Hot Rod Races

Oakley Birthday Celebration

Sportsman Park – Oakley, Kansas

Tuesday Afternoon, August 10, 1948

 

 

TIME TRIALS

 

“One racing car became over heated and a fire threatened.  There were no serious accidents, but the experienced drivers from Wichita, Newton and Texas made a good show with their broadsides and on several occasions hub-to-hub speed on a dangerous curve.” – Oakley Graphic; August 13, 1948

These hot rod races were sponsored by the Oakley Chamber of Commerce of which Arnold Blankenburg was president and Emmitt Anderson was secretary.  The electronic timing system was owned and operated by Ernie Powell of Hutchinson, Kansas.  Only the four heat races were run so there was no feature event winner.

 

 

This photo of the Mercury powered hot rod that Bob Thorne of Dallas, Texas won a heat race in on this day was taken on the infield of the racetrack at Oakley on August 10, 1948.  The car had the number “24” painted on the other side and was owned by Al White and Ted Kammerer, both of Wichita, Kansas.  Click your mouse on the photo above to see another of Bob Thorne, the car, and the car owners with Al White on the right and Ted Kammerer on the left – The photo above is from the Punch Lemberg collection.  The photo you access by clicking your mouse on the photo above is from the Paul and Opal Kammerer collection

 

 Charlie Lutkie of Wichita, Kansas is shown here in M. G. Trabue’s dark blue #355 Jayhawk Motors flathead powered track roadster that Lutkie raced throughout Kansas in 1948.  Trabue had recently purchased this roadster from Bill Flinchum of Oklahoma City.  Note that Lutkie’s helmet was way too small and very little of his head was actually inside it – Jim Edwards photo

 

Jim Roper in the #81 hot rod owned by Earl Mills of Newton, Kansas - 1949 program, Cejay Stadium, Wichita, KS from the collection of Bill Collins

 

Bill Ratcliffe of Hutchinson, Kansas is shown here seated in the #66 hot rod that Darrell Ratcliff won a heat race with at Oakley on this date - Paul and Opal Kammerer collection

 

 

 

 

¹Billie Lee “Bill” Ratcliffe (1928-1991)

 

²Darrell Dean Ratcliffe (1924-1978) is buried at Casper, Wyoming

 

³Warren “Al” Puckett

 

⁴Theron D. Kinzie (1924-1987)

 

⁵Christian D. “Jim” Roper (1916-2000) is buried at Halstead, Kansas

 

⁶Leslie Dwayne “Les” Suter (1927-1978)

 

⁷Theodore Elmore “Ted” Kammerer (1919-2002)

 

⁸Earl Mills (1904-1972)

 

⁹Melvin George “M. G.” Trabue (1915-1984) 

  

 

 

 

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