Like many controversies in Dirt Late Model racing, January's tire-cheating fiasco at Golden Isles Speedway's Super Bowl of Racing IV had plenty of drama, a little finger-pointing — and a good dose of mystery.

It was among the sport's mysterious events where head-scratching fans (and some participants) are left with as many questions as answers. You know the incidents — we'll call them Unsolved Mysteries — that have gotten the rumor mill churning over the years. Afterwards, series press releases are fudged, drivers sugarcoat on-the-record comments to reporters and seemingly everyone's memories become clouded by a convoluted turn of events.

DirtonDirt.com recaps 19 of the sport's Unsolved Mysteries along with other incidents that had conspiracy theorists wagging their tongues. The recaps are based on media and eyewitness reports:

How did Ernie Derr come from nowhere for a victory in Davenport?

The date: 1971

The venue: Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds in Davenport, Iowa

The backstory: Iowa veteran Ed Sanger was in firm control of the third annual National Dirt Championship 100 at Davenport when disaster struck. Enjoying a straightaway lead on the 91st lap, the leading Sanger came upon a turn-three crash that virtually blocked the track. Sanger quickly threw his car into a half-spin to avoid the ensuing pileup. IMCA champion Ernie Derr, running back in the pack, slowly weaved his way through the mess as the caution flag waved and somehow found his way to the front of the pack. The 50-year-old Derr restarted out front and cruised to victory. Afterwards, Sanger and a disgruntled crowd disputed the call to no avail.

The bottom line: Everyone left Davenport that night knowing Sanger deserved the victory, but track scorers and officials were quite satisfied with a big-time driver winning their little ol' short track event. — Bob Markos

How did Charlie Swartz get cheated while cheating?

The date: July 24, 1982

The venue: Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway

The backstory: Veteran Charlie Swartz won the race to the checkered flag at the inaugural Conococheague 100 at Hagerstown, but he never made it to victory lane to collect his $10,000. When the Ohio driver pulled to the scales after the race, inspectors found his car 15 pounds below the legal minimum. When the car was rolled off the scales, the team reacted quickly amid the surrounding mob. A sneaky crew member slipped Swartz a 25-pound lead weight that he snuggled into his driving suit before the car was rolled back onto the scales. The second weighing? Miraculously, Swartz's car was even lighter than the first time. With no way to protest further, Swartz's disqualification handed the victory to Rodney Combs. When Swartz returned home, the team checked out the car with their shop's calibrated scales — the car met the exact minimum weight.

The bottom line: All these years later, Swartz isn't sure exactly what happened. Apparently a classic case of "Who's cheating who?" — Bob Markos

What became of the right rear tire Jack Boggs used in the 1988 Jackson 100?

The date: Aug. 20, 1988

The venue: Brownstown (Ind.) Speedway

The backstory: After early leader Jeff Purvis dropped out on the 20th lap, future Hall of Famer Jack Boggs marched to a victory in the prestigious Jackson 100, finishing a straightaway ahead of Jim Curry, who had rallied through two consolation races to start on the tail of the feature. When Boggs, Curry and apparent third-place finisher Larry Moore returned to the frontstretch for victory lane ceremonies, whispers among other crews are that Boggs' right-rear tire is illegal, with some saying he glued a legal identifying label on a too-wide tire. "If they've got any guts," crew member Jim Curry Jr. told his father, "they'll disqualify him." As officials got wind of possible cheating, Boggs quickly exited the frontstretch and headed for his pits. In a lengthy dispute that lasted until the wee hours of the morning, promoter Roger Williams sent right-hand man (and current Brownstown promoter) Tim Keithley to Boggs' trailer to inspect the right-rear tire. Boggs and his team refuse to produce the tire, so Keithley gave them a 1-2-3 count to turn it over. Again they refused, and Keithley radioed to Williams, who disqualified Boggs and handed the victory to Curry, who went on to capture the track and UMP championships.

The bottom line: Tracks and series have learned a better way: check tires before the feature. — Mike Sullivan and John Zinninger

What pushed a Kentucky promoter to the brink of an apparent heart attack?

The date: Aug. 17, 1990

The venue: Taylor County Speedway in Campbellsville, Ky.

