This photograph was taken on the racetrack in front of the bleachers during a break in the racing on this evening.  The men in this photo have been identified along with the number of the midget that the drivers raced that evening.  Some of the identities are difficult to read though so, on the front row, squatted left to right are: #C5 Bud Camden, race promoter Frank Murphy, pit steward Harold Showalter, public address announcer Larry Stanley, flagman Ted Davis, #7JR Clarence Merritt, and #75 George Smith.  Kneeling on the second row, left to right are: #5 Mac McHenry, #17 Frank Dickerson, #99 Bob McKim, #16 unidentified driver, #1/2 Rex Woodward, Curly Steerman, #77 Harold Priddy, #1 Harry West, and #60 Carl Oliver.  Standing on the back row left to right are: #47 Ernie Powell, #33 Red Taylor,  Bill Brown, #14 Mike Applebee, #7 John Dix, #5 Al Faulkner, #1 Clarence “Jelly” Green, #D1 Dutch Collins, #2 driver unidentified, #C4 Emmett Taylor, and Art McCammon – George Schaeffer photo from the Vickey Cummings collection

 

 

West Side

Speedway

1/5 mile dirt racetrack that was locate

 two blocks north of Douglas Street between

Glenn Street and Vine Street at

1800 West Third Street in Wichita, Kansas

 

Kansas Midget Racing (KMR)

Sanctioned Midget Races

Sunday Night, July 13, 1941

Promoted by Frank Murphy

Adult admission:  40¢ plus tax

Children under 12:  15¢ plus tax 

 

Time Trials – 1 Lap

Quick Time - :14.15

PLACE

DRIVER

ENGINE

1

Rex Woodward

Ford V8-60

 

Emmett Taylor

Ford V8-60

 

Clarence Merritt

Ford V8-60

 

Eldon “Curly” Steerman

Ford V8-60

 

Harold Priddy

Ford V8-60

 

Bob McKim

Ford V8-60

 

M. L. “Al” Faulkner

Ford V8-60

 

Wayland “Bud” Camden

Ford V8-60

 

Ernie Powell

Ford V8-60

 

Red Taylor

Ford V8-60

 

Clarence Green

Ford V8-60

 

George Smith

Ford V8-60 

 

Carl Oliver

Ford V8-60

 

Guy “Mac” McHenry

Star

 

Clyde Graves

Ford V8-60

 

George “Dutch” Collins*

Ford V8-60

 

Ralph Foster

Ford V8-60

 

Frank Dickerson

Evinrude-Elto 4-60

 

D. A. Clem**

4-cyl. Menasco

 

Louis Geisen

Continental-Beacon

 

Art McCammon***

Indian

 

Harry West

 

 

Morris “Red” Pennington

Whippet

 

Milt Smith

 

 

Bill Brown

Willys

 

Emmett M. “Buzz” Barton

 

 

John “Slim” Dix

Ford V8-60

 

Ernie Powell

Ford V8-60

 

Mike Applebee

 

 

 

 

First Heat – 10 Laps – Time: 2:30.0

1

Frank Dickerson

Evinrude-Elto 4-60

2

Rex Woodward

Ford V8-60

3

George Smith

Ford V8-60

 

 

 

Second Heat – 10 Laps – Time: 2:35.6

1

Clarence Merritt

Ford V8-60

2

Carl Oliver

Ford V8-60

3

Emmett Taylor

Ford V8-60

 

 

 

Third Heat – 10 Laps – Time: 2:31.8

1

Eldon “Curly” Steerman

Ford V8-60

2

Emmett Taylor

Ford V8-60

3

Harold Priddy

Ford V8-60

 

 

 

Fourth Heat – 10 Laps – Time: 2:35.0

1

Clyde Graves

Ford V8-60

2

Bob McKim

Ford V8-60

3

M. L. “Al” Faulkner

Ford V8-60

 

 

 

Fifth Heat – 10 Laps – Time: 2:37.4

1

Red Taylor

Ford V8-60

2

Bud Camden

Ford V8-60

3

Ernie Powell

Ford V8-60

 

 

 

Consolation – 10 Laps – Time: 2:34.6

1

George “Dutch” Collins*

Ford V8-60

2

Clarence Green

Ford V8-60

 

 

 

B Feature – 20  Laps

1

Eldon “Curly” Steerman

Ford V8-60

2

Bud Camden

Ford V8-60

3

George “Dutch” Collins*

Ford V8-60

4

Guy “Mac” McHenry

Star

DNF

Clyde Graves

Ford V8-60

DNF

Red Taylor

Ford V8-60

DNF

Clarence Green

Ford V8-60

 

 

 

A Feature – 30  Laps

1

Rex Woodward

Ford V8-60

2

Emmett Taylor

Ford V8-60

3

Ralph Foster

Ford V8-60

4

Ernie Powell

Ford V8-60

5

Frank Dickerson

Evinrude-Elto 4-60

 

 

Clyde Graves

 

Louis Geisen

Geisen family collection

 

Rex Woodward 

 

Clarence Merritt

 

Bill Brown

Darrin McKim collection

 

John “Slim” Dix

Cindy Abbott collection

 

Mike Applebee

Vickey Cummings collection

 

Red Taylor

Vickey Cummings collection

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*George “Dutch” Collins of Larkspur, Colorado did not own a vehicle that was legal to drive on public roads so he was known to push his midget out to the side of the highway, flag down a passing motorist, and have them tow him in the midget to the racetrack.  At least Collins would provide the rope.  One wonders if that is how he got his midget all the way to Wichita and then back home again.

 

**D. A. Clem broke a drive chain during time trials and did not compete in the rest of the racing program.

 

***Arthur Ray “Art” McCammon (1901-1974)  

 

 

 

 

 

Carl Oliver

 

Frank Dickerson

 

Ralph Foster

 

Ernie Powell

 

Bob McKim

 

Emmett Taylor

 

Wayland “Bud” Camden

 

D. A. Clem

 

Emmett M. “Buzz” Barton

 

Guy “Mac” McHenry

 

M. L. “Al” Faulkner

Wichita Beacon photo

 

Eldon “Curly” Steerman

Wichita Beacon photo

 

Art McCammon

Cindy Abbott collection

 

George “Dutch” Collins

Vickey Cummings collection

 

Harold Priddy

Westerhaus collection

  

#1 Clarence Green ran over a wheel of the #33 midget driven by Red Taylor in the B feature.  The #1 midget was owned by Perry Fuller of Salina, Kansas and is the car Elmer Priddy was driving when he was fatally injured in a crash at West Side Speedway just two months after this race - Wichita Beacon photo

 

When Clarence Green and Red Taylor tangled, they spun into the outside fence collecting #44 Clyde Graves in the process.  All three cars sustained enough damage that they were not able to restart the race - Wichita Beacon photo

 

     

 

Unless otherwise noted, all of the photos on this web page are from the book One Tough Circuit, Midget Racing in America’s Heartland by Bill Hill

 

 

 

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