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