The backstory: Jessie Johnson, a local body shop and race shop owner, had success in taking over at Taylor County, a track with a reputation for promoters coming and going. The track drew one of its strongest fields for the Jack Zieg Memorial on the night preceding Brownstown (Ind.) Speedway's Jackson 100, as Scott Bloomquist, Jack Boggs, Freddy Smith, John Gill, Mike Head, Brian Leslie and Kevin Claycomb were among invading travelers. But in trying to keep dust down, the overwatered track was a muddy mess. Bloomquist, who took one look at the track, loaded up and left, as did Boggs. Pleas to drivers to help pack the track fell on deaf ears and fans grew restless, with some gathering at the gate demanding refunds. As the scene grew intense, Johnson became weak and developed symptoms of a heart attack; medical personnel were called to attend to him. In the end, heat races began about 11:15 p.m. and Gill won the feature. Debates continue to this day whether Johnson suffered heart-related problems or a panic attack amid the furor.

The bottom line: No matter what really happened to Johnson, there are occasions when a long night at the track feels like medical attention is necessary. — Mike Sullivan

Why did an announcer think Jeff Purvis was subbing in a Billy Moyer car?

The date: February 1993

The venue: Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla. (the 3/8-mile oval on the north side of the property, formerly a dirt track and now paved)

The backstory: In one of the first-ever events at Volusia's barely-finished new dirt oval, two near-identical No. 21 cars were in action. One was driven, as savvy fans would expect, by Arkansas hotshoe Billy Moyer. The second was piloted by Ohio driver Shane Yoder, whose father had purchased the car from Moyer's team the previous week at East Bay Raceway Park near Tampa. Fans, however, were incorrectly told by the track announcer that Moyer was driving the car actually driven by Yoder, and that former dirt tracker Jeff Purvis — in action that week at Daytona International Speedway — was driving the car actually driven by Moyer. The "Purvis" No. 21 ended up winning the feature, but when the driver popped out in victory lane, it was Moyer, not Purvis.

The bottom line: Moyer fans can be assured Purvis has never driven one of Moyer's backup cars. — Todd Turner

Why did series ban fender skirts and rear curtains on race cars?

The dates: 1995-96

The venue: All tracks with major series events

The backstory: Through the mid-1990s, more and more drivers began using vinyl coverings to obscure the rear end or the rear wheel wells of their race cars, presumably to keep competitors from checking out their suspensions. The Short Track Auto Racing Series (STARS) banned the skirts and curtains in 1995, and other series joined the ban, including the Hav-A-Tampa Dirt Racing Series beginning July 12, 1996, at Cleveland (Tenn.) Speedway. There was the issue that some drivers would pull onto the track without removing the coverings, but why the ban? Some competitors believed teams were embedding weights in the coverings which could be added before a car weighed in after a race, allowing them to compete with a lighter car but weigh in legally.

The bottom line: You'll see skirts and curtains today, but the World of Outlaws Late Model Series restricts their use only to when cars are in pit stalls. — Todd Turner

How did 28 percent of the 1996 Gopher 50 field get disqualified?

The date: July 17, 1996

The venue: Steele County Fairgrounds in Owatonna, Minn.

The backstory: Billy Moyer overtook Rick Aukland on the 39th lap and led the rest of the Gopher 50, finale and $10,000 crown jewel on the UMP Summernationals circuit, but his victory was overshadowed by this quirky statistic: eight of 28 starters were disqualified for weighing in below the 2,300-pound minimum. The disqualified: Jimmy Mars (who crossed the finish line in third), 1995 Gopher 50 winner Bill Frye, John Gill, Lance Matthees, Steve Egersdorf, Steve Russell, Rob Halstead and Ted Dolhun. The big half-mile burns plenty of fuel, but drivers didn't waste much fuel under caution as a single yellow flag appeared on the 18th lap. Drivers returning to the track in later years were wary on their approaches to the unforgiving scales.

The bottom line: Typically tracks weigh only the top five finishers. Perhaps if tracks weighed the entire field every time, the percentage of illegal cars would increase. — Todd Turner and Jason Henke

Did Hav-A-Tampa try to influence the 1996 championship battle with a penalty?

The date: July 25, 2006

The venue: Atomic Speedway near Knoxville, Tenn.

The backstory: After dominating the Hav-A-Tampa Dirt Racing Series with championships in 1994-95, Scott Bloomquist appeared to be on his way to a third title midway through the 1996 season. But when Bloomquist was disqualified for retaliating against Scott Sexton after a fifth-lap crash at Atomic, veteran Freddy Smith was suddenly right in the mix for the championship. The unprecedented series penalty deprived Bloomquist of all earned points at Atomic, turning his 92-point series lead into a 32-point deficit to Smith. The series denied Bloomquist was targeted unfairly, but Bloomquist disagreed. "There is no doubt in my mind that they were trying to get me out because I was winning so much," he said later. "They felt I was keeping a lot of the other racers away because they couldn't beat me." Bloomquist eventually worked his way back into the points lead, but Smith won two of the last three races to secure the championship.

