Before Racine, Wisconsin’s Norm Nelson and Mopar took on the United States Auto Club (USAC) Stock Car series in 1965, Norm Nelson had put a lot of miles on racing cars. His racing career unofficially started in 1937, when at the age of 14 he borrowed his sister’s car and raced on the back streets of Racine. His first official came in 1939.
Nelson then raced midget race cars until 1948 when Milwaukee promoter Tom Marchese brought stock cars to the region. ”Once, I got into stock car racing, I knew it was for me.” Said Nelson. “I couldn’t get into just any midget. We always had to build special ones.” Because of his size. In his first stock car race on the then dirt mile at Milwaukee, Nelson finished third in a one-hundred-mile event.
In 1950, Nelson was racing in the American Automobile Association (AAA) Stock Car series (predecessor to the USAC Stock Car Series) and was leading the points going into final race of the series but blew the engine in his car and lost the championship. In 1955, Nelson ran five NASCAR Stock Car races and won on October 16, 1955, at the mile dirt track at the Las Vegas Park Speedway in Carl Kiekhaefer’s #299 Chrysler.
By 1956 Nelson was competing in the USAC Stock Car series, winning three races and the series championship in 1960. In 1961, Nelson became a car owner as well as a driver. In 1961 and 1962 Nelson won several races but no championships. In 1963, he switched to racing Plymouths and again was very competitive, winning races in 1963 and 1964 but no championships.
In 1965, Nelson and his team got everything rolling and the result was six wins in 16 USAC Stock Car starts, a very consistent season and winning the 1965 USAC National Stock Car championship, his second USAC Stock Car Championship. So, let’s take a look at the 1965 USAC Stock Car Season.
The 1965 season started at the 2.5 mile road course at Indianapolis Raceway Park on May 2 with 12,000 fans on hand. Nelson qualified and started third in the race and was in the fight for the win from the start, trailing leading Parnelli Jones through much of the race. Nelson took the lead on lap 30 and again lap 72 when Jones pitted.
Finally, on lap 108, Jones’ car blew an engine and from that point on Nelson cruised to the win, despite driving the last 20 laps with a broken sway bar. “I eased up a bit toward the end.” said Nelson. “But everything seemed okay, so I got back on the pace. I did run the last lap at about one-quarter throttle.”
Staying power proved the key for Plymouth teams finished one-two-three. Paul Goldsmith in the Nichels Engineering Plymouth finished second and Jim Hurtibuse in a second Nelson entry finished third.
On May 23 at the half-mile Illiana Speedway in Indiana, Nelson set fast time and started on the pole and ran second in the 100-lap event to NASCAR driver Bobby Isaac in a Ray Nickels Dodge. Nelson finished second, Hurtibuse third in the other Nelson entry and Herb Shannon fourth in a Dodge.
May 30th, the series returned to Indianapolis Raceway Park to run on the 5/8th mile oval for a 150-lap race that saw Nelson run second to Paul Goldsmith in the Ray Nickels Plymouth. Rodger Ward drove the second car to a third-place finish.
Next it was to the three-mile road course near Indianola, Iowa called Greenwood Roadway where Nelson started ninth but drove to an 11 second win over Paul Goldsmith.
The series returned to Illiana on July 4, where Nelson totally dominated the competition setting fast time at 23.61 seconds and leading 94 of the 100 laps with Bobby Isaac second in a Dodge.
On July 11, at Milwaukee on the Mile, Nelson led just two laps passing teammate Jim Hurtibuse on the final lap to take the win which was not overly popular with the fans. Hurtibuse had led 133 laps of the race but nevertheless Nelson had won three in a row.
On August 15, when the series returned to Milwaukee for a 150-mile race, Nelson had his worst finish of the season finishing ninth suffering engine issues.
On August 19, back at Milwaukee for a 200-mile race, Nelson took the win thanks to a bit of good fortune when race leader Bobby Isaac ran out of gas with four laps to go and handed the win to Nelson. Isaac the pole sitter in his Dodge lead 132 laps and Nelson 68 laps. Nelson’s teammate Jim Hurtibuse put his Nelson Plymouth in the wall during time trials and suffered a cracked rib plus an injury to his leg.
The following day it was off to the mile dirt track at the Illinois State Fairgrounds for a 100-lap event that saw Bobby Isaac lead 74 laps in his Dodge and win the race making up for his misfortune at Milwaukee. Paul Goldsmith led 22 laps and finished second in his Dodge with Nelson leading four laps and finishing third.
A couple of dirt tracks then came up on the schedule. The first being at the mile at DuQuoin, Illinois on September 5. The race turned out to be a war of attrition as only 10 of the 27 starters were around at the checkers with Nelson bringing his Plymouth home second behind Paul Goldsmith in a Ray Nichels prepared Plymouth.
Two days later it was the Indiana State Fairgrounds for another hundred miler, where consistency once again carried Nelson to a second place finish behind A. J. Foyt. The next scheduled event was at Langhorne, Pennsylvania but the race was rained out and the event moved to October 24.
Back to Milwaukee on September 19 for a 250-mile event that saw Nelson’s teammate Jim Hurtibuse totally dominate the action. After taking the lead on lap 64 Hurtibuse drove away from the field winning by two laps over Nelson. Paul Goldmith completed the sweep for Plymouth finishing third.
The series then visited the 1.75-mile Mid-America Raceway Road Course near St. Louis, Missouri on October 10th with Nelson finishing ninth after leading 45 of the 71 laps before succumbing to engine issues. Only seven of the 21 starters finished the event.
Finally, on October 24 the series returned to Langhorne to make up the September 12 event out in a race that saw Paul Goldsmith and Plymouth dominate the event leading 176 of 250 miles with Hurtibuse finishing second and Nelson fifth. This closed Nelson’s lead over Goldsmith to 260 points. The Championship to be decided on November 28 at Hanford Motor Speedway in California in a race where the winner will receive 400 points.
“When I saw Goldie (Paul Goldsmith) blow and pull into the pits, I knew all that I had to do was hang in there for a few more laps and I’d have the title. So that’s what I did and here I am, the new champion.” said Nelson in victory lane. Nelson led 47 of the 134 laps, Goldsmith led 39.
Goldsmith’s engine let go after 87 of the 134 laps on the tricky 1.5-mile Hanford track and Nelson drove on to post the win and secure the championship.
“I can’t compare the Hanford track to any other. “stated Nelson. “It has three distinct turns and makes for a more gruelling race. When you win here it’s nice because it’s a tough course.”
So ended an exciting season in the USAC Stock Car Series that saw Nelson claim his second series championship in a season that was totally dominated by Mopar cars driven by Nelson, teammate Jim Hurtibuse, Paul Goldsmith and Bobby Isaac.
Nelson’s comments after the season was over, sums up his love and passion for the sport and his role in it. “Racing is a way of life, just like any other career. I don’t know what I’d do without it and winning is my real satisfaction.”
Continuing “When you set-up and drive race cars, you’re more aware of the abuse they get with today’s speeds. It’s a genuine satisfaction to see my cars running just as fast at the end of the race as they do at the start.”
