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

 

Jim Harkness

NCRA yearbook

 

 

Dave Frusher

Racing from the Past website

 

Larry Madden

Bob Mays collection

 

Grady Wade

Racing from the Past website

 

Herb Copeland

High Plains THUNDER BY Bob Mays

 

Dale Reed

Racing from the Past website

 

Bobby Walker

Racing from the Past website

 

Ron Fowler

Hutchinson Nationals program

 

Jerry Soderberg

Dodge City Globe

 

Jack Petty

Ken Gretemen photo from the Bob Mays collection

 

Frank Lies

Racing from the Past website

 

Fred Hembree

Racing from the Past website

 

Davie Moore

Bob Mays collection

 

Todd Coker

High Plains THUNDER  by Bob Mays

 

Dutch Ter Steege

Racing from the Past website

 

Jon Johnson

Racing from the Past website

 

Larry Dewell

Racing from the Past website

 

Jerry Everhart

Bob Mays collection

 

Mike Peters

Racing from the Past website

 

Jerry Stone

Hutchinson Nationals program

 

Terry Uehling

Hutchinson Nationals program

 

Larry Wilson

Mike Howard photo from the Racing from the Past website

 

Jerald Hedberg

Warren Vencent photo

 

Junior Modified

First Heat Race – 19 Cars – 10 Laps

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Super Modified

First Heat Race – 18 Cars – 10 Laps

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Super Modified

Second Heat Race – 18 Cars – 10 Laps

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Junior Modified

Trophy Dash – 9 Cars – 5 Laps

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Super Modified

Trophy Dash – 14 Cars – 5 Laps

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

 

          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

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Super Modified

National Championship – 31 Cars – 50 Laps

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

 

          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

 

 

 

   

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