Where Did They Go From Winfield?

Interesting Facts about Some Who Have Raced on the Historic Half-Mile Dirt Racetrack at the Cowley County Fairgrounds in Winfield, Kansas

The half-mile racetrack at the Winfield fairgrounds certainly has its place in motor racing history as several men raced on the Cowley County Fairgrounds racetrack as a stepping-stone on their paths to stellar careers in many forms of motor racing.  Of those known to have participated in races at Winfield, and there probably were others:

Seven were listed in Who’s Who in Automobile Racing – The Blue Book of Speed published by the Racing Publication Association of America, Chicago, Illinois in 1936:

	Name	Raced at Winfield, KS ^1
1	Sig Haugdahl	1915
2	George Barringer	1931
3	Posey Reeves	1931, 1933
4	Cotton Grable	1931, 1934-1935
5	Oscar Coleman	1934
6	William “Bill” Morris ^2	1934
7	Loren Fondoble	1935

Six have gone on to race in the Indianapolis “500” a total of 17 times:

	Name	Raced at Winfield, KS ^1	Indy “500”
1	W. W. Brown	1912-1913	1919
2	Arthur Thurman	1915	1919
3	George Barringer	1931	1934, 1936, 1939-1941, 1946
4	Lou Durant	1934	1946
5	Joie Chitwood	1934-1935	1940-1941, 1946-1950
6	A. J. Shepherd	1956	1961

Fourteen have been inducted into the High Banks Hall of Fame at Belleville, Kansas:

	Name	Raced at Winfield, KS ^1	Year Inducted
1	W. W. Brown	1912-1913	2004
2	John Gerber	1927	2004
3	Leonard Kerbs ^4	1927-1928	2001
4	Joie Chitwood	1934-1935	2004
5	Pat Cunningham	1935	2000
6	Charlie Lutkie	1950-1951, 1953-1954, 1956-1958, 1967-1968, 1970	2013
7	Frank Lies	1950–1956	2006
8	Red Forshee	1953-1956	1999
9	Harold Leep	1953-1954, 1956, 1958	2002
10	Jay Woodside	1956	2000
11	Roy Bryant	1956	2001
12	Dale Reed	1956-1957	2003
13	Jim Roper ^3	1957	1999
14	Jack Petty	1967-1968, 1970	2011

Ten have been inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Iowa:

	Name	Raced at Winfield, KS ^1	Year Inducted
1	Sig Haugdahl	1915	1994
2	John Gerber	1927	1992
3	Leonard Kerbs ^4	1927-1928	2011
4	W. W. Bowen ^3	1927,1931	2011
5	Tom Holden	1928-1929	1998
6	Joie Chitwood	1934-1935	1993
7	Harold Leep	1953-1954, 1956, 1958	2000
8	Jay Woodside	1956	2003
9	Don Shepherd ^7	1956	2010
10	Jack Miller ^3	1972	2001

One has been inducted into the Knoxville Raceway Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Iowa:

	Name	Raced at Winfield, KS ^1	Year Inducted
1	Jay Woodside	1956	1985

Seven have been inducted into the Big Car Racing Association Hall of Fame in Lincoln, Nebraska:

	Name	Raced at Winfield, KS ^1	Year Inducted
1	Jay Woodside	1956
2	Charlie Lutkie	1950-1951, 1953-1954, 1956-1958, 1967-1968, 1970	2012
3	Harold Leep	1953-1954, 1956, 1958	2000
4	Red Forshee	1953-1956
5	Dale Reed	1956-1957
6	Roy Bryant	1956
7	Jack Petty	1967-1968, 1970	2013

One has been inducted into the Central Auto Racing Booster Club Hall of Fame in Kansas City, Missouri:

	Name	Raced at Winfield, KS ^1	Year Inducted
1	Jay Woodside	1956	2005

Thirty-four⁶ have been inducted into the “81” Speedway Hall of Fame and have received the “81” Speedway Lifetime VIP Award in Park City, Kansas:

	Name	Raced at Winfield, KS ^1	Year Inducted
1	Emmett Carpenter	1934	2001
2	Charlie Lutkie	1950-1951, 1953-1954, 1956-1958, 1967-1968, 1970	2000
3	Frank Lies	1950-1956	2000
4	Orval Beckel	1951-1958	2002
5	Harold Leep	1953-1954, 1956, 1958	2000
6	Forrest Coleman	1953-1958	2000
7	Ed Schauf	1954	2002
8	Larry Hall	1954	2004
9	Pete Jacobs	1955-1956, 1958	2001
10	Dale Reed	1956-1957	2000
11	Jack Walker	1955, 1958	2008
12	M. B. Smith ^5	1955, 1967-1968, 1970-1971	2002
13	Roy Bryant	1956	2000
14	Jerry Everhart	1955-1956	2005
15	Jay Woodside	1956	2000
16	A. J. Shepherd	1956	2005
17	Bud Haehn	1967-1968, 1970-1971	2000
18	John Hebb ^4	1967-1968, 1970	2001
19	Mel Montgomery	1967-1968, 1970	2001
20	Al Alexander ^3	1967-1968, 1970-1971	2002
21	Gary Moore	1967-1968, 1970-1971	2001
22	Pinky Mullens	1967-1968, 1970-1971	2000
23	Jack Petty	1967-1968, 1970	2000
24	Ernest Ramey	1967-1968, 1970-1971	2000
25	Jerry Leep	1967-1968	2014
26	Charlie Laing ^4	1967	2001
27	Bob Lawrence	1967	2011
28	Arkie Findley	1968, 1970	2003
29	John Rush ^4	1968, 1970	2003
30	Charles Omerod	1968, 1971	2013
31	Steve Kammerer	1968	2002
32	Harry Nickell ^3	1970-1971	2002
33	Frank McGehee	1971	2009
34	Mike Cornelison ^3	1971	2019

