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Saturday, September 10, 1988
Leonard Basham leads Invaders to 1-2-3 World Figure 8 Sweep

“Out-of-towners” swept the top three places in the 12th running of the World Figure 8 Championship Figure 8 held September 10, 1988. Leonard Basham, a regular at the Jeffersonville Sportsdrome, took the $6,000 first prize with 338 laps.

Basham enjoyed a fourteen-lap margin over 2nd place finisher, and fellow Jeffersonville competitor, Rance Harmon. Harmon, the 1986 winner of this event, completed 324 laps. Bob Studt from Flat Rock Michigan Speedway, finished 3rd with 322 laps. This was Studt’ s eighth top 6 finish in ten World Figure 8 Championships.

Basham spent much of the race hanging back and staying out of trouble while Harmon led the race 3 times for a total of 191 laps. But with less than 30 minutes remaining, Harmon was plagued by bad luck and car problems. Basham took the lead on lap 301 and managed to hold on for the last twenty minutes. Basham, the fastest qualifier, led the race for only 62 laps and was plagued by a series of tire problems that kept the race in doubt to the end.

Basham’s World Figure 8 Championship came in his fifth try in the Speedrome 3-Hour. Basham had qualified well each year, but had produced a string of disappointing finishes. He was 31st in 1984, 27th in 1985, 36th in 1986, and had his best previous finish in 1987 with a 12th place.

Speedrome driver Richard Fenwick was among the leaders for most of the race and led 2 times for 47 laps. But a crossover crash on lap 291 abruptly ended his effort and Fenwick finished 4th the best finish for a Speedrome driver. Charlie Reed was fifth and led the race 1 time for 11 laps. Mike St. John made a hard charge in the beginning only to lose precious time in the pits with engine problems, but still finished 6th with 281 laps. Rounding out the top 10: Scott Martin, Cecil Karr, Guy Strode and Charles Coles.

Charles Coles earned the Sonny Eaton Memorial Award for the highest finishing rookie of the World Figure 8 Championship. Ken Carpenter won the Sonny Thompson Memorial Award, for most improvement in position. Carpenter, from Walled Lake, Michigan, started 48th and finished 20th. Carpenter won this same award in 1985.

Record 80 cars qualified and a record 76 cars ran in the race. Dave Miller Brownstown, Michigan suffered the only serious injury of the event. Miller’s arm was broken in a crash and required surgery at a hospital in Michigan on that Monday. Dave’s son Jeremy would race in this famed event 11 years later. Jeremy would win the Sonny Eaton Award in 1999.

Lap Leaders
1-5 Mike St. John
6-17 Leonard Basham
18-28 Charlie Reed
29-30 Leonard Basham
31-33 Mike St. John
34-36 Bill Tunny Jr.
37-39 Mike St. John
40-43 Leonard Basham
44-48 Mike St. John
49-56 Bill Tunny Jr.
57-58 Leonard Basham
59-245 Rance Harmon
246-291 Richard Fenwick
292-295 Leonard Basham
296-300 Rance Harmon
301-338 Leonard Basham