Jerome C. Earl from Grosse Pointe, Michigan, in the Corvette SR2. Earl would later sell the SR2 to Jim Jeffords.

Words by Bob Birmingham
Photos by Glen Glendenning

A return to two SCCA race weekends made up Road America’s calendar for 1957, the first in June followed by early September. June offered four events, three on Saturday and a 38-lap feature on Sunday. All told the weekend was best described as fun-to-watch club racing.
1957 June Sprints, June 23
1957 SCCA Nationals September 7 (Saturday)
1957 Road America 500, September 8 (Sunday)

Branding the Road America 500. The 1956 September 6 hour endurance race, while interesting, was a bit confusing for spectators prompting Tufte with his team, and Chicago Region leaders, to make changes. The winning car in the 6 hour enduro completed 484 miles, and with that information, this year’s event would be offered as the Road America 500. Tufte was quoted as saying, “500, has a nice ring to it,” referring to the Indianapolis 500. Saturday’s program consisted of 3 races, each providing its share of enjoyable performances.

As usual, Glen Glendenning got around. Here he captured a famous guest of Road America. Janet Pilgrim (born Charlaine Edith Karalus; June 13, 1934 – May 1, 2017) was an American model who became a Playmate of the Month while employed at Playboy’s corporate office in Chicago. She was chosen as Playmate of the Month three times: July 1955, December 1955 and October 1956. We don’t know the identity of the guy with the goofy eyeballs.

Sunday morning brought sunny blue skies with occasional puffs of clouds as the swelling crowd, estimated to be in excess of 35,000, arrived and settled in to watch the 500 mile enduro. Blankets were spread, lawn chairs unfolded and the always welcome picnic baskets and beverage coolers at hand. The competition was tough as a steady run of drivers sought to improve the class positions but at the end of 125 laps it was Phil Hill’s Ferrari 315 first followed by Carroll Shelby’s Maserati 300S and Eddie Crawford’s Porsche 550 Spyder. All three soloed and as a side note the total winning time was 6:08:30, and they completed a few more laps than the 1956 Six Hour race.

A corner worker near the altered carousel with the drumlin now cleared to provide better vision of the upcoming corners.

The past few years had weighed heavily on Clif Tufte’s team but through it all they attracted a rapidly growing number of spectators new to sports car racing and perhaps just as important was the increase in earnings for Elkhart Lake and surrounding area merchants. The future looked rosy but before the first cars took to practice in June 1957, something would have to be done to ensure added safety to the long-over due carousel’s end – Friedman’s Corner. A portion of the drumlin* that dominated what would become the carousel was eliminated prior to paving in 1955 but not enough to provide a clear vision or understanding of what lay ahead for drivers continually at war with the never-ending off-road excursions after the carousel, and to that Tufte had an answer. In May of 1958 the remaining portion of the previously trimmed drumlin east of the track was excavated and removed to where drivers concentrating on the seemingly never-ending carousel could now see what lay ahead.

Glen Glendenning Gallery: June Sprints, 1957

Elisha Walker, Syosset, New York, Aston Martin DB2/4 entered by George Constantine.

Don-Warren, Alfa, Thiensville, Wisconsin

Elva, driven by Chuck Dietrich, Sandusky, Ohio

John-Middleton II, Barrington, Illinois, Ferrari TR (0622)

Loyal Katskee, Omaha, Nebraska, Ferrari 750 (0554)

Ebby Lunken, Cincinnati, Ohio, Ferrari TR (0658)

J. M. R. Lyeth, Grosse Pointe, Michigan, Ferrari 375 MM (0364)

Jerome Earl, Corvette SR2. Grosse Pointe, Michigan

Wilfred Gray, Kurtis, Indianapolis, Indiana

Don Skogmo, D Jag, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Mel Cavin, Corvette, Lincoln, Illinois

Max Goldman, Porsche, Ann Arbor, Michigan

*an oval or elongated hill believed to have been formed by the streamlined movement of glacial ice sheets across rock debris, or till. The name is derived from the Gaelic word druim (“rounded hill,” or “mound”) and first appeared in 1833.