bob McLean, 7. Gene Force, 8. Ronnie Duman, 9. Len Sutton, 10. Bud Tingelstad, 11. Frank Burany, 12. Jerry Kemp, 13. Van Johnson, 14. Buckie Sager, 15. Bob Ellingham, 16. Don Evans, 17. Buddy Martin, 18. Johnny Kay. FQ: Gene Weyant
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: May 3, 1959 – New Bremen Speedway – New Bremen, Ohio – George Amick Memorial
FEATURE: (50 laps) 1. Van Johnson, 2. Rex Easton, 3. Elmer George, 4. Bud Tingelstad, 5. Bob Wente, 6. Johnny Kay, 7. Gene Force, 8. Gene Weyant, 9. Don Branson, 10. Bob McLean, 11. Gene Hartley, 12. Frank Burany, 13. Jerry Kemp, 14. Jim Packard, 15. Buckie Sager, 16. Chuck Weyant, 17. Bob Ellingham, 18. Ronnie Duman, 19. Buddy Martin, 20. Len Sutton, 21. Chuck Rodee. FQ: ???
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: May 29, 1959 – Kokomo Speedway – Kokomo, Indiana – Night Before The 500
FEATURE: (50 laps) 1. Gene Force, 2. Don Boorse, 3. Shorty Templeman, 4. Rex Easton, 5. Bill Homeier, 6. Buddy Cagle, 7. Bob Ellingham, 8. Jim Packard, 9. Frank Burany, 10. Leroy Warriner, 11. Russ Congdon, 12. Bob Wente, 13. Lloyd Ruby, 14. Bob McLean, 15. Ted Hartley, 16. Roy Graham, 17. Dale Swaim, 18. Johnny Roberts. FQ: Russ Congdon (17.300)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: June 4, 1959 – Lansing Motor Speedway – Mason, Michigan
FEATURE: (50 laps) 1. Rex Easton, 2. Gene Hartley, 3. Gene Force, 4. Jimmy Davies, 5. Chuck Rodee, 6. Bob Wente, 7. Johnny White, 8. Shorty Templeman, 9. Ronnie Duman, 10. Dale Swaim, 11. Jim Packard, 12. Johnny Kay, 13. Larry McCloskey, 14. Joe Wills, 15. Bob Reemsnyder, 16. Jack Joerns, 17. David Lee, 18. Russ Congdon. FQ: Russ Congdon (14.420)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: June 5, 1959 – Illiana Motor Speedway – Schererville, Indiana
FEATURE: (50 laps) 1. Don Branson, 2. Gene Hartley, 3. Chuck Weyant, 4. Shorty Templeman, 5. Johnny White, 6. Bob McLean, 7. Jimmy Knight, 8. Chuck Rodee, 9. Johnny Kay, 10. Russ Congdon, 11. Clyde Young, 12. David Lee, 13. Larry McCloskey, 14. Don Boorse, 15. Gene Force, 16. Bill Homeier, 17. Rex Easton, 18. Dale Swaim, 19. Jim Packard, 20. Johnny Roberts, 21. Duane Carter, 22. Bob Wente, 23. Jimmy Daywalt, 24. Jimmy Davies. FQ: Don Branson (24.020)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: June 6, 1959 – Grand Rapids Speedrome – Grand Rapids, Michigan
FEATURE: (50 laps) 1. Bob Wente, 2. Ronnie Duman, 3. Russ Congdon, 4. Tommy Copp, 5. Johnny White, 6. Jimmy Davies, 7. Don Boorse, 8. Leroy Warriner, 9. Larry McCloskey, 10. Al Miller, 11. Bob McLean, 12. Ted Hartley. FQ: Bob Wente (13.640)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: June 7, 1959 – Mount Clemens Speedway – Mount Clemens, Michigan
FEATURE: (20 laps) 1. Jimmy Davies, 2. Johnny White, 3. Don Boorse, 4. Russ Congdon, 5. Bob Wente, 6. Al Miller, 7. Tommy Copp, 8. Nick Wilhelm, 9. Bill Homeier, 10. Les Scott, 11. Larry McCloskey, 12. Joe Wills, 13. Ronnie Duman, 14. Bob McLean. FQ: Johnny White (25.800)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: June 10, 1959 – Galesburg Speedway – Galesburg, Michigan
