Kansas State Super Stock Championship Races

On the Historic Half-mile Racetrack at the

Kansas State Fairgrounds

 Hutchinson, Kansas

 

Thursday – September 23, 1971

 

 

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

Race Director – Jack Merrick of Dodge City, Kansas

 

Attendance – 5,000

 

 

 

Surveying the Aftermath of the 27-car Pileup that occurred just after the A Feature Face got Underway

Mel Montgomery (wearing helmet) looks over the #5 John Hebb owned Ford that he had been driving while Bill Mills surveys the carnage from atop the deck lid of an unidentified car.  The other men and cars in this photo have yet to be identified.  Click your mouse on the photo above to see another photo that was taken just seconds from when this photo was taken and also shows the back part of the #5 Ford as well as the #39x Ford driven by Gary Hill that was also involved in the wreck.  No one else in that photo has been identified yet either - Mike Cornelison photos

 

 

 

First Heat Race

Place

Driver

From

1

Tom Lutkie

Wichita, Kansas

2

Steve Lutkie

Wichita, Kansas

 

 

  

Second Heat Race

Place

Driver

From

1

Bud Haehn

Wichita, Kansas

2

Larry Reigle

Dodge City, Kansas

  

 

  

Third Heat Race

Place

Driver

From

1

Dick Hendershot*

Hutchinson, Kansas

2

Mike Lutkie

Wichita, Kansas

   

 

  

Fourth Heat Race

Place

Driver

From

1

Oren Haas

Wichita, Kansas

2

Corky VanGotten

Chanute, Kansas

 

 

 

Trophy Dash

Place

Driver

From

1

Dick Hendershot*

Hutchinson, Kansas

2

Mike Lutkie

Wichita, Kansas

  

 

  

B Feature

Place

Driver

From

1

Bill Mills

Newton, Kansas

2

Jim Kizzar

Chase, Kansas

3

Loyd Pickering

Greensburg, Kansas

4

Elmo Lane

Hutchinson, Kansas

 

 

 

A Feature – 38 Cars

Place

Driver

From

1

Dick Hendershot*

Hutchinson, Kansas

2

Mike Lutkie

Wichita, Kansas

3

Steve Lutkie

Wichita, Kansas

4

Jim Goss

Great Bend, Kansas

Mel Montgomery

Wichita, Kansas

Bill Mills

Newton, Kansas

 

Elmo Lane

Hutchinson, Kansas

 

Gary Hill

Hutchinson, Kansas

DNF

Dennis Narron

Hutchinson, Kansas

The flagman raised his pointer finger skyward indicating that he did not like the way the cars were aligned for the start of this race but the racetrack was so dusty that only the first few rows of cars could see him.  Those few drivers slowed only to be hit from behind by an onrushing multitude of others who could not see the starter through the dust and took a chance that the race was underway.  The result was a 27-car pileup in the southwest turn that took more than ½ hour to untangle.  The first six cars were not involved and the last five had dropped back far enough behind the field that they were able to get stopped in time to avoid piling into the mass of tangled steel.

Before the race was restarted, an invitation was extended to some of the remaining cars that had not qualified for the A feature so that twenty cars were able to take the green flag for the restart.

 

 

 

The Big Crash had just Occurred

This photo was taken through the dust in the southwest turn during the false start to the A feature.  The crash that eventually involved 27 cars was underway at this point as only about half of the cars that would eventually be involved had piled into the mess at this point.  The 1964 Ford Fairlane #14 at left was driven by Elmo Lane of Hutchinson and the #88 Ford Fairlane in the center was driven by Dennis Narron of Hutchinson but those are the only cars in this photo that has been identified to date – Hutchinson News photo 

 

 

 

The Aftermath of the 27-Car Pileup

This photo was taken after about half of the cars had already been removed from the 27-car pileup that took place just entering the southwest turn during a false start in the A feature – Hutchinson News photo

 

 

 

  

Dick Hendershot*

Schrater family collection

Tom Lutkie

Steve Lutkie collection

Oren Haas

81 Speedway program

Bud Haehn

Cummins collection

 

 

 

Mike Lutkie

81 Speedway program

Dennis Narron

Dennis Narron collection

Steve Lutkie

Steve Lutkie collection

Bill Mills

Mills collection

 

 

 

Elmo Lane

Elmo Lane collection

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

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