William Raymond “Bill” Epps

Bill Epps was born on December 5, 1900 in Kansas, the second of five children born to James R. and Bessie Epps.  He was reared on a farm in Gove County, Kansas and known as “Willie” as a youngster although that changed to “Bill” as he got older.  His father took a job with the railroad and moved the family to Oakley, Kansas where Bill and his brother Howard got jobs as automobile mechanics in a local garage.

Bill Epps seated in Pete Bertrand’s first #44 P.E.B. Special at Oakley, Kansas on July 4, 1928

Oakes photo from the Gayle Hoyle collection

Before long, Bill was driving racing cars.  Although not totally unheard of, it was at least uncommon to see a Negro driving racing cars in those days.  His first race that we have found record of was the Fall Speed Classic run on October 9, 1926 at the Western Kansas Motor Show.  That race was run before 5,000 fans on the new one-mile dirt oval Widdifield Farm Racetrack located in a field just north of Oakley.  Bill finished third in the 50-mile feature race that day behind Jim White of Sharon Springs, Kansas and Harry Kurtz of Voda, Kansas.  Bill was driving a four-cylinder Fronty Ford #44 known as the P.E.B. Special.  It was owned by Pierre “Pete” Bertrand who, with his brother Ernie, had built the car with sponsorship from White Eagle gasoline.  Thus, the P.E.B. Special got its name from Pete and Ernie Bertrand.

The next races that we know of that Bill Epps competed in were twin 10-mile events run on the Widdifield Farm Racetrack on December 5, 1926.  In the first of these races, Bill was running in third place in the P.E.B. Special when the two leading cars ran into trouble on the sixth lap propelling Bill into the lead.  From there, he went on to claim his first known racing victory.  Bill’s elation was short lived however as the P.E.B. Special dropped out of the second 10-mile race that day with engine trouble.

Car Owner Pete Bertrand seated in his first #44 P.E.B. Special

Fick Fossil and History Museum collection

More than 5,000 people attended the next race where Bill is known to have competed.  It was run on July 4, 1928 on the new one-mile American Legion racetrack located on the southwest edge of Oakley.  Bill pushed the Bertrand brothers’ P.E.B. Special to the quickest one-lap time of the day in time trials of 45 seconds flat around the one-mile dirt oval.  Since that was the first ever event on that racetrack, it automatically became a new track record.  Bill then won the first 10-mile heat race of the day finishing 23 seconds ahead of Lee Hillery of Winona, Kansas who was driving Cecil Wright’s #99 Wright Special.  Bill’s time of 8 minutes, 10 seconds over the 10-mile distance also set another new track record.  Bill then started the 25-mile Sweepstakes race only to drop out on lap 21.  Since only three cars completed the full distance, Bill was credited with fourth place.

Not many people attended the races run on the American Legion racetrack on October 27, 1928.  Bill took the P.E.B. Special out last of the 14 cars that took time trials that day but he did not complete the one-lap distance and the problem was apparently terminal as the car did not start in any of the other events that day.

Bill Epps seated in Pete Bertrand’s second #44 P.E.B. Special

Jeff Adams collection

Bill entered the P.E.B. Special in races at the American Legion racetrack at Oakley on July 4, 1929 but no records or results from those races have been located to date.

The next race on the American Legion racetrack at Oakley was run before a large crowd on October 6, 1929 under the sanctioning of the Consolidated Auto Racing Association of Denver, Colorado.  Bill drove the Bertrand’s P.E.B. Special to the quickest time of all the competitors in time trials that day turning one mile in 44.5 seconds.  Bill led the second five-mile heat race for one lap but then the P.E.B. Special suffered a broken crankshaft knocking him out of the event on the second lap.

In Bill’s next known outing, he won $100 driving the P.E.B. Special to a first place finish in the sweepstakes race before a big crowd at the American Legion racetrack on August 10, 1930.  He had covered the 10-lap distance in 8 minutes, 34 seconds.