FEATURE: (50 laps) 1. Shorty Templeman, 2. Johnnie Parsons, 3. Bob Wente, 4. Leroy Warriner, 5. Don Branson, 6. Johnny White, 7. Chuck Rodee, 8. Rex Easton, 9. Bill Homeier, 10. Jimmy Davies, 11. Dick Frazier, 12. David Lee, 13. Rex Easton, 14. Russ Congdon. FQ: Don Branson (15.900)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: June 12, 1959 – South Park Speedway – Library, Pennsylvania
FEATURE: (50 laps) 1. Rex Easton, 2. Van Johnson, 3. Buddy Martin, 4. Jimmy Davies, 5. Bob Wente, 6. Chuck Weyant, 7. Chuck Rodee, 8. Eddie Johnson, 9. Buckie Sager, 10. Bob Miley, 11. Leroy Warriner, 12. Gene Hartley. FQ: Bob Wente (15.640)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: June 13, 1959 – Flat Rock Speedway – Flat Rock, Michigan
FEATURE: (50 laps) 1. Tommy Copp, 2. Eddie Johnson, 3. Shorty Templeman, 4. Bob Wente, 5. Johnnie Parsons, 6. Chuck Rodee, 7. Gene Hartley, 8. Johnny White, 9. Al Miller, 10. Don Boorse, 11. Leroy Warriner, 12. Dick Frazier, 13. Dale Swaim, 14. Bob Miley, 15. Russ Congdon, 16. Bob Reemsnyder, 17. Buckie Sager, 18. Buddy Martin. FQ: Gene Hartley (13.920)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: June 14, 1959 – Auto City Speedway – Clio, Michigan
FEATURE: (50 laps) 1. Larry McCloskey, 2. Johnny White, 3. Al Miller, 4. Shorty Templeman, 5. Gene Hartley, 6. Joe Wills, 7. Chuck Rodee, 8. Tommy Copp, 9. Leroy Warriner, 10. Red Kamp, 11. Russ Congdon, 12. Dick Leisure, 13. Bob Wente, 14. Bob McLean, 15. Ronnie Duman or H. Dumon?, 16. D. Alexander. FQ: Al Miller (16.940)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: June 17, 1959 – Lorain County Speedway – Elyria, Ohio
FEATURE: (100 laps) 1. Bill Homeier, 2. Gene Hartley, 3. Jimmy Davies, 4. Eddie Johnson, 5. Johnny White, 6. Bob Wente, 7. Joe Wills, 8. Buckie Sager, 9. Shorty Templeman, 10. Red Kamp, 11. Bob McLean, 12. Johnny Kay, 13. Dick Frazier, 14. Chuck Weyant, 15. Dan Fagnilli, 16. Bernie Wrona, 17. Ed Stanley, 18. Jim Packard. FQ: Eddie Johnson (17.910)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: June 18, 1959 – Columbus Motor Speedway – Columbus, Ohio
FEATURE: (50 laps) 1. Gene Hartley, 2. Leroy Warriner, 3. Bob Wente, 4. Bill Homeier, 5. Chuck Rodee, 6. Johnny White, 7. Chuck Weyant, 8. Danny Oakes, 9. Jim Packard, 10. Joe Wills, 11. Red Kamp, 12. Buckie Sager, 13. Gene Force. FQ: Gene Hartley (16.280)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: June 19, 1959 – Illiana Motor Speedway – Schererville, Indiana
FEATURE: (20 laps) 1. Chuck Weyant, 2. Shorty Templeman, 3. Bill Homeier, 4. Jimmy Davies, 5. Bob Wente, 6. Johnnie Parsons, 7. Russ Congdon, 8. Gene Hartley, 9. Keith Thomas, 10. Len Sutton, 11. Bob Ellingham, 12. Jimmy Knight, 13. Johnny White, 14. Johnny Kay, 15. Danny Oakes, 16. Frank Burany, 17. Jim Packard, 18. Don Boorse. FQ: Chuck Weyant (24.270)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: June 25, 1959 – Jackson Motor Speedway – Jackson, Michigan
FEATURE: (30 laps) 1. Jimmy Davies, 2. Bob McLean, 3. Len Sutton, 4. Tommy Copp, 5. Don Branson, 6. Russ Congdon, 7. Leroy Warriner, 8. Ronnie Duman, 9. Johnny Kay, 10. Chuck Rodee, 11. Al Miller, 12. Bill Homeier, 13. Shorty Templeman, 14. Danny Oakes, 15. Chuck Weyant, 16. Bob Wente, 17. Gene Hartley, 18. Johnny White. FQ: Don Branson (15.840)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: June 26, 1959 – Dixie Motor Speedway – Birch Run, Michigan
