JayCee Speedway
Larned, Kansas
Sunday Afternoon – May 4, 1958
Race promoter – Jack Merrick of Dodge City, Kansas
Sanctioned by – Merrick Racing Promotions of Dodge City, Kansas
Sponsored by – Larned Jaycees of Larned, Kansas
President of the Larned Jaycees – Dean Sallee of Larned, Kansas
Speedway general manager – Virgil McNeil of Larned, Kansas
Assistant speedway general manager – Wilbur Dirks of Larned, Kansas
Public address announcer – Jack Merrick of Dodge City, Kansas
Flagman / starter – Ben Hughes of Dodge City, Kansas
Pit steward – Bob Platt of Larned, Kansas
Assistant pit steward – Darrell Harms of Dodge City, Kansas
Trophy girl – Linda Smith of Rozel, Kansas
Great Bend Tribune
May 4, 1958
This photo was taken in Liberal, Kansas just before Nut Cokeley left on this morning for these races at the JayCee Speedway at Larned - Cokeley collection
List of Entries – 24 Cars |
|||||
Car # |
Driver |
Driver From |
Car Owner |
Car Owner From |
|
1 |
Bob Haberman |
Larned, Kansas |
A. Elwood Cole |
Larned, Kansas |
|
|
3 |
Ron Nicholson |
Larned, Kansas |
Wilbur Dirks |
Larned, Kansas |
|
5 |
Floyd "Dutch" Davis |
Dodge City, Kansas |
C. J. Fitzgerald |
Minneola, Kansas |
|
8 |
Leland Salmans |
Larned, Kansas |
Leland Salmans |
Larned, Kansas |
|
10 |
Milton Luft |
Great Bend, Kansas |
Richard Dougherty |
Great Bend, Kansas |
13 |
Harley Cole |
Larned, Kansas |
Clyde Bennett |
Larned, Kansas |
|
14 |
Ferrill Curtis |
Timken, Kansas |
Vernon Schrater |
Timken, Kansas |
|
16 |
Gene Potts |
Great Bend, Kansas |
Gene Potts |
Great Bend, Kansas |
|
|
27 |
Clarence "Nut" Cokeley |
Liberal, Kansas |
Bud Hibler |
Hooker, Oklahoma |
|
28 |
Cliff Schriner |
Dodge City, Kansas |
W. T. "Tommy" Jones |
Dodge City, Kansas |
29 |
Lee Burgess |
Larned, Kansas |
Bill Fairchild |
Larned, Kansas |
|
33 |
Calvin Thornton |
Great Bend, Kansas |
Calvin Thornton |
Great Bend, Kansas |
|
|
35 |
Fred Kuntzsch |
Larned, Kansas |
Fred Kuntzsch |
Larned, Kansas |
40 |
Bob Webster |
Wichita, Kansas |
Earl Vratil |
Larned, Kansas |
|
|
49 |
Leroy Powell |
Great Bend, Kansas |
Joe Clawson |
Great Bend, Kansas |
65 |
Harry Vratil |
Larned, Kansas |
Joe Vratil |
Larned, Kansas |
|
71 |
Bob Murphy |
Larned, Kansas |
Herman Dirks |
Albert, Kansas |
|
74 |
J. D. Pflieger |
Dodge City, Kansas |
Tabler, Fischer, Sallee & Constant* |
Larned, Kansas |
|
|
77 |
Ted Kreger |
Dodge City, Kansas |
Elmer "Shorty" Adams |
Dodge City, Kansas |
81 |
Don Graves |
Great Bend, Kansas |
Marvin Clawson |
Great Bend, Kansas |
|
|
82 |
Don Spreier |
Larned, Kansas |
Charles Berryman |
Larned, Kansas |
|
83 |
Bill Nave |
Chase, Kansas |
Bill Nave |
Chase, Kansas |
85 |
Bernie Beydler |
Great Bend, Kansas |
J. L. "Junior" Stillwell |
Great Bend, Kansas |
|
97 |
Lyle Lewis |
Dighton, Kansas |
Lyle Lewis |
Dighton, Kansas |
Nelson Carlson Toiler & Toiler
|
Don Spreier Cokeley collection
|
Milton Luft Alan Salmans collection
|
Bob Murphy Bob Murphy collection
|
Leland Salmans Alan Salmans collection
|
Harley Cole Cokeley collection
|
Nut Cokeley Cokeley collection
|
Ferrill Curtis Schrater family collection
|
Cliff Schriner Cokeley collection
|
Dutch Davis Cokeley collection
|
Ted Kreger Cokeley collection
|
Fritz Kuntzsch Klein collection
|
Lyle Lewis Cokeley collection
|
Bob Haberman Haberman collection
|
Gene Potts Schrater family collection