The bottom line: Bloomquist's penalty appears unduly harsh considering the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series has looked the other way after a postrace punch in the pits and officials of the World Racing Group (overseeing UMP and the World of Outlaws) didn't flinch after a blatant on-track retaliation at this year's Florida Speedweeks. — Todd Turner and Laura Kreuzer

How did Scott Bloomquist lose the Topless 100 by actually allowing a driver to pass him?

The date: Aug. 24, 1996

The venue: Batesville (Ark.) Speedway

The backstory: Polesitter Scott Bloomquist pulled onto the frontstretch following the fourth annual Topless 100 expecting to pick up the trophy and $26,000 check. The only problem? He wasn't the winner. Bloomquist led 84 laps of the 100-lapper at Batesville, but he didn't realize that 16th-starting Bill Frye — who rallied from back in the pack four times — was on the lead lap when Frye raced past for the lead and the victory with 16 laps remaining. "I was told over the radio that he was a lapped car, so I didn't even try to race him," Bloomquist said after the race. "I saw him but my guys said, 'Don't worry, he's a lap down.' " Bloomquist's last comment, toned down because this is a family website? "Somebody (messed) up."

The bottom line: You wonder if Bloomquist's hauler went home with one fewer crew member. — Todd Turner and Tim Lee

How did a durable tire carry Rick Aukland to so many victories during his best season?

The date: Summer of 1997

The venue: The Midwest and beyond

The backstory: When Rick Aukland, then racing out of Fargo, N.D., blazed to his best season in 1997 by racking up more than a dozen big-purse victories, he used the same right-rear tire in many of the victories. Tire specialist Mickey Ponsler would bolt on the trusty Hoosier LM-40, especially at longer races and tracks with dry-slick surfaces, said former team member Dave Hoff. While Hoff isn't sure exactly which races Aukland used the tire, good bets are the Jackson 100 at Brownstown (Ind.) Speedway, the USA Nationals at Cedar Lake (Wis.) Speedway and the North-South 100 at Florence (Ky.) Speedway, along with UMP Summernationals events. "We'd just buff it up and go at it again," Hoff said of the tire that had uncanny durability while winning Aukland lots of money and trophies. Whatever happened to the tire? "I think when I quit the next year," Hoff said, "it was still in the hauler."

The bottom line: Hoff says the team had plenty of alcohol-fueled celebrations during the 1997 season, so maybe the magic tire is more myth than legend (but it's still a good story). — Todd Turner

Why did veteran crew member Gary Dewitt Jr. drive in the 1997 Hoosier Dirt Classic?

The date: March 29, 1997

The venue: Brownstown (Ind.) Speedway

The backstory: Gary Dewitt Jr., a long-time crew member for Terry Eaglin Motorsports, signed in as the driver of the all-black car labeled with an "X" at the 14th annual Hoosier Dirt Classic. But who actually piloted the car to a third-place finish behind C.J. Rayburn and Tony Stewart, making just his third Dirt Late Model start? Former Brownstown champion John Gill, who had swept the track's three biggies (Hoosier Dirt Classic, Kenny Simpson Memorial and Jackson 100) driving for Eaglin in 1996. Gill, however, was racing under the alias because he was still recovering from serious injuries suffered in a November ARCA accident at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The Mitchell, Ind., driver, who had undergone surgery Jan. 23 on his upper left arm, padded up the arm and hot-lapped the car. When he decided he'd be OK, Gill continued in the car for qualifying, heats and the 57-lap feature. But Gill kept a low profile in the pits as the team maintained the charade that Dewitt, nicknamed "Deuce," was the driver.

The bottom line: Injured or not, you're not going to keep a true racer out of a race car. — Mike Sullivan and Todd Turner

How did Wendell Wallace lose a race despite leading the last lap?

The date: June 25, 1997

The venue: Missouri International Racepark in Benton, Mo.

