Big Car Races at Hutchinson, Kansas on September 16, 1947

Big Car Races on the

Historic Half-mile Racetrack at the

Kansas State Fairgrounds

Hutchinson, Kansas

Tuesday – September 16, 1947

Sanctioned by – International Motor Contest Association (I.M.C.A.)

Sanction number: 1479

Promotional company – National Speedways Incorporated of Chicago, Illinois

Starter / Flagman / I.M.C.A. Official / Promoter – Al Sweeney of Chicago, Illinois

Wally Stokes

Don Radbruch collection

Rabbit Musick

Bill Hill collection

Red Hodges

Les Butler collection

Loren Fondoble

Roy Eaton collection

Time Trials – 1 Lap

Place	Driver	From	Car	Car #	Car color	Purse	Time
1	Emory Collins	Le Mars, IA	Riverside Special Offy	7	red		25.40
2	Deb Snyder	Kent, OH	Snyder Offy	3	red / white		25.96
3	Rabbit Musick¹	Dallas, TX	Campbell Offy	2	red / white		25.97
4	Billy Snyder	Minneapolis, MN	Snyder Miller	13	red / white		27.02
5	Wally Stokes²	Willoughby, OH	Dunlop Offy	2	blue		27.05
6	Red Hodges	Dallas, TX	Campbell 220 Offy	1	black		27.47
7	Bill Anderson⁴	Long Beach, CA	Earl D. O. Dreyer	27	yellow		28.77
8	Harry King	Tampa, FL	Shellenberger Hal	24	gold		29.15
9	Joe Baker	Indianapolis, IN	Rutherford	4	black		29.70
10	Ted Stubbe	St. Joseph, MO	Wilson Mercury	2	blue / white		29.83
10	Loren Fondoble	Wichita, KS	Riley	10	red		29.83
12	Bill Swart	Wichita, KS	Swart Cragar	9	cream		29.96
13	T. E. Russell³	Denver, CO	Syler Gallivan	63	blue		30.09
14	Ted Stubbe	St. Joseph, MO		5	red / white		30.68
15	Carl Larson	Davenport, IA	Ford	44	blue		31.12
16	Wayne Wright	Quincy, IL	Mercury	2	maroon		31.15
17	Swan Peterson	Los Angeles, CA	Hal	5	blue		31.24
18	Guy Lindsay	Plevna, MO	Alexander	5	cream / red		31.95
19	Bill Anderson⁴	San Pedro, CA	Anderson Miller	7	red / white		31.98
20	Posey Reeves	Oklahoma City, OK	Bausch D. O. Hal	7	Yellow		32.45
21	Bob Sledge	Houston, TX		47			NT

Time trials for these races were run on Sunday afternoon, September 14, 1947.

First Heat Race – 6 Cars – 6 Laps

Place	Driver	From	Car	Car #	Car color	Purse	Time
1	Emory Collins	Le Mars, IA	Riverside Special Offy	7	red	$40	2:16.70
2	Deb Snyder	Kent, OH	Snyder Offy	3	red / white	30
3	Rabbit Musick¹	Dallas, TX	Campbell Offy	2	red / white	20
4	Wally Stokes²	Willoughby, OH	Dunlop Offy	2	blue
5	Red Hodges	Dallas, TX	Campbell 220 Offy	1	black
6	Billy Snyder	Minneapolis, MN	Snyder Miller	13	red / white

Second Heat Race – 6 Cars – 6 Laps

Place	Driver	From	Car	Car #	Car color	Purse	Time
1	Wally Stokes²	Willoughby, OH	Dunlop	2	blue	$35	2:20.21
2	Red Hodges	Dallas, TX	Campbell 220 Offy	1	black	25
3	Harry King	Tampa, FL	Shellenberger Hal	24	gold	20
4	Bill Anderson⁴	Long Beach, CA	Earl D. O. Dreyer	27	yellow
5	Joe Baker	Indianapolis, IN	Rutherford	4	black
6	Billy Snyder	Minneapolis, MN	Snyder Miller	13	red / white		DNF

Hodges and Stokes put on a good dual in this race. Stokes would pass Hodges in the south turn but Hodges would regain the lead on the back straight-away only to loose it back to Stokes in the north turn. The two continued to thus swap the lead several times on each lap with Stokes leading at the finish line but only by the narrowest of margins. Snyder dropped out of the race with engine trouble.