FEATURE: (50 laps) 1. Len Sutton, 2. Al Miller, 3. Gene Hartley, 4. Bob Wente, 5. Leroy Warriner, 6. Danny Oakes, 7. Shorty Templeman, 8. Johnnie Parsons, 9. Bill Homeier, 10. Johnny Pouelsen, 11. Chuck Rodee, 12. Johnny Kay, 13. David Lee, 14. Johnny White, 15. Jimmy Davies, 16. Larry McCloskey, 17. Tommy Copp, 18. Don Branson. FQ: Tommy Copp (16.940)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: June 27, 1959 – Kil-Kare Speedway – Xenia, Ohio
FEATURE: (50 laps) 1. Chuck Rodee, 2. Bill Homeier, 3. Don Branson, 4. Gene Hartley, 5. Gene Force, 6. Len Sutton, 7. Jimmy Davies, 8. Danny Oakes, 9. Ronnie Duman, 10. Russ Congdon, 11. Leroy Warriner, 12. Shorty Templeman, 13. Tommy Copp, 14. Johnny Parsons, 15. Chuck Weyant, 16. Potsy Goacher, 17. Bob McLean, 18. Bob Wente. FQ: Gene Force (15.140)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: July 3, 1959 – Illiana Motor Speedway – Schererville, Indiana
FEATURE: (20 laps) 1. Gene Hartley, 2. Danny Oakes, 3. Jimmy Davies, 4. Chuck Weyant, 5. Rodger Ward, 6. Bob Wente, 7. Don Boorse, 8. Keith Thomas, 9. A.J. Foyt, 10. Len Sutton, 11. Lloyd Ruby, 12. Bill Homeier, 13. Johnnie Parsons, 14. Red Amick, 15. Duane Carter, 16. Chuck Rodee, 17. Don Branson, 18. Russ Congdon. FQ: Danny Oakes (24.300)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: July 4, 1959 – Mount Clemens Speedway – Mount Clemens, Michigan
FEATURE: (50 laps) 1. Tommy Copp, 2. Gene Force, 3. Chuck Rodee, 4. Bob Wente, 5. Gene Hartley, 6. Don Boorse, 7. Johnnie Parsons, 8. Danny Oakes, 9. Len Sutton, 10. Russ Congdon, 11. Eddie Johnson, 12. Johnny Kay, 13. Johnny White, 14. Larry McCloskey, 15. Ronnie Duman, 16. Al Miller, 17. Joe Wills, 18. Bob McLean. FQ: Larry McCloskey (15.930)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: July 9, 1959 – Macon Speedway – Macon, Illinois
FEATURE: (50 laps) 1. Don Branson, 2. Leroy Warriner, 3. Gene Force, 4. Buddy Cagle, 5. Jim Packard, 6. Gene Hartley, 7. Bob Wente, 8. Danny Oakes, 9. Gene Weyant, 10. Johnny White, 11. Chuck Rodee, 12. Johnnie Parsons, 13. Bill Homeier, 14. David Lee, 15. Dwight Brown, 16. Willie Hunziker, 17. Arnie Knepper, 18. Russ Congdon. FQ: Johnnie Parsons (13.090)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: July 12, 1959 – Kokomo Speedway – Kokomo, Indiana
FEATURE: (50 laps) 1. Shorty Templeman, 2. Bill Cheesbourg, 3. Russ Congdon, 4. Gene Hartley, 5. Jimmy Davies, 6. Leroy Warriner, 7. Jimmy Knight, 8. Chuck Rodee, 9. Ray Richards, 10. Bill Eubank, 11. Chuck Weyant, 12. Danny Oakes, 13. Dick Frazier, 14. Bill Homeier, 15. Cotton Farmer, 16. Jim Hurtubise, 17. Nick Wilhelm, 18. Dale Swaim. FQ: Dale Swaim (17.990)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: July 16, 1959 – Auto City Speedway – Clio, Michigan
FEATURE: (50 laps) 1. Gene Hartley, 2. Bill Homeier, 3. Bob Wente, 4. Les Scott, 5. Leroy Warriner, 6. Johnnie Parsons, 7. Len Sutton, 8. Gene Force, 9. Dale Swaim, 10. Shorty Templeman, 11. Chuck Rodee, 12. Al Miller, 13. Jack Rounds, 14. Russ Congdon, 15. Tommy Copp, 16. Nick Wilhelm, 17. Johnny White, 18. Danny Oakes. FQ: Danny Oakes (16.840)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: July 17, 1959 – Illiana Motor Speedway – Schererville, Indiana
