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

 

 

 

Bob Vorbeck

L. A. Ward photo

Ray Goodwin

“One Tough Circuit” by Bill Hill

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

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