Kansas State Super Stock Championship Races

On the Historic Half-mile Racetrack at the

Kansas State Fairgrounds

 Hutchinson, Kansas

 

Independence Day – Sunday – July 4, 1971

 

 

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

Race director – Jack Merrick of Dodge City, Kansas

 

Attendance – 1,500

 

 

 

First Heat Race – 8 Laps

Place

Car #

Driver

From

Time

1

36

Henry Ellington

Hutchinson, Kansas

4:33.3

2

15

Harvey Gum

Dodge City, Kansas

 

3

119

Jim Mayes

Hutchinson, Kansas

 

4

 

Allen Barby

Meade, Kansas

 

5

16

Dick Hendershot*

Hutchinson, Kansas

 

6

 8

Don Kreie

Dodge City, Kansas

 

7

10

Larry Crowl

Hutchinson, Kansas

 

 

 

  

Second Heat Race – 8 Laps

Place

Car #

Driver

From

Time

  1

32-2

Butch Brack

Great Bend, Kansas

4:08.8

  2

77

Jack Petty

Wichita, Kansas

 

  3

131

Gary Lundenmuth

Great Bend, Kansas

 

  4

14

Elmo Lane

Hutchinson, Kansas

 

  5

0

Mel Potts

Salina, Kansas

 

  6

 

Rick Elbert

Hutchinson, Kansas

 

  7

 

Milton Ward

Chase, Kansas

 

  8

 

Bob Freeman

Dodge City, Kansas

 

  9

 

Curley Hill

Dodge City, Kansas

 

10

 

Dwayne Bohnstedt

Hennessy, Oklahoma

 

11

 

Roger Miller

Lewis, Kansas

 

Petty led all but the last lap and was challenged all the way by Brack who finally did get by when Petty slid a little to wide in the southeast turn.

  

 

  

Trophy Dash – 5 Laps

Place

Car #

Driver

From

Time

1

32-2

Butch Brack

Great Bend, Kansas

2:30.9

2

131

Gary Lindenmuth

Great Bend, Kansas

 

3

77

Jack Petty

Wichita, Kansas

 

4

119

Jim Mayes

Hutchinson, Kansas

 

5

15

Harvey Gum

Dodge City, Kansas

 

 

 

 

First Semi-Final – 8 Laps

Place

Car #

Driver

From

Time

1

 

Terry Kowalsky

Great Bend, Kansas

4:49.05

2

16

Dick Hendershot*

Hutchinson, Kansas

 

3

 8

Don Kreie

Dodge City, Kansas

 

4

10

Larry Crowl

Hutchinson, Kansas

 

5

15

Harvey Gum

Dodge City, Kansas

 

6

 

Allen Barby

Meade, Kansas

 

7

119

Jim Mayes

Hutchinson, Kansas

 

8

 

Clayton Albers

Garden City, Kansas

 

9

88

Dennis Narron

Hutchinson, Kansas

 

  

 

 

Second Semi-Final – 8 Laps

Place

Car #

Driver

From

Time

1

 

Milton Ward

Chase, Kansas

4:00.5

2

32-2

Butch Brack

Great Bend, Kansas

 

3

 

Bob Freeman

Dodge City, Kansas

 

4

14

Elmo Lane

Hutchinson, Kansas

 

5

0

Mel Potts

Salina, Kansas

 

6

 

Dwayne Bohnstedt

Hennessy, Oklahoma

 

7

 

Rick Elbert

Hutchinson, Kansas

 

8

 

Roger Miller

Lewis, Kansas

 

9

 

Woody Woodward

Lindsborg, Kansas

 

 

 

 

A Feature – 21 Cars – 20 Laps

Place

Car #

Driver

From

 

 

1

16

Dick Hendershot*

Hutchinson, Kansas

 

 

2

36

Henry Ellington

Hutchinson, Kansas

 

 

3

32-2

Butch Brack

Great Bend, Kansas

 

 

4

10

Larry Crowl

Hutchinson, Kansas

 

 

5

 

Milton Ward

Chase, Kansas

 

 

6

119

Jim Mayes

Hutchinson, Kansas

 

 

7

 

Dwayne Bohnstedt

Hennessy, Oklahoma

 

 

8

 

Bob Freeman

Dodge City, Kansas

 

 

 

89

Wayne Hamrock

Enid, Oklahoma

 

 

 

77

Jack Petty

Wichita, Kansas

 

 

 

131

Gary Lindenmuth

Great Bend, Kansas

 

 

 

15

Harvey Gum

Dodge City, Kansas

 

 

DNF

0

Mel Potts

Salina, Kansas

 

 

DNF

 

Rick Elbert

Hutchinson, Kansas

 

 

DNF

88

Dennis Narron

Hutchinson, Kansas

 

 

The body on Hamrock’s car was mounted on the chassis backward.

Brack started from the pole position.

Hendershot started on the outside of the fifth row in tenth position.

Narron crashed into the outside wall on the parade lap.

Elbert lost his left front wheel on the front straightaway on the ninth lap.  His car started to turn over but was hit by Potts’ car and uprighted again.  Potts’ car then struck Elbert’s wheel launching Potts high into the air.

On the eleventh lap, Potts lost his left front wheel in the southwest turn, collided with Gum’s car, and rolled.

Ellington led the first 14 laps before being passed by Hendershot who then led the way to the finish winning by some ten car-lengths.  Ellington just beat Brack to the finish line by inches.

  

 

  

Kansas State Super Stock Championship

Total points accumulated from the races on this day plus the Memorial Day races on this racetrack

Place

Car #

Driver

From

Points

1

16

Dick Hendershot*

Hutchinson, Kansas

82

2

32-2

Butch Brack

Great Bend, Kansas

79

3

10

Larry Crowl

Hutchinson

74

 

 

 

 

Butch Brack of Great Bend, Kansas - Kruse collection

 

 

 

 

 

The photos above and below are of the Mel Potts car from Salina, Kansas.  Note that the newspaper said Potts lost his left front tire and rolled yet his left front tire is obviously on the car in the photo above.  Could it have been left rear tire that came off of the car? - Kruse collection

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Larry Crowl

Donavan Kreie collection from the Racing from the Past website

Dick Hendershot*

Schrater family collection

Dennis Narron

Dennis Narron collection

 

 

 

Jack Petty

Jack Petty collection

Milton Ward

Racing from the Past website

Elmo Lane

Elmo Lane collection

 

 

 

 Jim Mayes

Racing from the Past website

Don Kreie

Roger Burnett collection

Gary Lindenmuth

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