FEATURE: (20 laps) 1. Rodger Ward, 2. Shorty Templeman, 3. Les Scott, 4. Chuck Weyant, 5. Gene Hartley, 6. Chuck Rodee, 7. Bill Cheesbourg, 8. Russ Congdon, 9. Johnny Kay, 10. Bill Homeier, 11. Johnny White, 12. Bob Wente, 13. Dale Swaim, 14. Bob Ellingham, 15. Carl Williams, 16. Gene Force, 17. Willie Hunziker, 18. Don Branson. FQ: Les Scott (24.360)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: July 18, 1959 – Flat Rock Speedway – Flat Rock, Michigan
FEATURE: (50 laps) 1. Leroy Warriner, 2. Al Miller, 3. Shorty Templeman, 4. Gene Hartley, 5. Gene Force, 6. Jimmy Davies, 7. Russ Congdon, 8. Dale Swaim, 9. Bob McLean, 10. Chuck Rodee, 11. Len Sutton, 12. Bill Homeier, 13. Bob Wente, 14. Tommy Copp, 15. Cotton Farmer, 16. Jack Rounds, 17. Don Branson, 18. Eddie Johnson. FQ: Bob McLean (14.000)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: July 23, 1959 – Grand Rapids Speedrome – Grand Rapids, Michigan
FEATURE: (50 laps) 1. Bob McLean, 2. Don Branson, 3. Russ Congdon, 4. Chuck Rodee, 5. Gere Force, 6. Gene Hartley, 7. Shorty Templeman, 8. Leroy Warriner, 9. Bob Wente, 10. Johnny Kay, 11. Les Scott, 12. Al Miller, 13. Johnnie Parsons, 14. Joe Giba, 15. Cotton Farmer, 16. Dale Swaim, 17. Jack Bates, 18. Bob Reemsnyder. FQ: Gene Hartley (13.520)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: July 25, 1959 – Mount Clemens Speedway – Mount Clemens, Michigan
FEATURE: (50 laps) 1. Gene Hartley, 2. Bill Homeier, 3. Leroy Warriner, 4. Tommy Copp, 5. Johnnie Parsons, 6. Bob McLean, 7. Ralph Liguori, 8. Johnny White, 9. Jimmy Knight, 10. Dale Swaim, 11. Joe Giba, 12. Johnny Kay, 13. Chuck Rodee, 14. Cotton Farmer, 15. Ernie McCoy, 16. Bob Wente, 17. Russ Congdon, 18. Johnny Fedricks. FQ: Gene Hartley ()
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: July 26, 1959 – New Bremen Speedway – New Bremen, Ohio
FEATURE: (50 laps) 1. Gene Hartley, 2. Len Sutton, 3. Johnny White, 4. Bob McLean, 5. Jim Packard, 6. Les Scott, 7. Bobby Unser, 8. Don Boorse, 9. Jimmy Knight, 10. Johnnie Parsons, 11. Dick Northam, 12. Jimmy Davies, 13. Eddie Johnson, 14. Rodger Ward, 15. Bob Wente, 16. Bill Eubank, 17. Don Branson, 18. Chuck Rodee, 19. Dale Swaim, 20. Shorty Templeman, 21. Russ Congdon, 22. Eddie Sachs, 23. Joe Giba, 24. Ernie McCoy. FQ: Gene Hartley (20.460)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: July 29, 1959 – Peoria Speedway – Peoria, Illinois
FEATURE: (50 laps) 1. Leroy Warriner, 2. Gene Hartley, 3. Johnnie Parsons, 4. Chuck Rodee, 5. Dick Ritchie, 6. Shorty Templeman, 7. Russ Congdon, 8. Bob Wente, 9. Bill Homeier, 10. Jimmy Davies, 11. Johnny White, 12. Don Branson, 13. A.J. Foyt, 14. Les Scott, 15. Bob McLean, 16. Joe Giba, 17. Jerry Kemp, 18. Tony Bettenhausen. FQ: Bob Wente (14.480)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: July 30, 1959 – Macon Speedway – Macon, Illinois
FEATURE: (50 laps) 1. Don Boorse, 2. Jimmy Davies, 3. Bill Homeier, 4. A.J. Foyt, 5. Leroy Warriner, 6. Gene Hartley, 7. Bob Tattersall, 8. Gene Force, 9. Don Branson, 10. Bob Wente, 11. Bob McLean, 12. Bobby Grim, 13. Tony Bettenhausen, 14. Jim Packard, 15. Les Scott, 16. Johnny Kay, 17. Chuck Rodee, 18. Russ Congdon. FQ: Tony Bettenhausen (12.890)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: July 31, 1959 – Quad City Raceway – East Moline, Illinois
