1949 Race Results
Sat., June 11
Midget Races Make Big Hit
Capacity Crowd At Opening Events
Warsaw's new speedway, on the north bank of Winona Lake, at the fairgrounds, opened to a capacity crowd of an estimated 4,000 persons Saturday night. They saw a thrill-packed program of powerful midget racers, fighting for lucrative shares of heavy prize money. No one was seriously injured during the opening night's racing although four of the tiny cars went into spins and slid through the inner walls of the track. One driver was treated by doctors after a chunk of packed dirt from the track was thrown into his face as he sped down the straight-of-way at 80 miles per hour. That was Chuck Brown, of Crown Point.
A fire truck, ambulance and doctor stood by throughout the program in case of major accidents. Officials of the racing circuit said that three of their steady drivers were now in hospitals and could not appear Saturday night dur to injuries received during the past ten days. Still, there were some 40 drivers and cars there, all members of the United Auto Racing Association, of Chicago. Fast time trials, preceding the actual races, were broadcast over WRSW by the Kaufman Motor Sales, of Warsaw. This program will be aired every Saturday night from 7:30 o'clock until 8 o'clock during the racing season.
City Officials There. The pace car for the first race was a new Buick convertible, driven by Henry Schwierking, of Warsaw. City and county officials rode the first lap around the track. They were Mayor Charles H. Rice, Police Chief Roy Adams, Fire Chief Carl Latta, Prosecuting Attorney Gene B. Lee, and Sheriff Ray Henderson. Track managers said that the drivers from Indiana, Illinois and California were highly complimentary when speaking of the new track, and said they would spread the word this week among other drivers, probably leading to a tripled field for next Saturday night's races. Track officials were planning to continue to work on the track this week, repairing and improving soft spots disclosed in the opening night's program.
Petey Peterson, of Fort Wayne, won the time trials with his fast time of 18.29 seconds around the quarter-mile track. The first race was won by Ferde Scholtes, of Hollywood, Calif. His time for the 10 laps was 3:00.75. The second race, 10 laps, went to Ray Elliott, the third race to Petey Peterson, the fourth race to Paul Anderson, the fifth race to Ferde Scholtes. The first feature race, a 15-lap Australian pursuit event, was won by Hank Nickaza, and the big event on the program, the 25-lap finale, was won by Ray Elliott. Pete Peterson was second and Tony Saylor was third.
Sat., July 23
Dick Geyer Wins Hot-Rod Honors Saturday Night
Dick Geyer, of Goshen, was the star performer at the hot-rod auto races held before a large crowd Saturday night at the Warsaw Speedway located at the county fairgrounds in this city. Geyer, driving a car owned by the injured Fred Boggs, of Warsaw, won every race he was in, including the feature 25-lap event. Boggs suffered a broken collarbone a few weeks ago when his car hit a wall during a race on a South Bend track. He is still wearing a cast. Driving in his place here Saturday night, Geyer won the first 10-lap race; the fourth race, which was a six-lap affair for the four fastest qualifying cars; the Australian pursuit race; and the feature race. Other races were won by Sonny Stegmann, of Aurora, Ill., Earl Walker, of Sandwich, Ill., and Reb Hart, of Berwyn, Ill.
Fred McKown, Jr., a local entry, placed third in the 10-lap race won by Walker, and Robert Miner, of Winona Lake, placed fourth in the same heat. Miner also placed third in the fifth race, won by Hart. Racing at the speedway will continue on Saturday night of this week.
Sat., August 5
Large Crowd Sees Midget Races At Warsaw Speedway
A large crowd attended the hot-rod races, held Friday night at the Warsaw Speedway. Fans enjoyed several fast, close races, in which there were some minor crashes, but no injuries. Four Kosciusko drivers were among the participants. They were George Woodling, of Warsaw; Bob Miner, of Winona Lake; Gene Smith, of Syracuse; and Melvin Miller, of Claypool.
Dick Morley, of Kalamazoo, won the feature event, winning over Rut Ralston, Goshen, second; Ralph Weber, Columbis City, third; Churck Grover, Goshen, fourth; Bob Miner, Winona Lake, fifth; John Nisley, Goshen, sixth; and Ebe Yoder, Goshen, seventh. Morley also won the first heat over Ralph Kikes, of Millersburg, and Yoder, who were second and third respectively. Other heat winners were Ralston, Stan Shidecker, of Sandwich, Ill.; Weber, twice, and Yoder, who captured the semi-final event.
1949-1959 Newspaper microfilm research conducted by
Marge Priser, Local Historical Researcher.
Without her hours of work, suggestions, and encouragement, this site would not be complete!!
Thanks Marge!!