Third Heat Race – 6 Cars – 4 Laps

Place	Driver	From	Car	Car #	Car color	Purse	Time
1	Billy Snyder	Minneapolis, MIN	Snyder Miller	13	red / white	$30	1:56.73
2	Joe Baker	Indianapolis, IN	Rutherford	4	black	20
3	Bill Anderson⁴	Long Beach, CA	Earl D. O. Dreyer	27	yellow	15
4	Loren Fondoble	Wichita, KS	Swart Cragar	9	cream
5	T. E. Russell³	Denver, CO	Syler Gallivan	63	blue
6	Ted Stubbe	St. Joseph, MO	Wilson Mercury	2	blue / white

Invitational Handicap Race – 2 Cars – 3 Laps

Place	Driver	From	Car	Car #	Car color	Purse	Time
1	Rabbit Musick¹	Dallas, TX	Campbell Offy	2	red / white	$30	1:28.47
2	Deb Snyder	Kent, OH	Snyder Offy	3	red / white	20

Musick was given a two car length head start over Snyder and won by ½ car length.

Australian Pursuit Handicap Race – 10 Cars – 7 Laps

Place	Driver	From	Car	Car #	Car color	Purse	Time
1	Red Hodges	Dallas, TX	Campbell 220 Offy	1	black	$40	3:36.04
2	Loren Fondoble	Wichita, KS	Swart Cragar	9	cream	30
3	Bob Sledge	Houston, TX	Miller	7	red / white	20
4	Swan Peterson	Los Angeles, CA	Hal	5	blue	10
5	Carl Larson	Davenport, IA	Ford	44	blue
6	Guy Lindsey	Plevna, MO	Alexander	5	cream / red
7	Wayne Wright	Quincy, IL	Mercury	2	maroon
8	William Anderson⁴	San Pedro, CA		5	red / white
9	Posey Reeves	Oklahoma City, OK	Bausch D. O. Hal	7	yellow
10	T. E. Russell³	Denver, CO	Syler Gallivan	63	blue

Anderson bumped wheels with another car exiting the north turn and crashed through the infield fence. Neither driver was injured. Only Hodges and Fondoble were still running after the third lap.

State Fair Sweepstakes Race – 10 Cars – 10 Laps

Place	Driver	From	Car	Car #	Car color	Purse	Time
1	Emory Collilns	Le Mars, IA	Riverside Special Offy	7	red	$200	4:37.85
2	Deb Snyder	Kent, OH	Snyder Offy	3	red / white	150
3	Wally Stokes²	Willoughby, OH	Dunlop Offy	2	blue	125
4	Rabbit Musick¹	Dallas, TX	Campbell Offy	2	red / white	100
5	Harry King	Tampa, FL	Shellenberger Hal	24	gold	75
6	Red Hodges	Dallas, TX	Campbell 220 Offy	1	black	50
7	Ted Stubbe	St. Joseph, MO	Wilson Mercury	2	bue / white
8	Loren Fondoble	Wichita, KS	Swart Cragar	9	cream
9	T. E. Russell³	Denver, CO	Syler Gallivan	63	blue
10	Bill Anderson⁴	Long Beach, CA	Earl D. O. Dreyer	27	yellow

Joe Baker and Billy Snyder were scheduled to start in this race but did not. Anderson dropped out on the fifth lap.

“Wild Bill” Anderson is shown seated in Murray Earl’s Dreyer on the front straight-away at Hutchinson in 1947. That is Murray Earl dressed in dark clothing third the right. The man smoking the pipe at the rear of the car is Leonard Kerbs - Don Radbruch collection

“Wild Bill” Anderson is shown in his own Miller powered racing car. Anderson drove both this car and the car above in the races in Hutchinson on this date - Don Radbruch collection

Ted Stubbe drove this Bud Wilson Mercury at Hutchinson on this date - Darrin McKim collection

This photo of Emory Collins in his pit area in front of the stage was taken at these races in Hutchinson in 1947 - Darrin McKim collection

Deb Snyder

Larry Sullivan photo

T. E. Russell

Joe Taylor photo

Swan Peterson

Don Radbruch collection

Posey Reeves

Don Radbruch collection

Bob Sledge

Roy Eaton collection

Billy Snider

Don Radbruch collection

Harry King

Don Radbruch collection

¹Elmer Ray “Rabbit” Musick (1918-1962)

²Wallace “Wally” Stokes (1913-1949)

³Thornton Elgie “T. E.” Russell (1918-1967)

⁴William Terry “Wild Bill” Anderson (1917-1950) of Long Beach, California and William Anderson of San Pedro, California were the same person. Anderson entered two cars in these races, one each under the name and hometown listed above. Since the cars were not in any of the same races, Anderson was able to drive both. Anderson was fatally injured at the Mitchell Speedrome at Mitchell, Indiana when he became the third driver to loose his life in the former Gus Schrader Offy..

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