FEATURE: (50 laps) 1. Don Branson, 2. Johnny White, 3. Russ Congdon, 4. A.J. Foyt, 5. Dick Ritchie, 6. Don Boorse, 7. Jimmy Davies, 8. Bob Wente, 9. Gene Hartley, 10. Bill Homeier, 11. Les Scott, 12. Joe Giba, 13. Carl Williams, 14. Chuck Rodee, 15. Johnny Kay, 16. Bob McLean, 17. Leroy Warriner, 18. Bobby Grim. FQ: Bob McLean ()
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: August 1, 1959 – Champaign-Urbana Fairgrounds – Champaign, Illinois
FEATURE: (40 laps) 1. Chuck Weyant, 2. Gene Hartley, 3. Bob Wente, 4. Johnnie Parsons, 5. Les Scott, 6. Don Branson, 7. Tony Bettenhausen, 8. Jimmy Davies, 9. Gene Force, 10. Don Boorse, 11. Bill Eubank, 12. Johnny White, 13. Bill Homeier, 14. Carl Williams, 15. Russ Congdon, 16. Bobby Grim, 17. Bob McLean, 18. A.J. Foyt, 19. Johnny Kay, 20. Shorty Templeman, 21. Joe Giba, 22. Dale Swaim, 23. Red Amick, 24. Chuck Rodee. FQ: Johnnie Parsons (25.680)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: August 1, 1959 – Hughes Stadium – Sacramento, California
FEATURE: (100 laps) 1. Bob Veith, 2. Johnny Wood, 3. Johnny Moorhouse, 4. Dempsey Wilson, 5. Mike McGreevy, 6. Norm Rapp, 7. Gene Gurney, 8. Joe Garson, 9. Ronnie Hulse, 10. Les Stark, 11. Johnny Baldwin, 12. Jerry Seher, 13. Chuck Booth, 14. Davey Moses, 15. Jim Kinner. FQ: Davey Moses (18.270)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: August 2, 1959 – Bakersfield Speedway – Bakersfield, California
FEATURE: (100 laps) 1. Davey Moses, 2. Joe Garson, 3. Billy Cantrell, 4. Norm Rapp, 5. Cal Niday, 6. Johnny Wood, 7. Leroy Neumayer, 8. Gene Gurney, 9. Johnny Melton, 10. Jim Gilchrist, 11. Johnnie Tolan, 12. Chuck Booth, 13. Joe Soares, 14. Dempsey Wilson, 15. Norm Hall, 16. Don Staudinger. FQ: Billy Cantrell (15.410)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: August 5, 1959 – Kil-Kare Speedway – Xenia, Ohio
FEATURE: (50 laps) 1. Len Sutton, 2. Bob Wente, 3. Gere Force, 4. Gene Hartley, 5. Bob McLean, 6. Chuck Rodee, 7. Dick Frazier, 8. Russ Congdon, 9. Tommy Copp, 10. Jimmy Davies, 11. A.J. Foyt, 12. Joe Giba, 13. Shorty Templeman, 14. Leroy Warriner, 15. Bill Harter. FQ: Len Sutton (15.060)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: August 6, 1959 – Columbus Motor Speedway – Columbus, Ohio
FEATURE: (50 laps) 1. Len Sutton, 2. Gene Hartley, 3. A.J. Foyt, 4. Chuck Rodee, 5. Dick Frazier, 6. Johnny White, 7. Bob Wente, 8. Jimmy Davies, 9. Russ Congdon, 10. Gene Force, 11. Tommy Copp, 12. Joe Giba, 13. Ray Sellers, 14. Leroy Warriner, 15. Bill Homeier, 16. Shorty Templeman, 17. Bob McLean. FQ: Len Sutton (16.000)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: August 8, 1959 – Flat Rock Speedway – Flat Rock, Michigan
FEATURE: (50 laps) 1. Leroy Warriner, 2. Gene Hartley, 3. Chuck Rodee, 4. Shorty Templeman, 5. Eddie Johnson, 6. Gene Force, 7. Bob McLean, 8. Bob Wente, 9. Don Horvath, 10. Dick Frazier, 11. Johnny White, 12. Johnny Kay, 13. Johnnie Parsons, 14. Don Boorse, 15. Ronnie Duman, 16. Russ Congdon, 17. Larry McCloskey, 18. Tommy Copp. FQ: Johnny Kay (14.650)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: August 9, 1959 – Lorain County Speedway – Elyria, Ohio
