NASCAR: Five Great Short Track Drivers Who Never ‘Made It’

Larry Detjens was a driver whose career was on the rise in the late 70s and early 80s. The Wausau, Wisconsin driver was one of the top drivers in the Midwest as he won three times in the ASA division. Detjens also won the prestigious Oktoberfest event twice at the LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway in 1976 and 1977.

Detjens took his talents to the west coast and proved to be a winner there too. In 1980 he won two of the biggest open competition races on the west coast in the Rose Classic at All-American Speedway and the Western 150 at Shasta Speedway. Detjens repeated his Rose Classic feat in 1981 while taking the other big open comp race at Shasta, the Nor-Cal 150.

1981 was shaping up to be a big year for Detjens as along with the two big west coast wins, he won five ARTGO races and was a favorite in the series championship. Sadly, Detjens career and life were ended in a racing incident at Wisconsin International Raceway.

Since his passing, the Larry Detjens Memorial Race has been held at the 1/4-mile State Park Speedway. Even though Detjens never started a NASCAR event, his legacy in racing has lived on through his nephews, Scott and Chris Wimmer.

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