Convertible Series Stock Car Races

On the Historic Half-mile Racetrack at the

Kansas State Fairgrounds

 Hutchinson, Kansas

Sunday afternoon – June 10, 1956

 

 

Sanctioned by National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR)

 

NASCAR Officials

Harry Redkey, Vice-President of NASCAR

Bill Corley, General Agent of NASCAR

 

Trophy girl – Jeane Faust, Miss Hutchinson 1955

 

Attendance – 8,000

 

Guaranteed purse – $5,000

Total purse actually paid – $5,110

 

 

 

Official Pace Car for the Day

 

 

 

#33 Jim Massey of Mebane, North Carolina is shown here lined up for the start on the front straightaway.  The car just visible on the outside of Massey is a 1956 Chevrolet #48 driven by Jimmie Lewallen of Archdale, North Carolina.  Massey started third and finished in fourth place three laps behind the leader.  Lewallen started fourth and finished in eighth place 29 laps behind the leader.

 

 

 

 The field is seen here entering the southwest turn on the pace lap.  Pictured are #33 Jim Massey and #48 Jimmie Lewallen.

 

 

 

#17 Bill Lang of Syracuse, New York on the inside and #55 Mel Larson of Phoenix, Arizona are shown here on the pace lap in the southwest turn.  Both men were driving 1956 Chevrolets.  Lang started fourteenth and finished in ninth place thirty laps behind the leaders.  Larson started sixteenth and finished in sixth place eighteen laps behind the leaders.

 

 

 

 

Fastest Time from Time Trials – 1 Lap

Position

Car #

Driver

From

Sponsor / Owner

Car

Time

Average Speed

1

98

Allen Adkins

Clovis, CA

Tom Harbison

1956 Dodge D-500

 31.16 sec.

57.766 MPH

 

 

 

125-Mile Race 

Finish

Start

 Car #

Driver

From

Sponsor / Owner

Car

Laps

Purse

Status

Led

1

2

503

Frank Mundy

Atlanta, GA

Carl Kiekhaefer

1956 Dodge D-500

250

$950

running

154

2

5

22

Glen Wood

Stuart, VA

Wood Brothers

1956 Ford

248

700

running

0

3

6

49

Bob Welborn

Denton, NC

Bob Welborn

1956 Chevrolet

248

500

running

0

4

3

33

Jim Massey

Mebane, NC

Hubert Westmoreland

1956 Chevrolet

247

400

running

0

5

15

25

Possum Jones

Mango, FL

Sam McCuthen

1956 Chevrolet

236

350

running

29

6

16

55

Mel Larson

Phoenix, AZ

Mel Larson

1956 Ford

232

285

running

0

7

13

4

Art Binkley

New Albany, IN

Art Binkley

1956 Plymouth

229

235

running

0

8

4

48

Jimmie Lewallen

Archdale, NC

Bob Welborn

1956 Chevrolet

221

190

running

0

9

14

17

Bill Lang

Syracuse, NY

 

1956 Ford

220

135

running

0

10

1

98

Allen Adkins

Clovis, CA

Tom Harbison

1956 Dodge

201

135

engine

0

11

8

186

Bob Pronger

Blue Island, IL

Don Oldenberg

1955 Buick

185

135

vapor lock

0

12

10

97

Danny Letner

Downey, CA

Tom Harbison

1956 Dodge

155

135

engine

67

13

12

71

Dick Joslin

Orlando, FL

Bill Webb

1956 Dodge

101

135

piston

0

14

17

90

Larry Frank

Indianapolis, IN

Gene Blair

1956 Mercury

86

135

spindle

0

15

18

86

Don Oldenberg

Highland, IN

Don Oldenberg

1956 Dodge

81

135

axle

0

16

7

45

Bill Brown

Chicago, IL

Bill Brown

1956 Mercury

36

135

valve

0

17

9

7

Jimmy Thompson

Monroe, NC

George Hilton

1956 Mercury

33

135

engine

0

18

19

77

Dave Hirschfield

Midlothian, IL

Dave Hirschfield

1956 Chevrolet

31

135

vapor lock

0

19

11

7A

Larry Odo

Chicago, IL

Larry Odo

1956 Chevrolet

16

75

engine

0

20

20

11

John Schipper

 

 

1956 Mercury

4

75

valve

 0

                With two laps to go, Mundy’s car started spouting dense smoke.  His winning margin would have been even larger but, with half a lap left on the final circuit, his car slowed to a crawl.  Cars were whizzing by him on both sides but he managed to finish with two-laps to spare.  The final lap brought his winning average speed for the race down to just 54. 440 M.P.H.

                Wood beat Welborn by less than 50-yards for second place.

                Massey was in second place when he spun out with only four laps remaining.  He recovered in time to finish in fourth place.

                A bathtub size hole developed in the south turn causing several drivers to almost loose control of their cars.

 

 

 

 

#33 Jim Massey’s Chevrolet is the only car that has been identified in this photo to date.

 

 

 

#33 Jim Massey of Mebane, North Carolina leads #55 Mel Larson of Phoenix, Arizona as they head toward the southwest turn.

 

 

 

Fifth place starter and eventual second place finisher Glen Wood of Stuart, Virginia is shown here driving a #22 Wood Brothers’ 1956 Ford through the southwest turn.

 

 

 

#33 Jim Massey of Mebane, North Carolina in a 1956 Chevrolet is shown here leading eventually winner #503 Frank Mundy of Atlanta, Georgia in a 1956 Dodge D-500 through the southwest turn.

 

 

 

All of the photographs on this web page are from the Lehman collection

 

 

 

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