LABOR DAY
September 3, 1956

 

 

 

 

 

Orval Beckel with the Kenny Neely owned Hudson that he drove to victory in both the first semi-final race and the A feature at Winfield on this day.  This car survives and is now owned by Iran Wheeler - Iran Wheeler collection

 

 

Winfield Daily Courier
Tuesday, September 4, 1956, Page 1

Large Crowd at Races

     The 1956 automobile racing season in Winfield, sponsored by the Lions club, ended Monday with one of the largest crowds and most vehicles entered during the years the races have been held at the local fairgrounds track.

     There were 1,143 paid admissions and these, together with children under 14 years of age, all of whom were admitted free, and the racing car owners, drivers, pitmen, and others, the crowd was estimated at well over 2,000.

     There were nine races on the program and a total of $625 was paid to drivers who were in the winning money.  Two trophies were also presented.

Crashes Into Pole

     The only casualty during the afternoon occurred early in the seventh race.  Robert Lowell of Anaheim, California driving a car owned by Lawrence Miller, Arkansas City lost control of his machine at the east side of the south end of the track.  The car crashed head-on into an electric line pole.  Lowell was knocked unconscious but his injuries were reported as not severe.  (See Below.)

     Tempers of several members of the racing fraternity warmed up soon after the program got under way and there was some excitement in front of the grandstand as a result.  There were nine cars from Coffeyville entered.  It soon became apparent that the Coffeyville cars had more speed potential.  It was explained that under rules in the Coffeyville area, cars were permitted to compete under different motor ratings than ratings for the races in this part of the country.

     Ray Clark, Coffeyville, took the trophy dash with ease.  It was presented to him by Miss Barbara David, Winfield, for the Lions club.  It appeared that drivers and owners in the local area did not care to compete against the Coffeyville crowd.  It was quickly decided to run all Coffeyville cars together in an Australian, single-file race.  Whenever a car was passed, it automatically was eliminated.  Clark also won this race.

     Then another trophy race was run for cars in the local area.  The trophy, given by Robert McClintock, in behalf of the J. M. McDonald Company, was won by Ralph Lies, Wichita.

     Fagan Stinnett announced the races for the Lions club.  The starter was Lyle Baker, Wichita.  Joe Collins was in charge of getting the racing program lined up and the drivers and owners to participate.

     Those who placed in the money were:

 

 

First Heat

From

 

 

Second Heat

From

1

Ralph Lies

Wichita, KS

 

1

Ray Clark5

Pittsburg, KS

2

Dick Walker

Arkansas City, KS

 

2

Joe Seifried

Tulsa, OK

3

Pete Jacobs

Wichita, KS

 

3

Pete Jacobs

Wichita, KS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Third Head

 

 

 

First Trophy Dash1

 

1

Clifford “Squirt” Bartholomew

Coffeyville, KS

 

1

Ray Clark5

Pittsburg, KS

2

Harold “Happy” Hart6

Tulsa, OK

 

 

 

 

3

John Bush

Wichita, KS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Second Trophy Dash2

 

 

B Feature2

 

 

1

Ralph Lies

Wichita, KS

1

John McGee3

Wichita, KS

 

 

 

 

2

Bill Killian

Wichita, KS

 

 

 

 

3

Lloyd Hildreth

Wichita, KS

 

 

Australian Pursuit1

 

4

Kenneth Huffman

Wichita, KS

 

1

Ray Clark5

Pittsburg, KS

5

Dale Reed4

Wichita, KS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First Semi-Final2

 

 

 

Second Semi-Final2

 

1

Orval Beckel

Wichita, KS

 

1

Dale Reed4

Wichita, KS

2

Pete Jacobs

Wichita, KS

 

2

John McGee

Wichita, KS

3

Richard Bridgman

Wichita, KS

 

3

Bill Curless

Arkansas City, KS

4

Dick Walker

Arkansas City, KS

 

4

Buddy Quick

Wichita, KS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

B Feature2

 

 

 

A Feature2

 

1

John McGee3

Wichita, KS

 

1

Orval Beckel

Wichita, KS

2

Bill Killion

Wichita, KS

 

2

John Bush

Wichita, KS

3

Lloyd Hildreth

Wichita, KS

 

3

Bud Webster

Winfield, KS

4

Kenneth Huffman

Wichita, KS

 

4

Max Naden

Ponca City, OK

5

Dale Reed4

Wichita, KS

 

5

Ralph Lies

Wichita, KS

 

 

 

 

6

Wylan Cattrell

Wichita, KS

1This race was just for cars that usually raced with the Southeast Kansas Racing Club at Coffeyville, Kansas.


2This race was just for cars that usually raced at Wichita, Kansas racetracks.


3John McGee was driving car #5 owned by Harry Prater of Wichita.


4Dale Reed was driving car #85 owned by Pete Forshee.


5Ray Clark won the second heat race with ease and did so while steering with just one hand as he was hanging onto the drip-rail above the driver's window of his car, with his left hand.  Competitors who raced against Ray regularly say that Ray drove that way whether he was winning, or not, but several drovers from the Wichita area, not familiar with this tactic, felt Ray was flaunting the superior power of his engine and confronted him about it.  Ray had sensed that trouble might be brewing and had asked Joe Seifried if he would stay close by just in case a fight broke out and he might need some help.  Joe thought that interesting as he and Ray had fought with each other at a race at Coffeyville, Kansas just two days earlier.


6Harold "Happy" Hart got his nickname when he received severe cuts to his face from crashing a midget racer in 1942.  "Happy was reportedly laughing when they pulled him from the car.

 

Ralph Lies of Wichita, Kansas won the second trophy dash on this date in the Bob Martin owned #1 Ford.

 

ABOVE:  36 year-old Robert Lowell of Anaheim, California is lifted unconscious from Lawrence Miller's stock car as Lowell’s wife (foreground) looks on.  Lowell, one of 17 starters in the first semi-final race, crashed into an electric pole early in the race.  It was the first, and only, time he drove the car.  Click your mouse on the photo for a different view of the rescue from the Larry Brooks collection.  Lawrence Brooks is at left on top of the car in that photo - Winfield Daily Courier photo
BELOW:  Surveying the damage to Lawrence Miller's car after the crowd had dispersed – Gary Virden collection

 

 

SOME OF THE DRIVERS WHO PLACED IN THESE RACES

Orval Beckel

John Bush

Bud Webster

Max Naden

Ralph Lies

Wylan Cattrell

John McGee

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bill Killion

Lloyd Hildreth

Dale Reed

Ray Clark

Pete Jacobs

Squirt Bartholomew

Joe Seifried

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dick Walker

Kenneth Huffman

Bill Curless

Buddy Quick

Richard Bridgman

 

 

 

 

 

 

Return to page one of the History of Auto Racing at Winfield website.