FEATURE: (100 laps) 1. Eddie Johnson, 2. Gene Force, 3. Leroy Warriner, 4. Russ Congdon, 5. Johnnie Parsons, 6. Bob McLean, 7. Gene Hartley, 8. Johnny Kay, 9. Les Scott, 10. John Slowiak, 11. Shorty Templeman, 12. Bill Eubank, 13. Chuck Rodee, 14. Bill Spear, 15. Jimmy Davies, 16. Dick Frazier, 17. Don Horvath, 18. Buckie Sager. FQ: Jimmy Davies (18.190)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: August 13, 1959 – Fort Wayne Speedway – Fort Wayne, Indiana
FEATURE: (50 laps) 1. Gene Hartley, 2. Bob Wente, 3. Bob McLean, 4. Gene Force, 5. Shorty Templeman, 6. Ted Hartley, 7. Chuck Rodee, 8. Johnnie Parsons, 9. Dick Northam, 10. Joe Giba, 11. Ralph Liguori, 12. Len Sutton, 13. Johnny Kay, 14. Tommy Copp. FQ: Gene Force (15.530)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: August 14, 1959 – Canfield Fairgrounds – Canfield, Ohio
FEATURE: (100 laps) 1. Eddie Johnson, 2. Bill Spear, 3. Shorty Templeman, 4. Johnny White, 5. Johnnie Parsons, 6. Don Horvath, 7. Gene Force, 8. Bobby Grim, 9. Joe Giba, 10. Bob Wente, 11. Bill Homeier, 12. Gene Hartley, 13. Bob McLean, 14. Buddy Martin, 15. Jim Shaffer, 16. Bartholomew, 17. Bowery, 18. Dan Fagnilli. FQ: Bob Wente (17.030)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: August 15, 1959 – Illiana Motor Speedway – Schererville, Indiana
FEATURE: (20 laps) 1. Bob Wente, 2. Gene Hartley, 3. Shorty Templeman, 4. Carl Williams, 5. Bobby Grim, 6. Rodger Ward, 7. Don Boorse, 8. Chuck Rodee, 9. Jimmy Knight, 10. Eddie Johnson, 11. Bill Homeier, 12. Johnny Riva, 13. Joe Giba, 14. Russ Congdon, 15. Dwight Brown, 16. Johnny White, 17. Bob McLean, 18. Les Scott. FQ: Gene Hartley (24.840)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: August 17, 1959 – Sportsdrome – Jeffersonville, Indiana
FEATURE: (50 laps) 1. Leroy Warriner, 2. Shorty Templeman, 3. Gene Hartley, 4. Gene Force, 5. Len Sutton, 6. Eddie Jackson, 7. Joe Giba, 8. Bob McLean, 9. Chuck Rodee, 10. Bob Tattersall, 11. Bob Wente. FQ: Gene Hartley (15.450)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: August 26, 1959 – Peoria Speedway – Peoria, Illinois
FEATURE: (50 laps) 1. Gene Hartley, 2. Russ Congdon, 3. Johnny Kay, 4. Gene Force, 5. Bob McLean, 6. Bob Tattersall, 7. Shorty Templeman, 8. Bob Wente, 9. John Slowiak, 10. Johnnie Parsons, 11. Chuck Rodee, 12. Joe Giba, 13. Bobby Grim, 14. Jimmy Davies, 15. Eddie Jackson, 16. Bob Hodge, 17. Bob Lithgow, 18. Bob Lively. FQ: Jimmy Davies (14.180)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: August 29, 1959 – Milwaukee Mile – West Allis, Wisconsin
FEATURE: (100 laps) 1. Rodger Ward, 2. Jimmy Davies, 3. Eddie Johnson, 4. Chuck Rodee, 5. Shorty Templeman, 6. Len Sutton, 7. Russ Congdon, 8. Leroy Warriner, 9. Frank Burany, 10. Bill Homeier, 11. Bill Cheesbourg, 12. Gene Hartley, 13. Ed Walker, 14. Don Boorse, 15. Joe Giba, 16. Gene Force, 17. Johnnie Parsons, 18. Tony Bettenhausen, 19. Keith Thomas, 20. Tommy Copp, 21. Bob Wente, 22. Jimmy Knight, 23. Bob McLean, 24. Danny Oakes, 25. Jack Reynolds, 26. Don Branson, 27. Orville Franks. FQ: Rodger Ward (36.270)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: August 30, 1959 – New Jersey State Fairgrounds – Trenton, New Jersey
FEATURE: (250 laps) 1. Jiggs Peters, 2. Bert Brooks, 3. Gig Stephens, 4. Johnny Coy, 5. Tony Romit, 6. Tony Bonadies, 7. Red Riegel, 8. Bill Randall, 9. Russ Klar, 10. Jimmy Davies, 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. FQ: ???
