Big Car Races on the

Historic Half-mile Racetrack at the

Kansas State Fairgrounds

 Hutchinson, Kansas

Monday – September 17, 1945

 

 

“The First Auto Races West of New Jersey since the War Ended”

 

Races sanctioned by the International Motor Contest Association (I.M.C.A.)

Promoter / starter / flagman – Al Sweeney 

 

Attendance:  “over 15,000”

Total number of cars entered: 11 

Track condition:  “soft in the turns”

  

 

 

 

Deb Snyder

L. A. Ward photo

 Emory Collins

Wood collection

Bill Hooper

Larry Sullivan photo

 

 

  

Time Trials – 7 Cars – 1 Lap

Place

Driver

From

Automobile

Time

1

Emory Collins

Le Mars, Iowa

Riverside Special Offy #7

27.1

2

Deb Snyder

Kent, Ohio

Snyder Offy #3

30.0

3

Clarence Merritt

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Merritt Special

30.7

4

Ted Parker

Tulsa, Oklahoma

 

30.9

5

Virgil Booth

Houston, Texas

#7

31.3

6

Bill Hooper

Decatur, Illinois

Delagrange Hisso #100

33.8

7

Posey Reeves

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

#5

N.T.

 

 

 

First Heat Race – 5 Laps

Place

Driver

From

Automobile

Time

1

Emory Collins

Le Mars, Iowa

Riverside Special Offy #7

2:39.1

2

Clarence Merritt

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Merritt Special

 

3

Ted Parker

Tulsa, Oklahoma

 

 

4

Virgil Booth

Houston, Texas

#7

 

 

 

 

Second Heat Race – 5 Laps

Place

Driver

From

Automobile

Time

1

Deb Snyder

Kent, Ohio

Snyder Offy #3

2:38.0

2

Ted Parker

Tulsa, Oklahoma

 

 

3

Virgil Booth

Houston, Texas

#7

 

4

Bill Hooper

Decatur, Illinois

Delagrange Hisso #100

 

 

 

 

Exhibition Midget Race – 2 Laps

Place

Driver

From

Automobile

Time

1

Ted Parker

Tulsa, Oklahoma

 

 

2

Clarence Merritt

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Merritt Special

 

 

 

 

Pursuit Handicap Race – 3 Laps

Place

Driver

From

Automobile

Time

1

Emory Collins

Le Mars, Iowa

Riverside Special Offy #7

1:32.0

2

Deb Snyder

Kent, Ohio

Snyder Offy #3

 

 

 

 

Australian Pursuit Handicap Race – 4 Cars - 7 Laps          

Place

Driver

From

Automobile

Time

1

Ted Parker

Tulsa, Oklahoma

 

 

2

Virgil Booth

Houston, Texas

#7

DNF

3

Bill Hooper

Decatur, Illinois

Delagrange Hisso #100

DNF

4

Posey Reeves

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

#5

DNF

 

 

 

Sweepstakes Race – 7 Cars - 15 Laps          

Place

Driver

From

Automobile

Time

1

Emory Colllins

Le Mars, Iowa

Riverside Special Offy #7

4:40.1

2

Deb Snyder

Kent, Ohio

Snyder Offy #3

 

3

Clarence Merritt

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Merritt Special

 

4

Ted Parker

Tulsa, Oklahoma

 

 

5

Virgil Booth

Houston, Texas

#7

 

6

Bill Hoooper

Decatur, Illinois

Delagrange Hisso #100

DNF

7

Posey Reeves

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

#5

DNF

            The cars of Snyder and Merritt bumped wheels in the first corner of the race but both were able to continue.  Hooper and Reeves retired from this race with engine trouble.  Although it kept running, Booth’s yellow #7 was slow to accelerate.  The Hutchinson News-Herald reported the next day that the large crowd was pleased with the afternoon of racing despite the small turnout of cars.

 

 

  

Clarence Merritt

Buddy Carroll collection

Posey Reeves

Don Radbruch collection

Ted Parker

Charles Pauley collection

 

 

 

 

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