Five have been inducted into the Wichita Sports Hall of Fame in Wichita, Kansas:

	Name	Raced at Winfield, KS ^1	Year Inducted
1	Charlie Lutkie	1950-1951, 1953-1954, 1956-1958, 1967-1968, 1970	2006
2	Harold Leep	1953-1954, 1956, 1958	2007
3	Jay Woodside	1956	2005
4	Pinky Mullens	1967-1968, 1970-1971	2012
5	Frank Lies	1950-1951, 1953-1954, 1956-1958	2019

One has been inducted into the Outlaw Motor Speedway Hall of Fame in Muskogee, Oklahoma:

	Name	Raced at Winfield, KS ^1	Year Inducted
1	Harold Leep	1953-1954, 1956, 1958	2009

One driver and one "Expert" class motorcycle rider who competed at Winfield have been inducted into the Nebraska Auto Racing Hall of Fame in Lincoln, Nebraska:

	Name	Raced at Winfield, KS ^1	Year Inducted
1	Clarence "Speed" Haskell	1929	2009
2	Don Droud, Sr.	1963, 1964, 1968	2011

Two raced in NASCAR’s Grand National Division that is now known as their Premier Series:

	Name	Raced at Winfield, KS ^1	Raced With NASCAR
1	Jim Roper ^3	1957	1949
2	Frank Lies	1950-1956	1958

Two broke World Land Speed Records for automobiles:

	Name	Raced at Winfield KS ^1	Broke World Record
1	Sig Haugdahl	1915	1922
2	George Barringer	1931	1940

One constructed and drove the first man-driven rocket powered automobile:

	Name	Raced at Winfield, KS ^1	Drove Rocket Car
1	Sig Haugdahl	1915	1932

Two raced at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb near Colorado Springs, Colorado:

	Name	Raced at Winfield, KS ^1	Raced on Pikes Peak
1	Bill Mears	1950-1954	1993
2	Tom Salmon, Jr.	1950, 1954	1963

Nine motorcycle riders who competed at Winfield, Kansas have been inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Pickerington , Ohio:

	Name	Raced at Winfield, KS ^1	Year Inducted
1	Wells Bennett	1912	2000
2	Ray Weishaar	1913, 1915	1998
3	Gary Nixon	1960, 1962	1998
4	Fred Nix	1963-1967	1999
5	Everett Brashear	1964	1998
6	Roger Reiman	1965-1966	1998
7	Neil Keen	1967, 1970-1972	2000
8	Cal Rayburn	1970	1999
9	Don Castro	1970-1971	2010

Two motorcycle riders have been inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America at Novi, Michigan:

	Name	Raced at Winfield, KS ^1	Year Inducted
1	Gary Nixon	1960, 1962	2003
2	Eddie Hill	1971	2002

Two “Expert” class motorcycle riders who competed at Winfield, Kansas have been inducted into the Trail Blazers Hall of Fame in Los Angeles, California:

	Name	Raced at Winfield, KS ^1	Year Inducted
1	Everett Brashear	1964	2005
2	Neil Keen	1967, 1970-1972

One “Novice” class motorcycle rider who competed at Winfield, Kansas has been inducted into the National Hot Rod Association Hall of Fame:

	Name	Raced at Winfield, KS ^1	Year Inducted
1	Eddie Hill	1971	1978

One “Novice” class motorcycle rider who competed at Winfield, Kansas has been inducted into the Drag Racing International Hall of Fame in Ocala, Florida:

	Name	Raced at Winfield, KS ^1	Year Inducted
1	Eddie Hill	1971	2000

One “Expert” class motorcycle rider who won a feature race at Winfield, Kansas has been inducted into the Dirt Track Hall of Fame at Springfield, Illinois:

	Name	Raced at Winfield, KS ^1	Year Inducted
1	Gary Nixon	1960, 1962

¹ Participated in the races at Winfield, Kansas in these years and may have done so in other years as well.

² William “Bill” Morris was a pseudonym used by Ben Musick. 

³ Participated at Winfield as a race official.

⁴ Participated at Winfield as a car owner.

⁵ M. B. Smith participated at Winfield as a car owner in 1955 and as a race official 1967-1968, 1970-1971.

⁶ Charles Lee, also a recipient of this award, drove a wrecker at Winfield in 1967 but was not actually participant in the races.

⁷ Participated at Winfield as a mechanic.