Winchester Speedway - Then and Now Part 1: 1936-38

This is the first of three posts covering 70 years of history at the Winchester Speedway. The Winchester half-mile is the oldest continuously operating auto race track in the United States other than the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The track was already 20 years old when my dad came to cover the "big cars" there in 1936. For a look at what we now call sprint cars running on July 5, 1936 and the story of legendary promoter Frank Funk read on. (Photo by Al (Ace) Blixt)

"Frank Funk was never behind the wheel of a race car.  He never worked in the garages or served as an owner. Yet, Frank was one of the finest sprint track promoters in the history of American auto racing. His impact on the sport will always be remembered.   In 1916, on the family farm near Winchester, Indiana, Frank began to build an amusement park and a half-mile dirt oval speedway.  It evolved until it became the world’s fastest half-mile oval. In the early races, dust was a primary concern. Frank learned that he could oil the track to minimize the dust impact. Frank invested much back into his facilities. His success in promoting racing was based on offering the best competition to the fans while striving for the best course conditions, and purse sizes for the drivers.

By 1932, the track banking had grown to 25 feet high. The grandstands could seat 6,000 spectators, and the grounds could easily accommodate 12,000 to 14,000."(photo and except from the feature on Frank Funk at the Speedster and Racer Hall of Fame)

Just how important Funk and the Winchester Speedway were to racing in the midwest is illustrated in an article that appeared in the Union City Evening News on May 24, 1938:
   "Auto racing has made Funk and he in turn has made auto racing, which is an important part of the sport menu through the mid-west.  The site of the world famous Winchester Speedway, which holds every recognized record from 22 seconds for the half mile up to 100 miles, and which at every race meet has attracted crowds ranging from 10,000 to as high as 15,000 was once a corn field.
   With the spread of fame across the nation of  Winchester under his guidance, he was in demand all over the nation for building racing tracks.  He constructed the $50,000 Ft. Wayne, IN oval, patterned after Winchester, and succeeded in returning the record for five-eighth-mile speedway to the Midwest.  This was done also by Everett Saylor of Dayton last summer.Other speedways built under his supervision were Huntington, Indiana, Woodbridge New Jersey and Jungle Park, Indiana.
   All through the years racing participants found a friend in Frank Funk.  And of the thousands of drivers and car owners who had raced for him in the past, never was there a complaint against his treatment of them."

Frank Funk was one of the founders of the Central States Racing Association in 1935. C.S.R.A. set purses large enough to attract quality drivers and cars to a number of tracks throughout the midwest. It was referred to at the time as "the fastest auto racing circuit in the world.
  The drivers competing on the Sunday after the 4th of July in 1936 came from Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Missouri and Nebraska. Some of the well-known drivers on hand included Everett Saylor, Red Campbell, Johnny Wohlfiel, Buzz Mendenhall, Morris Music, Gail Lanker, Larry Beckett and Bill Warner. Approximately 30 Big Cars entered along with a small field of midgets and motorcycles which each had their own events on the card. The big cars were powered by a variety of engines including V-8 Ford, Fronty Ford, Miller, Hisso and Studebaker. Shown here is my dad's original program from that day with handwritten notes. The fastest qualifiers were turning the quarter mile in just over 23 seconds or approximately 78 miles an hour. A look at the photos below will tell you that these speeds were very fast considering the track configuration and the cars of the time.

 Here is the classy E-1 Tire Spl. owned by Jack Sheppard and driven by Larry Beckett on July 5, 1936. In this photo, the car is seen in all of its pristine beauty. I understand the engine was a HAL. The chrome organ pipe exhaust and clean lines made it a standout as the day began. Note the pedestrian footbridge over the front stretch.

The picture was different later in the day as Beckett's car caught fire during one of the races. Note the guy in the cap up to his knees in mud still putting out the fire. This accident obviously drew a big crowd of track workers (mostly attired in the traditional white pants which were the trademark of racers at work in the 30's. (Photos by Al (Ace) Blixt.)

