Feature Race Winners in the Automobile Races

Run on the Historic Half-mile Racetrack at the

Kansas State Fairgrounds

Hutchinson, Kansas

Page 1

 

1909 – 1932

 

The first known half-mile racetrack at the Reno County Fairgrounds at 12^th and Main Street in Hutchinson is known to have already been there as early as 1879.  A second such racetrack was built there in 1887.  There was a big push to build a new one mile racetrack there in 1893 but those efforts failed.

The Reno County Fair became the Kansas State Fair in 1900 and a new half-mile racetrack was constructed on the grounds that same year.  It was there that the first automobile race was run at the Kansas State Fair.  Almost immediately after that event, work was started on the “new” Kansas State Fairgrounds including the current racetrack located a half-mile north of the old fairgrounds.  The new facilities were completed in time for the fair and races to be run in October of 1910.  Automobiles, motorcycles, and horses were all raced on the new racetrack that year.  The first grandstand at the current Kansas State Fairgrounds measured 280 feet long, 64 feet deep, and was designed to seat 7,500 people making it the largest grandstand in the state at the time.

In September of 1912, members of the Hutchinson Automobile Owners Club again petitioned the Kansas State Fair Association to lengthen the half-mile oval into a one-mile speedway as the American Automobile Association would not recognize any records set on any racetrack less than one-mile in length.  The group of Hutchinson automobile owners was not successful.

The current grandstand was built before the fair in 1928 and seats 12,600 people.  The older grandstand was not turn down until 1929 so both grandstands, with a total seating capacity of 20,100, were in place for the races in 1928.

The date of most of the races below is a link that will take you to a web page telling about the races run at the Kansas State Fairgrounds on that date.  Most of those web pages contain photos of some of the cars and drivers that competed in those races.

 

 

 

 

*The races in 1909 were run on the old State Fairgrounds racetrack that was located at 12^th and Main Streets, ½ mile south of the current facility.

 

 

  

To go on to Page 2 of Feature Race Winners in the Automobile Races Run on the Historic Half-mile Racetrack at the Kansas State Fairgrounds in Hutchinson, Kansas (1933-1950)

To on to Page 3 of Feature Race Winners in the Automobile Races Run on the Historic Half-mile Racetrack at the Kansas State Fairgrounds in Hutchinson, Kansas (1951-1960)

To on to Page 4 of Feature Race Winners in the Automobile Races Run on the Historic Half-mile Racetrack at the Kansas State Fairgrounds in Hutchinson, Kansas (1961-1971)

 

 

 

To go on to Page 5 of Feature Race Winners in the Automobile Races Run on the Historic Half-mile Racetrack at the Kansas State Fairgrounds in Hutchinson, Kansas (1972 -1991)

To Search this Web Site or to See a Site Map

To see a list of Track Records for the Automobiles on the Half-mile Racetrack at the Kansas State Fairgrounds in Hutchinson, Kansas

 

 

 

To Sign the Guest Book

To View the Guest Book

To Contact Bob Lawrence

For Links to Other Interesting Web Sites on the Internet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Thank you to:

Betty (Kerbs) Able, Jeff Adams, Gaylon Albright, Mary and Andy Anderson, Dr. Mary Berghaus, Roger Burnett, Leroy Byers, Will Cokeley, Barbara Culligan, Roseann Coffman-Davis, Ruth and Jerry Everhart, Darren Galpin, Robert Ging, Ken Greteman, C. Ray Hall, Warren Hardy, Tim Hiatt, Dick Jepsen, Carolyn (Felt) Junod, Galen Kurth, Jerry Leep, Bob Mays, Pinky Mullens, Charles Pauley, Jack Petty, Jim Petty, Charlie Pitts, Don Radbruch, Kenny Riffel, David Russell, Bob Salem, Ken Simon, Roy Still, Jim Taggart, Warren Vincent, L. A. Ward, Todd White, the Hutchinson Kansas Public Library, and Speedways Inc.

 

 

 

This web site is not affiliated with the Kansas State Fair