V.F.W.

July 23, 1967 Winfield Daily Courier Saturday, July 22, 1967 60 Cars Expected For Big Races Sunday

V.F.W.

Nearly 60 cars are expected to be roaring around the track at the Fairgrounds Sunday when it's turned into a speedway for the V.F.W. Sports Car Races.

Forty drivers are expected to come from Wichita with others from Bartlesville, Enid, Blackwell, Oklahoma, and one car from Winfield sponsored by Phillips' Salvage Yard will be driven by Kenneth Moore.

Several of the Wichita competitors have been vying for the lead of the semi-late model point standings as the north Wichita track.  The three at the top, at the present time are Pinky Mullens, Gary Vogt, and Bud Haehn.

So far, V.F.W. spokesmen say the weather looks good.

Racing WHEELS
Vancouver, WA - Saturday, July 22, 1967 - Page 14

AUTO RACING ASSOCIATION OF KANSAS
Maxine Hill, Reporter

WICHITA, KS – The new Auto Racing Association of Kansas (ARAK) will hold its first sanctioned race Sunday, July 23, at Winfield, Kansas at the Winfield Fairgrounds.  The race is sponsored by the Spencer-Yarbrough V.F.W. Post of Winfield, Kansas.

First race starts at 2:30 p.m. and will feature late model stocks.  For further information, contact the president of ARAK, Dale Chase of Wichita, Kansas.  Cars are expected from Kansas, Oklahoma, and other Midwest areas.

ARAK was organized during mid-season of 1966 and is comprised of late model stocks at the present time with future plans for other divisions.

Before the Races Started
Eventual A feature winner Bob Reed is shown here warming up his 1958 Ford stock car through the first turn before the start of the racing program on July 23, 1967.  It had been nine years since cars had raced on the Cowley County Fairgrounds race track and apparently no one remembered that this race track required a lot of water.  Not nearly enough was applied to the racing surface which caused very dusty racing conditions - Bob Reed collection

Winfield Daily Courier Monday, July 24, 1967           Around 2,000 Spectators watched Pinky Mullens win the trophy dash at the stock car races yesterday sponsored by the V.F.W.  Shown here in the lead, Mullens is one of the top point drivers that came down from Wichita for the races which were termed a success by V.F.W. Commander Charles Cloud, Jr.  No one was injured but the fences did take a beating as nearly 60 cars raced around the track at the fairgrounds.  Safety precautions included closing off the reserve section in front of the grandstand allowing seating in the bleachers only. Outside front row starter Pinky Mullens is shown at left getting a jump on pole sitter Gary Moore at the start of the trophy dash in this picture that accompanied the above paragraph in the Winfield newspaper.  Mullens held the advantage and won the race while Moore dropped to a third place finish behind Buddy Hill.  The flagman was Al Alexander.

This photo of the John-Buckler-owned 1958 Ford driven by Buddy Hill, was taken in the infield pit area at Winfield.  Buddy won the third heat race, finished second in the trophy dash, and won the third semi-final race before being involved in a crash in the A feature - Mike Cornelison photo

Trophy Dash Winner
Pinky Mullens excepting the trophies after the trophy dash at Winfield, Kansas on July 23, 1967.  Pictured left to right are Dusty Cloud, Mullens, Charlie Terpening, and Dale Chase.  The #4x Ford driven by Bill Swoyer of Wichita, Kansas can be seen in the background at left - Ron Cyr photo from the Pinky Mullens collection

Click your mouse on the photo above to see another photo of these men that was taken by Jerry Leep at nearly the same time this one was.

32 year-old Bob Reed (center) of Wichita, Kansas took third place in the second semi-feature race at Winfield, Kansas on July 23, 1967.  He then started inside of the second row in the "A" feature.  Reed took the lead going into the first turn on the first lap of that race and led the rest of the way.  His total share of the purse that day came to $65.

This picture was taken on the racetrack in front of the grandstand after Reed won the "A" feature that day.  Left to right are: pit crewman Arnold Stoner, Bob Reed, and pit crewman Joe Nedeau.  Reed's 1958 Ford was sponsored by Lyle's Seneca Sinclair service station in Wichita and was powered by a 352 cubic inch Ford engine.

