Fourth Annual Kansas State Modified Jalopy Championship Races

On the Historic Half-mile Racetrack at the

Kansas State Fairgrounds

 Hutchinson, Kansas

 

Wednesday – September 18, 1968

 

 

Promotional Company – Merrick Racing Promotions (M.R.P.)

Race director – Jack Merrick of Dodge City, Kansas

 

Attendance – 3,000

 

Ready to pull away for their pace lap to begin the trophy dash on this afternoon.  #55 Frank Lies, #8 Herb Copeland, #88 Don Spreier, #94 Jerry Everhart, #58 Dale Reed, and #69 Bill Rigsby - Steve Harper photo from the Lies collection

 

First Heat Race – 10 Laps

Place

Driver

From

Time

  1

Walt McWhorter

Wichita, Kansas

4:23.6

  2

Herb Copeland

Dodge City, Kansas

 

  3

Frank Lies

Wichita, Kansas

 

  4

Don Spreier

Larned, Kansas

 

  5

Bill Curless

Arkansas City, Kansas

 

  6

H. A. Ratzlaff

Dodge City, Kansas

 

  7

Leon Spain

Manhattan, Kansas

 

  8

Bud Lindstrom

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

 

  9

Ed Whitney

Norton, Kansas

 

10

Lawrence Sinks

Lawrence, Kansas

 

 

Garry Abell

Salina, Kansas

 

Abell spun out but was able to get his car restarted and finish the race.

  

Second Heat Race – 10 Laps

Place

Driver

From

Time

  1

David Ross

Jetmore, Kansas

4:15.1

  2

Pinky Mullens

Wichita, Kansas

 

  3

Bill Rigsby

Wichita, Kansas

 

  4

Larry Dewell

Fowler, Kansas

 

  5

Roy Bryant

Wichita, Kansas

 

  6

Bill Martinson

Salina, Kansas

 

  7

Les Angel, Jr.

Hutchinson, Kansas

 

  8

Dick Hendershot*

Hutchinson, Kansas

 

  9

Harold Armstrong

Wichita, Kansas

 

10

Wayne Hattabaugh

Lawrence, Kansas

 

 

Third Heat Race – 10 Laps

Place

Driver

From

Time

  1

Dale Reed

Wichita, Kansas

4:20.3

  2

Jay Schrock

Hutchinson, Kansas

 

  3

Jerry Everhart

Wichita, Kansas

 

  4

Ken Myers

Wichita, Kansas

 

  5

Myron Rust

Wichita, Kansas

 

  6

Henry Martin

McPherson, Kansas

 

  7

Pat Woodard

Maize, Kansas

 

  8

Walt Whitney

Norton, Kansas

 

  9

Wylan Cattrell

Wichita, Kansas

 

10

Ed Whitney

Norton, Kansas

 

DNF

Si Thompson

Wichita, Kansas

 

DNF

Dick Unger

Wichita, Kansas

 

Unger’s car spun into the outside wall and blew a tire.

Thompson’s car bounced off of the wall before coming to a stop on the racetrack.

 

Trophy Dash – 5 Laps

Place

Driver

From

Time

  1

Frank Lies

Wichita, Kansas

2:07.8

  2

Herb Copeland

Wichita, Kansas

 

  3

Dale Reed

Wichita, Kansas

 

  4

Bill Rigsby

Wichita, Kansas

 

  5

Don Spreier

Larned, Kansas

 

  6

Pinky Mullens

Wichita, Kansas

 

  7

Jerry Everhart

Wichita, Kansas

 

 

B Feature – 15 Laps

Place

Driver

From

 

  1

Dick Hendershot*

Hutchinson, Kansas

 

  2

Walt Whitney

Norton, Kansas

 

  3

Bud Lindstrom

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

 

  4

Wylan Cattrell

Wichita, Kansas

 

  5

Ed Whitney

Norton, Kansas

 

  6

Garry Abell

Salina, Kansas

 

  7

Charlie Pitts

Hutchinson, Kansas

 

  8

Forrest Coleman

Wichita, Kansas

 

  9

Jerry Stone

Wichita, Kansas

 

10

John Carter

Arkansas City, Kansas

 

11

Gene Angel

Hutchinson, Kansas

 

DNF

Forrest Coleman

Wichita, Kansas

 

DNF

Dick Walker

Arkansas City, Kansas

 

Walker’s car bounced off of the wall breaking off one of his wheels.  Coleman’s car ran over the errant wheel damaging his car and forcing him to withdraw from the event.