|
First Heat Race – 8 Cars – 10 Laps |
||||||
Place |
Car # |
Driver |
From |
Car Owners |
Car Owners From |
Started |
1 |
16 |
Gene Potts |
Great Bend, Kansas |
Gene Potts |
Great Bend, Kansas |
3 |
2 |
49 |
Leroy Powell |
Great Bend, Kansas |
Joe Clawson |
Great Bend, Kansas |
1 |
3 |
83 |
Bill Nave |
Chase, Kansas |
Bill Nave |
Chase, Kansas |
2 |
4 |
65 |
Harry Vratil |
Larned, Kansas |
Joe Vratil |
Larned, Kansas |
7 |
5 |
13 |
Harley Cole |
Larned, Kansas |
Clyde Bennett |
Larned, Kansas |
4 |
DNF |
81 |
Don Graves |
Great Bend, Kansas |
Marvin Clawson |
Great Bend, Kansas |
8 |
DNF |
28 |
Cliff Schrinner |
Dodge City, Kansas |
W. T. "Tommy" Jones |
Dodge City, Kansas |
6 |
DNF |
8 |
Leland Salmans |
Larned, Kansas |
Leland Salmans |
Larned, Kansas |
5 |
Second Heat Race – 7 Cars – 10 Laps |
||||||
Place |
Car # |
Driver |
From |
Car Owner |
Car Owner From |
Started |
1 |
82 |
Don Spreier |
Larned, Kansas |
Charles Berryman |
Larned, Kansas |
1 |
2 |
10 |
Milton Luft |
Great Bend, Kansas |
Richard Dougherty |
Great Bend, Kansas |
5 |
3 |
14 |
Ferrill Curtis |
Timpken, Kansas |
Vernon Schrater |
Timpken, Kansas |
4 |
4 |
74 |
J. D. Pflieger |
Dodge City, Kansas |
Tabler, Fischer, Sallee & Constant* |
Larned, Kansas |
6 |
29 |
Lee Burgess |
Larned, Kansas |
Bill Fairchild |
Larned, Kansas |
2 |
|
33 |
Calvin Thornton |
Great Bend, Kansas |
Calvin Thornton |
Great Bend, Kansas |
3 |
|
1 |
Bob Haberman |
Larned, Kansas |
A. Elwood Cole |
Larned, Kansas |
7 |
Third Heat Race – 9 Cars – 10 Laps |
||||||
Place |
Car # |
Driver |
From |
Car Owner |
Car Owner From |
Started |
1 |
40 |
Bob Webster |
Wichita, Kansas |
Earl Vratil |
Larned, Kansas |
1 |
2 |
77 |
Ted Kreger |
Dodge City, Kansas |
Elmer "Shorty" Adams |
Dodge City, Kansas |
3 |
3 |
71 |
Bob Murphy |
Larned, Kansas |
Herman Dirks |
Albert, Kansas |
8 |
4 |
85 |
Bernie Beydler |
Great Bend, Kansas |
J. L. "Junior" Stillwell |
Great Bend, Kansas |
5 |
3 |
Ron Nicholson |
Larned, Kansas |
Wilbur Dirks |
Larned, Kansas |
2 |
|
97 |
Lyle Lewis |
Dighton, Kansas |
Lyle Lewis |
Dighton, Kansas |
6 |
|
27 |
Clarence "Nut" Cokeley |
Liberal, Kansas |
Bud Hibler |
Hooker, Oklahoma |
7 |
|
35 |
Fritz Kuntzsch |
Larned, Kansas |
Fritz Kuntzsch |
Liberal, Kansas |
9 |
|
DNF |
5 |
Floyd "Dutch" Davis |
Dodge City, Kansas |
C. J. Fitzgerald |
Minneola, Kansas |
4 |
Davis dropped out with a broken axle. |
Trophy Dash – 6 Cars – 5 Laps |
||||||
Place |
Car # |
Driver |
From |
Car Owner |
Car Owner From |
Started |
1 |
16 |
Gene Potts |
Great Bend, Kansas |
Gene Potts |
Great Bend, Kansas |
1 |
2 |
40 |
Bob Webster |
Wichita, Kansas |
Earl Vratil |
Larned, Kansas |
5 |
3 |
77 |
Ted Kreger |
Dodge City, Kansas |
Elmer "Shorty" Adams |
Dodge City, Kansas |
6 |
4 |
10 |
Milton Luft |
Great Bend, Kansas |
Richard Dougherty |
Great Bend, Kansas |
4 |
49 |
Leroy Powell |
Great Bend, Kansas |
Joe Clawson |
Great Bend, Kansas |
2 |
|
82 |
Don Spreier |
Larned, Kansas |
Charles Berryman |
Larned, Kansas |
3 |
First Semi-Final Race – 11 Cars – 10 Laps |
||||||
Place |
Car # |
Driver |
From |
Car Owner |
Car Owner From |
Started |
1 |
16 |
Gene Potts |
Great Bend, Kansas |
Gene Potts |
Great Bend, Kansas |
1 |
2 |
85 |
Bernie Beydler |
Great Bend, Kansas |
J. L. "Junior" Stillwell |
Great Bend, Kansas |
9 |
3 |
40 |
Bob Webster |
