Seventeenth Annual National Modified Championship Races
On the Historic Half-mile Racetrack at the
Kansas State Fairgrounds
Hutchinson, Kansas
Sunday – July 29, 1973
Promotional Company – Merrick Racing Promotions (M.R.P.)
Race Director – Jack Merrick of Dodge City, Kansas
Flagman / Starter – Al Alexander of Wichita, Kansas
Trophy Queen – Doris Goertz of Hutchinson, Kansas
The cars are shown here lined up before the start of the 50-championship race on this day. Flagman / starter Al Alexander is in the stripped shirt standing between the front row cars. The first four cars were #73 Terry Doss on the pole, #11 Jim Harkness on the outside of the front row, #27 Terry Uehling, and #37 Jerry Everhart – National Championship program.
Terry Doss Hutchinson Nationals program
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Jim Harkness NCRA yearbook
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Dave Frusher Racing from the Past website
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Larry Madden Bob Mays collection
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Grady Wade Racing from the Past website
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Herb Copeland High Plains THUNDER BY Bob Mays
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Dale Reed Racing from the Past website
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Bobby Walker Racing from the Past website
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Ron Fowler Hutchinson Nationals program
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Jerry Soderberg Dodge City Globe
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Jack Petty Ken Gretemen photo from the Bob Mays collection
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Frank Lies Racing from the Past website
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Fred Hembree Racing from the Past website
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Davie Moore Bob Mays collection
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Todd Coker High Plains THUNDER by Bob Mays
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Dutch Ter Steege Racing from the Past website
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Jon Johnson Racing from the Past website
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Larry Dewell Racing from the Past website
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Jerry Everhart Bob Mays collection
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Mike Peters Racing from the Past website
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Jerry Stone Hutchinson Nationals program
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Terry Uehling Hutchinson Nationals program
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Larry Wilson Mike Howard photo from the Racing from the Past website
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Jerald Hedberg Warren Vencent photo |
Junior Modified First Heat Race – 19 Cars – 10 Laps |
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Place |
Car # |
Driver |
From |
Time |
1 |
7 |
Dutch Ter Steege |
Bethany, Oklahoma |
4:13.8 |
2 |
3 |
Bobby Walker |
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
|
3 |
82 |
Larry Wilson |
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
|
4 |
89 |
Nunie Coleman |
Wichita, Kansas |
|
5 |
8x |
Larry Neff |
Wichita, Kansas |
|
6 |
62 |
Charlie Turner |
Arkansas City, Kansas |
|
7 |
99 |
Lonnie Snowden |
Wichita, Kansas |
|
8 |
96x |
Jack Petty |
Wichita, Kansas |
|
9 |
111 |
Oren Haas |
Wichita, Kansas |
|
10 |
71 |
Don McElhinny |
Wichita, Kansas |
|
11 |
17 |
Davie Moore |
Wichita, Kansas |
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Super Modified First Heat Race – 18 Cars – 10 Laps |
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Place |
Car # |
Driver |
From |
Time |
1 |
4x |
Todd Coker |
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
4:31.0 |
2 |
04 |
Roger Thompson |
Junction City, Kansas |
|
3 |
98 |
Jerry Soderberg |
Enid, Oklahoma |
|
4 |
1 |
Larry Madden |
Midwest City, Oklahoma |
|
5 |
86 |
Jon Johnson |
Utica, Kansas |
|
6 |
94 |
Grady Wade |