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: September 3, 1959 – Painesville Speedway – Painesville, Ohio
FEATURE: (50 laps) 1. Gene Hartley, 2. Chuck Rodee, 3. Johnny Kay, 4. Russ Congdon, 5. Leroy Warriner, 6. Bobby Grim, 7. Jack Turner, 8. Ray Sellers, 9. Vic Martin, 10. Al Shaffer, 11. Tommy Copp, 12. Bill Eubank. 13. R. Bartholomew, 14. Dan Fagnilli, 15. Bill Shear, 16. J. Ter??, 17. Bernie Wrona, 18. Ed Stanley. FQ: Gene Hartley (14.280)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: September 5, 1959 – Illiana Motor Speedway – Schererville, Indiana
FEATURE: (30 laps) 1. Gene Hartley, 2. Tommy Copp, 3. Bob Wente, 4. Johnny Riva, 5. Dale Swaim, 6. Bob McLean, 7. Jimmy Davies, 8. Larry McCloskey, 9. Bob Tattersall, 10. Frank Burany, 11. Gene Force, 12. Chuck Weyant, 13. Lee Drollinger, 14. Shorty Templeman, 15. Johnny Kay, 16. Bobby Grim, 17. Chuck Rodee, 18. Danny Oakes. FQ: Chuck Weyant (24.330)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: September 6, 1959 – Du Quoin State Fairgrounds – Du Quoin, Illinois
FEATURE: (100 laps) 1. Tony Bettenhausen, 2. Jimmy Davies, 3. Shorty Templeman, 4. Jack Turner, 5. Danny Oakes, 6. Tommy Copp, 7. Bob Wente, 8. Johnnie Parsons, 9. Bill Homeier, 10. Eddie Johnson, 11. Leroy Warriner, 12. Orville Franks, 13. Joe Giba, 14. Chuck Rodee, 15. Larry McCloskey, 16. Jim Neff, 17. Gene Hartley, 18. Gene Force, 19. Shaffer, 20. Frank Burany, 21. Len Sutton, 22. Russ Congdon, 23. Bob McLean, 24. Allen Crowe, 25. Bob Tattersall, 26. Jerry Mans, 27. Les Harshbarger, 28. Jim Millmaker, 29. Chuck Weyant, 30. Bill Cheesbourg, 31. Paige Baker. FQ: Bill Cheesbourg (38.980)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: September 15, 1959 – Macon Speedway – Macon, Illinois
FEATURE: (50 laps) 1. Leroy Warriner, 2. John Slowiak, 3. Gene Weyant, 4. Jimmy Davies, 5. Bill Eubank, 6. Bill Homeier, 7. Red Hamilton, 8. Gene Hartley, 9. Johnny Riva, 10. Russ Congdon, 11. Allen Crowe, 12. Tommy Copp, 13. Tony Lenti, 14. Chuck Marshall, 15. Danny Oakes, 16. Leo Caldwell, 17. Bob Wente, 18. Shorty Templeman. FQ: Chuck Marshall (12.720)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: September 27, 1959 – Lincoln Fairgrounds – Lincoln, Illinois
FEATURE: (40 laps) 1. Gene Hartley, 2. Chuck Marshall, 3. Carl Williams, 4. Bill Homeier, 5. Bob Wente, 6. Leroy Warriner, 7. Red Hamilton, 8. Danny Oakes, 9. Jimmy Davies, 10. Dale Swaim, 11. Johnny Riva, 12. John Slowiak, 13. Eddie Russo, 14. Bob Tattersall, 15. Tony Lenti, 16. Tommy Copp, 17. Allen Crowe, 18. Phil Palombo, 19. Chuck Rodee, 20. Ray Sellers. FQ: Chuck Marshall (27.130)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: October 3, 1959 – Gardena Stadium – Gardena, California
FEATURE: (100 laps) 1. Johnny Baldwin, 2. Billy Cantrell, 3. Johnny Wood, 4. Johnnie Tolan, 5. Mike McGreevy, 6. Johnny Moorhouse, 7. Joe Garson, 8. Gene Gurney, 9. Johnnie Parsons, 10. Tim Sullivan, 11. Cal Niday, 12. Davey Moses, 13. Ray Crawford, 14. Jim Hurtubise, 15. Earl Motter, 16. Danny Oakes, 17. Don Davis, 18. Chuck Hulse. FQ: Ray Crawford (15.510)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: October 4, 1959 – Terre Haute Action Track – Terre Haute, Indiana – Hut 100
FEATURE: (100 laps) 1. Gene Hartley, 2. Bob Tattersall, 3. Chuck Marshall, 4. Leroy Warriner, 5. Larry McCloskey, 6. Dale Swaim, 7. Chuck Weyant, 8. Johnny White, 9. Al Shaffer, 10. Chuck Rodee, 11. Billy Wood, 12. A.J. Foyt, 13. Cotton Farmer, 14. Jimmy Davies, 15. Dick Brown, 16. Tony Lenti, 17. Bill Homeier, 18. Gene Force, 19. Shorty Templeman, 20. Tommy Copp, 21. Bill Eubank, 22. Eddie Johnson, 23. Bob Ellingham, 24. Rodger Ward. FQ: Jimmy Davies (24.870)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: October 31, 1959 – San Jose Speedway – San Jose, California
FEATURE: (100 laps) 1. Cliff Spalding, 2. Earl Motter, 3. Danny Oakes, 4. Gene Gurney, 5. Davey Moses, 6. Joe Garson, 7. Mike McGreevy, 8. Jim Hurtubise, 9. Bob Burbridge, 10. Shorty Templeman, 11. Billy Cantrell, 12. Bill Sullivan, 13. Bill Cheesbourg, 14. Johnny Wood, 15. Norm Rapp, 16. Johnny Baldwin, 17. A.J. Foyt, 18. Johnnie Tolan. FQ: Danny Oakes (16.440)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: November 1, 1959 – Stockton 99 Speedway – Stockton, California
FEATURE: (100 laps) 1. Cliff Spalding, 2. Jimmy Davies, 3. Johnny Baldwin, 4. Davey Moses, 5. Tommy Copp, 6. Gene Force, 7. Les Scott, 8. Mike McGreevy, 9. Shorty Templeman, 10. Gene Gurney, 11. Bill Homeier, 12. Bob Burbridge, 13. Ed Andrews, 14. Tim Sullivan, 15. Danny Oakes, 16. Johnny Wood, 17. Johnny Boyd, 18. Chuck Booth. FQ: Jimmy Davies (15.630)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: November 20, 1959 – Pan-American Speedway – San Antonio, Texas
FEATURE: (50 laps) 1. Tony Bettenhausen, 2. Joe Giba, 3. Jimmy Davies, 4. Sonny McDaniel, 5. Bobby Grim, 6. Lloyd Ruby, 7. Bob McLean, 8. Tony Lenti, 9. Bill Homeier, 10. Don Branson, 11. Willie Wildhaber, 12. Tim Sullivan.
