Bo Stearns’ Track
Wichita, Kansas
Kansas pioneer oilman and sportsman Gerson Albert “Bo” Stearns paid $45,000 for a 320-acre tract of land on the northwest corner of 101st Street and North Lawrence Highway (now U.S. Highway 81) north of Wichita, Kansas in the summer of 1928. There, he built a horse ranch that included a half-mile flat dirt oval racetrack, it being one of the first racetracks in the nation to be equipped with floodlights for night racing. The facility, complete with a 6,000-seat grandstand, was host to harness, automobile, and motorcycle racing events. Organizers of the auto races included Joseph F. Ziobro, J. Alex Sloan, William Floto, Aut Swenson, W. W. Bowen, Don C. Onley, Eddie Cluxton, Joe Bennett, Capt. Billy Sink, Kay Marcus Foreman, and Tom Holden.
Following are the known auto races that were run at Bo Stearns’ Track:
Race Date |
Feature Winner |
Hometown |
Car Owner |
Hometown |
Car |
Promoter |
Lawrence Hughes |
Beatrice, NE |
Lawrence Hughes |
Beatrice, NE |
Chrysler 75 roadster |
W. W. Bowen |
|
Lawrence Hughes |
Beatrice, NE |
Lawrence Hughes |
Beatrice, NE |
Model A Ford roadster |
W. W. Bowen |
|
Matt Ward |
Duncan, OK |
Matt Ward |
Duncan, OK |
Model A Ford roadster |
W. W. Bowen |
|
Postponed one week due to rain |
J. Alex Sloan |
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Postponed five weeks due to rain |
J. Alex Sloan |
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Pat Cunningham |
St. Joseph, MO |
Leonard Kerbs |
Otis, KS |
Kerbs Spl. Frontenac |
William F. Floto |
|
Pat Cunningham |
St. Joseph, MO |
Leonard Kerbs |
Otis, KS |
Kerbs Spl. Frontenac |
Joseph F. Ziobro |
|
Les Winget |
Hutchinson, KS |
Les Winget |
Hutchinson, KS |
1936 Plymouth |
Capt. Billy Sink |
|
L. A. Martin |
Wichita, KS |
L. A. Martin |
Wichita, KS |
1937 Ford coupe |
Kay Marcus Foreman |
|
September 11, 1938 |
Postponed one week, reason unknown |
|
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Kay Marcus Foreman |
|
September 18, 1938 |
Kay Marcus Foreman |
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Eddie Cluxton |
The half-mile racetrack was used for auto racing from 1930 until around 1939 although a one-fifth mile flat dirt oval racetrack was constructed on the infield early in 1938. This shorter racetrack was primarily used for midget auto racing:
Race Date |
Feature Winner |
Hometown |
Car Owner |
Hometown |
Car |
Promoter |
April 10, 1938 |
Postponed one week due to rain |
|
|
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Tom Holden |
Roy Sherman |
St. Louis, MO |
Vic Felt |
Deer Trail, CO |
Hal midget |
Tom Holden |
|
Jimmie Bussard |
Littleton, CO |
Julius Bussard |
Littleton, CO |
Hudson midget |
Tom Holden |
|
Rex Woodward |
Hutchinson, KS |
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Joe Bennett |
Gerson Albert “Bo” Stearns 1881-1942 |
Midget racing on the shorter racetrack ceased after the 1939 season and Stearns moved his oil business and family home to Russell, Kansas that same year. Although he kept the horse ranch and racetrack for a time, he was not able to spend much time there after the move.
A tornado struck the facility on the night of June 25, 1939 killing two and injuring twelve. Included in the $100,000 in damage were the track lighting system and the surrounding horse barns. The grandstand survived only to be destroyed by another storm later that same year.
Stearns sold the ranch and racetrack to Mr. and Mrs. O. B. Wicker of Chanute, Kansas on May 15, 1941 and passed away at Hutchinson, Kansas the following year. The Wickers closed the racetrack to public events and only used it for their racehorses.
The Stearns Ranch has had a number of owners since the Wickers and is now owned by Bob and Ann Haley. The racetrack has fallen into disrepair but is still quite visible today.
To View an Incomplete List of Track Records for the Half-mile Bo Stearns’ Track