Automobile Races
American Legion One-Mile Dirt Oval Racetrack
Oakley, Kansas
Sunday Afternoon, September 14, 1930
These races were organized by Tom Holden4 under the name Consolidated Auto Racing Association. The only results that have been discovered to date are that Sammy Ard2 of Sterling, Colorado won a 5-mile B class preliminary race and Rae Bray of Hutchinson, Kansas won the 8-mile Sweepstakes.
An Incomplete List of Entries:
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Driver Russell D. “R. D.” Hill 1 Sammy Ard 2 Tom Holden 3 Moon Mullins Dorsey Sands Harley Olsen 4 Emanuel N. Dutton |
Hometown Hutchinson, Kansas Arkansas City, Kansas Oakley, Kansas Sterling, Colorado Denver, Colorado Los Angeles, California Denver, Colorado Fremont, Nebraska Cheyenne Wells, Colorado |
Tom Holden preparing to take a lap of the track “at speed” while blindfolded |
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This photo and the one at left both show Tom Holden blindfolded on the racetrack |
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The public address system |
Sam Ard winning the B class preliminary race |
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Dorsey Sands leading |
Rea Bray ready to tow home after winning the Sweepstakes |
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Dorsey Sands leading the B class preliminary race |
Dorsey Sands leading |
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Dorsey Sands leading with Harley Olsen in second and Moon Mullins both in hot pursuit
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Sam Ard after winning the B class preliminary race |
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Emanuel. Dutton leading Dorsey Sands and Moon Mullins in the B class preliminary race |
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Rae Bray leading the Sweepstakes |
Rae Bray has the inside line in the Sweepstakes |
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The start of the consolation race That is the #37 of Moon Mullins on the outside and the #12 of Dorsey Sands on the inside. |
Moon Mullins at left passing Harley Olsen |
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Moon Mullins leading the B class preliminary race followed by Emanuel Dutton and Sam Ard |
Sam Ard followed by Dorsey Sands in the Sweepstakes |
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Sam Ard leading |
Rae Bray winning the Sweepstakes |
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Dorsey Sands leading the B class preliminary race |
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Russell Darius “R. D.” Hill
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Bill Epps
Bill Epps2 was seriously injured when his P.E.B. Special collided with another car in a race at Hugo, Colorado on Friday, September 12, 1930 and over turned several times. As a result, he was unable to participate in these races at Oakley. Tom Holden replaced Epps in performing a stunt where he circled the racetrack “at speed” while blindfolded during intermission.
Russell Darius “R. D.” Hill
Russell Darius “R. D.” Hill (1901-1984) was entered in these races. Sometimes he drove his own cars while at other times; others drove his cars for him. The day after these races at Oakley, Rae Bray drove a #7 Hill Special Fronty owned by Russell D. Hill in races at the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson.
Oakes Photo Studio
Leslie Oakes owned the Oakes Photo Studio in Oakley from the 1920s into the 1940s. He would take his camera to the races at Oakley, take photos and pass out his business cards. After the races, he would go to his studio and develop the film so that the photos would be ready by the next day. Customers could purchase as many of the photos as they wanted but Oakes also offered them for sale in numbered sets probably at a volume discount. Individual Oakes Studio photos have turned up that were taken at the various races at Oakley but the set taken on this day that is on this webpage is the only complete set to be located so far. It belongs to Jeff Adams who has graciously made the complete set available for viewing here.
Leslie Oakes and his wife divorced in the 1940s and he moved to Texas where he passed away. They had two children who have both passed away now as well.
If you know anything more about the racing on this day at Oakley, others who were there, or if you can identify any of the unidentified people or cars above, please contact Bob Lawrence.
1 Russell Darius “R. D.” Hill (1901-1984) was born in Kansas City, Kansas and moved Arkansas City, Kansas in the 1920s. He owned and drove racing cars around Kansas until the late 1930s when he moved to Yankton, South Dakota. R. D. Hill passed away at Mesa, Arizona and is buried in the Yankton City Cemetery in Yankton, South Dakota.
2 Samuel K. “Sammy” Ard (1904-1950) is buried in the Sterling Cemetery at Sterling, Colorado.
3 Tom Holden (1906-1987) is buried in the City Cemetery at WaKeeney, Kansas.
4 Harley Raymond Olsen (1899-1991) is buried in the Bluffs Trinity Lutheran Cemetery at Fremont, Nebraska.
Return to the History of Automobile Racing at Oakley, Kansas home page