Automobile Races
On the Historic Half-mile Racetrack at the
Kansas State Fairgrounds
Hutchinson, Kansas
Friday – September 23, 1932
Race Director: Leonard Kerbs of Otis, Kansas
Attendance: 8,000
Total Purse: $825
16 cars and drivers from 7 states competed
Pat Cunningham Betty (Kerbs) Able collection |
Maynard Clark Roy Eaton collection |
John Gerber Roy Eaton collection |
Time Trials – 1 Lap
Purse: $25 for first place
Place |
Driver |
From |
Automobile |
Time |
1 |
Maynard Clark |
Milan, Illinois |
Gerber Special |
28.1 |
2 |
Pat Cunningham |
St. Joseph, Missouri |
Kerbs Special |
29.1 |
3 |
John Gerber |
Stanwood, Iowa |
Gerber Special |
29.3 |
4 |
Art Martinson |
Denver, Colorado |
Miller Gilmore Olympiad Special |
29.4 |
First Heat Race – 6 Cars - 10 Laps
Purse: $125 divided among the first three finishers
Place |
Driver |
From |
Automobile |
Time |
1 |
Maynard Clark |
Milan, Illinois |
Gerber Special |
5:00.5 |
2 |
John Gerber |
Stanwood, Iowa |
Gerber Special |
|
3 |
Pat “Skinny” Jones |
Kansas City, Missouri |
C. L. Richards Special |
|
4 |
Bill Carroll |
Lewis, Kansas |
Kerbs Special |
|
5 |
Tex West |
Mound City, Missouri |
B & B Special1 |
|
6 |
Rex Edmonds |
Houston, Texas |
Packard Special |
|
Second Heat Race – 6 Cars - 10 Laps
Purse: $125 divided among the first three finishers
Place |
Driver |
From |
Automobile |
Time |
1 |
Pat Cunningham |
St. Joseph, Missouri |
Kerbs Special |
5:03.0 |
2 |
Art Martinson |
Denver, Colorado |
Miller Gilmore Olympiad Special |
|
3 |
Tex West |
Mound City, Missouri |
B & B Special1 |
|
4 |
Rex Edmonds |
Houston, Texas |
Packard Special |
|
5 |
Bill Carroll |
Lewis, Kansas |
Kerbs Special |
|
6 |
Curtis Harper2 |
Argonia, Kansas |
|
|
Third Heat Race – 6 Cars - 10 Laps
Purse: $125 divided among the first three finishers
Place |
Driver |
From |
Automobile |
Time |
1 |
Ted Davis |
Junction City, Kansas |
Milliken Special |
5:08.0 |
2 |
Bill Carroll |
Lewis, Kansas |
Kerbs Special |
|
3 |
Herb Hunter |
Hoisington, Kansas |
White Special |
|
4 |
Glen Dunlap |
Newton, Kansas |
Rajo Special |
|
5 |
Speck Heminger |
Hastings, Nebraska |
|
|
6 |
Rea Bray |
Hutchinson, Kansas |
|
|
Helmet Dash – 3 Cars - 3 Laps
Open to the 3 fastest cars in time trials
Purse: First place received a trophy helmet valued at $75 and a kiss from the Mildred Keys, the state fair beauty queen
Place |
Driver |
From |
Automobile |
Time |
1 |
Pat Cunningham |
St. Joseph, Missouri |
Kerbs Special |
1:32.0 |
2 |
John Gerber |
Stanwood, Iowa |
Gerber Special |
|
3 |
Maynard Clark |
Milan, Illinois |
Gerber Special |
|
Consolation Race – 6 Cars - 12 Laps
Purse: $50 divided among the first three finishers
Place |
Driver |
From |
Automobile |
Time |
1 |
Rex Edmonds |
Denver, Colorado |
Houston, Texas |
6:30.0 |
2 |
Al Banks |
Hastings, Nebraska |
Banks Special |
|
3 |
Glen Dunlap |
Newton, Kansas |
Rajo Special |
|
4 |
Speck Heminger |
Hastings, Nebraska |
|
|
5 |
Charles Pauley |
Herington, Kansas |
Pauley Special3 |
|
6 |
Curtis Harper2 |
Argonia, Kansas |
|
|
Sweepstakes Race – 9 Cars - 25 Laps
Purse: $300 divided among the first three finishers
Place |
Driver |
From |
Automobile |
Time |
1 |
Maynard Clark |
Milan, Illinois |
Gerber Special |
12:22.25 |
2 |
John Gerber |
Stanwood, Iowa |
Gerber Special |
|
3 |
Pat Cunningham |
St. Joseph, Missouri |
Kerbs Special |
|
4 |
Ted Davis |
Junction City, Kansas |
Milliken Special |
|
5 |
Bill Carroll |
Lewis, Kansas |
Kerbs Special |
DNF |
6 |
Pat “Skinny” Jones |
Kansas City, Missouri |
C. L. Richards Special |
DNF |
7 |
Tex West |
Mound City, Missouri |
B & B Special |
DNF |
8 |
Herb Hunter |
Hoisington, Kansas |
White Special |
DNF |
9 |
Art Martinson |
Denver, Colorado |
Miller Gilmore Olympiad Special |
DNF |
Clark pulled away at the start and had built up a comfortable lead by the finish. Second place Gerber finished the race well ahead of Cunningham in third place. Of the five cars that did not finish, two were involved in a crash, two suffered mechanical problems, and one threw a real tire.
Hutchinson Daily Herald
September 24, 1932 – page 2
“Two cars hurtled off the speedway, through a steel wire fence, and over the embankment to provide the one big thrill of the auto race program… Bill Carroll, veteran driver of Lewis, Kansas and Buford Mosher, Hutchinson National Guardsman, are in the hospital as a result of the accident. Pat Jones, another driver from Kansas City, was injured but not seriously.
“The crash occurred in the sixth lap of the scheduled 25-lap sweepstakes race, the last on the program. Carroll and Jones were taking the north turn of the track at terrific speed. In some manner, their cars locked wheels and went straight to the outside fence. Three of the heavy steel posts supporting the fence were knocked loose from their concrete bases and the fence was leveled to the ground as the two cars hurtled through and out into the air. While flying through space, one of the cars (the Richards Special) struck the horse bearing Mosher who was patrolling the fence. Mosher was knocked to the ground. The cars did not stop until Carroll’s racer hit a tree and twisted into a wreck 75 feet from where it left the track. Carroll was thrown 15 feet to one side, clear of the wreckage. Jones was also thrown out of his car and lay in a heap nearby.
“An ambulance rushed the three injured men to Grace Hospital. First aid treatment was administered to Jones and he left a few minutes later. Mosher was badly bruised and cut about his hands and arms but had no broken bones. Carroll had a severe cut and burn on his left arm and other minor injuries but will recover. A gash more than an inch deep was opened in the side of the horse Mosher was riding.”
Rex Edmonds Barbara (Plant) Thompson collection |
Art Martinson Don Radbruch collection |
Charles Pauley Charles Pauley collection |
1The B & B Special driven by Tex West was owned by C. O. Bennett of St. Joseph, Missouri. Tex West was an alias used by Austin E. Wetzler.
2One source states that Curtis Harper was from Newton, Kansas.
3The Pauley Special #14 driven by Charles Pauley was a Chevrolet powered bobtail owned by Charles’ uncle, Henry Pauley of Herington, Kansas.
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