Big Car Races on the
Historic Half-mile Racetrack at the
Kansas State Fairgrounds
Hutchinson, Kansas
Sunday – September 15, 1940
Races sanctioned by the Mile High Racing Association
Race promoter – Tom Holden of WaKeeney, Kansas
Flagman / Starter – Lenard E. Kerbs of Otis, Kansas
Attendance: 8,000
Vic Rothe is shown here in the #1 Turco Special at Hutchinson in 1940 – Darrin McKim collection
Time Trials – 20 Cars - 1 Lap
Place |
Driver |
From |
Automobile |
Time |
1 |
Vic Rothe |
Omaha, Nebraska |
Turco Special #1 |
27.4 |
2 |
Shorty Burns1 |
St. Louis, Missouri |
|
28.2 |
3 |
Bob Vorbeck |
Longmont, Colorado |
Fisher Dreyer Special #27 |
28.6 |
4 |
Loren Fondoble |
Ogallah, Kansas |
Riley Special #10 |
29.0 |
4 |
Clarence Merritt |
Tulsa, Oklahoma |
Merritt Special |
29.0 |
4 |
Claude Gorin |
Wichita Falls, Texas |
Miller Special |
29.0 |
|
Ray Goodwin2 |
Wichita Falls, Texas |
|
|
|
Bob Sledge |
Houston, Texas |
Frontenac Special |
|
|
Posey Reeves |
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
|
|
|
Rex Woodard3 |
Hutchinson, Kansas |
T. D. O. Special |
|
|
Bill Harding |
Douglas, Nebraska |
Hardings Special #H-1 |
|
Dufek Trophy Dash – 3 Laps
Place |
Driver |
From |
Automobile |
Time |
1 |
Vic Rothe |
Omaha, Nebraska |
Turco Special #1 |
1:24.0 |
2 |
Shorty Burns1 |
St. Louis, Missouri |
|
|
3 |
Bob Vorbeck |
Longmont, Colorado |
Fisher Dreyer Special #27 |
|
Rothe received the Dufek trophy and a kiss from Miss Hutchinson Darleen Lovan.
First Heat Race – 7 Cars - 8 Laps
Place |
Driver |
From |
Automobile |
Time |
1 |
Vic Rothe |
Omaha, Nebraska |
Turco Special #1 |
3:46.4 |
2 |
Shorty Burns1 |
St. Louis, Missouri |
|
|
3 |
Bob Vorbeck |
Longmont, Colorado |
Fisher Dreyer Special #27 |
|
|
Loren Fondoble |
Ogallah, Kansas |
Riley Special #10 |
DNF |
Fondoble’s Riley Special dropped out of this race with engine trouble.
Second Heat Race – 8 Laps
Place |
Driver |
From |
Automobile |
Time |
1 |
Clarence Merritt |
Tulsa, Oklahoma |
Merritt Special |
3:55.0 |
2 |
Ray Goodwin2 |
Wichita Falls, Texas |
|
|
Invitational Handicap Race – 4 Cars - 5 Laps
Place |
Driver |
From |
Automobile |
Time |
1 |
Bob Vorbeck |
Longmont, Colorado |
Fisher Dreyer Special #27 |
2:23.0 |
2 |
Shorty Burns1 |
St. Louis, Missouri |
|
|
3 |
Vic Rothe |
Omaha, Nebraska |
Turco Special #1 |
|
State Fair Handicap Race – 10 Laps
Place |
Driver |
From |
Automobile |
Time |
1 |
Bob Sledge |
Houston, Texas |
Frontenac Special |
4:00.4 |
2 |
Posey Reeves |
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
|
|
Consolation Race – 12 Laps
Place |
Driver |
From |
Automobile |
Time |
1 |
Bill Harding |
Douglas, Nebraska |
Hardings Special #H-1 |
6:08.0 |
|
Rex Woodard3 |
Hutchinson, Kansas |
T. D. O. Special |
DNF |
|
Loren Fondoble |
Ogallah, Kansas |
Riley Special #10 |
DNF |
Woodward’s T. D. O. Special, owned by Murray Earl of Hutchinson, threw a wheel in the south turn while leading by a large margin on lap ten. Woodward jockeyed the car to a safe stop against the outside fence while Harding, who had been running a poor second place, went on to the victory. Fondoble continued to be plagued by engine trouble.
Sweepstakes Race – 10 Cars - 15 Laps
Place |
Driver |
From |
Automobile |
Time |
1 |
Vic Rothe |
Omaha, Nebraska |
Turco Special #1 |
6:37.0 |
2 |
Shorty Burns1 |
St. Louis, Missouri |
|
|
3 |
Bob Vorbeck |
Longmont, Colorado |
Fisher Dreyer Special #27 |
|
Posey Reeves Don Radbruch collection |
Loren Fondoble Roy Eaton collection |
Bob Sledge Roy Eaton collection |
Rex Woodward Roy Eaton collection |
Shorty Burns Larry Sullivan photo |
Bill Harding Stan Lee collection |
1 Shorty Burns was an alias used by Thomas F. Scheck.
2 One source states that his name was Roy Goodwin.
3 Rex Miles Woodward (1920-1942) was fatally injured in a racing accident at Ft. Wayne, Indiana.
Return to the Feature Race Winners at Hutchinson, Kansas web page
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