Milwaukee, Wis. (September 17, 1961) – Nationally ranked drivers fell by the wayside today as Bill “Whitey” Gerken of Chicago, a 31-year-old carpenter and auto mechanic, won the 250-mile national championship late model stock car race this afternoon at the Milwaukee Mile. Gerken averaged 86.869 miles per hour in winning his first USAC-sanctioned event in his young career.