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8 | Lilienthal’s Revenge T he nervous grind is too tough,” Swanson said. The long hours working every night on the cars followed by more hours at the races left him exhausted. “Following my cars around the race circuit has kept me away from my business too long.”1 Having sold his two successful cars,2 Swanson took orders to build motors for whoever wanted them.3 Like a military arms dealer, he did business with drivers in several states, selling motors for between $500 and $650, depending on “the size and finishing work.”4 Swanson’s withdrawal left Beauchamp scrambling, and he once again returned to his Avoca connections. The Leslies joined with another local farm implement dealer, Dutch Holtz, and the Avoca residents fielded a new Beauchamp 55 car. Although Swanson built the engine, the car did not have the daily and weekly massaging that it had when he owned the car.5 The Leslie-­ Holtz car was fast, but it was not dominant; it suffered from more mechanical problems than a Swanson-­ owned car. Swanson was doing work for many cars, and making matters still more difficult, Beauchamp was competing against drivers who also had bought Swanson cars and motors. Also, because he had won the previous season, Beauchamp was a marked man in 1952. The other drivers were determined to slow him down with the usual tactics: block, box in, spin out, and bang. One night in May, he had four separate tangles with other cars intending to do him harm. Beauchamp continued to fight back as he had done a year earlier. The next night of racing, May 23, he was blocked by driver Chuck Terry in a heat race. On the corner, Terry made the mistake of not hugging the inside. Beauchamp held his foot on the gas pedal, cut inside of Terry, slamming broadsideintohim,usingTerry’scarforabangboard,andthenspeedingon to win. Although such metal scraping conflict was common, a contingent of drivers and mechanics protested, claiming Beauchamp had used rough tactics. Responding to the protesters, starter George Zenchuck changed the results of the race, dropping Beauchamp to fourth rather than first. Lilienthal’s Revenge | 41 Robert Beauchamp, who went with the neighbors to many Playland races, was troubled by the attacks on his father. Johnny explained to Robert that when the other cars boxed him in, “Sometimes I have to move them out of the way.”6 On Sunday, June 1, Beauchamp, battling for second place, became frustrated by Bud Drake’s banging and spun his car out of the way. Beauchamp ’s tap was too hard, and Drake’s car rolled over, initiating what became a firestorm of discontent from fans and pit crews. Officials stopped the race because of the wreck. Immediately, several spectators scaled the fence between the stands and the track and ran toward Beauchamp’s car, which was still on the oval. Next, an enraged group of drivers and mechanics stormed out of the pits. Seventy-­ five angry people out for blood surrounded Beauchamp and his car. They wanted his head on a drive shaft. Officials called the police and then disqualified Beauchamp. A number of drivers and mechanics did not believe the punishment was enough. The protest continued, and officials canceled the remaining schedule for the night.7 An inexperienced driver with modest promise and few top finishes, Drake believed he had raced Beauchamp fairly. There was some banging, but no more than normal in Drake’s view. He said he had not left enough space to allow Beauchamp to slip between his car and the infield. Drake argued that “Beauchamp went down into the infield and off the track on the curve.” Further, Drake believed, “Beauchamp didn’t like anyone banging on his car, but on that little track a certain amount of banging went on all the time.” He realized he was at a disadvantage racing against Beauchamp . “Those Harlan drivers had a hot rod club and had been practicing for years,” he complained. “When I first started I didn’t even know that I should turn my tires so the valves wouldn’t get broken off during the race.” Drake sensed the large, arrogant gap in the levels of professionalism between himself and Beauchamp: “Beauchamp would do anything to win. He was obsessed with winning.”8 Officials had a difficult balancing act. On the one hand, Beauchamp was the biggest star. On the other hand, many competitors were needed for the show. To solve the dilemma...

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