The backstory: Although the checkered flag was never thrown, Randy Sellars won 1997's UMP Summernationals opener in a scheduled 30-lapper short on laps but long on confusion. A rainstorm halted the race as the leaders completed the 17th lap — with Wallace narrowly ahead of Sellars — but five minutes later the track declared Sellars the winner. The promoter ruled that because some cars didn't complete the 17th lap before the yellow flag appeared amid raindrops, official scoring reverted to the 16th lap, which Sellars led. Following the race, Wallace headed for the backstretch scoring tower for an amicable but animated discussion about the decision. The Arkansas driver argued his pass of Sellars exiting turn four at the conclusion of the 16th lap was tantamount to racing for the checkered flag. Instead, he left with second place and $3,000 less than the $5,000 Sellars received. "I'd (normally) laugh and say I got beat and go on to the next race." Wallace said. "but that's a big difference."

The bottom line: Somehow, someway, the driver ahead at the conclusion of a race — checkered flag or not — has got to be the winner. — Todd Turner

Where does the track end and the infield begin at Portsmouth?

The date: Aug. 5, 2000

The venue: Portsmouth (Ohio) Raceway Park

The backstory: On the last lap of the Cornett Clash 100, the infield became part of the racetrack as Chub Frank and Billy Drake ignored the half-buried tires ringing the track. With Frank hampered by a slower car, Drake cut through the infield to take the lead exiting turn two. Normally "you don't go in the infield," Frank said. "But once one guy does it, it's fair game." So while Drake headed for turn three, Frank took a left turn nearly 100 feet earlier, detouring through the infield. "The next thing I know," Drake said, "I see this big cloud of dust." Frank blasted out of the dust, slid onto the frontstretch and won the drag race by two feet for a $10,000 victory. For his part, Drake said the loss of power steering forced him to use his brakes to help steer the car, and when he got out of shape in turn one he gunned it. "It's the last lap. What are you going to do? Try to win the race." The Renegade STARS Racing Series instituted a rule following the race disqualifying drivers who make infield excursions.

The bottom line: If tracks don't want drivers in the infield, there are two good choices. Erect a permanent barrier or elevate the infield to make sure drivers lose ground instead of gain it. — Todd Turner

What "unapproved part" caused Dale McDowell's UDTRA penalty in 2002?

The date: May 14, 2002

The venue: Kankakee (Ill.) Motor Speedway

The backstory: When red-hot series points leader Dale McDowell won the UDTRA event at Kankakee, the rumor mill got rolling when postrace technical inspection of McDowell's car found what observers said appeared to be unattached elements of a traction control unit. McDowell kept the victory, worth $10,700, but nine days later the series announced a $2,500 fine and put McDowell on indefinite probation. Nevertheless, the series release said UDTRA officials "did not find any traction control device on McDowell's car, on McDowell himself, or any of his crew members" during the Kankakee inspection. McDowell's car was heavily scrutinized and found legal following victories at Eagle (Neb.) Raceway on May 18 and Dakota State Fair Speedway in Huron, S.D., on May 20. McDowell's fine was taken out of his $257,395 in season earnings, and the series transferred the $2,500 to the Chris Francis Memorial Benevolent Fund at McDowell's request.

The bottom line: Traction control claims are cyclical, and it's nice to enjoy a stretch where winners aren't automatically accused of using it. — Todd Turner and Michael Rigsby

Did a $100,000 bonus get split among two drivers?

The date: Aug. 3, 2002

The venue: Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wis.

The backstory: Along with $41,000 for winning the UDTRA-sanctioned USA Nationals, Rick Eckert collected a $100,000 bonus for winning three of five races on the Great Northern Challenge, a miniseries that included events on the Renegade DirtCar Series and UDTRA Pro DirtCar Series. Eckert, the only driver eligible for the bonus entering the race, earned $141,000 for one of the biggest prizes in Dirt Late Model history. The only question? Some observers, thinking it fishy that Eckert was able to overtake Dale McDowell with seven laps remaining on a locked-down daytime track, surmised that McDowell allowed Eckert to win in exchange for divvying up the windfall. But series reports were mum about that in explaining that a hole Scott Bloomquist's oilpan on lap 93 boosted Eckert, who had fallen far behind McDowell midway through the race. "We didn't get the oil slick worked in as well as I would have liked under the yellow, and I just slipped up in turn two on the restart," McDowell said. "A couple of laps later, Rick also slipped in the oil, but I couldn't take advantage of it."

The bottom line: If a bonus doesn't have built-in protection to prevent drivers from beating the system, more power to 'em. — Todd Turner

Did the white flag appear one lap too soon in Brian Birkhofer's World 100 victory?