Click your mouse on the photo above to see a photo of Bob Reed with starter Al Alexander immediately after Reed won this "A" feature.

Car #58, in the background at left, is the 1957 Chevrolet of Hersel Wagoner of Wichita, Kansas.  The #98 car in the background at right is a Studebaker driven by Larry Sutton of Hutchinson, Kansas – Ron Cyr photos from the Bob Reed collection

Admission Ticket Copies of this flyer were taped up in store windows and placed on the windshields of parked cars.

"Get your lucky number program!"  One of the familiar sounds that race fans heard as they walked from their parked cars toward the grandstands at Winfield stock car races.  The number 19 on the bottom of the cover of the program at right above was the "lucky number" for this program.  Inside the program was a list of expected (read that "hoped for") drivers with their car numbers.    Among the advertisements, there was also a place for the fan to keep record the finishing order of each race.  The list of drivers was made up from those had been participating at "81" Speedway in Wichita, Kansas that year, and that did not necessarily mean that each of those drivers and, or, cars would race at Winfield on this particular day.  It turned out not to be a very accurate listing.

36 stock cars raced this day.  Starting positions in the heat races were determined by a random draw.  Results:

First Heat:
Fn.	St.	Car#	Driver	Driver From	Car Make	Car Owner	Owner From
1	2	02	Pinky Mullens	Wichita, KS	Ford	Charlie Terpening	Wichita, KS
2	3	20	Gary Moore	Wichita, KS	Ford	Pinky Mullens	Wichita, KS
3	7	72	Bud Haehn	Wichita, KS	Ford	Pat Sisk	Wichita, KS
4	1	4x	Bill Swoyer	Wichita, KS	Ford	Bill Swoyer	Wichita, KS
5	8	14	Gary Beyer	Peck, KS	Chevrolet	Gary Beyer	Peck, KS
6	11	29	Bob Reed	Wichita, KS	Ford	Bob Reed	Wichita, KS
			Did Not Finish:
	4	1A	Bob Overton	Wichita, KS	Ford	Bob Overton	Wichita, KS
	5	10	Lou Steward	Winfield, KS	Ford	Lou Steward	Winfield, KS
	6	20x	Ron Dunkle	Bartlesville, OK	Chevrolet	Ron Dunkle	Bartlesville, OK
	9	58	Hersel Wagoner	Wichita, KS	Chevrolet	Hersel Wagoner	Wichita, KS
	10	3	Sherman Boling	Bartlesville, OK	Chevrolet	Sherman Boling	Bartlesville, OK
Second Heat:
1	3	87	Gordon Dodson	Wichita, KS	Chevrolet	Gordon Dodson	Wichita, KS
2	4	7x	Melvin May, Jr.	Maize, KS	Ford	Melvin May, Jr.	Maize, KS
3	7	5	Mel Montgomery	Wichita, KS	Ford	John Hebb	Wichita, KS
4	8	49	Roy Andrews	Wichita, KS	Ford	Fred Cornelison	Wichita, KS
5	2	92	Ron Frame	Mulvane, KS	Ford	Ron Frame	Mulvane, KS