 

A Feature – 20 Laps

Place

Driver

From

 

  1

Walt McWhorter

Wichita, Kansas

 

  2

Herb Copeland

Wichita, Kansas

 

  3

Don Spreier

Larned, Kansas

 

  4

Frank Lies

Wichita, Kansas

 

  5

Leon Spain

Manhattan, Kansas

 

  6

Larry Dewell

Fowler, Kansas

 

  7

Bill Curless

Arkansas City, Kansas

 

  8

Jerry Everhart

Wichita, Kansas

 

  9

Myron Rust

Wichita, Kansas

 

10

Henry Martin

McPherson, Kansas

 

 

Dale Reed

Wichita, Kansas

 

 

David Ross

Jetmore, Kansas

 

DNF

Pinky Mullens

Wichita, Kansas

 

DNF

Bill Rigsby

Wichita, Kansas

 

DNF

Jay Schrock

Hutchinson, Kansas

 

Ross started on the pole position and led the first four laps before his engine soured and he started to drop back.  That allowed McWhorter to assume the lead.  By the 12th lap, Ross was running in 4th place when 17th starter Lies spun broadside in the racetrack while trying to get around Ross.  The car driven by Schrock crashed into Lies’ followed by that driven by Rigsby whose car climbed over a wheel on Schrock’s car and came to rest on top of Lies’ and Schrock’s cars.  Next, Spreier’s car crashed into the melee bringing out the red flag.  Only Schrock’s Pat Haskard-owned #86 car was unable to restart the race.

Shortly after the restart, Rigsby drove over a rear wheel of Mullens’ car causing Rigsby’s blue George-Hibbs-owned #69 Chevy to flip end-over-end down the back stretch for about 200 feet before coming to rest in the middle of the racetrack.  The race was stopped to clean up the mess but none of these drivers received any serious injuries.

Later in the race, Lies spun his car into the infield but he was able recover in time to finish in fourth place.

 

This was the first of two accidents that #69 Bill Rigsby was involved in during the feature.  #55 Frank Lies is at left and #86 Jay Schrock us underneath #69.  One of Schrock’s wheels is visible under Rigsby’s header.  The #88 of Don Spreier is at right – Cokeley collection

 

  This photo was taken after Bill Rigsby’s second accident in the feature.  This one destroyed the George-Hibbs-owned #69 Chevy – Hutchinson News photo

 

Roy Bryant

Bob Mays collection

Frank Lies

Bob Mays collection

David Ross

Bob Mays collection

Forrest Coleman

Bob Mays collection

 

 

 

Don Spreier

Bob Mays collection

 

Les Angel, Jr.

Bob Mays collection

Walt McWhorter

Bob Mays collection

Herb Copeland

Bob Mays collection

 

 

 

Jay Schrock

Bob Mays collection

Wylan Cattrell

Racing from the Past website

H. A. Ratzlaff

Lyndon Greaney photo

Charlie Pitts

Charlie Pitts collection

 

 

 

Dick Walker

Bob Mays collection

Larry Dewell

Cokeley collection

Jerry Stone

Bob Mays collection

Bill Rigsby

Rigsby collection

 

 

 

Dale Reed

Bob Mays collection

Ken Myers

Bob Mays collection

Bill Curless

Bob Mays collection

Dick Hendershot

Bob Mays collection

 

  

 

John Carter

Cokeley collection

Pinky Mullens

Mullens collection

Pat Woodard

Bob Mays collection

Jerry Everhart

Bob Mays collection

 

 

 

Garry Abell

Deen Woods collection

Lawrence Sinks

Lawrence Sinks collection

Myron Rust

Racing from the Past website

                                              

* Richard M. “Dick” Hendershot (1925-1976) was fatally injured in a racing accident at Salina, Kansas.

 

Return to the Feature Race Winners at Hutchinson, Kansas web page