Big Car Races on the
Historic Half-mile Racetrack at the
Kansas State Fairgrounds
Hutchinson, Kansas
Friday – September 22, 1933
Race Director – Leonard Kerbs of Otis, Kansas
Attendance – “a large crowd”
Total Purse – $625
Verne Ellis Larry Sullivan photo |
Lew Irwin Irwin family collection |
Charles Pauley Charles Pauley collection |
Time Trials – 1 Lap
20 drivers and 21 cars participated
(Pat Cunningham ran a time trial in two different cars)
Place |
Driver |
From |
Car Number |
Automobile |
|
Time |
1 |
Clarence Haskell |
Lincoln, NE |
24 |
Miller Special |
|
27.99 |
2 |
Paul Smith***** |
Kansas City, MO |
22 A |
Riley Special |
|
28.73 |
3 |
Lew Irwin |
St. Joseph, MO |
X 3 |
Lawhon Special |
|
29.96 |
|
Pat Cunningham |
Otis, KS |
K 1 |
Kerbs Special |
|
|
|
Pat Cunningham |
Otis, KS |
3 |
Johnson Special |
|
|
|
Ted Davis |
Junction City, KS |
M 33 |
Mellican Special |
|
|
|
Floyd Davis* |
Kansas City, MO |
|
|
|
|
|
Bob Wilson |
Kansas City, MO |
4 |
Riley Special |
|
|
|
Roy Lake |
Los Angeles, CA |
3 |
Frontenac |
|
|
|
Verne Ellis**** |
Kansas City, MO |
|
Ellis Special |
|
|
|
Charles Pauley |
Herington, KS |
14 |
Pauley Special |
|
|
|
Pete Alberts** |
Chicago, IL |
9 |
Kinsey Special |
|
|
|
Art Challender |
Davenport, IA |
|
McDowell Special |
|
|
|
Rae Bray*** |
Topeka, KS |
|
|
|
|
|
Dick Goolsby |
Kansas City, MO |
|
|
|
|
|
Rex Edmonds |
Dallas, TX |
|
|
|
|
Helmet Dash – 2 Cars - 3 Laps – Total Purse $50
Place |
Driver |
From |
Car Number |
Automobile |
Purse |
Time |
1 |
Paul Smith***** |
Kansas City, MO |
22 A |
Riley Special |
$30 |
1:32.0 |
2 |
Clarence Haskell |
Lincoln, NE |
24 |
Miller Special |
20 |
|
Haskell took off from his pole position but ran into the first corner too fast and slid clear out to the fence. This allowed Smith to taken the inside position and build up a 20-yard lead which he held to the finish. Besides $30 in cash, the winner received a leather helmet and a kiss from trophy girl Leatha Baettie of Topeka, KS which “was administered with move-fade-out gusto amid cheers of the patrons.”
First Preliminary Race – 5 Cars - 10 Laps - Total Purse $100
Place |
Driver |
From |
Car Number |
Automobile |
Purse |
Time |
1 |
Clarence Haskell |
Lincoln, NE |
24 |
Miller Special |
$50 |
5:02.0 |
2 |
Pat Cunningham |
Otis, KS |
3 |
Johnson Special |
30 |
|
3 |
Lew Irwin |
St. Joseph, MO |
X 3 |
Lawhon Special |
20 |
|
4 |
Ted Davis |
Junction City, KS |
M 33 |
Mellican Special |
|
|
5 |
Dick Goolsby |
Kansas City, MO |
|
|
|
|
Haskell took the lead at the first turn and held it to the finish winning by a wide margin.
