Big Car Races on the

Historic Half-mile Racetrack at the

Kansas State Fairgrounds

 Hutchinson, Kansas

Thursday – September 19, 1946

 

 

Sanctioned by – International Motor Contest Association (I.M.C.A.)

Promotional company – Auto Racing Incorporated of Minneapolis, Minnesota

Race promoter – Frank R. Winkley of Minneapolis, Minnesota****

 

Attendance – 14,000

 

Track condition – “Extremely muddy”

 

 

 

  

 

  

Time Trials - 1 Lap

The racetrack was so muddy that Collins’ lap of 42.0 was the fastest that anyone could muster.

 

 

  

Salt Hawk Dash – 4 Cars - 4 Laps***

There is a big discrepancy between newspaper accounts of this race and official I.M.C.A. race results.  The official paperwork appears to have been filled out at a later date so the above are the newspaper results.  According to official I.M.C.A. records, the finishing order for this five-lap race were: (1) Emory Collins of Le Mars, IA driving the Riverside Special Offy #7; (2) Chuck Frame of Belleville, KS driving the Wilson Offy #2; and (3) Harry West of San Jose, CA driving the Earl D.O. Dreyer #27.  Other starters in this event were Al Speth of Davenport, IA driving #8; Loren Fondoble of Wichita, KS driving the Fondoble Riley #10; and Bob Green of Oklahoma City, OK driving #99.

 

 

Salt City Dash – 3 Cars - 4 Laps***

There is a big discrepancy between newspaper accounts of this race and official I.M.C.A. race results.  The official paperwork appears to have been filled out at a later date so the above are the newspaper results.  According to official I.M.C.A. records, the finishing order for this five-lap race was: (1) Loren Fondoble of Wichita, KS driving the Fondoble Riley #10; (2) Posey Reeves of Oklahoma City, OK driving the Reeves Hal #7; and (3) Al Speth of Davenport, IA driving the #8.  Other starters in this event were Bob Green of Oklahoma City, OK driving #99; Merle Brumm of Davenport, IA driving #3; and Lee Oldfield driving #30.

 

 

 

Arkansas Valley Dash - 4 Laps***

Brumm and Oldfield were even until Brumm found some dryer dirt about 50 feet from the finish line and the better traction that gave him let him pull ahead by just enough to win.

There is a big discrepancy between newspaper accounts of this race and official I.M.C.A. race results.  The official paperwork appears to have been filled out at a later date so the above are the newspaper results.  According to official I.M.C.A. records, the finishing order for this five-lap race was: (1) Billy LaRue of Rock Island, IL driving #44; (2) C. H. “Sonny” Ebsen of Los Angeles, CA driving #57; and (3) Lee Oldfield of Washington, IA driving #30.  Other starters in this event were Merle Brumm of Davenport, IA driving #3; Bob Green of Oklahoma City, OK driving #99; and Eddie Carmichael of Oklahoma City, OK driving #5.

 

 

 

Heat Race – 5 Cars – 5 Laps

 

 

 

 Invitational Match Race – 2 Cars - 3 Laps       

The finish of this race was very close. 

 

 

Kansas State Sweepstakes – 8 Cars – 5 Laps

Collins ran away with this race and was awarded the Governor’s Trophy.

This race was scheduled for ten laps but was cut to five laps due to muddy track conditions.

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Harry West, driving the Murray Earl owned #27 D. O. Dreyer, navigating the northwest turn on the Kansas State Fair racetrack in 1946 – Swart collection

 

 

 

 

*Harry West was from Joplin, Missouri whereas it was his car owner, Murray Earl, who resided at San Jose, California.

 

**Alvin L. “Al” Speth (1913-1953) was fatally injured in a racing accident at Des Moines, Iowa.

 

*** This race was shortened from its scheduled five laps to four laps due to muddy track conditions.  Several other cars were scheduled to start this race that did not, presumably due to those same muddy track conditions.

 

**** Al Sweeney signed the official paper work for I.M.C.A. as the race promoter but the official records also appear to have been filled out at a later date.

 

 

 

 

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