Sixteenth Annual Kansas State Championship

Late Model Stock Car Races

On the Historic Half-mile Racetrack at the

Kansas State Fairgrounds

 Hutchinson, Kansas

 

Saturday – September 13, 1980

 

Promotional company – Speedways Inc. of Wichita, Kansas

Race director – C. Ray Hall of Wichita, Kansas

 

Attendance – 7,136  

 

 Loyd Farr of Leoti, Kansas on the front straightaway at Hutchinson – Mike Cornelison photo

 

#721 Van Gemmill of Ponca City, Oklahoma driving his own car sponsored by Art Downs and #c88 Ferris Collier of Lampe, Missouri in a car owned by Don Carpenter of Ulysses, Kansas are shown here lining up on the front straightaway for a race at Hutchinson.  Collier won the first 10-lap heat race while Gemmill won the third 10-lap heat on this afternoon.  Collier then won the 20-lap A feature race while Gemmill finished in fourth place – Brian Carroll collection

 

 

 

The cars on the back straightaway are on the pace lap for the third heat race of the afternoon.  The white #7B on the racetrack was being driven by Clay Bontrager of Yoder, Kansas.  The #25 in the bottom left corner of this photo was driven by Dave Ulery of Dodgy City, Kansas.  The #1 in the bottom right corner of this photo, was driven by Gary Fuller of Salina, Kansas – Jim Petty collection

 

 

 

First Heat Race – 10 Laps

 

Second Heat Race – 10 Laps

 

Third Heat Race – 10 Laps

 

Fourth Heat Race – 10 Laps

 

Fifth Heat Race – 10 Laps

 

Trophy Dash – 4 Laps

Cadwell’s car crashed into the outside wall and overturned in the very first corner of the race.

 

C Feature Race – 8 Laps

 

B Feature Race

 

A Feature Race – 18 Laps

Fuller crashed against the outside wall in the northwest turn on the fourth lap with such force that it punched a large hole in the wall.

Arnce made a quick evasive maneuver on the nineteenth lap to miss Farr’s car that had slowed on the front straightaway to enter the pits.  In the process, Arnce’s car was struck in the rear by McDaniels whose car then flew into the air, overturned, and vaulted the high fence in front of the grandstand landing upside down in a grassy area between the racetrack and the grandstand.  Arnce’s car came to rest stuck in a gate between the grandstand and racetrack.  No one was hurt but officials stopped the race and ruled it complete with only eighteen laps completed.

Collier led this entire race.

 

 

 

#2 Rich Wilson of Wichita, Kansas leads #0 Mel Potts of Salina, Kansas across the finish line to win the B feature race on this afternoon – Jim Petty collection

 

#B83 Loyd Farr in the white car behind the pole in the infield, slowed to enter the pits near the head of the front straightaway.  #50B Larry McDaniels’ car launched skyward after striking the back of John Arnce’s car (the white car #48x in the middle of the racetrack) that had slowed to miss Farr.  That is #4x Roger Thompson taking evasive measures to miss Arnce’s spinning car.  The black car just entering the photo at far right is #17 Roger Chambers – Mike Cornelison photo from the Bill Rogers collection

 

Larry McDaniels’ car at left was on its way back down and tearing out fence as it went.  The white car #48x in the middle of the racetrack was driven by John Arnce and that is #4x Roger Thompson right behind him trying to miss the melee.  The car just entering the photo at far right is #17 Roger Chambers – Jim Petty photo from the Bill Rogers collection

 

Larry McDaniels’ car rebounded into the air as Roger Thompson (#4x with the orange front fenders) took evasive measures to miss Arnce’s #48x car on the racetrack.  Behind Thompson’s car is the #17 of Roger Chambers – Mike Cornelison photo from the Bill Rogers collection

 

Arnce’s car came to a stop in the pit gate while McDaniels’ car continued to tumble in the grass just outside the fence.  That is #4x Roger Thompson at far right – Jim Petty photo from the Bill Rogers collection

 

#4x Roger Thompson and #17 Roger Chambers continued to pass by on the racetrack as McDaniels’ car kept tumbling just outside of the racetrack – Jim Petty photo from the Bill Rogers collection

 

McDaniels’ Bill Rogers–owned #50B Chevrolet came to rest upside down in the grass in front of the grandstand.  McDaniels was not injured but the car was a total loss.  It took nearly an hour to free McDaniels from the wreckage.  Rogers’ banker and his wife were sitting in the grandstand but still near enough to the crash scene that they were sprayed with antifreeze so Rogers did not tell him that was his car or that it had been built with money borrowed from the bank.  Photographer Rick Kippes’ head is just visible beside the rear wheel next to the fence.  Photographer Jim Petty is visible at the inside edge of the racetrack to the right of the left most fence post.  Mary Johnson is standing on the stage in the infield and immediately to the right of the left most fence post – Mike Cornelison photo from the Bill Rogers collection

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Return to the Feature Race Winners at Hutchinson, Kansas web page