This photo is from 1938 but it is a good representation of what competition looked like at Winchester in those days. Note the extremely high banking and what passes for a fence at the top. In the next two posts coming up in the weeks ahead, you will see similar photos taken in 1966 and 2009 which will illustrate how the track may have changed but still maintained it essential character over the years. (Photo by Al (Ace) Blixt)

Here is a wonderful action shot taken on May 30, 1937. The caption on the negative sleeve is "Dinsmore hits Saylor". Duke Dinsmore in the #4 car creeps up and bumps Everett Saylor in the #2 car. This is an enlargement of a small portion of a 4x5 negative. My dad used several cameras covering the races but this image was made with one of those classic press cameras you see his hands on the front page of this site. There were no telephoto lenses in the 1930's.

This is Ray Farmer who made the trip from Detroit with his Ray Spl. midget. This car is typical of early midgets. Each car was built by hand and had a unique look. Note the wire wheels on the front and the solid wheels on the back. It looks like it is powered by an outboard engine but I am not an expert. Perhaps one of you readers can tell me more.

Here is an action shot taken in 1938. I have not yet identified the drivers but I am working on it. The car numbers are, Front Row: 7 &14, Second Row: 8 & 12, Third Row: 404 & 3, and Fourth Row: 9 & a number that might be 75. The exhaust smoke he is driving through obscures the numbers. If there is anyone out there with race records for 1938, I would love to have documentation for Winchester in the 1938 season.

While Frank Funk did a lot to maintain the clay surface of the track, you can see that there was still a lot of smoke and dust in this period. You can also see that the track surface is heavily grooved making it very rough to drive on. And, of course, this shot illustrates that the concept of the retaining wall had not been adopted. Cars that went over the top could easily become airborne and the drop off was just as steep as the track. It is hard to imagine the courage it took to compete in these cars week after week.

Update: Thanks to reader Will White who provided the following results for big car races at Winchester during 1936-38. You can see how many races were won by the popular Everett Saylor. I hope to have more of his story in in upcoming post. - AB

05/24/1936--rained out after 3 heats
07/05/1936--Everett Saylor (Dayton, OH)
09/06/1936--Jimmy Kneisley (Dayton, OH)
05/30/1937--Everett Saylor (Dayton, OH)
07/18/1937--Everett Saylor (Dayton, OH)
09/12/1937--Everett Saylor (Dayton, OH)
05/29/1938--Jimmy Wilburn (Indianapolis, IN)
07/10/1938--Duke Dinsmore (Dayton, OH)
09/11/1938--Spider Webb (Bell, CA)

Coming Next: Winchester Speedway - Then and Now Part 2: 1966 in which I will share my own photos of sprint car racing at the same track but thirty years later. 

Ordering Prints:High resolution prints of the images on this site are available now, I am happy to say. 8x10 prints are $10/each or 3 for $25 plus shipping. To order, send me an email. I am also able to search my father's files and print other negatives on request. Sorry, a complete list is not yet available.

 

Comments

[Jennifer Caster]

Hello I recently stumbled across a book published in 1932 and inside the cover is the name Frank E funk and a date of march 1938. I am wondering is it possible that this is or was one of his personal books? The title on the book was The questions of the cross by Edward L. Keller. If you know any thing that might help me I would appreciate it.

[Bill Julian]

Do you have any information or pictures of the old cranwood race track near Cleveland Ohio during the 1930s? it was used as a horse track and an auto race track. Torn down in the 1960s on Miles Ave. turned into a shopping center. My Father raced cars for Mr, Binder, who was in the auto business, parts, and service, and owner horses raced by my dad at Cranwood, Thisledowns, and randale Park, as a Jockey.
If you do please contact, Bill julian, (954) 274-7230, Becjuli@aol.com.

[Ray Dietz]

I enjoy this site very much. I am fascinated by the racing cars from this time period. Thanks for the photos and other info

[dale weis]

Great website. Had not visited in quite some time until I heard of Winchester article. Lots of interesting info.
Dale Weis
Valparaiso IN

[George Gough]

Great pictures, I never knew it was dirt at one time.

[Dick Lee]

What a wonderful history lesson for us all. The pics and text tell us a great history lesson in how racing got to where it is now. We will never be able to appreciate the primitive equipment the racers of that day had, compared to what is available now. I sometimes wonder how any racer survived when there was practically no safety equipment for them. Even the travel from track to track over back roads with no expressways was difficult. The drivers and crews are all heroes to me. God bless them.

Dick Lee
TracksideTopics.com