Big Car Races on the
Historic Half-mile Racetrack at the
Kansas State Fairgrounds
Hutchinson, Kansas
Friday – September 20, 1935
Race Director – William “Bill” Bryant of Hutchinson, Kansas
Starter – Aut Swenson
Public Address Announcer – Jack Story
Sanctioned by - International Motor Contest Association (I.M.C.A.)
Attendance – 14,000
The entire program was run off in 2 hours and 20 minutes
Time Trials – 17 Cars - 1 Lap
Place |
Driver |
From |
Car Number |
Automobile |
Time |
1 |
Bill Morris* |
Lincoln, NE |
3 |
Messer Special |
28.0 |
2 |
Oscar Coleman****** |
Dallas, TX |
1 |
Texas Special |
28.5 |
3 |
Bob Sledge |
Houston, TX |
5 |
Riley Special |
29.5 |
3 |
Tex West** |
Dallas, TX |
22 A |
Riley |
29.5 |
5 |
Frank Sands |
Minneapolis, MN |
4 |
White Special |
30.0 |
6 |
Posey Reeves |
Oklahoma City, OK |
500 |
Cragar |
30.5 |
7 |
Pat Cunningham |
St. Joseph, MO |
K 1 |
Keyes Special (Riley) |
31.0 |
7 |
Tom Holden |
Denver, CO |
R 2 |
Cragar |
31.0 |
7 |
Bob Wilson |
Kansas City, KS |
K 2 |
Gillette Special (Riley) |
31.0 |
10 |
Swan Peterson |
Galesburg, IL |
4 |
Frontenac |
31.5 |
10 |
Jack Kannapel |
Newton, KS |
K 2 |
Frontenac |
31.5 |
10 |
Ray Anguish |
Topeka, KS |
S 1 |
Chevrolet |
31.5 |
13 |
Carl Mayfield |
Oklahoma City, OK |
C 13 |
Cragar |
32.0 |
13 |
Kirk Washburn |
Shreveport, LA |
8 |
Chevrolet |
32.0 |
13 |
Ed Foshay |
Shreveport, LA |
4 |
Scoffield |
32.0 |
13 |
Howard Cox |
Dallas, TX |
4 |
Frontenac |
32.0 |
17 |
Charles Pauley |
Herington, KS |
14 |
Riley |
32.5 |
First Heat Race – 6 Cars - 5 Laps
Purse divided among the first three finishers
Place |
Driver |
From |
Car Number |
Automobile |
Time |
1 |
Bill Morris |
Lincoln, NE |
3 |
Messer Special |
2:03.0*** |
2 |
Oscar Coleman****** |
Dallas, TX |
1 |
Texas Special |
|
3 |
Tex West** |
Dallas, TX |
22 A |
Riley |
|
4 |
Bob Sledge |
Houston, TX |
5 |
Riley Special |
|
5 |
Frank Sands |
Minneapolis, MN |
4 |
White Special |
|
6 |
Posey Reeves |
Oklahoma City, OK |
500 |
Cragar |
|
Morris led this race all the way. Coleman mounted a good charge for the lead but fell just short at the finish.
Second Heat Race – 6 Cars - 5 Laps
Purse divided among the first three finishers
Place |
Driver |
From |
Car Number |
Automobile |
Time |
1 |
Bob Sledge |
Houston, TX |
5 |
Riley Special |
2:11.0**** |
2 |
Tom Holden |
Denver, CO |
R 2 |
Cragar |
|
3 |
Posey Reeves |
Oklahoma City |
500 |
Cragar |
|
4 |
Pat Cunningham |
St. Joseph, MO |
K 1 |
Keyes Special (Riley) |
|
5 |
Bob Wilson |
Kansas City, KS |
K 2 |
Gillette Special (Riley) |
|
6 |
Frank Sands |
Minneapolis, MN |
4 |
White Special |
DNF |
Sands dropped out on the second lap. Sledge and Holden raced to a “sizzling” finish.
Championship Dash – 4 Cars – 3 Laps
Purse divided among the first three finishers
Place |
Driver |
From |
Car Number |
Automobile |
Time |
1 |
Bill Morris* |
Lincoln, NE |
3 |
Messer Special |
1:28.5 |
2 |
Tex West** |
Dallas, TX |
22 A |
Riley |
|
3 |
Oscar Coleman****** |
Dallas, TX |
1 |
Texas Special |
|
4 |
Bob Sledge |
Houston, TX |
5 |
Riley Special |
|
Morris won this race by a wide margin. The race was pretty much a single file affair.
