Big Car Races on the

Historic Half-mile Racetrack at the

Kansas State Fairgrounds

 Hutchinson, Kansas

Monday – September 21, 1936

 

 

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

 Race director – William Miner “Bill” Bryant of Hutchinson, Kansas

Attendance – 14,500

 

 

 

Bill Morris

Don Radbruch collection

Clyde Gilbert

Charles Pauley photo

Oscar Coleman

Don Radbruch collection

 

 

 

Time Trials - 16 Cars – 1 Lap

Place

Driver

From

Car Number

Automobile

Time

1

Bill Morris1

Denver, CO

3

Messer Special

28.3

2

Oscar Coleman10

Dallas, TX

1

Texas Special

28.6

3

Morris Musick

Lincoln, NE

4

Messer Special

28.7

4

Lou Brown2

Champaign, IL

B 5

Dreyer

29.0

5

Clyde Gilbert

Longmont, CO

15

Fronty

29.2

6

George Chitwood3

Topeka, KS

X 3

Lawhorn Special

29.3

6

Waldo Barnett4

Hutchinson, KS

75

Earl D. O. Fronty 

29.3

8

Rea Bray5

Topeka, KS

K 1

Keys Special

29.4

9

Tex West6

San Antonio, TX

22 A

Riley

30.0

10

Bob Wilson

Kansas City, KS

 6

Gillette Special 

30.3

 

Loren Fondoble

Palco, KS

77

Riley Special

 

 

Ed Graves7

Oklahoma City, OK 

 5

 

 

 

Posey Reeves

Oklahoma City, OK

500

Cragar

 

 

Art Challender

Davenport, IA

 

 

 

 

Pete Alberts8

St. Louis, MO

25

 

 

 

Hal Reinsberg9

St. Paul, MN

 

 

 

 

 

 

First Heat Race – 6 Cars - 5 Laps

Purse divided among the first three finishers

Place

Driver

From

Car Number

Automobile

Time

1

Bill Morris1

Denver, CO

3

Messer Special

2:26.1

2

Oscar Coleman10

Dallas, TX

1

Texas Special

 

3

Lou Brown2

Champaign, IL

B 5

Dreyer

 

4

Morris Musick

Lincoln, NE

4

Messer Special

 

5

Clyde Gilbert

Longmont, CO

15

Fronty

 

6

George Chitwood3

Topeka, KS

X 3

Lawhon Special

 

            “The major breath holder of the afternoon came in the first race when Morris Musick, Lincoln, skidded to a broadside stop on the north curve with half the field close behind him.  Clyde Gilbert executed a detour on two wheels to avoid piling up.” – Hutchinson Herald

            The incident occurred on the fourth lap when Musick side-swiped the fence causing him to half-spin the car.  He was able to get his car going though and continue the race.

 

 

 

Second Heat Race – 6 Cars - 5 Laps

Purse divided among the first three finishers

 Place

Driver

From

Car Number

Automobile

Time

1

Clyde Gilbert

Longmont, CO

15

Fronty

2:28.6

2

Morris Musick

Lincoln, NE

4

Messer Special 

 

3

George Chitwood3

Topeka, KS

X 3

Lawhon Special

 

4

Waldo Barnett4

Hutchinson, KS

75

Earl D. O. Fronty 

 

5

Rea Bray5

Topeka, KS

K 1

Keys Special

 

6

Tex West6

San Antonio, TX

22 A

Riley

 

            Gilbert led this race from the start.

 

 

Consolation – 8 Cars - 5 Laps

Purse divided among the first three finishers

 Place

Driver

From

Car Number

Automobile

Time

1

Tex West6

San Antonio, TX

22 A

Riley

2:31.0

2

Rae Bray5

Topeka, KS

K 1

Keys Special

 

3

Loren Fondoble

Palco, KS

77

Riley Special

 

4

Bob Wilson

Kansas C ity, KS

6

Gillette Special

 

5

Ed Graves7

Oklahoma City, OK

5

 

 

6

Posey Reeves

Oklahoma City, OK

500

Cragar

 

7

Art Challender

Davenport, IA

 

 

 

8

Ralph Remberg9

St. Paul, MN

 

 

 

 

 

Gold Cup Handicap – 9 Cars - 14 Laps

 Place

Driver

From

Car Number

Automobile

Time

1

Bill Morris1

Denver, CO

3

Messer Special

7:23.8

2

Clyde Gilbert

Longmont, CO

15

Fronty

 

            Cars were started at three second intervals with Gilbert starting second and Morris starting last.

 

 

State Fair Sweepstakes – 8 Cars - 10 Laps

Purse divided among the first three finishers

 Place

Driver

From

Car Number

Automobile

Time

1

Bill Morris1

Denver, CO

3

Messer Special

4:53.3

2

Oscar Coleman10

Dallas, TX

1

Texas Special

 

3

Morris Musick

Lincoln, NE

4

Messer Special 

 

4

Lou Brown2

Champaign, IL

B 5

Dreyer

 

5

Clyde Gilbert

Longmont, CO

15

Fronty 

 

6

George Chitwood3

Topeka, KS

X 3

Lawhon Special

 

7

Tex West6

San Antonio, TX

22 A

Riley

 

8

Rea Bray5

Topeka, KS

K 1

Keys Special

 

 

 

 

Bob Wilson

Roy Eaton collection

Tex West

Don Radbruch collection

Posey Reeves

Don Radbruch collection

 

 

 

Art Chandler

Wood collection

Loren Fondoble

Lehman collection

Waldo Barnett

Jack Earl collection

 

 

 

George Chitwood

Larry Sullivan photo

Morris Musick

Don Radbruch collection

 

 

 

1 ”Bill Morris” is an alias used by Benjamin Franklin “Ben” Musick, Sr. (1908-1966) who was a brother to Morris Musick

 

2 Lou Brown was fatally injured in a racing accident at Savannah, Georgia less than three months after these races at Hutchinson

 

3 George Rice Chitwood (1912-1988), later known as “Joie” Chitwood, went to race in the Indianapolis "500" seven times

 

4 Charles Waldo Burnett (1905-1947) was originally from Oklahoma City but had been residing in Hutchinson “all summer”.  He was fatally injured in a racing accident at Ord, Nebraska and is buried at Terrel, Oklahoma.

 

5 Clyde Rae Bray (1902-1941) was fatally injured in a racing accident at Oakland, California in 1941

 

6 ”Tex West” is an alias used by Austin E. Wetzler (1903-1962)

 

7 Ed Graves was fatally injured in an accident during time trials for a race at a different racetrack in the spring of 1937.

 

8 Harold Denman “Pete” Alberts (1905-1939) a.k.a. “Pietro Alberti” and “Phillipe Lecitir” was fatally injured in a racing accident at Mt. Vernon, Illinois.

 

9 Harold C. “Hal” Reinsberg was fatally injured in a racing accident at Hamline, Minnesota in 1939.

 

10 Oscar Lloyd Coleman (1905-1938) was fatally injured while attempting to qualify for a midget race in Dallas, Texas.

 

 

 

 

 

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