New Model Stock Car Races

On the Historic Half-mile Racetrack at the

Kansas State Fairgrounds

 Hutchinson, Kansas

Friday – July 4, 1952

 

 Race Promoter – Verne Hamilton of Hutchinson, Kansas

Attendance – 5,000

 

 

 

Norman Horn of Great Bend, Kansas driving a 1949 Packard leads car #50 Bill Lehman of Hutchinson in his 1950 Pontiac during the second 25-lap heat race – Lehman collection

 

 

 

Pre-Published Entry List

 

Driver

From

Automobile

 

Jim Roper

Halstead, Kansas

1951 Studebaker

 

Bob McKim

Salina, Kansas

V8 Chrysler

 

Jimmie Clark

Ft. Worth, Texas

1950 Oldsmobile 88

 

Norman Horn

Great Bend, Kansas

1949 Packard

 

Jim Ware

Hutchinson, Kansas

1948 Hudson

 

Bill Lehman

Hutchinson, Kansas

1950 Pontac

 

J. R. “Bob” Cox

Halstead, Kansas

1947 Ford

 

Red Wilson

Hutchinson, Kansas

1948 DeSoto

 

Dan Berghaus

Meade, Kansas

1949 Mercury

 

Milton Luft

Great Bend, Kansas

1949 Oldsmobile 88

 

Jim Reed*

Hutchinson, Kansas

1948 Ford

 

Clarence L. "Lead Foot" Bolton

Hutchinson, Kansas

1947 Ford

 

Gayford Dye

Hutchinson, Kansas

1948 Ford

 

Bill Massey

Hutchinson, Kansas

1949 Oldsmobile

 

Charlie Lutkie

Wichita, Kansas

1948 Oldsmobile

 

Willard Bodkins

Winfield, Kansas

1948 Chrysler

 

Bob Gass

Hutchinson, Kansas

1946 Ford

 

Howard Gillham

Wichita, Kansas

1951 Oldsmobile 88

 

Frank Lies

Wichita, Kansas

1951 Chrysler

 

 

 

Time Trials – 1 Lap

Place 

Driver

From

Time

  1 

Bob Dugan

Miami, Florida

33.83

  2

Frank Black

Ft. Worth, Texas

34.00

  3

Bill Wesley

Liberal, Kansas

34.19

  4

Jim Ware

Hutchinson, Kansas

34.55

  5

Milton Luft

Great Bend, Kansas

34.85

  6

Norman Horn

Great Bend, Kansas

34.94

  7

Gayford Dye

Hutchinson, Kansas

34.95

  8

Bill Lehman

Hutchinson, Kansas

35.55

 

 

 

First Heat Race – 25 Laps

Place 

Driver

From

 

  1 

Bob Dugan

Miami, Florida

 

  2

Bill Wesley

Liberal, Kansas

 

  3

J. R. “Bob” Cox

Halstead, Kansas

 

  4

Milton Luft

Great Bend, Kansas

 

  5

Fred South

Salina, Kansas

 

  6

Clarence L. "Lead Foot" Bolton

Hutchinson, Kansas

 

  

 

 

Second Heat Race – 25 Laps

Place 

Driver

From

 

  1 

Frank Black

Ft. Worth, Texas

 

  2

Jim Ware

Hutchinson, Kansas

 

  3

Norman Horn

Great Bend, Kansas

 

  4

Bill Lehman

Hutchinson, Kansas

 

  5

Jim Wheelon

Hutchinson, Kansas

 

  6

John Riead*

Hutchinson, Kansas

 

Ware filed an official protest against the car driven by Black contending Black’s 1947 Ford contained some non-stock parts.  Race officials inspected Black’s car after the completion of the feature race and found that no illegal parts were being used.

  

 

 

Feature Race – 100 Laps

Place 

Driver

From

 

  1 

Frank Black

Ft. Worth, Texas

 

  2

Bob Dugan

Miami, Florida

 

  3

Milton Luft

Great Bend, Kansas

 

  4

Bill Wesley

Liberal, Kansas

 

  5

J. R. “Bob” Cox

Halstead, Kansas

 

  6

Red Wilson

Hutchinson, Kansas

 

  7

Clarence L. "Lead Foot" Bolton

Hutchinson, Kansas

 

  8

Jim Wheelon

Hutchinson, Kansas

 

  9

Bob Gass

Hutchinson, Kansas

 

10

John Riead*

Hutchinson, Kansas

 

11

Jim Curley

Hutchinson, Kansas

 

12

Gayford Dye

Hutchinson, Kansas

 

13

Fred South

Salina, Kansas

 

 

Norman Horn

Great Bend, Kansas

 

 

Jim Ware

Hutchinson, Kansas

 

            South had only completed 70 laps when Black crossed the finish line.

            Cars driven by Riead and South suffered blow outs but continued in the race after making pit stops to replace the bad tires.

            Cars driven by Wheelon and Bolton spun out in the north turn but both were able to get underway again.

            Ware led the race until a tire “went bad” and he lost 4 laps in the pits getting a new one.  He was trying to make up the lost ground when he tried to take the north turn too fast on the 64th lap causing his car to roll and flip end-over-end several times.  Ware received a small cut over his eye but it was not serious.

            Wheelon’s car bumped into Ware’s wrecked Ford but was able to continue on for several laps before a blown tire caused him to loose control and crash through the inside fence on the north curve.

            The cars driven by Bolton and Riead collided in the north turn on the final lap and both cars then crashed into the outside fence.

            A front axel broke on Horn’s car sending it crashing into a post in the infield of the south turn.

 

 

 

Gayford Dye

Lehman collection

John Riead

John Riead collection

Bill Lehman

Lehman collection

 

 

 

 

 

*  John Riead and James C. “Jim” Reed (1930-1999) were brothers-in-law. 

  

 

 

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