			Did Not Finish:
	1	60	Ernest Ramey	Wichita, KS	Ford	John Marshall	Wichita, KS
	5	8x	Ken Myers	Newton, KS	Oldsmobile	Charlie Laing	Wichita, KS
	6	69	Sharrel “Big” Webb	Vera, OK	Plymouth	Sharrel “Big” Webb	Vera, OK
	9	88	Kenny Moore	Winfield, KS	Chevrolet	Leo “Shorty” Phillips	Winfield, KS
	10	0	Vern Allen	Wichita, KS	Ford	Vern Allen	Wichita, KS
	11	98	Larry Sutton	Hutchinson, KS	Studebaker	Larry Sutton	Hutchinson, KS
	12	82	Wayne Sigley	Augusta, KS	Chevrolet	Wayne Sigley	Augusta, KS
Third Heat:
1	2	39	Buddy Hill	Wichita, KS	Ford	John Buckler	Wichita, KS
2	3	22	Harold Armstrong	Wichita, KS	Ford	Pinky Mullens	Wichita, KS
3	6	7	Al Jones	Bartlesville, OK	Chevrolet	Al Jones	Bartlesville, OK
4	8	65	Dick Unger	Wichita, KS	Ford	Grover Clark	Wichita, KS
			Did Not Finish:
	4	16	Ken Hauschild	Wichita, KS	Chevrolet	Ed Brady	Wichita, KS
	5	96	Jess Neal	Oxford, KS	Ford	Jess Neal	Oxford, KS
	7	91	Jim Grantham	Wichita, KS	Chevrolet	Jim Grantham	Wichita, KS
	9	77	Jack Petty	Wichita, KS	Ford	Orbin Mashaney	Maize, KS
	10	09	Merle Wagoner	Wichita, KS	Ford	Andy Sullivan	Wichita, KS
	11	07	Bud Helmuth	Hutchinson, KS	Studebaker	Bud Helmuth	Hutchinson, KS
	12	12	Don Jones	Bartlesville, OK	Chevrolet	Don Jones	Bartlesville, KS
	13	42	Dan Casmaer	Haysville, KS	Ford	Dan Casmaer	Haysville, KS
	1	4	Bob Lawrence	Wichita, KS	Ford	Larry Wiles	Albuquerque, NM
Trophy Dash:
1	2	02	Pinky Mullens	Wichita, KS	Ford	Charlie Terpening	Wichita, KS
2	6	39	Buddy Hill	Wichita, KS	Ford	John Buckler	Wichita, KS
3	1	20	Gary Moore	Wichita, KS	Ford	Pinky Mullens	Wichita, KS
4	3	7X	Melvin May, Jr.	Maize, KS	Ford	Melvin May, Jr.	Maize, KS
			Did Not Finish:
	4	87	Gordon Dodson	Wichita, KS	Chevrolet	Gordon Dodson	Wichita, KS
	5	22	Harold Armstrong	Wichita, KS	Ford	Pinky Mullens	Wichita, KS
First Semi-Final:
1	2	69	Norman Gougler	Vera, OK	Plymouth	Sharrel “Big” Webb	Vera, OK
2	4	88	Kenny Moore	Winfield, KS	Chevrolet	Leo “Shorty” Phillips	Winfield, KS
3	5	77	Jack Petty	Wichita, KS	Ford	Orbin Mashaney	Maize, KS
4	6	1A	Bob Overton	Wichita, KS	Ford	Bob Overton	Wichita, KS
5	8	41	John Marshall	Wichita, KS	Ford	John Marshall	Wichita, KS
			Did Not Finish:
	1	82	Wayne Sigley	Augusta, KS	Chevrolet	Wayne Sigley	Augusta, KS
	3	10	Lou Steward	Winfield, KS	Ford	Lou Steward	Winfield, KS
	7	60	Ernest Ramey	Wichita, KS	Ford	John Marshall	Wichita, KS
	9	96	Jess Neal	Oxford, KS	Ford	Jess Neal	Oxford, KS
Note that there was a driver change in car #69 between the second heat race and the first semi-final race.

