Big Car Races at Hutchinson, Kansas on September 19, 1941

Big Car Races on the

Historic Half-mile Racetrack at the

Kansas State Fairgrounds

Hutchinson, Kansas

Friday – September 19, 1941

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

Attendance: “a capacity throng”


Copy of the official program that was sold at these races for 14¢. To read each page above, click your mouse on it. Tiederman collection
*Ben Musick* Larry Sullivan photo	*Jimmy Wilburn* Joe Gemsa collection from the book Dirt Track Auto Racing by Don Radbruch	*Gus Schrader* Hutchinson News-Herald

Eddie Wagner

Wood collection

Johnny Shackelford

Jeff Adams collection

Ralph Pratt

Bob Stolze collection

Time Trials – 17 Cars – 1 Lap

Place	Driver	From	Car #	Automobile	Tuesday’s Time	Today’s Time
1	Gus Schrader*	Cedar Rapids, IA	5	Riverside Offy	25.4
2	Ben Musick	Dallas, TX	1	Riverside Offy		26.2
3	Jimmy Wilburn****	Portland, OR	39	Riverside Offy	27.0
4	Johnny Schackelford	Dayton, OH	4	Johnson Cragar	28.5
5	Harry West	Oklahoma City, OK	6	Cragar Special		28.5
6	Fred Bass	Oklahoma City, OK	71	D. O. Cragar	28.6
7	Bert Hellmueller**	Charlotte, NC	48	Curtiss Special	29.0
8	Ralph Pratt	Omaha, NE	1	Turco Special	29.5
9	Lyle Christie	Milwaukee, WI	43	Offy - Miller	29.8
10	Gregg Tiederman	Wichita, KS	9	Swart Brothers’ Miller Schoffield	30.6
11	Posey Reeves	Oklahoma City, OK	15	D. O. Hal	30.7
12	Dooley Leo***	Kansas City, MO	33	Cragar Special		31.5
13	Jim Fetter	Cedar Rapids, IA	23	McDowell	32.0
14	Eddie Wagner	Des Moines, IA	26	Riley Special	32.8
15	Val Jameson	Wichita, KS	40	Cragar Special		32.9
16	Jack Robinson	Middletown, MO	440	Alexander Special	33.5
17	Chance Corbitt	Huron, SD	27	Schoffield Special	34.4

Cars that raced on Tuesday kept their time trial times from that day. Cars that did not compete in Tuesday’s program took a time trial today and were added to the program.

First Heat Race – 4 Cars – 5 Laps

Place	Driver	From	Car #	Automobile	Time
1	Gus Schrader*	Cedar Rapids, IA	5	Riverside Offy	2:16.0
2	Jimmy Wilburn****	Portland, OR	39	Riverside Offy
3	Johnny Schackelford	Dayton, OH	4	Johnson Cragar
4	Fred Bass	Oklahoma City, OK	71	D. O. Cragar	DNF

Second Heat – 4 Cars – 5 Laps

Place	Driver	From	Car #	Automobile	Time
1	Ben Musick	Dallas, TX	1	Riverside Offy	2:24.5
2	Ralph Pratt	Omaha, NE	1	Turco Special
3	Harry West	Oklahoma City, OK	6	Cragar Special
4	Lyle Christie	Milwaukee, WI	43	Offy - Miller

Third Heat Race – 6 Cars – 5 Laps

Place	Driver	From	Car #	Automobile	Time
1	Johnny Schackelford	Dayton, OH	4	Johnson Cragar	2:30.0
2	Harry West	Oklahoma City, OK	6	Cragar Special
3	Lyle Christie	Milwaukee, WI	43	Offy - Miller
4	Fred Bass	Oklahoma City, OK	71	D. O. Cragar
5	Dooley Leo***	Kansas City, MO	33	Cragar Special
6	Gregg Tiederman	Wichita, KS	9	Swart Brothers’ Miller Schoffield