Bill Epps seated in Pete Bertrand’s second #44 P.E.B. Special

Jeff Adams collection

In a race that was run on September 12, 1930 at Hugo, Colorado, Bill was seriously injured when the P.E.B. Special collided with another car and overturned several times.  The car was destroyed in the crash.

Bill had also entered a race at Oakley scheduled for two days later but his injuries prevented him from being there.  Promotional material for that race had claimed that Bill would drive around the racetrack “at speed” blindfolded during intermission that afternoon.  Due to Epps’ injuries however, race promoter Tom Holden of Denver performed the stunt instead.

Pete and Ernie Bertrand built another #44 P.E.B Special in time to enter a race at Oakley on October 26, 1930 but Bill was still laid up from his injuries so Pete Bertrand drove the car himself.

Bill was married on November 17, 1930 at Burlington, Colorado to Grace Nolind who had been residing at Colorado Springs.  She was a daughter of John and Laura (Youthz) Nolind, prominent farmers in western Kansas.

Bill was entered to compete in races at the American Legion racetrack at Oakley on August 2, 1931.  The sweepstakes race that day was won by Pat Cunningham of St. Joseph, Missouri who was driving a double-overhead cam Fronty Ford #K-1 owned by Leonard Kerbs of Otis, Kansas but little else is currently known about those races.

Tom Holden prepares to make his blindfolded “speed run” at Oakley, Kansas on September 14, 1930 replacing Bill Epps who had been scheduled to perform the stunt

Oakes photo from the Jeff Adams collection

Grace Epps was white and her family was less than thrilled that she had chosen to marry a Negro so she and Bill decided to move to Denver.

On May 29, 1932, Bill drove Pete Bertrand’s #44 P.E.B. Special in a race on the new 5/8 mile high-banked paved oval Dupont Speedway on the northeast edge of Denver.  He finished second behind Bill Carroll in the third elimination race.  Epps returned to the Dupont Speedway the next day and placed second in the consolation race behind Jack Fowler.

Bill Epps went into semi-retirement from racing for awhile but then came back on August 25, 1937 to race on the half-mile dirt oval racetrack at the Northwest Kansas Fairgrounds at Goodland, Kansas.  In the first five-lap heat race that day, Bill crashed into the fence.  He was not injured and was able to repair the car in time to start the second heat race.  Bill finished second to Tom Murie of Hays, Kansas in that five-lap contest.  Bill won the fourth five-lap heat that day just edging out Bill Harding of Hastings, Nebraska in a time of 3 minutes, 51.1 seconds.  Bill Epps then started the feature event in the fourth position but he was not a factor at the finish.

Car owner Walt Killinger seated in his Cragar at Dupont Speedway in 1937.  Bill Epps garnered a feature victory for Killinger in this car at WaKeeney, Kansas

Leroy Byers collection

Two days later, Bill showed up at a race at the Trego County Fairgrounds in WaKeeney, Kansas as the driver of a beautiful Cragar powered automobile owned by Walt Killinger of Denver.  10,000 people saw Bill finish third in the first five-lap heat race and then come back to win the ten-lap feature race on the half-mile dirt oval in 4 minutes, 31.1 seconds.  He started that race from the front row, took the lead in the first turn, and stayed in front for the entire distance.

It is unknown what became of Bill Epps after his victory at WaKeeney.  Grace Epps was a widow residing in Cheyenne, Wyoming in 1953.  She passed away on October 23, 1986 at Riverton, Wyoming at the age of 79.  Grace is buried in the Mountain View Cemetery on the west edge of Riverton in a plot that was purchased for her by a local church.  Bill and Grace did not have any children.

If you know anything more about Bill Epps or his involvement in automobile racing, please contact Bob Lawrence.

Thank you to:

Jeff Adams, Janet Bean, Gene Bertrand, Gayle Hoyle, Cloyed Ricketts, Jim Smith, Jim Taggart, and the Fick Fossil and History Museum