Automobile Races
On the Historic Half-mile Racetrack at the
Kansas State Fairgrounds
Hutchinson, Kansas
Friday, September 19, 1919
Sanctioned by: International Motor Contest Association (I.M.C.A.)
The racetrack was very rough. The crowd was estimated to be the largest crowd to ever attend any kind of event in front of the State Fair grandstand.
Elmer J. Negy of Hutchinson, Kansas in his 5-passenger Essex stock car - The Hudson Triangle
Stock Car Race – 10 Laps – 4 cars
Place |
Driver |
Automobile |
Laps Completed |
Purse |
Time |
1 |
Bill Hendricks |
Mercer roadster |
10 |
$300 |
6:41.4 |
2 |
Elmer J. Negy** |
5-passenger Essex |
10 |
|
|
3 |
Will Swain |
Mercer touring car |
7 |
|
|
4 |
Louis Vickery |
Oakland roadster |
5 |
|
|
Hendricks had his brother riding along in this race. Negy was about 100 yards behind at the finish. Swain “abandoned” the race. Vickery dropped out with a burned bearing.
A. E. Kirk of the Hutchinson Motor Co. posted $400 to go to any automobile that could beat Negey’s Essex but he did not pay the money to the winner of the race. Hendrix and Kirk had agreed ahead of time that Hendrix’s car did not meet the stipulations that Kirk had set forth when he posted the money.
Hendricks, of Wichita, Kansas, was presented with the State Fair Cup for his victory.
Time Trials – 1 Lap
Place |
Driver |
From |
Automobile |
Purse |
Time |
1 - tie |
George Clark* |
Dallas, Texas |
Duesenberg |
$100 |
34.2 |
1 - tie |
Harvey Demster |
Indianapolis, Indiana |
Peugeot |
|
34.2 |
1 – tie |
Dick Seip |
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
Chevrolet |
|
34.2 |
4 |
John Boling* |
Tulsa, Oklahoma |
Hudson |
|
35.2 |
5 |
Tuck Fordyce |
Tulsa, Oklahoma |
Mercer |
|
36.2 |
6 |
Mark Jenkins |
Des Moines, Iowa |
Stutz |
|
37.2 |
7 |
John Boyd |
Tulsa, Oklahoma |
Packard |
|
37.4 |
8 |
Dwight Mercer |
Bartlesville, Oklahoma |
Lust Ford Special |
|
40.4 |
An extra $400 was posted if the fastest time was a world record for one lap around a half mile racetrack.
Three Cornered Match Race – 4 Laps
Place |
Driver |
From |
Automobile |
Total Purse |
Time |
1 |
Harvey Demster |
Indianapolis, Indiana |
Peugeot |
$500 |
3:11.4 |
2 |
Dick Seip |
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
Chevrolet |
|
|
3 |
George Clark* |
Dallas, Texas |
Duesenberg |
|
|
Exhibition Run Against Time – 2 Laps
|
Driver |
From |
Automobile |
|
Time |
|
Dick Seip |
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
Baby Mine |
|
1:13.0 |
Australian Pursuit – 8 Laps
Place |
Driver |
From |
Automobile |
|
Time |
1 |
Harvey Demster |
Indianapolis, Indiana |
Peugeot |
|
4:16.4 |
2 |
John Boling* |
Tulsa, Oklahoma |
Hudson |
|
|
3 |
Tuck Fordyce |
Tulsa, Oklahoma |
Mercer |
|
|
4 |
Mark Jenkins |
Des Moines, Iowa |
Stutz |
|
|
5 |
John Boyd |
Tulsa, Oklahoma |
Packard |
|
|
Special Division “B” Race – 6 Laps
Place |
Driver |
From |
Automobile |
Total Purse |
Time |
1 |
Tuck Fordyce |
Tulsa, Oklahoma |
Mercer |
$500 |
3:46.0 |
Free-For-All – 30 Laps from a standing start
Place |
Driver |
Automobile |
Laps Completed |
Purse |
Time |
1 |
George Clark* |
Duesenberg |
30 |
$750 |
18:36.2 |
2 |
Tuck Fordyce |
Mercer |
30 |
450 |
|
3 |
Dick Seip |
Chevrolet |
27 |
225 |
|
4 |
Harvey Demster |
Peugeot |
9 |
75 |
|
|
John Boyd |
Packard |
6 |
|
|
Clark started in the “second bank” of machines and carefully threaded his way up through the big field of starters until he found what he felt was a safe place to ride. In the final few laps, he crept past Fordyce in a Mercer to takeover the top position. Fordyce’s Mercer was the only other car to finish. Boyd dropped out with a flat tire. Demster dropped out with engine trouble.
* George Clark (1890-1978) and John Boling (1884-1932) have both competed in the Indianapolis “500”.
** Elmer John Negy (1891-1985) moved to Texas in the 1920s and became the owner of two Ford automobile dealerships. One of those was in Throckmorton, Texas.
John Boling Gary Wolfe collection |
Dick Seip Daily Oklahoman photo |
George Clark Sigurd W. Haugdahl collection |
Return to the Feature Race Winners at Hutchinson, Kansas web page