Wichita, Kansas |
|
7 |
18 |
Bob Peck |
Manhattan, Kansas |
|
8 |
79 |
Fred Hembree |
Ness City, Kansas |
|
9 |
80 |
Bob Thomas |
Humboldt, Kansas |
|
10 |
84 |
Jerald Hedberg |
Lindsborg, Kansas |
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Super Modified Second Heat Race – 18 Cars – 10 Laps |
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Place |
Car # |
Driver |
From |
Time |
1 |
112 |
Larry Dewell |
Fowler, Kansas |
4:20.3 |
2 |
25 |
Jerry Stone |
Wichita, Kansas |
|
3 |
8 |
Herb Copeland |
Dodge City, Kansas |
|
4 |
55 |
Roy Bryant |
Wichita, Kansas |
|
5 |
6 |
Dale Reed |
Wichita, Kansas |
|
6 |
56 |
Frank Lies |
Wichita, Kansas |
|
7 |
81 |
George Armstrong |
Tulsa, Oklahoma |
|
8 |
37 |
Jerry Everhart |
Wichita, Kansas |
|
9 |
11 |
Jim Harkness |
Wichita, Kansas |
|
10 |
73 |
Terry Doss |
Shawnee, Oklahoma |
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Junior Modified Trophy Dash – 9 Cars – 5 Laps |
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Place |
Car # |
Driver |
From |
|
1 |
71 |
Don McElhinny |
Wichita, Kansas |
|
2 |
82 |
Larry Wilson |
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
|
3 |
8x |
Larry Neff |
Wichita, Kansas |
|
4 |
99 |
Lonnie Snowden |
Wichita, Kansas |
|
5 |
3 |
Bobby Walker |
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
|
6 |
111 |
Oren Haas |
Wichita, Kansas |
|
7 |
7 |
Dutch Ter Steege |
Bethany, Oklahoma |
|
8 |
96x |
Jack Petty |
Wichita, Kansas |
|
9 |
62 |
Charlie Turner |
Arkansas City, Kansas |
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Super Modified Trophy Dash – 14 Cars – 5 Laps |
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Place |
Car # |
Driver |
From |
|
1 |
86 |
Jon Johnson |
Utica, Kansas |
|
2 |
94 |
Grady Wade |
Wichita, Kansas |
|
3 |
1 |
Larry Madden |
Midwest City, Oklahoma |
|
4 |
4x |
Todd Coker |
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
|
5 |
56 |
Frank Lies |
Wichita, Kansas |
|
6 |
6 |
Dale Reed |
Wichita, Kansas |
|
7 |
04 |
Roger Thompson |
Junction City, Kansas |
|
8 |
55 |
Roy Bryant |
Wichita, Kansas |
|
9 |
112 |
Larry Dewell |
Fowler, Kansas |
|
10 |
25 |
Jerry Stone |
Wichita, Kansas |
|
11 |
8 |
Herb Copeland |
Dodge City, Kansas |
|
12 |
98 |
Jerry Soderberg |
Enid, Oklahoma |
|
DNF |
21 |
Larry Holman |
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
|
DNF |
1x |
Willie Hecke |
Kearney, Nebraska |
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A hole in the racetrack measuring 6 feet wide, 30 feet long, and 1½ feet deep was responsible for a few incidents during time trials on Saturday. Although maintenance workers filled it in Saturday evening, it reappeared early in Sunday’s racing causing several more accidents. Among those involved were Hecke whose car was crowded into the hole, bounced out sideways, spun around and was struck head-on by Holman’s car. |
Junior Modified Semi–Nationals – 17 Cars – 30 Laps |
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Place |
Car # |
Driver |
From |
Time |
1 |
82 |
Larry Wilson |
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
13.30.1 |
2 |
95 |
Mike Peters |
Wichita, Kansas |
|
3 |
71 |
Don McElhinny |
Wichita, Kansas |
|
4 |
8x |
Larry Neff |
Wichita, Kansas |
|
5 |
99 |
Lonnie Snowden |
Wichita, Kansas |
|
6 |
17 |
Davie Moore |
Wichita, Kansas |
|
7 |
7 |
Dutch Ter Steege |
Bethany, Oklahoma |
|
8 |
38 |
Dave Unruh |
Quinter, Kansas |
|
9 |
96x |
Jack Petty |
Wichita, Kansas |
|
10 |
77 |
Jim Johnson |
Wichita, Kansas |
|
11 |
11x |
Ron Cuda |
Wichita, Kansas |
|
12 |
21x |
Laurance Jarvis |
Andale, Kansas |
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Super Modified National Championship – 31 Cars – 50 Laps |
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Place |
Car # |
Driver |
From |
|
1 |
11 |
Jim Harkness |
Wichita, Kansas |
|
2 |
21 |
Larry Holman |
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
|
3 |
37 |
Jerry Everhart |
Wichita, Kansas |
|
4 |
112 |
Larry Dewell |
Fowler, Kansas |
|
5 |
3 |
Bobby Walker |
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
|
6 |
55 |
Roy Bryant |
Wichita, Kansas |
|
7 |
25 |
Jerry Stone |
Wichita, Kansas |
|
