O'Reilly Auto Parts 67th Hutchinson Grand National Auto Races
Thursday, Friday, Saturday, July 13 - 14 - 15, 2023
Kansas State Fairgrounds, Hutchinson, Ks.
2022 CHAMPIONS:
Street Stock: Scott Miller, Hutchinson, Ks.
Non-Wing Sprint Car: Ray Seeman, Jetmore, Ks.
Late Model: Kip Hughes, Enid, Ok.
Modified: Tyler Davis, Haysville, Ks.
305 Sprint Cars: Zach Blurton, Quinter, Ks.
"B" Mods: Gabe Hodges, Lebo, Ks.
AAAModified: Kevin Kemp, Maize, Ks.
Super Stock: Jerrod Reimer, Hutchinson, Ks.
Mini Stock: Jayce Reimer, Hutchinson, Ks.
HISTORY OF THE HUTCHINSON GRAND NATIONAL AUTO RACES: The first “Nationals” were held at Taft Stadium in Oklahoma City in 1957. More than 100 teams showed up for the event that featured cars known in racing circles as “Jalopies.” They ran on a track that surrounded a football field. The "Grand National Jalopy Championship race was a 200 lap race. Also worth noting, the purse for those races were never paid out as the race's primary promoter absconded with the gate money "During" the Championship Feature event.
Both the field and stadium are still used today in Oklahoma City to host football games. Due to the large amount of competitors and limited space for parking, promoter Jack Merrick, of Dodge City, Ks, who was at the event that year, offered the spacious half-mile oval in Hutchinson, Ks. at the Kansas State Fairgrounds as a future home for the event. Merrick at the time was the promoter for auto races at the fairgrounds in Hutchinson as well as his home track in Dodge City, Ks. The following year (1958) the “Nationals” were moved to the Kansas State Fairgrounds in Hutchinson, Ks. under the guidance of Jack Merrick and named the “National Championship Jalopy Races.” Frank Lies, of Wichita, winner of the race in ’57 at Taft Stadium, would win the inaugural race in Hutchinson and again in 1958 before another Wichitan, Will Forrest would put an end to the Lies domination with a win in ’59. Kansas drivers continued to dominate the event for the first 14 years before a flashy young driver from Tulsa, Ok. placed his Jack Zink owned car in victory lane in 1971. Emmett Hahn would be the first driver outside of the Sunflower State to capture the crown. Hahn would go on to win a total of 3 titles in the event carding wins in ’71, ’77 and ’79. With the popularity of a fabricated full body car gaining interest across the country in the early ’70’s, Merrick added the Late Model division to the program in 1974. Don Kreie, of Dodge City, Ks. won his first and only title of the event that year. Oddly enough, the first year the full body cars competed in the event would be the only year the open wheel division did not crown a champion. A crash on the first lap of the championship feature in the Super Modifieds in turn one and the ensuing fire not only sent numerous drivers to the hospital but forced officials to cancel the remaining program. Jack Merrick remained the promoter of the event until his death in 1976. C. Ray Hall, of Wichita, Ks. General Manager of 81 Speedway located in Park City, Ks. became the successor to Merrick in 1977 and has remained the auto racing promoter at the Kansas State Fairgrounds to date. Hall’s first priority was to give the event a new name. With two divisions now competing for individual titles since ’74, and the division of the “Jalopies” changing to a new style and name of “Super Modified,” the 1977 event became known as the Hutchinson Grand Nationals. The name stayed with the event for five years when it caught the attention of NASCAR. A letter sent to Hall in ’83 from NASCAR said in part he would have to change the name because NASCAR had a patent on the name “Grand Nationals” as a stock car division. The Hutchinson National Auto Races was introduced as the new name of the event in 1983 and remained such through the 2005 event. With the demise of NASCAR’s “Grand National” division, for the 50th Anniversary of the event, Hall changed the name back to the Hutchinson Grand National Auto Races. It remains that today. As the event grew in popularity, new divisions were added to the program to accommodate the interest of other types of race car teams and their fans. That still remains a big objective of Hall today so as many teams as possible have an opportunity to compete in this prestigious event. From the searing heat of a July afternoon to the cooler evenings of a Kansas summer, temporary lighting was brought over to the historic half-mile for a try at night time racing with the 38th edition of the Hutchinson Grand National Auto Races. Four years later, in 1996, the permanent lighting in place currently was installed and the event has been contested under the lights with no thoughts about returning to a complete afternoon program.
With it's apparent days becoming numbered as more and more "Master Plan's" presented to the fairboard call for the removal of the legendary race track, history may one day be all that is left of an event that to the present has stayed the march of time.
Heading into the 65th event in 2021, the historic half mile race track on the Kansas State Fairgrounds turns 111 years old.
New to the event this year will be the USAC Oklahoma/Missouri Non Wing Sprint Cars and the "B" Mods. Those divisions will join the NCRA 305 Sprints of Kansas, NCRA Modified, NCRA/Sooner Late Models and the AAA/Rookie Modified.
How many more are on the docket before it's demise? We just need to appreciate the current situation and hope for a pardon that would continue to breath life into one of the greatest traditions in Dirt Track Auto Racing History.
***ADDITIONAL LIGHTING was added to the famed half mile oval with the start of the 2019 season. Kenny's Electric, of Hutchinson, Ks, had acquired a series of lights from a venue in northeast Kansas and installed 32 additional lights starting in turn one and continuing around the track to turn four.
Murphy Tractor & Equipment (of Park City, Ks.) steps in prior to the 65th
Nationals in 2021 with equipment that ripped the legendary half-mile race track, used GPS tracking with maintainers to work the track back into condition providing a uniform banking.