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SATURDAY, MAY 23, 2009
Steele Gets 61st Pay Less Little 500 Victory After Classic Battle With
Gordon
 Florida
driver Dave Steele won a classic battle with Eric Gordon to visit victory lane
in the 61st running of the Pay Less Little 500 at Anderson Speedway on Saturday.
With 185 laps remaining most of the front-runners in the Little 500 field were
eliminated either through accidents or mechanical problems leaving Steele and
Gordon, the eight-time Little 500 champion, to battle for the victory.
Although only 11 cars were running at the mid-point, all eyes were on the
pitched battle between Steele and Gordon. Both knowing the chess match between
the two veterans would determine the winner.
Full Story
How It All Began...
The quarter-mile Anderson Speedway was
built in 1948 by legendary promoter Joe Helpling and a large group of men
working for 25 cents per hour. Although Helpling had planned on constructing a
bowling alley and recreation center on his 32 acre tract at 29th street and
Pendleton Avenue, two Anderson city councilmen suggested that he instead
consider building a racetrack.
Helpling had never seen a race of any
type, so he traveled to Armscamp Speedway in Alexandria and 16th Street Speedway
in Indianapolis (Both tracks are no longer in existence) to get some ideas.
After those visits, the decision was made: it was racing.
In 1948, Sun Valley Speedway (as it
was originally known) officially opened for competition. The Roaring Roadsters
and AAA Midgets were the most popular programs, so Helpling decided to present
an idea to members of the Mutual Racing Association, which was the sanctioning
body for the Roadsters during that period.
A press conference was held in early
1949 at the old Anderson Hotel, where Helpling unveiled his idea to start 33
roadster in a 500-lap event.
Everybody scoffed and said that it
would never work. Pressure was put on Helpling to reduce the race length to 200
or 300 laps, because it would probably cost $800 per car for tires and no car
would finish.
"Then we'll run bicycles," Helpling
said." Because we're gonna have a Little 500 and that's the way it's gonna be."
In the inaugural event, to the
surprise of most, 18 roadsters finished, five of which did not even make a pit
stop. Sam Skinner won that event, with Bob Block finishing second and Tom Cherry
filling out the podium finishers.
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