Forum: Racing From The Past (go)
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I see that the Hutch Nat. are this weekend, have not been since 1988 , just curious if they still get a large crowd even though it is no longer a day race, I assume it is Friday and Saturday night only now?

Sure miss going up for that Sunday day race, that was a TRUE Event back then.

Do the Amish folks still have a community there on the way from Wichita to Hutch?

Somehow when the sprints came in, and the infield was empty, the whole thing took on a different meaning.

These days, any 100" car that won Hutch is an instant classic. That one win had to be tougher than anything else.

Had I ever put a car together to run Hutch with, I would have had to "borrow" one of those slow moving vehicle signs from those Amish folks! LOL

In March we talked about the fairgrounds track being changed to a high banked 3/8. Has this happened yet? To answer your question about the crowd, it was nothing like it was in the old days. I only went on Saturday night and I doubt it was half full. The Amish folk live in Yoder. There used to be a good cafe there that sold awesome pie. If you go through, stop at the hardware store. All kinds of appliances that don't use electricity. Real interesting.

mike

I will have to search up the Hutchinson News and find out what is going on with the 3/8. I do believe I have heard after the nationals the north end will be torn up and it will become a 3/8 for next year. No fair races this year at all. Hopefully banking will be added. Not sure, it's late and I'm in Dalhart, TX with two stops tomorrow in Clayton, NM and Tucumcari tomorrow. Had two today in Canadian TX and here. Alco and Duckwall stores.

Warren Vincent
Cans 4 Kansas Heroes

Brian , Wish I would have had a car a year earlier , would have tried to take it to Hutch and ran, but did not happen, me and you both on the slow moving sign from the Amish folks.

That's a shame on the crowd count, C Ray let an "EVENT" get away from him there , should have stayed with the Sunday all day racing , but I guess as time changes so do most things, Hutch was a lot of fun back then.

But it's always been SOOOO dry and dusty on Sunday. I think in all the years I went the track there was only one year that the track actually had moisture in it. Yes, it was fun, more fun than any racing programs I've seen since 1979, including last year's race. I've been to tons of races of all kinds since then and none compare. Well, I guess I did see a mid season double points race Saturday night show in Knoxville about ten years ago and that was a LOT of fun. But I live about 800 miles from Knoxville.

It was one thing we had to look forward to every year that had the "event" feel to it, and it certainally doesn't have that feeling now. For now, all things must pass. Let's just hope reconfiguring the track changes things in a positive manner.

mike

Gruesome conditions, and the best drivers around with their best stuff. Wherever you finished, you earned your spot.

The last Champ Dirt Car race had that "legend in the making" feel. It may have been follow the leader, but then the leader had to be one tough hombre. I think it was Stan Constant that won it?

The sprinters had the "now, lets go into the future" feel. Nobody looked back, and that's part of the problem.

I like sprint cars ok. But the Champ Cars had a more graceful set of lines and forced a driver to drive sideways. For this region, the NCRA was our own USAC. Filled with some sorts of tradition(s).

Mike , It is kind of like Doug Auld wrote in his column of Sprint and Midget Magazine, Events are made , a current one is the Chilli Bowl , you can go all day and see drivers there at 9am in the morning when the stress level is down some and not at a all time peak for some 5 days of racing now, just like Hutch was back then on a day long event , heck can remember several drivers and crews inviting whoever came by to some donuts in the early morning back then , that was pretty cool deal to a then 15 yr. old then, An event is something that you take in over a extended period of time, from the arrival and seeing cars , heats , B mains , A main introductions which hardly anyone does anymore and the A main event. The whole package ,which with races now it is try to hustle the show in around 3 hrs. , It is a different era today than back then , Were all in a hurry and I guess it should be no different with the entertainment either , just hurry up and get it over with so we can move on to something else , but like you miss the day long event in the summer time, but do enjoy the Chilli Bowl a bunch in the dead middle of winter. Nothing like it and that makes it an "EVENT".

I read Doug's column too. I like all the columns written in Sprint and Midget Magazine. Off topic: what's with the fictional story at the end of the magazine. I think it just takes up space... just my 2 cents.

Getting back on topic. I've never been to a chili bowl and probably won't since I'm a teacher and it's hard to get time off in the winter like that. I was SUPPOSED to go to the Knoxville Nationals this year, but step daughter decided to get married, so no extra money for the trip. I agree, an event is more than the race.

mike

Two hour delay last night because of rain. Just might have been one of the fastest tracks since Ron Fowler set the track record for supers. Some of those fair races with the cool wet conditons were also fast tracks.

Warren Vincent
Cans 4 Kansas Heroes

Here's a photo of the crowd, not bad? Dig that tacky track. This is night one even after a two hour delay I guess? I wonder if the speakout letters to the editor will be full next week. There is no curfew that I know of. The Hutch Fairgrounds is surrounded by residential areas and I'm not sure what time they were over with.

Warren Vincent
Cans 4 Kansas Heroes

The second night of the 52nd Hutchinson Grand Nationals again saw Mother Nature reek havoc with the races.

While track officials were able to work in the moisture that was dropped by a 20-minute shower on Friday night, which pushed the start of racing back nearly two hours, Saturday night's line of thunderstorms soaked the half-mile track at the Kansas State Fairgrounds and ultimately postponed the Nationals until Sept. 27-28.

I don't think they can rebuild the track into a 3/8's by then, can they??

Wonder if the Bill Memorial will be moved to the Historic Kansas State Fairgrounds that weekend???? It would be kind of cool since it will be the last racing on the big 1/2 mile. Kind of a big farewell to the track that many of the antique cars ran on.

81 Speedway Schedule for that same weekend

Sep. 26 Park City Motorfest: 2nd Annual Bill Hall Memorial Vintage Meet Hosted By The Kansas Antique Racers 7:30pm
Sep. 27 Park City Motorfest: 1pm-4pm 2nd Annual Bill Hall Memorial Vintage Meet Hosted By The Kansas Antique Racers 7pm: Complete program for SMRS Midget Series plus Vintage Car feature races.
Sep. 28 Park City Motorfest: 2nd Annual Bill Hall Memorial Vintage Meet Hosted By The Kansas Antique Racers 2pm

Warren Vincent
Cans 4 Kansas Heroes

I talked to 81 speedway today they said the Hutch, Nats. would be moved to another date but don't know when yet. The 2nd Annual Bill Hall Memorial Vintage Meet will be Sept. 26-28 at 81 speedway no change. Thanks

Don't care for the fictional stuff either , kind of like you takes up space , if you ever get the chance at least one night go see the Chilli Bowl , try a Sat. all day, get you enough racing for a while just that one day, well worth it.

Shame about Hutch getting rained out Sat. night.

I think that when they started putting wings on supers it changed everything, including Hutch.

Kyle

Could'nt agree more with your statement. The Wings changed it a bunch.