Semi-Late Model Stock Car Races at Hutchinson, Kansas on September 19, 1973

Semi-Late Model Stock Car Races

On the Historic Half-mile Racetrack at the

Kansas State Fairgrounds

Hutchinson, Kansas

Wednesday – September 19, 1973

Promotional Company – D & P Racing Promotions of Great Bend, Kansas

Race Directors – Ernie Drocher and Howard Pedigo of Great Bend, Kansas

Flagman / Starter – Don Pedigo of Great Bend, Kansas

Trophy Girl – Pam Potts of Great Bend, Kansas

Track condition – wet with standing water lining the infield all the way around the racetrack

An unidentified car slides through the water surrounding the racetrack on the inside as #55JR Alan Combs and #96 Gary Moore pass by during one of the heat races on this afternoon. Please contact Bob Lawrence if you can identify the driver of the sliding car or during what heat race this photo was taken – Jim Morris photo for the Hutchinson News

#16 Dick Hendershot of Hutchinson slides to a stop as #48 Bud Johnson of Wichita, Kansas rolls in the third heat race. The car going past on the inside is unidentified - Mike Cornelison photo

First Heat Race

Place	Car #	Driver	From
1	34	Bob Gilmore	Chase, Kansas
2		Terry Kowalsky	Great Bend, Kansas
3	77	Jack Petty	Wichita, Kansas
4	1	Garry Fuller, Sr.	Salina, Kansas
5	11	Bud Haehn	Wichita, Kansas
6	30	Jerry Davis	Salina, Kansas
7		Buddy Hill	Wichita, Kansas
8	15	Harlan Gile	Wichita, Kansas
9		Dennis Davis	Hutchinson, Kansas
DNF	64	Duane Olson	Salina, Kansas
DNF	11A	Ralph Geist	Sterling, Kansas

The cars driven by Petty, Davis, and Geist were involved in a three-car smashup with only Geist’s car damaged so badly that it could not continue.

The car driven by Olson slid into the mud on the inside of the southwest corner and then overturned.

Second Heat Race

Place	Car #	Driver	From
1	42	Dan Casmaer	Wichita, Kansas
2	11	Van Gemmill	Garden City, Kansas
3	6	H. A. Ratzlaff	Dodge City, Kansas
4		Terry Richards	David City, Nebraska
5	05	Mel Montgomery	Wichita, Kansas
6		Milton Ward	Chase, Kansas
7		Bill Main	Hutchinson, Kansas
8	86	Steve Lutkie	Wichita, Kansas
9		Jerald Hedberg	Lindsborg, Kansas
10		Carol Adamy	Wilber, Nebraska

Third Heat Race

Place	Car #	Driver	From
1	8	Don Kreie	Dodge City, Kansas
2	0	Mel Potts	Salina, Kansas
3		Gary Holbert	Concordia, Kansas
4	15	J. D. Martin	Dodge City, Kansas
5	12	Tim Wheaton	Dodge City, Kansas
6	67	Larry Pankratz	Wichita, Kansas
7	84	Jack Johnson	Haysville, Kansas
8	81	Bill Mills	Newton, Kansas
9	48	Bud Johnson	Wichita, Kansas
	16	Dick Hendershot	Hutchinson, Kansas*

Fourth Heat Race

Place	Car #	Driver	From
1	59	Shelby Steenson	Solomon, Kansas
2	111	Ron Case	Wichita, Kansas
3		Norris Anderson	Jamestown, Kansas
4	72	Frank McGehee	Wichita, Kansas
5		Lowell Allen	Pratt, Kansas
6		Doug Schultz	Nickerson, Kansas
7		Don Morris	Junction City, Kansas
8	00	John Shearhod	Wichita, Kansas
9	48	Sam Brittendall	Salina, Kansas
10	000	Don Robbins	Wichita, Kansas

Trophy Dash

Place	Car #	Driver	From
1		Terry Kowalsky	Great Bend, Kansas
2	11	Van Gemmill	Great Bend, Kansas
3	34	Bob Gilmore	Chase, Kansas
4	8	Don Kreie	Dodge City, Kansas
5	42	Dan Casmaer	Wichita, Kansas

C Feature – 20 Cars

Place	Car #	Driver	From
1	96	Gary Moore	Wichita, Kansas
2	47	Kenny Moore	Winfield, Kansas
3	77	Jerry Mashaney	Maize, Kansas
4	93	Oren Haas	Wichita, Kansas
5		Doug Hoskinson	Wichita, Kansas
6	4A	Roy Andrews	Wichita, Kansas
	27	Randy Patton	Belleville, Kansas
DNF	18	Danny Davis	Great Bend, Kansas
DNF	10	Larry Crowl	Hutchinson, Kansas
DNF	4x	Rickey Blackburn	Hutchinson, Kansas
DNF	2A	Leroy Powell	Great Bend, Kansas
DNF	69	Rex Evans	Wichita, Kansas
DNF	20	Dick Julian	Great Bend, Kansas

Cars driven by Evans and Julian collided in the southeast turn on the first lap forcing a restart of the race.

On the third lap, cars driven by Powell, Blackburn, Crowl, Davis, and Andrews were all involved in a pileup on the front straightaway causing the race to be stopped so the wreckage could be cleared away. When the race was restarted, only eleven of the original twenty starters remained.

Among those who were able to restart was Davis but later in the race, his car slapped the outside wall in the south turn breaking a fuel pump and bursting into flames. The car driven by Patton spun 360° twice but managed to miss Davis’ crash and was able to continue on when the race was restarted for the third time.

B Feature

Place	Car #	Driver	From
1		Buddy Hill	Wichita, Kansas
2		Carol Adamy	Wilber, Nebraska
3	86	Bill Main	Hutchinson, Kansas
4	00	John Shearhod	Wichita, Kansas
5	777	Dave Oltman	Salina, Kansas
6		Jerald Hedberg	Lindsborg, Kansas
7		Gary Hill	Wichita, Kansas
8	81	Bill Mills	Newton, Kansas
9	15	Harlan Gile	Wichita, Kansas
DNF	86	Steve Lutkie	Wichita, Kansas
DNF	55JR	Alan Combs	Herington, Kansas
DNF	53	Larry Wolf	Wichita, Kansas

The cars driven by Lutkie, Combs, and Wolf spun out in separate accidents with Lutkie’s car crashing into the outside wall in the southwest turn.

A Feature

Place	Car #	Driver	From
1	34	Bob Gilmore	Chase, Kansas
2	11	Van Gemmill	Garden City, Kansas
3		Terry Kowalsky	Great Bend, Kansas
4	05	Mel Montgomery	Wichita, Kansas
5	59	Shelby Steenson	Solomon, Kansas
6	11	Bud Haehn	Wichita, Kansas
7	6	H. A. Ratzlaff	Dodge City, Kansas
8	42	Dan Casmaer	Wichita, Kansas
9	111	Ron Case	Wichita, Kansas
10	0	Mel Potts	Salina, Kansas
11		Terry Richards	David City, Nebraska
	8	Don Kreie	Dodge City, Kansas
DNF	30	Lowell Allen	Pratt, Kansas
DNF	071	Jerry Davis	Salina, Kansas

On the third lap, the cars driven by Allen and Davis tangled in the southeast turn causing Davis’ car to spin into the infield and overturn several times finally coming to rest against car #18 that had been parked there after it had become involved in an accident in the C feature. Bob Armstrong, a crewman for the cars driven by Ratzlaff and Kreie, had been standing near the racetrack signaling their positions to his two drivers when he was struck by Davis’ overturning machine and tossed high into the air. Armstrong was taken to a local hospital in very critical condition and passed away four days later.