Big Car Races on the

Historic Half-mile Racetrack at the

Kansas State Fairgrounds

 Hutchinson, Kansas

Sunday – September 22, 1940

 

Races sanctioned by the Mile High Racing Association (M.H.R.A.)

Race promoter – Tom Holden of WaKeeney, Kansas

 Flagman / Starter – Lenard E. Kerbs of Otis, Kansas

 

Attendance:  “In excess of 12,000”

  

 

 

 

Vic Rothe in the #1 Turco Special at Hutchinson in 1940 – Darrin McKim collection 

 

 

 

  

Time Trials – “nearly 30 cars” - 1 Lap

Place

Driver

From

Automobile

Time

1

Bill Morris1

Dallas, Texas

Messer Special

26.63

2

Vic Rothe

Omaha, Nebraska

Turco Special #1

27:39

3

Cecil Burnaugh

Moline, Illinois

 

27.68

4

Shorty Burns

St. Louis, Missouri

 

27.80

4

Bob Vorbeck

Longmont, Colorado

Fisher Dreyer Special #27

27.80

6

Art Shumate

Kansas City, Missouri

 

27.86

 

Clarence Merritt

Tulsa, Oklahoma

Merritt Special

 

 

Claude Gorin

Wichita Falls, Texas

Miller Special

 

 

Tex West

Dallas, Texas

 

 

 

Rex Woodard4

Hutchinson, Kansas

T. D. O. Special

 

 

Warren Hamilton

Denver, Colorado

 

 

 

Waldo Burnett5

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

 

 

 

Loren Fondoble

Ogallah, Kansas

Riley Special #10

 

 

Val Jameson

Wichita, Kansas

 

 

 

Elmer Noeth

Chicago, Illinois

 

 

 

Walt Moffatt

Denver, Colorado

 

 

 

Ray Goodwin2

Wichita Falls, Texas

 

 

 

Bob Sledge

Houston, Texas

Frontenac Special

 

 

Posey Reeves

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

 

 

 

Bill Harding

Hastings, Nebraska

Hardings Special #H-1

 

 

 

 

Dufek Trophy Dash – 3 Laps

Fastest 3 cars from time trials

Place

Driver

From

Automobile

Time

1

Bill Morris1

Dallas, Texas

Messer Special

1:22.0

2

Vic Rothe

Omaha, Nebraska

Turco Special #1

 

3

Cecil Burnaugh

Moline, Illinois

 

 

 

 

 

First Heat Race – 6 Cars - 8 Laps

Fastest 6 cars from time trials

Place

Driver

From

Automobile

Time

1

Bill Morris1

Dallas, Texas

Messer Special

3:40.0

2

Vic Rothe

Omaha, Nebraska

Turco Special #1

 

3

Cecil Burnaugh

Moline, Illinois

 

 

 

 

 

Second Heat Race 6 Cars - 8 Laps

4th, 5th, & 6th place finishers in the 1st heat race plus the next 3 fastest cars from time trials

Place

Driver

From

Automobile

Time

1

Clarence Merritt

Tulsa, Oklahoma

Merritt Special

3:52.0

2

Shorty Burns3

St. Louis, Missouri

 

 

3

Rex Woodard4

Hutchinson, Kansas

T. D. O. Special

 

                Burns coasted across the finish line with a broken axel. 

 

 

Handicap Race - 10 Laps

Place

Driver

From

Automobile

Time

1

Art Shumate

Kansas City, Missouri

 

5:14.0

2

Tex West

Dallas, Texas

 

 

3

Warren Hamilton

Denver, Colorado

 

 

 

 

 

Invitational Handicap Race – 5 Laps

Place

Driver

From

Automobile

Time

1

Cecil Burnaugh

Moline, Illinois

 

2:21.23

2

Bill Morris1

Dallas, Texas

Messer Special

 

3

Vic Rothe

Omaha, Nebraska

Turco Special #1

 

                This was a very close finish with Burnaugh just beating Morris by a slight margin.

 

 

 

Consolation Race – 12 Laps

Place

Driver

From

Automobile

Time

1

Loren Fondoble

Ogallah, Kansas

Riley Special #10

5:58.0

2

Claude Gorin

Wichita Falls, Texas

Miller Special

 

3

Waldo Burnett5

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

 

 

 

 

 

Sweepstakes Race – 15 Laps

Place

Driver

From

Automobile

Time

1

Bill Morris1

Dallas, Texas

Messer Special

7:14.0

2

Vic Rothe

Omaha, Nebraska

Turco Special #1

 

3

Clarence Merritt

Tulsa, Oklahoma

Merritt Special

 

 

 

 

 

  

Posey Reeves

Don Radbruch collection

Loren Fondoble

Roy Eaton collection

Bob Sledge

Roy Eaton collection

 

 

 

 

Tex West

Don Radbruch collection

Bill Harding

Stan Lee collection

Shorty Burns

Larry Sullivan photo

 

 

 

 

Waldo Barnett

L. A. Ward photo

Warren Hamilton

Swart collection

 

 

 

 

Bob Vorbeck

Don Radbruch collection

Val Jameson

Swart family collection

Ray Goodwin

“One Tough Circuit” by Bill Hill

 

 

 

 

Rex Woodward

Roy Eaton collection

Bill Morris

Bruce Craig photo

Cecil Burnaugh

Roy Eaton collection

 

 

 

 

1 Bill Morris is an alias used by Benjamin Franklin “Ben” Musick, Sr. (1908-1966).  The Messer Special he drove in these races was powered by a Hal engine.

 

2 One source states that his name was Roy Goodwin.

 

3 Shorty Burns was an alias used by Thomas F. Scheck.

 

4 Rex Miles Woodward (1920-1942) was fatally injured in a racing accident at Ft. Wayne, Indiana.

 

5 Charles Waldo Burnett (1905-1947) was fatally injured in a racing accident at Ord, Nebraska in 1947 and is buried at Terrel, Oklahoma.

 

 

 

 

 

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