Twin 10-Mile Auto Races Run on the One-Mile Widdifield Farm Racetrack North of Oakley, Kansas on December 5, 1926
Logan County News
December 9, 1926
The Auto Races at Oakley Sunday
The Auto Races at Oakley Sunday brought various results. In the first race, (Walter) Krhut met with a serious accident wrecking his car and rendering himself unconscious. In the accident, he struck the Hillery car disabling the car. (Bill) Epps, driver of the Bertrand car, won the first race. Cecil Wright, driving the Hillery car, won the second race in a walk away.
Oakley Graphic
December 10, 1926
AUTO RACE SUNDAY WAS A THRILLER
KRHUT AND WRIGHT LEAVE TRACK
EPPS WINS FOR BERTRAND
The so-called grudge race staged at Oakley last Sunday between (Cecil) Wright1 of Winona, (Walter) Krhut of Collyer, and (Pierre) Bertrand of Oakley offered two or three good thrills for the spectators, in spite of the fact that the race was called an hour later than advertised because of trouble on the Bertrand racer. (John) Neff of Winona, did not enter his Chevy special. A couple of stock car races were put on to entertain the crowd while waiting for the main event.
Walter F. Krhut |
Wright, Krhut, and (Bill) Epps were off with a pretty even start, Epps taking the backfield with Wright slightly in the lead. Wright and Krhut see-sawed on the laps with the (Pierre) Bertrand (owned) car holding about a quarter behind. The leading drivers were both doing some real driving and taking every advantage coming down the stretches for all they had and coming into the turns rather wild. At about the sixth lap on the northwest corner, they were apparently even with Krhut on the outside and slightly in the lead. Wright held his position and the speed of (Krhut’s) white car was too great for his outside position and it left the track turning end-over-end twice. The driver stayed with the car and was dazed but (in) conscious condition when assistance got to him. The car was badly damaged but not totally wrecked. Wright did some fancy turns, left the track, and was out for three rounds which enabled Epps to win the (first) ten-mile race.
Krhut was taken to the Harry Kurtz home and came down town that evening with the only visible injury a black eye.
In the second race between Epps and Wright, the ten-mile go was won by Wright, the Bertrand car having motor trouble and out at the eighth round.
First 10-mile race – 3 cars
Position: |
Driver: |
Hometown: |
Car: |
Entrant: |
Hometown |
Time: |
1 |
Oakley, Kansas |
Ford Frontenac #44 |
Oakley, Kansas |
10:41 |
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DNF – wreck |
Leo Cecil Wright1 |
Winona, Kansas |
#99 |
Robert Lee Hillary |
Winona, Kansas |
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DNF - wreck |
Walter F. Krhut |
Collyer, Kansas |
Ford Frontenac #11 |
Walter F. Krhut |
Collyer, Kansas |
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Second 10-mile race – 2 cars |
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Position: |
Driver: |
Hometown: |
Car: |
Entrant: |
Hometown |
Time: |
1 |
Leo Cecil Wright1 |
Winona, Kansas |
#99 |
Robert Lee Hillary |
Winona, Kansas |
11:00 |
DNF – engine trouble |
Oakley, Kansas |
Ford Frontenac #44 |
Oakley, Kansas |
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1Leo Cecil Wright (1901-1990) is buried in the Russell Springs Cemetery at Russell Springs, Kansas. There is a carved image of Cecil in the racing car on his tombstone.
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