Ancel Bud Strong

1893–1952

 

Bud Strong in his stripped down Model T Ford bobtail racer #8 equipped with a 16-valve Laurel overhead valve head and sponsored by E. H. McKittrick’s Southwest Tire & Repair Co., 1-3 South Walnut St., Hutchinson, Kansas  – The Accessory and Garage Journal, Vol. 10

 

 

            Bud Strong was born April 7, 1893 at Pratt, Kansas to David Bryant Nelson Strong (1868-1958) and his wife, Sarah Etta “Carrie” (Frizelle) Strong (1870-1921).  He moved with his parents, first to Sterling, Kansas and then to Nickerson, Kansas where he worked as a projectionist at the local movie theater.  Strong then moved to Hutchinson, Kansas in 1919.  He was married first on October 26, 1913 at Knowles, Oklahoma to Ola Lucille (Cline) Strong (1896-1930) and they were the parents of four children:  Nelson Freeman Strong (1915-1994), Helen Bernice (Strong) Arnbrister (1916-1974), Lucille Etta (Strong) Neuburger (1918-2000) and Margaret Louise Strong (1925-2008).   Bud Strong was married second sometime in the 1930s to Myrtle J. (Pigeon) Carter Strong (1896-1981).

            Strong tried his hand at racing automobiles in a stripped-down Model T Ford bobtail racer #8 equipped with a 16-valve Laurel head on a Model T block.  An incomplete list of the races he competed in follows:

 

 

October 8, 1920 – ˝ mile dirt oval – Kansas State Fairgrounds in Hutchinson, Kansas

Finish:  Strong was 1 of 9 drivers that received no time in time trials for the 22 cars entered in these races.

            Strong was 1 of 6 entered in a 10-lap match race for all cars from Reno County, Kansas but he dropped out on the 3rd lap with engine trouble.

Feature race winner:  Harold Roller of Abilene, Kansas

 

 

Salina Daily Union

October 13, 1920 – Page 6

 

October 9, 1920 – ˝ mile dirt oval – Kansas State Fairgrounds in Hutchinson, Kansas

Finish:  Strong was entered in these races but did not place in any of them.

Feature race winner:  Harold Roller of Abilene, Kansas

 

October 14, 1920 – 1 mile dirt oval – Kenwood Park Speedway at Salina, Kansas

Entry:  According to the newspaper accounts, Strong participated in these races under the names “Bud Small” and “Bus Small” which were probably just errors on the part of the newspaper.

Finish:  Strong turned 1-lap in time trials of 1:09.5 which was the fifth fastest of the ten cars that took time trials.

Strong drove one of nine cars entered in a 10-lap stock car race but he was not one of the first two finishers who were the only drivers named in the newspaper

Strong was one of ten drivers to participate in the 50-mile “Free-for-Race” race but he did not place among the first three finishers.

Feature race winner:  Johnny Mais of Indianapolis, Indiana*

 

November 11, 1920 – ˝ mile dirt oval – Athletic Park in Newton, Kansas

Finish:  Strong ran the fifth fastest time, of the six cars that participated in time trials, in a time of 1:17.0.  Merle Warren of Newton, ran the fastest time in time trials in 1:08.6.

            Strong ran in the 7-car, 15-mile Sweepstakes race but he did not finish in any of the top four positions.

            Feature race winner:  Merle Warren of Newton, Kansas who was driving an Essex special #2.

 

July 4, 1921 – ˝ mile dirt oval – Kansas State Fairgrounds in Hutchinson, Kansas

Finish:  Strong entered these races but his finishing position is not recorded in the published race results.  Another article about those races in a Newton, Kansas newspaper said that Strong “took a $350 prize in” these races although that claim is doubtful.

Feature race winner:  Fred Lentz of Hutchinson, Kansas

 

September 7, 1921 – ˝ mile dirt oval – Athletic Park in Newton, Kansas

These races were postponed until September 8, 1921 so as to not interfere with other activities that were scheduled in Athletic Park on this date.

 

September 8, 1921 – ˝ mile dirt oval – Athletic Park in Newton, Kansas

Strong entered these races but his finishing position is not recorded in the published race results.  The 15-mile Sweepstakes race was won by Harold Peterson of Wichita, Kansas.

 

October 7, 1921 – ˝ mile dirt oval –  Barton County Fairgrounds west of Great Bend, Kansas

Finish:  Strong set the 2nd fastest time in time trials behind Leonard Kerbs of Otis, Kansas in his 16-valve Kerbs special Ford.

Feature race winners:  The feature was split into two 6-car, 20-lap races with Fred Lentz of Hutchinson, Kansas winning the 1st feature and James Watkins of Ellinwood, Kansas winning the 2nd feature.

       

March 31, 1922 – ˝ mile dirt oval – Anthony Downs at Anthony, Kansas

Attendance:  Between 1,200 and 1,500, most of which slipped in with purchasing a ticket

Finish:  Strong turned in the 6th fastest time in time trials with a 2-lap time of 1 minute, 16.5 seconds behind Johnny Mais of Indianapolis, Indiana; Johnny Lee of Wichita, Kansas; Harold Peterson of Wichita, Kansas; William M. “Bill” Bryant of Hutchinson, Kansas and James I. “Toots” Higgins of Newton, Kansas but Strong did not place in any of the races run on this day.            

Feature race winner:  Johnny Mais of Indianapolis, Indiana*

 

April 1, 1922 – ˝ mile dirt oval – Anthony Downs at Anthony, Kansas

The races on this date were canceled by promoter, Fred R. Dunlavy due poor paid attendance numbers the preceding afternoon and there only being about 80 people in the grandstands at race time on this afternoon.

 

July 4, 1922 – ˝ mile dirt oval – Kansas State Fairgrounds in Hutchinson, Kansas

AttendanceA big crowd that filled the grandstands witnessed these races.”

Finish:  Strong entered these races but his finishing position is not recorded in the published race results.

Feature race winner:  Fred Lentz of Hutchinson, Kansas

 

 

            Besides racing cars, Bud Strong competed in competitive shooting events in his local area.

Strong worked as a self-employed mechanic at his Easy Terms garage and then as a mechanic for the Keystone garage in Hutchinson.  He also worked as a shoe repairman, was the Hutchinson city dogcatcher from 1928 to 1931 and spent five years on the Hutchinson, Kansas police force.  He graduated from the college of Swedish Massage in Chicago, Illinois through a correspondence course and studied the therapeutic values of herbs and alternative medicines.  In 1939, Strong was one of seven candidates to run for a spot on the Hutchinson Commissioner of Parks and Public Property but claimed he spent no money campaigning for the post. 

            Bud Strong passed away on November 13, 1952 at Hutchinson, Kansas and is buried by his wives in the Wildmead Cemetery at Nickerson, Kansas.

 

 

 

 

 

* Although Johnny Mais listed his home as Indianapolis, Indiana; he was actually residing with his wife at Dodge City, Kansas.