KWBW Radio Helmet Dash – 2 Cars – 3 Laps

Place	Driver	From	Car #	Automobile	Time
1	Ralph Pratt	Omaha, NE	1	Turco Special	1:28.5
2	Ben Musick	Dallas, TX	1	Riverside Offy

International Pursuit Championship – 8 Cars – 5 Laps

Place	Driver	From		Automobile	Time
1	Johnny Schackelford	Dayton, OH	4	Johnson Cragar	2:38.0
2	Harry West	Oklahoma City, OK	6	Cragar Special
3	Val Jameson	Wichita, KS	40	Cragar Special
4	Eddie Wagner	Des Moines, IA	26	Riley Special
	Jim Fetter	Cedar Rapids, IA	23	McDowell
	Dooley Leo***	Kansas City, MO	33	Cragar Special
	Gregg Tiederman	Wichita, KS	9	Swart Brothers’ Miller Schoffield
	Fred Bass	Oklahoma City, OK	71	D. O. Cragar

Kansas State Championship Race – 8 Cars – 10 Laps

Place	Driver	From	Car #	Automobile	Time
1	Ben Musick	Dallas, TX	1	Riverside Offy	4:43.0
2	Gus Schrader*	Cedar Rapids, IA	5	Riverside Offy
3	Jimmy Wilburn****	Portland, OR	39	Riverside Offy
4	Ralph Pratt	Omaha, NE	1	Turco Special
5	Harry West	Oklahoma City, OK	6	Cragar Special
6	Johnny Schackelford	Dayton, OH	4	Johnson Cragar
	Fred Bass	Oklahoma City, OK	71	D. O. Cragar	DNF
	Gregg Tiederman	Wichita, KS	9	Swart Brothers’ Miller Schoffield	DNF

The front three cars quickly put distance between themselves and the other five starters. Schrader led this race for the first 9½ laps. He could pull away from Musick on the straight-aways only to drop back on the turns. Wilburn, running in third place, would gain in the turns only to fall back on the straight-aways. Schrader slid off of the inside groove in the south turn on the final lap and that allowed Musick to slip past him. Wilburn tried to pass Schrader as well but Schrader righted his car and was able to hold Wilburn off for second place loosing out to Musick by only a couple of feet. Wilburn was less than 50 feet in back of Schrader at the end.

Bass and Tiederman each dropped out after the 7^th lap.

*I.M.C.A. Officials*
Director of Events	-	John Sloan
I.M.C.A. Representative	-	Sam M. Mitchell
Clerk of the Course	-	Paul Wanesburg
Starter	-	Andy Burt
Announcer	-	Jack B. Story
Judge	-	W. M. “Bud” Detter
Judge	-	W. M. “Bill” Bryant
Judge	-	J. C. Stevens
Judge	-	Scott Clark, Jr.
Judge	-	E. E. “Ernie” Powell
Timer	-	M. F. Hines
Timer	-	L. S. Mayfield

Posey Reeves

Don Radbruch collection

Harry West

Larry Sullivan photo

Gregg Tiederman

Tiederman collection

Fred Bass

Tiederman collection

Bert Hellmueller

Bob Stolze collection

Val Jameson

Swart family collection

* One month after (on October 19, 1941) participating in these races at the Kansas State Fair, Gus Schrader was again racing with Jimmy Wilburn in an I.M.C.A. Championship race at Shreveport, Louisiana when their two cars tangled on the first lap. Schrader was fatally injured in that accident.

** Engelbert H. “Bert” Hellmueller, Jr. (1906-1985) listed his home as a number of different places but his family home was in Louisville, Kentucky and that is where he retired to.

*** The Hutchinson News report says Dooley Leo was driving car #32 but the official I.M.C.A. records of the day’s races say he was driving car #33.

**** James T. “Jimmy” Wilburn (1908-1984) went on to compete in the Indianapolis “500” in 1946.

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