New Model Stock Car & Crosley Races

On the Historic Half-mile Racetrack at the

Kansas State Fairgrounds

Hutchinson, Kansas

Labor Day – Monday – September 5, 1949

 

Promoter – Verne Hamilton of Hutchinson, Kansas

 

Track condition - rough

 

Attendance – “more than 10,000”

 

 The Purse

           Four qualifying weekends of racing preceded this race with the first four finishers in those four qualifying races making up the 16 car starting field for this race.  40% of ticket sales for the qualifying races (minus $2,000 in prize money that was paid out in those qualifying races) plus 40% of the ticket sales from this Labor Day race made up the total purse.  Loepp received $525 for his first place finish in the 100 mile race.

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Crosley Race – 6 Cars - 10 Laps

Place	Driver	From
1	Sgt. Quinn	Salina, KS
2	Bud Potter	Hutchinson, KS
3	Eddie Sabin	Hutchinson, KS
4
5	Ina Blackburn	Hutchinson, KS

 

 

  

100 Mile Race – 16 Cars - 200 Laps

            Loepp was not the fastest driver in the race adopting a more conservative strategy.  The wide lug bolt pattern on the 1939 Ford was well suited to the rough racetrack and he did not suffer any of the wheel problems that nearly all of the other competitors did.  He only made one pit stop, that coming on the 192^nd lap for gas and water.  His pit crew told him he had a two-lap lead over James with 8 laps to go.  Loepp did not wait for the gas and water.  He reentered the race having been stopped for only 7 seconds and won by half a lap.

            James was much faster than Loepp but made lengthy pit stops on two occasions for sheared off lug bolts.

            Golliher made a five-minute pit stop just a few laps into the race to replace a faulty fuel pump.  He hit the fence later on the north turn later in the race smashing a fender, denting the body, and blowing a tire.  He also had to make a stop for gas and water but when his coupe was running, it sliced through the field passing every car it came to wherever he caught up to it.

            Roper dropped out while leading on the 148^th lap when “a wheel went down”.

            Massey lost the trunk lid from his car but continued on.

            McKim dropped out with a broken wheel on the 89^th lap while leading the race.

            Dunmire’s hood blew off but he continued on.

            Mock dropped out with a “sprung wheel and a sprung frame.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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