Consolation – 8 Cars - 5 Laps
Purse divided among the first three finishers
Place |
Driver |
From |
Car Number |
Automobile |
Time |
1 |
Pat Cunningham |
St. Joseph, MO |
K 1 |
Keyes Special (Riley) |
2:07.0***** |
2 |
Frank Sands |
Minneapolis, MN |
4 |
White Special |
|
3 |
Bob Wilson |
Kansas City, KS |
K 2 |
Gillette Special (Riley) |
|
4 |
Swan Peterson |
Galesburg, IL |
4 |
Frontenac |
|
5 |
Jack Kannapel |
Newton, KS |
K 2 |
Frontenac |
|
6 |
Kirk Washburn |
Shreveport, LA |
8 |
Chevrolet |
|
7 |
Carl Mayfield |
Oklahoma City, OK |
C 13 |
Cragar |
|
8 |
Ed Foshay |
Shreveport, LA |
4 |
Scoffield |
|
Pursuit Handicap – 8 Cars - 15 Laps
Place |
Driver |
From |
Car Number |
Automobile |
Time |
1 |
Oscar Coleman****** |
Dallas, TX |
1 |
Texas Special |
8:12.0 |
2 |
Bob Sledge |
Houston, TX |
5 |
Riley Special |
|
3 |
Charles Pauley |
Herington, KS |
14 |
Riley |
DNF |
4 |
Ed Foshay |
Shreveport, LA |
4 |
Scoffield |
DNF |
5 |
Carl Mayfield |
Oklahoma City, OK |
C 13 |
Cragar |
DNF |
6 |
Swan Peterson |
Galesburg, IL |
4 |
Frontenac |
DNF |
7 |
Tom Holden |
Denver, CO |
R 2 |
Cragar |
DNF |
8 |
Kirk Washburn |
Shreveport, LA |
8 |
Chevrolet |
DNF |
State Fair Sweepstakes – 8 Cars - 10 Laps
Purse divided among the first three finishers
Place |
Driver |
From |
Car Number |
Automobile |
Time |
1 |
Pat Cunningham |
St. Joseph, MO |
K 1 |
Keyes Special (Riley) |
5:05.0 |
2 |
Oscar Coleman****** |
Dallas, TX |
1 |
Texas Special |
|
3 |
Tom Holden |
Denver, CO |
R 2 |
Cragar |
|
4 |
Tex West** |
Dallas, TX |
22 A |
Riley |
|
5 |
Bob Sledge |
Houston, TX |
5 |
Riley Special |
|
6 |
Frank Sands |
Minneapolis, MN |
4 |
White Special |
DNF |
7 |
Posey Reeves |
Oklahoma City, OK |
500 |
Cragar |
DNF |
8 |
Bill Morris* |
Lincoln, NE |
3 |
Messer Special |
DNF |
Morris’ engine developed a miss in it and he dropped out on the third lap. Cunningham got off to a poor start and did not catch up to Coleman until the ninth lap. Cunningham pulled along side of Coleman on the back stretch on the last lap and the two stayed side-by-side through the final corner. Coleman gave his car too much gas in that last turn and slid wide out almost to the fence. Cunningham took advantage of Coleman’s slip and moved to the inside of the track just beating Coleman to the finish line by about one yard.
Carl Mayfield Charles Pauley photo |
Charles Pauley Charles Pauley collection |
Pat Cunningham Betty (Kerbs) Able collection |
* ”Bill Morris” is an alias used by Benjamin Franklin “Ben” Musick, Sr. (1908-1966)
** ”Tex West” is an alias used by Austin E. Wetzler (1903-1962) who is buried in Highland Cemetery in Junction City, Kansas.
*** It is much more likely that this race was run for 4 laps rather than 5 laps as reported in both the Hutchinson Herald and the Hutchinson News on September 21, 1935. For this to have been the correct time for 5 laps, Musick would have had to have run an average of 24.6 seconds per lap yet the record for one lap of this racetrack was only 27.99 seconds at that time. Running 5 laps that quickly on the state fair racetrack in 1935 would have been virtually impossible given the tires and other equipment available back then.
**** It is much more likely that this race was run for 4 laps rather than 5 laps as reported in both the Hutchinson Herald and the Hutchinson News on September 21, 1935. For this to have been the correct time for 5 laps, Sledge would have had to have run an average of 26.2 seconds per lap yet the record for one lap of this racetrack was only 27.99 seconds at that time. Running 5 laps that quickly on the state fair racetrack in 1935 would have been virtually impossible given the tires and other equipment available back then.
***** It is much more likely that this race was run for 4 laps rather than 5 laps as reported in both the Hutchinson Herald and the Hutchinson News on September 21, 1935. For this to have been the correct time for 5 laps, Cunningham would have had to have run an average of 25.4 seconds per lap yet the record for one lap of this racetrack was only 27.99 seconds at that time. Running 5 laps that quickly on the state fair racetrack in 1935 would have been virtually impossible given the tires and other equipment available back then.
****** Oscar Lloyd Coleman (1905-1938) was fatally injured while attempting to qualify for a midget auto race in Dallas, Texas.
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