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Ben Swart can be seen standing at the back of the #9 car in this photo that was taken at the Kansas State Fair at Hutchinson, Kansas in 1939. That is Bill Swart standing at the far right. Bud Bardi* is in the #9 Swart brothers' car. The #500 car was owned by Posey Reeves of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – Photo from the Roy Pulver collection
#9 Swart Brothers’ Big Car
Built: In 1939 by brothers Ben and Bill Swart of Wichita, Kansas. The original tail was built by Roger Elgin of Wichita, Kansas.
Owners: Brothers: Benton Eugene “Ben” Swart (1913-1993) and James William “Bill” Swart (1915-1995)
Crewman: Clarence C. E. “Mac” McCord and Chet Groves
Engine: Funk Model C Ford with a Miller high speed head and 7:1 compression.
Ben Swart filed the name “Miller” off of the head. (The original engine blew up in a race at Pueblo, Colorado so this engine was purchased from Loren Fondoble. It was an aircraft conversion by the Funk Aircraft Co., Coffeyville, Kansas.)
Brakes: Two wheel
Transmission: 1928 Ford
Clutch: 1928 Ford multi-disk
Starter: Pulled with a rope to start as it had no bumpers.
Gears: 4:11 - on the high banked half-mile at Belleville, Kansas
4:56 - on flat half-mile tracks
Drivers: (The first driver listed was the first to drive it and the last driver listed was the last to drive it but the others are listed in no particular order.)
Buck Fletcher, Bill Everhart, Walt Moffatt, Fred Bass, Gregg Tiederman, Rex Woodward, Warren Hamilton,
Claude Gorin, Harry West, Bill Swart, Merle Brumm, Don Brown, Tex West, Loren Fondoble, Bud Bardi*,
and Bob Murra.
Last Race: Belleville, Kansas – August 31, 1950 - Wrecked by Bob Murra and never rebuilt.
Sold: Ben Swart sold the engine to Woodie L. Spencer of Harper, Kansas and the rest of the car in pieces to Roy Pulver of Wichita, Kansas. Pulver sold those pieces to Jim Banta of Waxhaw, North Carolina.
*Bud Bardi is believed to have been an alias used by Zenon R. “Bud” Bardowski (1914-2000) from Indiana.
