West Side Speedway
1/5 mile dirt racetrack that was located two blocks north of Douglas Street between
Glenn Street and Vine Street at 1800 West Third Street in Wichita, Kansas
Midget Auto Races Sanctioned by Kansas Midget Racing (KMR)
Elmer Priddy Benefit
Sunday Night – September 21, 1941
Ted Parker of Ft. Worth, Texas is shown sitting atop Walt Allard’s #19 Ford V8-60 midget in front of the bleachers after winning the 30-lap feature of the Elmer Priddy Benefit races at West Side Speedway. William F. Cochran presents the trophy donated by his mortuary while race promoter Frank Murphy looks on – George Schaeffer photo from the Vickey Cummings collection
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Published Entry List |
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DRIVER: |
FROM: |
ENGINE |
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Frank Dickerson |
Wichita, KS |
Ford V8-60 |
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D. A. Clem* |
Wichita, KS |
Menasco |
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Tex West** |
Dallas, TX |
Ford V8-60 |
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Bob McKim |
Salina, KS |
Ford V8-60 |
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Mike Applebee |
Salina, KS |
Ford V8-60 |
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Ernie Powell |
Hutchinson, KS |
Ford V8-60 |
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Art McCammon |
Delphos, KS |
Ford V8-60 |
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LeRoy “Red” Taylor*** |
Chapman, KS |
Ford V8-60 |
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Emmett Taylor |
Wichita, KS |
Ford V8-60 |
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Carl Oliver |
Wichita, KS |
Ford V8-60 |
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Ralph Foster |
Wichita, KS |
Ford V8-60 |
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Emmett M. “Buzz” Barton |
Chickasha, OK |
Ford V8-60 |
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Guy “Mac” McHenry |
Wichita, KS |
Willys |
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George “Junior” Elrod |
Wichita, KS |
Ford V8-60 |
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Paul “Breezy” Barber |
Salina, KS |
Ford V8-60 |
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Bill Brown |
Wichita, KS |
Willys |
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Wayland “Bud” Camden |
Wichita, KS |
Ford V8-60 |
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Ted Parker**** |
Ft. Worth, TX |
Ford V8-60 |
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Carroll Forrest |
Wichita, KS |
Chevrolet |
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Eldon “Curly” Steerman |
Hoisington, KS |
Ford V8-60 |
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Mike Applebee |
Salina, KS |
Ford V8-60 |
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Lee Steerman |
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Time Trials – 1 lap – Time: 12:16 |
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1 |
Ted Parker**** |
Ft. Worth, TX |
Ford V8-60 |
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First Heat – 10 laps – Time: 2:10.5 |
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PLACE |
DRIVER |
FROM |
ENGINE |
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1 |
Ted Parker**** |
Ft. Worth, TX |
Ford V8-60 |
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2 |
Wayland “Bud” Camden |
Wichita, KS |
Ford V8-60 |
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3 |
Eldon “Curly” Steerman |
Hoisington, KS |
Ford V8-60 |
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Second Heat – 10 laps – Time: 2:10.9 |
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1 |
Ralph Foster |
Wichita, KS |
Ford V8-60 |
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2 |
Tex West** |
Dallas, TX |
Ford V8-60 |
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3 |
Frank Dickerson |
Wichita, KS |
Ford V8-60 |
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Third Heat – 10 laps – Time: 2:16.1 |
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1 |
LeRoy “Red” Taylor*** |
Chapman, KS |
Ford V8-60 |
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2 |
Ernie Powell |
Hutchinson, KS |
Ford V8-60 |
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3 |
Emmett Taylor |
Wichita, KS |
Ford V8-60 |
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Fourth Heat – 10 laps – Time: 2:18.05 |
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1 |
Carroll Forrest |
Wichita, KS |
Chevrolet |
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2 |
Mike Applebee |
Salina, KS |
Ford V8-60 |
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3 |
Guy “Mac” McHenry |
Wichita, KS |
Ford V8-60 |
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Fifth Heat – 10 laps |
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1 |
Eldon “Curly” Steerman |
Hoisington, KS |
Ford V8-60 |
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2 |
Lee Steerman |
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2 |
George “Junior” Elrod |
Wichita, KS |
Ford V8-60 |
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Australian Pursuit |
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1 |
Ralph Foster |
Wichita, KS |
Ford V8-60 |
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2 |
Emmett Taylor |
Wichita, KS |
Ford V8-60 |
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3 |
Ted Parker**** |
Ft. Worth, TX |
Ford V8-60 |
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Match Race - 6 laps – Time: 1:21.75 |
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1 |
Ted Parker**** |
Ft. Worth, TX |
Ford V8-60 |
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2 |
Tex West** |
Dallas, TX |
Ford V8-60 |
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3 |
Wayland “Bud” Camden |
Wichita, KS |
Ford V8-60 |
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4 |
Frank Dickerson |
Wichita, KS |
Ford V8-60 |
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B Feature – 20 laps |
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1 |
Bob McKim |
Salina, KS |
Ford V8-60 |
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2 |
Mike Applebee |
Salina, KS |
Ford V8-60 |
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3 |
Ernie Powell |
Hutchinson, KS |
Ford V8-60 |
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4 |
Guy “Mac” McHenry |
Wichita, KS |
Willys |
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A Feature - 30 laps – Time: 6:34.75 |
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1 |
Ted Parker**** |
Ft. Worth, TX |
Ford V8-60 |
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2 |
Tex West** |
Dallas, TX |
Ford V8-60 |
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3 |
Frank Dickerson |
Wichita, KS |
Ford V8-60 |
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4 |
Emmett Taylor |
Wichita, KS |
Ford V8-60 |
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Ralph Foster
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Guy “Mac” McHenry
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Bill Brown Darrin McKim collection
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Eldon “Curly” Steerman Wichita Beacon photo
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D. A. Clem
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Mike Applebee Vickey Cummings collection
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Frank Dickerson
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Tex West
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Bob McKim
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Ernie Powell
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Art McCammon Cindy Abbott collection
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Emmett Taylor
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Carl Oliver
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Emmett M. “Buzz” Barton
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Wayland “Bud” Camden
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George “Junior” Elrod Darrin McKim collection
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Red Taylor Vickey Cummings collection |
100% of the gate receipts and the stipends normally paid to the racing officials were donated to Elmer Priddy’s family and Cochran Mortuary of Wichita donated a trophy to go to the feature winner. A collection was taken up in the grandstand and the proceeds of that made up the purse for the contestants. Although no figures were announced, the newspaper said the drivers were paid “handsomely” for the night’s racing.
While most of the racing at West Side Speedway was legitimate, this event was almost certainly “hippodromed”. That is, the purse was divided among the participants who then went out and “put on a show” for the fans. The newspaper described the racing on this night as best of the season with Ted Parker and Tex West running “side-by-side” and “hub-to-hub” throughout most of the feature lapping the entire field in the process.
*D. A. Clem’s Menasco powered midget developed an oil leak during time trials and did not compete in the racing program.
**Austin E. Wetzler (1903-1962) of Dallas, Texas raced for many years under the alias “Tex West”. He was also well known by the nickname “Iron head”.
***LeRoy Dudley “Red” Taylor is buried in the Indian Hill Cemetery at Chapman, Kansas.
****Frankie David “Ted” Parker (1909-?) was sometimes referred to by racetrack announcers as “Tiny Ted Parker” due to his being small stature.
Unless otherwise noted, all of the photographs on this web page are from the book One Tough Circuit, Midget Racing in America’s Heartland by Bill Hill
Return to the West Side Speedway home page