Bud Haehn

Roy Andrews

Pinky Mullens

Kenny Moore

Lou Steward

Dan Casmaer

Bob Reed

Second Semi-Final:
1	1	12	Don Jones	Bartlesville, OK	Chevrolet	Don Jones	Bartlesville, OK
2	3	14	Gary Beyer	Peck, KS	Chevrolet	Gary Beyer	Peck, KS
3	6	29	Bob Reed	Wichita, KS	Ford	Bob Reed	Wichita, KS
4	4	91	Jim Grantham	Wichita, KS	Chevrolet	Jim Grantham	Wichita, KS
5	5	8x	Ken Myers	Newton, KS	Oldsmobile	Charlie Laing	Wichita, KS
			Did Not Finish:
	2	92	Ron Frame	Mulvane, KS	Ford	Ron Frame	Mulvane, KS
	7	16	Ken Hauschild	Wichita, KS	Chevrolet	Ed Brady	Wichita, KS
	8	98	Larry Sutton	Hutchinson, KS	Studebaker	Larry Sutton	Hutchinson, KS
	9	58	Hersel Wagoner	Wichita, KS	Chevrolet	Hersel Wagoner	Wichita, KS
	10	07	Bud Helmuth	Hutchinson, KS	Studebaker	Bud Helmuth	Hutchinson, KS
Third Semi-Final:
1	1	39	Buddy Hill	Wichita, KS	Ford	John Buckler	Wichita, KS
2	2	87	Gordon Dodson	Wichita, KS	Chevrolet	Gordon Dodson	Wichita, KS
3	6	65	Dick Unger	Wichita, KS	Ford	Grover Clark	Wichita, KS
4	3	7x	Melvin May, Jr.	Maize, KS	Ford	Melvin May, Jr.	Maize, KS
5	4	5	Mel Montgomery	Wichita, KS	Ford	John Hebb	Wichita, KS
			Did Not Finish:
	5	7	Al Jones	Bartlesville, OK	Chevrolet	Al Jones	Bartlesville, KS
	7	72	Bud Haehn	Wichita, KS	Ford	Pat Sisk	Wichita, KS
	8	4x	Bill Swoyer	Wichita, KS	Ford	Bill Swoyer	Wichita, KS
	9	49	Roy Andrews	Wichita, KS	Ford	Fred Cornelison	Wichita, KS
B Feature:
1	4	77	Jack Petty	Wichita, KS	Ford	Orbin Mashaney	Maize, KS
2	1	1A	Bob Overton	Wichita, KS	Ford	Bob Overton	Wichita, KS
3	3	41	John Marshall	Wichita, KS	Ford	John Marshall	Wichita, KS
4	10	16	Kenny Hauschild	Wichita, KS	Chevrolet	Ed Brady	Wichita, KS
5	2	88	Kenny Moore	Winfield, KS	Chevrolet	Leo “Shorty” Phillips	Winfield, KS
			Did Not Finish:
	5	96	Jess Neal	Oxford, KS	Ford	Jess Neal	Oxford, KS
	6	98	Larry Sutton	Hutchinson, KS	Studebaker	Larry Sutton	Hutchinson, KS
	7	69	Norman Gougler	Vera, OK	Plymouth	Sharrel “Big” Webb	Vera, OK
	8	82	Wayne Sigley	Augusta, KS	Chevrolet	Wayne Sigley	Augusta, KS
	9	60	Ernest Ramey	Wichita, KS	Ford	John Marshall	Wichita, KS
Jack Petty led the entire race with Bob Overton finishing "on Jack's rear bumper".
A Feature:
1		29	Bob Reed	Wichita, KS	Ford	Bob Reed	Wichita, KS
2		72	Bud Haehn	Wichita, KS	Ford	Pat Sisk	Wichita, KS
3		14	Gary Beyer`	Peck, KS	Chevrolet	Gary Beyer	Peck, KS
4		12	Don Jones	Bartlesville, OK	Chevrolet	Don Jones	Bartlesville, OK
5		91	Jim Grantham	Wichita, KS	Chevrolet	Jim Grantham	Wichita, KS
6		49	Roy Andrews	Wichita, KS	Ford	Fred Cornelison	Wichita, KS
An incomplete list of those who did not finish this race:
		5	Mel Montgomery	Wichita, KS	Ford	John Hebb	Wichita, KS
		39	Buddy Hill	Wichita, KS	Ford	John Buckler	Wichita, KS
		87	Gordon Dodson	Wichita, KS	Chevrolet	Gordon Dodson	Wichita, KS
		65	Dick Unger	Wichita, KS	Ford	Grover Clark	Wichita, KS
		7x	Melvin May, Jr.	Maize, KS	Ford	Melvin May, Jr.	Maize, KS
		92	Ron Frame	Mulvane, KS	Ford	Ron Frame	Mulvane, KS
		8x	Ken Myers	Wichita, KS	Oldsmobile	Charlie Laing	Wichita, KS
Bob Reed led the entire race.  There was one accident involving the cars of Don Jones and Buddy Hill.  The side of Hill's car received considerable damage while Jones recovered to finish in fourth place.  Dick Unger dropped out of this race with a broken rear-end gear.
Race Officials: Organizers: Dale Chase, Mel Montgomery Starter / Flagman: Al Alexander Announcer: Rex Hall Pit Stewards: Don Smith, M. B. "Smitty" Smith Scorers: Eleanor Chase, Maxine Hill, Mary Montgomery Trophy Girl: Debbie Montgomery Insurance: Charles H. "Dusty" Cloud, Jr. Sanctioning Body: Auto Racing Association of Kansas Sponsor:  Spencer - Yarbrough V.F.W. Post 3544
Winfield Daily Courier Monday, July 24, 19 67, Front Page:      Charles Cloud, Jr., commander of the V.F.W., was present (at the Winfield city commission meeting on Monday morning) to report on yesterday's stock car races.  He stated that nobody was hurt but there was some damage to the fence and the (V.F.W.) Post would have the area ready for inspection by noon.        In answering to a question by Ray Taylor about whether there was any outside promotion involved, Cloud stated that it was just run by the V.F.W. under the American Motor Association rules.  He added that the Post was thinking of having another one in the Fall.

