A crowd of over 600 watched, the first, Joe Wallace-Galen Schaefer contest of the season at the Shawnee County Fairgrounds on a Sunday afternoon.

The track was dry but it did not matter as the green flag was dropped for the late model feature.

Wallace and Schaefer charged in to the first turn. The two dirt track aces battled nose-to-tail from the fourth lap on. Schaefer took the lead and Wallace was content to stay behind, but right on Schaefer's back bumper.

The white flag came out signalling one lap left. Wallace charged hard into the first turn and was able to poke the nose of his car in front. Both machines slid dangerously close to the wall but Wallace held on and came out of the second turn ahead then charged around for the win.

"I never did see the white flag," said Schaefer, "The sun was blinding me down the front chute every lap. I slacked off a little when he got into the first turn to hard. I could have stayed on it and we both would of crashed. That's racing. Maybe next time I'll be chasing him when that situation comes up."

Shawnee county fairgrounds 1977 .