13.
14.
15. Gene Force
16. Johnny Kay
17. Bob Wente
18.
FQ: Don Branson (14.350)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: November 21, 1959 – Corpus Christi Speedway – Corpus Christi, Texas
FEATURE: (50 laps) 1. A.J. Foyt, 2. Tommy Copp, 3. Gene Hartley, 4. Lloyd Ruby, 5. Bob McLean, 6. Jimmy Davies, 7. Dale Swaim, 8. Bill Homeier, 9. Buddy Martin, 10. Jim Packard, 11. Gene Force, 12. Tony Lenti, 13. Tim Sullivan, 14. Joe Giba, 15. Chuck Rodee, 16. Tony Bettenhausen, 17. Bobby Grim, 18. Bob Wente. FQ: Chuck Rodee (15.090)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: November 22, 1959 – Meyer Speedway – Houston, Texas
FEATURE: (100 laps) 1. Gene Force, 2. Dale Swaim, 3. Bill Homeier, 4. Gene Hartley, 5. Tony Bettenhausen, 6. Duane Carter, 7. Bobby Grim, 8. Jim Packard, 9. Leroy Warriner, 10. Lloyd Ruby, 11. Don Branson, 12. Bob Wente, 13. Tommy Copp, 14. Norm Hall, 15. Buddy Martin, 16. Bob McLean, 17. Jimmy Davies, 18. Chuck Rodee, 19. Tony Lenti, 20. Sonny McDaniel, 21. Ralph Parkinson, 22. Gig Stephens, 23. A.J. Foyt, 24. Jimmy Popham, 25. Eddie McVay. FQ: Chuck Rodee (15.090)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: November 26, 1959 – Gardena Stadium – Gardena, California – Turkey Night Grand Prix
FEATURE: (100 laps) 1. Tony Bettenhausen, 2. Rodger Ward, 3. Danny Oakes, 4. Johnnie Parsons, 5. Tommy Copp, 6. Johnnie Tolan, 7. Carl Williams, 8. Earl Motter, 9. Chuck Booth, 10. Johnny Moorhouse, 11. Ray Crawford, 12. Johnny Boyd, 13. Billy Cantrell, 14. Joe Garson, 15. A.J. Foyt, 16. Jim Hurtubise, 17. Jimmy Davies, 18. Bill Cheesbourg. FQ: Tony Bettenhausen (15.660)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: December 27, 1959 – Allen County War Memorial Coliseum – Fort Wayne, Indiana
FEATURE: (30 laps) 1. Dale Swaim, 2. Ted Hartley, 3. Leroy Warriner, 4. Chuck Weyant, 5. Bob McLean, 6. Bobby Grim, 7. Billy Wood, 8. Al Herman, 9. Dick Northam, 10. Don Branson. FQ: Billy Wood (9.010)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: December 27, 1959 – Bonelli Stadium – Saugus, California
FEATURE: (100 laps) 1. Davey Moses, 2. Johnnie Parsons, 3. Cliff Spalding, 4. Rodger Ward, 5. Tommy Copp, 6. Danny Oakes, 7. Earl Motter, 8. Norm Hall, 9. Bill Mehner, 10. Jim Hurtubise, 11. Joe Garson, 12. Johnny Wood, 13. Johnnie Tolan, 14. Les Scott, 15. Cal Niday, 16. Billy Cantrell, 17. Eddie Jackson, 18. Shorty Templeman. FQ: Danny Oakes (18.960)