Wichita, Kansas |
Earl Vratil |
Larned, Kansas |
7 |
4 |
77 |
Ted Kreger |
Dodge City, Kansas |
Elmer "Shorty" Adams |
Dodge City, Kansas |
8 |
5 |
27 |
Clarence "Nut" Cokeley |
Liberal, Kansas |
Bud Hibler |
Hooker, Oklahoma |
10 |
8 |
Leland Salmans |
Larned, Kansas |
Leland Salmans |
Larned, Kansas |
2 |
|
65 |
Harry Vratil |
Larned, Kansas |
Joe Vratil |
Larned, Kansas |
3 |
|
29 |
Lee Burgess |
Larned, Kansas |
Bill Fairchild |
Larned, Kansas |
4 |
|
14 |
Ferrill Curtis |
Timpken, Kansas |
Vernon Schrater |
Timpken, Kansas |
6 |
|
1 |
Bob Haberman |
Larned, Kansas |
A. Elwood Cole |
Larned, Kansas |
11 |
|
DNF |
35 |
Fritz Kuntzsch |
Larned, Kansas |
Fritz Kuntzsch |
Larned, Kansas |
5 |
Kuntzsch had been gaining ground on the lead car when a minor incident near the halfway point in the race forced him to the pits and out of the race with a bent tie-rod. |
Second Semi-Final Race – 10 Cars – 10 Laps |
||||||
Place |
Car # |
Driver |
From |
Car Owner |
Car Owner From |
Started |
1 |
83 |
Bill Nave |
Chase, Kansas |
Bill Nave |
Chase, Kansas |
1 |
2 |
82 |
Don Spreier |
Larned, Kansas |
Charles Berryman |
Larned, Kansas |
3 |
3 |
3 |
Ron Nicholson |
Larned, Kansas |
Wilbur Dirks |
Larned, Kansas |
7 |
4 |
10 |
Milton Luft |
Great Bend, Kansas |
Richard Dougherty |
Great Bend, Kansas |
5 |
5 |
97 |
Lyle Lewis |
Dighton, Kansas |
Lyle Lewis |
Dighton, Kansas |
8 |
13 |
Harley Cole |
Larned, Kansas |
Clyde Bennett |
Larned, Kansas |
2 |
|
33 |
Calvin Thornton |
Great Bend, Kansas |
Calvin Thornton |
Great Bend, Kansas |
4 |
|
74 |
J. D. Pflieger |
Dodge City, Kansas |
Tabler, Fischer, Sallee & Constant* |
Larned, Kansas |
6 |
|
81 |
Don Graves |
Great Bend, Kansas |
Marvin Clawson |
Great Bend, Kansas |
10 |
|
DNF |
71 |
Bob Murphy |
Larned, Kansas |
Herman Dirks |
Albert, Kansas |
9 |
Murphy dropped out with a flat tire. |
Consolation Race – 9 Cars – 8 Laps |
||||||
Place |
Car # |
Driver |
From |
Car Owner |
Car Owner From |
Started |
1 |
97 |
Lyle Lewis |
Dighton, Kansas |
Lyle Lewis |
Dighton, Kansas |
8 |
2 |
27 |
Clarence "Nut" Cokeley** |
Liberal, Kansas |
Bud Hibler |
Hooker, Oklahoma |
6 |
3 |
35 |
Fritz Kuntzsch |
Larned, Kansas |
Fritz Kuntzsch |
Larned, Kansas |
7 |
4 |
33 |
Calvin Thornton |
Great Bend, Kansas |
Calvin Thornton |
Great Bend, Kansas |
3 |
5 |
1 |
Bob Haberman |
Larned, Kansas |
A. Elwood Cole |
Larned, Kansas |
5 |
13 |
Harley Cole |
Larned, Kansas |
Clyde Bennett |
Larned, Kansas |
2 |
|
81 |
Don Graves |
Great Bend, Kansas |
Marvin Clawson |
Great Bend, Kansas |
9 |
|
DNF |
8 |
Leland Salmans |
Larned, Kansas |
Leland Salmans |
Larned, Kansas |
1 |
DNF |
29 |
Lee Burgess |
Larned, Kansas |
Bill Fairchild |
Larned, Kansas |
4 |
Burgess dropped out with a flat tire. |
B Feature Race – 11 Cars – 15 Laps |
||||||
Place |
Car # |
Driver |
From |
Car Owner |
Car Owner From |
Started |
1 |
16 |
Gene Potts |
Great Bend, Kansas |
Gene Potts |
Great Bend, Kansas |
3 |
2 |
49 |
Leroy Powell |
Great Bend, Kansas |
Joe Clawson |
Great Bend, Kansas |
1 |
3 |
65 |
Harry Vratil |
Larned, Kansas |
Joe Vratil |
Larned, Kansas |
7 |
4 |
8 |
Leland Salmans |
Larned, Kansas |
Leland Salmans |
Larned, Kansas |
6 |
5 |
33 |
Calvin Thornton |
Great Bend, Kansas |
Calvin Thornton |
Great Bend, Kansas |
9 |
6 |
1 |
Bob Haberman |
Larned, Kansas |
A. Elwood Cole |