8 |
79 |
Fred Hembree |
Ness City, Kansas |
|
9 |
98 |
Jerry Soderberg |
Enid, Oklahoma |
|
10 |
73 |
Terry Doss |
Shawnee, Oklahoma |
|
11 |
4 |
Ron Fowler |
Chanute, Kansas |
|
12 |
07 |
Dave Frusher |
Ness City, Kansas |
|
13 |
86 |
Jon Johnson |
Utica, Kansas |
|
|
27 |
Terry Uehling |
Ness City, Kansas |
|
DNF |
81 |
George Armstrong |
Tulsa, Oklahoma |
|
DNF |
56 |
Frank Lies |
Wichita, Kansas |
|
DNF |
6 |
Dale Reed |
Wichita, Kansas |
|
DNF |
94 |
Grady Wade |
Wichita, Kansas |
|
DNF |
84 |
Jerald Hedberg |
Lindsborg, Kansas |
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The large hole in southwest turn of the racetrack caused several cars to get out of shape on the first lap and pile into one another necessitating the race to be restarted. Among those involved in the accident were Hedberg, Wade, Stone, and Soderberg. Only 28 cars were able to restart the race. The suspension on Reed’s car had already been damaged by the hole in the southwest turn when it blew a tire exiting the northwest turn on the 17th lap. Reed spun into Armstrong and then the two cars collected Lies’ with all three cars piling into the outside wall. Only 16 cars were able to restart the race after this accident had been cleared away. Doss was running in second place and Fowler in third when they tangled in the southeast turn late in the race. Only eight cars were still running when the checkered flag fell. Harkness won by over half a lap having led every lap to win $900 for first place plus $250 in lap money plus several cash and merchandise contingency prizes. |
Oren Haas left and car owner Glenn Stults stand by the #111 junior modified on the front straightaway before one of the races on this afternoon - Stults collection
#8 Herb Copeland leads #25 Jerry Stone on this afternoon at Hutchinson – Leroy Byers photo from the Bob Mays collection
This photo of Larry Holman was taken on this weekend at Hutchinson. Holman was involved in an accident in the trophy dash but then came back to finish as runner-up to Jim Harkness in the 50-lap National Championship race – Jerry Leep photo from the Russell Revel collection as posted on the Racing from the Past website
#71 Don McElhinny in a Jack Shock owned car in route to winning the junior modified trophy dash on this afternoon at Hutchinson – Hutchinson News photo
Lined up and waiting for the start of the first junior modified heat race on this afternoon. #96 was owned by LeVern Swenson and driven by Jack Petty. #111 was driven by Oren Haas who can be seen sitting on the left nerf bar facing Don McElhinny who is sitting on the right side nerf bar of the #71 car that he drove on this afternoon. That is believed to be Jim McAmis sitting on the left front tire of the #111 - Stults collection
Jim Harkness is shown here seated in Les Steinert’s Chevy lined up on the outside of the front row for the feature event – Leroy Byers photo from the Bob Mays collection
#6 Dale Reed, #56 Frank Lies (next to fence), and #8 (racing officially this day as car #81) George Armstrong tangled on the front straightaway on the 17th lap of the feature. Click your mouse on this photo to see another of Frank Lies (wearing helmet) looking over this wreck from a different angle – Jerry Leep photo from the Russell Revel collection as posted on the Racing from the Past website
#11 Jim Harkness is shown here in the Les–Steinert–owned Chevy at the conclusion of his victory lap after winning the 50-lap championship race on this afternoon – National Championship program
This photo was taken immediately after Jim Harkness’ victory in the 50-lap National Championship race. Left to right are: B.G. Additives & Lubrications Rep. Dick Preston, car owner Les Steinert, Leeane Wedel, Trophy Queen Doris Goertz, and Jim Harkness – National Championship program
Semi-Nationals winner Larry Wilson is shown at left excepting the trophy for his victory from Trophy Queen Doris Goertz National Championship program |
This photo of Roy Bryant and the Kenny-Riffel-owned Chevy #55 was taken on this weekend at Hutchinson - Hutchinson Nationals program
Return to the Feature Race Winners at Hutchinson, Kansas web page