Vern Allen

Ernest Ramey

John Marshall

Ken Myers

Jack Petty

Gary Moore

Mel Montgomery

Wayne Sigley

Bob Lawrence

Racing Action from the Second Semi-final Race
Bob Reed, in the #29 Ford, is shown here leading Kenny Myers in the #8x Oldsmobile down the front straight-away at Winfield.  Jim Grantham is following in the #91 Chevrolet.  Reed finished in third place while Grantham got by Meyers to finish in fourth.  The Oldsmobile completed the race in fifth place.  The dark colored car with the white rear wheel that can be seen parked on the right side of this photo across the rodeo arena and next to the arena fence, is the #4 Ford that was driven by Bob Lawrence - Jerry Leep photo

Aftermath of a Wreck in the Third Semi-final Race

Al Jones suffered a couple of broken ribs when he spun his #7 Chevrolet in the first turn and was struck broadside by the Fords of Bud Haehn, Bill Swoyer, and Roy Andrews.  That is Bill Swoyer standing at right and you can see his #4x Ford behind him.  Click your mouse on the photo above to see picture of this #7 car on the infield of the Winfield race track before this race - Jerry Leep photo

B Feature Tangle

LEFT TO RIGHT:  #60 Ernest Ramey, Wichita, Kansas; #96 Jess Neal, Oxford, Kansas; #69 Norman Gougler, Vera, Oklahoma; and #98 Larry Sutton, Hutchinson, Kansas; tangle between turns three and four during the B feature on July 23, 1967 - Ernest Ramey collection

Lining up for A Feature

#8x Ken Myers is shown here lining up behind the #87 Chevrolet driven by eventual race winner Gordon Dodson.  The front of the #72 Ford driven by Bud Haehn is visible straight across the rodeo arena from the left side of Myers’ windshield opening.  The blue #4 Ford driven by Bob Lawrence can be seen as the first car from the left in the first row of cars in the pits next to the fence across the rodeo arena from where this photo was taken.  Lawrence’s car had suffered a blown engine in the first heat race – Ken Myers collection

Lining Up to Start the A Feature

#14 Gary Beyer, #92 Ron Frame, #12 Don Jones, #65 Dick Unger, #49 Roy Andrews, and #87 Gordon Dodson.  Note the #02 of Pinky Mullens and the #20 of Gary Moore already loaded on trucks on the infield.  Both drivers withdrew after the trophy dash feeling the race track was too dusty to compete on safely - Jerry Leep photo

Pulling Away to Start the A Feature

Don Jones of Bartlesville, Oklahoma was in the 1955 Chevrolet #12 and Ron Frame of Mulvane, Kansas drove the #92 Ford.  Frame dropped out of the race feeling the racetrack was too dusty to see where he was going.  Jones was involved in a wreck with the #39 Ford of Buddy Hill which eliminating Hill from the race but Jones recovered to finish in fourth place - Jerry Leep photo

The Very Dusty A Feature

The only cars identified so far in this photo are the #29 Ford driven by Bob Reed in first place, the yellow #8x Oldsmobile driven by Ken Myers in second place, and the orange and white #39 Ford driven by Buddy Hill just visible through the dust in front of the grandstands.  If you can identify any of the other mostly obscured by the dust, please contact Bob Lawrence at sprintguy @ cox.net    The trees in the background are in what was known as the “Pecan Grove”. Click your mouse on the photo above to see a copy of the original print of this photo that was taken before it was leveled and cropped here – Both photographs from the Ken Myers collection

Return to page 2 of the History of Auto Racing at Winfield website.