Larned, Kansas |
10 |
7 |
83 |
Bill Nave |
Chase, Kansas |
Bill Nave |
Chase, Kansas |
2 |
13 |
Harley Cole |
Larned, Kansas |
Clyde Bennett |
Larned, Kansas |
4 |
|
82 |
Don Spreier |
Larned, Kansas |
Charles Berryman |
Larned, Kansas |
8 |
|
81 |
Don Graves |
Great Bend, Kansas |
Marvin Clawson |
Great Bend, Kansas |
11 |
|
DNF |
74 |
J. D. Pflieger |
Dodge City, Kansas |
Tabler, Fischer, Sallee & Constant* |
Larned, Kansas |
5 |
Both Salmans and Vratil had some anxious moments when their cars each grazed the front straightaway fence on different laps but both drivers kept their cars under control and continued on in the race. Powell waged a "nip and tuck" battle for the lead this entire race coming up just short of the victory at the finish line. Pflieger's car lost its right front wheel and he spun into the infield near the first turn. |
A Feature Race – 10 Cars – 20 Laps |
||||||
Place |
Car # |
Driver |
From |
Car Owner |
Car Owner From |
Started |
1 |
40 |
Bob Webster |
Wichita, Kansas |
Earl Vratil |
Larned, Kansas |
4 |
2 |
27 |
Clarence "Nut" Cokeley** |
Liberal, Kansas |
Bud Hibler |
Hooker, Oklahoma |
9 |
3 |
85 |
Bernie Beydler |
Great Bend, Kansas |
J. L. "Junior" Stillwell |
Great Bend, Kansas |
7 |
4 |
97 |
Lyle Lewis |
Dighton, Kansas |
Lyle Lewis |
Dighton, Kansas |
8 |
5 |
10 |
Milton Luft |
Great Bend, Kansas |
Richard Dougherty |
Great Bend, Kansas |
2 |
6 |
77 |
Ted Kreger |
Dodge City, Kansas |
Elmer "Shorty" Adams |
Dodge City, Kansas |
6 |
7 |
14 |
Ferrill Curtis |
Timpken, Kansas |
Vernon Schrater |
Timpken, Kansas |
3 |
3 |
Ron Nicholson |
Larned, Kansas |
Wilbur Dirks |
Larned, Kansas |
5 |
|
DNF |
71 |
Bob Murphy |
Larned, Kansas |
Herman Dirks |
Albert, Kansas |
10 |
DNF |
35 |
Fritz Kuntzsch |
Larned, Kansas |
Fritz Kuntzsch |
Larned, Kansas |
1 |
Starting in the pole position, Kuntzsch led from the start and increased that lead each of the first nine laps before his engine went sour. At that point, Webster began to gain on Kuntzsch finally passing him for the lead. Webster then maintained the front position for the remainder of the race while Kuntzsch's engine woes forced him to drop out of the contest.
#14 Ferrill Curtis finished just behind #10 Milton Luft in the second heat race at JayCee Speedway on this afternoon - Schrater family collection
This photo of the #74 jalopy, driven on this afternoon by J. D. Pflieger, was taken in the pit area at Larned after it had lost its right front wheel in the B feature. The car with the number 2 visible on its trunk-lid at far right is the #29 jalopy driven by Lee Burgess - Cokeley collection
This photo was taken on the pace lap before the 20-lap A feature got underway at JayCee Speedway on this afternoon and shows the #10 Hudson driven by outside front row starter Milton Luft and the #40 Ford of eventual winner Bob Webster who started on the outside of the second row. Pole sitter Fritz Kuntzsch's #35 Ford is just visible to the left of Luft's machine - Great Bend Tribune
* D. Vane Tabler, Rex Fischer, Dean Sallee, and Riley Eugene "Gene" Constant all of Larned.
** Clarence "Nut" Cokeley (1926-2007) finished second in the consolation race and second in the A feature to collect a total of $13.20 in prize money from the purse on this afternoon.
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