The date: Sept. 7, 2002 | Slideshow

The venue: Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio

The backstory: Brian Birkhofer's dramatic last-lap slide job of Scott Bloomquist made the 32nd World 100 the most exciting in history, but moments after the race, Bloomquist protested the finish. Bloomquist appealed to track owner Earl Baltes that he'd seen the white flag on lap 98 and Birkhofer's pass came after he thought the race was over. Baltes, waiting to join Birkhofer for photographs in victory lane, backed veteran Eldora flagger Rick Foley. "He's only got one white flag," Baltes said. Track officials concurred that Birkhofer crossed the line first on the 100th lap and there were no irregularities with the flagging. "I don't know what made me so sure I saw the white, but I've heard it from way too many other people that said it did fall," Bloomquist said. Indeed, in interviews with more than a dozen observers interviewed, many said Foley appeared to briefly raise the flag on lap 98 before waving it on lap 99.

The bottom line: Some confusion over the white flag is evident, but for Bloomquist to lean on it to excuse his defeat rings hollow. — Todd Turner

How did oil get dumped on the track before the 24th DTWC?

The date: Oct. 17, 2004 | Slideshow

The venue: Bluegrass Speedway in Bardstown, Ky.

The backstory: With a locked-down surface and one-grooved 100-lapper certain before the 24th annual Dirt Track World Championship, some drivers decided to lend a hand with track preparation. When the field rolled onto the track, they dumped quarts of oil in hopes of widening the racing groove. Scott Bloomquist was the only driver to admit guilt, but five others — Mike Balzano, Brad Hall, Dan Schlieper, Tim McCreadie and Chub Frank — had tell-tale grease coatings on their driver's side doors and quarterpanels. "I don't know nothing about it," Hall said, his car covered by a tarp after the race. Competitors blamed a first-lap wreck on the oil-spreaders. "That was just stupid," Mike Marlar said. Bloomquist admitted the effort was futile. "I think if we'd all had about two gallons to pour on the track," he said, "we would've done some good." Track promoter David Ferrell flung empty oil containers at the guilty drivers from his four-wheeler, but pleas to penalize them went unheeded. "What I oughta do and what I can get by with are two different things," Ferrell said.

The bottom line: Some observers lost respect for the drivers suspected of participating in the sham. — Todd Turner and Mike Sullivan

Did Matt Miller weigh in legally after winning Dream XI?

The date: June 11, 2005 | Slideshow

The venue: Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio

The backstory: Matt Miller's Dream XI victory wasn't in question on the track, but an unresolved dispute at the scales moments after the 100-lapper put the victory in doubt, even as Miller celebrated in victory lane. Runner-up Darrell Lanigan and crew members bitterly objected to an indecisive scaling procedure that saw Miller's car initially weigh in two pounds below the 2,300-pound minimum before a second weighing that was tentatively deemed to meet the requirement. Eldora owner Tony Stewart, race director Larry Boos and UMP's Sam Driggers (who supervises the scales) huddled 10 minutes after the race and Stewart confirmed Miller's victory 10 minutes later after hearing Driggers' confirmation that the scale registered 2,301 on the second weighing. "I guess Eldora don't have a weight rule now," Lanigan said. "That's what Tony said. 'What's two pounds?' " Driggers said the weighing procedures could've gone smoother, but he was confident Miller met the weight requirement. The fact that Miller was already in victory lane was inconsequential. "That had nothing to do with it whatsoever," Driggers insisted. "He made weight."

The bottom line: That the near-fiasco forced Stewart to fence the scale area made the incident an important one in the Eldora's history. — Todd Turner

Did Darrell Nelson beat Jeff Provinzino at the inaugural Proctoberfest?

The date: Oct. 8, 2005 | Slideshow

The venue: Proctor (Minn.) Speedway

The backstory: In a wild, wacky and wrecky finish at the inaugural Proctoberfest, there are still some who doubt that Darrell Nelson edged Jeff Provinzino at the finish line as they battled off the final corner at the conclusion of the 40-lapper. Provinzino led throughout the WISSOTA-sanctioned event, but lapped traffic on the final lap set up the dazzling finish. Coming off turn four for the checkered flag, the low-running Provinzino tried to slide up in front of Nelson, but Nelson tried to squeeze between Provinzino and the wall. The collision ended with Nelson spinning across the finish line barely ahead of Provinzino. Both cars wrecked with Nelson's car lacking his right-front suspension. "Nobody wanted to lift and nobody did lift," the runner-up Provinzino said, "and that's what happened."

The bottom line: Dispute over the winner or not, it's a crazy way to end a race. — Todd Turner and Jerry O'Brien