Second Preliminary Race – 6 Cars – 10 Laps – Total Purse $100
Place |
Driver |
From |
Car Number |
Automobile |
Purse |
Time |
1 |
Pat Cunningham |
Otis, KS |
K 1 |
Kerbs Special |
$50 |
5:05.25 |
2 |
Pete Alberts** |
Chicago, IL |
9 |
Kinsey Special |
30 |
|
3 |
Paul Smith***** |
Kansas City, MO |
22 A |
Riley Special |
20 |
|
4 |
Rex Edmonds |
Dallas, TX |
|
|
|
|
5 |
Verne Ellis**** |
Kansas City, MO |
|
Ellis Special |
|
|
6 |
Art Challender |
Davenport, IA |
|
|
|
|
“Cunningham took chances few drivers would contemplate. Time after time, he went into the curves at near full speed and whipped his car around the corners to gain on more cautious drivers. Smith matched his daring however, and might have finished in the lead had he not made one false turn at the north end which nearly stopped his car. He lost nearly 100 yards and finished third as Pete Alberts chased Cunningham across the finish.” – Hutchinson Herald
Consolation Race – 10 Cars - 10 Laps – Total Purse $60
Place |
Driver |
From |
Car Number |
Automobile |
Purse |
Time |
1 |
Ted Davis |
Junction City, KS |
M 33 |
Mellican Special |
$30 |
5:06.5 |
2 |
Pete Alberts** |
Chicago, IL |
9 |
Kinsey Special |
20 |
|
3 |
Bob Wilson |
Kansas City, MO |
4 |
Riley Special |
10 |
|
4 |
Charles Pauley |
Herington, KS |
14 |
Pauley Special |
|
|
5 |
Rex Edmonds |
Dallas, TX |
|
|
|
|
6 |
Dick Goolsby |
Kansas City, MO |
|
|
|
|
7 |
Rea Bray*** |
Topeka, KS |
|
|
|
|
8 |
Roy Lake |
Los Angeles, CA |
3 |
Frontenac |
|
|
9 |
Verne Ellis**** |
Kansas City, MO |
|
Ellis Special |
|
|
10 |
Art Challender |
Davenport, IA |
|
|
|
|
Davis won out in a spirited battle for the early lead with Wilson and Goolsby. Davis then pulled away to win by a wide margin.
Sweepstakes – 8 Cars - 20 Laps – Total Purse $315
Place |
Driver |
From |
Car Number |
Automobile |
|
Time |
1 |
Clarence Haskell |
Lincoln, Nebraska |
3 |
Johnson Special |
|
9:48.0 |
2 |
Pat Cunningham |
Otis, KS |
K 1 |
Kerbs Special |
|
|
3 |
Ted Davis |
Junction City, KS |
M 33 |
Mellican Special |
|
|
4 |
Lew Irwin |
St. Joseph, MO |
X 3 |
Lawhon Special |
|
|
5 |
Pete Alberts** |
Chicago, IL |
9 |
Kinsey Special |
|
|
6 |
Floyd Davis* |
Kansas City, MO |
|
|
|
|
7 |
Paul Smith***** |
Kansas City, MO |
22 A |
Riley Special |
|
DNF |
8 |
Bob Wilson |
Kansas City, MO |
4 |
Riley Special |
|
DNF |
Both the Kerbs Special and the Johnson Special were qualified for the Sweepstakes race since both cars had finished in the top three in their preliminary races so Haskell switched from the Miller Special to the Johnson Special for this race. Haskell had a commanding lead all the way and won by about 200 yards.
Second place was held by four different drivers before Cunningham took control on the fourteenth lap and held it to the finish. Floyd Davis had passed Cunningham for second on the fourth lap and held onto that position for nine laps before Cunningham again went ahead. On the eighteenth lap, Floyd Davis tried to “slice Cunningham out” on the north corner and regain second position but he did a 180° spin out stalling the car against the inner fence. Mechanics pulled Davis’ car away from the fence and he completed the race.
Ted Davis was running in sixth place on the third lap but worked his way forward taking third place from Smith on the last lap.
Irwin threw a tire in the south turn on the fifteenth lap but kept his car under control and managed to finish in fourth place.
Smith dropped out on the twelfth lap with engine trouble.
Pat Cunningham Betty (Kerbs) Able collection |
Floyd Davis Roy Eaton collection |
Pete Alberts Don Radbruch collection |
Paul Smith Les Butler collection |
Rex Edmonds Barbara (Plant) Thompson collection |
Art Challender Wood collection |
* Floyd Eldon Davis (1905-1977) went on the race in the Indianapolis “500” four times and co-drove with Mauri Rose to victory there in 1941. Davis is buried in Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis, Indiana.
** 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.
*** Clyde Rae Bray (1902-1941) was fatally injured in a racing accident at Oakland, California in 1941
**** Audy Verne Ellis (1899-1934) was fatally injured in a racing accident at Memphis, Tennessee.
***** Paul Smith (1903-1933) was fatally injured in a racing accident at Dallas, Texas just five weeks later.
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