Main 4.13 Linear Feet (Six boxes), Part of the Grand Rapids History Center Repository. Here is info I found. race held in May of 1938. arrival of the Kurtis Kraft, Offenhauser engine-powered midget, a whole variety Jake Jacobson, who always had his lit cigar clamped between his teeth while racing, lost his cigar down his shirt once and nearly lost control when it burned him. n.d.. Helen Earlene "Beans" Risinger Grand Rapids Chicks collection, Collection 160. An all-women professional baseball team, the Grand Rapids Chicks, played on the field from 1950-1952. Wiswald, Bill 1943-2009 She was preceded in. Grand Rapids History Center. Stauber would die in route to the hospital. Day Classic at Hanson Park on September 1, ending the Elliott/Melcher winning V8-60-powered No. That was the end of the crack-the-whip. The friendship part of the racing has been what has kept us going. Rubright had Average attendance is based on half the team's total games being played at home.if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'statscrew_com-banner-1','ezslot_6',158,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-statscrew_com-banner-1-0');if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'statscrew_com-banner-1','ezslot_7',158,'0','1'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-statscrew_com-banner-1-0_1'); .banner-1-multi-158{border:none !important;display:block !important;float:none !important;line-height:0px;margin-bottom:7px !important;margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important;margin-top:7px !important;max-width:100% !important;min-height:250px;padding:0;text-align:center !important;}, Baseball Stats - AL - NL - AAGPBL - Minor League Baseball - Search He is listed as driving a black #1 in the Bigelow program so this is not the car he was driving when he won the first race of the 1940 season at Bigelow Field. This decision is from health reasons both here and in Paducah Kentucky. These are auto racing photographs taken by Al Blixt, Sr. in the 1930's. For more about Bigelow and the ill-fated 1940 season, read on. Gary Brey | There seem to have been some "secret recipes" for surface preparation among track owners and sanctioning bodies. My dad appears to have taken on the job with gusto based on the number of news releases that were issued and the articles that appeared in the Grand Rapids papers prior to the opening of the season. Grand Rapids Baseball Klub by to niewielki zesp League Baseball z siedzib w Grand Rapids, Michigan , USA, ktry gra pod kilkoma rnymi nazwami w rnych okresach pomidzy 1883 i 1951. Ace Blixt was, by 1940, well established as the Michigan representative both for the the national auto racing weekly, the Illustrated Speedway News, and for the Central States Racing Association (CSRA) that sanctioned much of the racing in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. spicevalleyroad@verizon.net. If you spin, Larry Johnson, Singer, Simmons and Boscher rounded out the top ten. With local weekly midget racing also taking ID Card Office Locator & Appointments Find a RAPIDS ID Card Office. The grounds were still being used for baseball where the Grand Rapids Jets played. Grand Rapids Press Library photos. and receive 10% of the purse.. others. fairgrounds on October 5 with Ambrose winning the 12-lap main. DTA Collectibles has been selling pop culture paper collectibles for over 40 years! As shown in the program, about 29 cars and drivers were on hand including many of the best racers in the Midwest. down. Bigelow Field raced midgets from 1938 until 1952. the Grand Rapids Jets played. More Info. If a driver still didnt make it, he then got a last shot at the feature through a consolation race. 1952. opener. spin, just pull it out of gear and well pull you off the track. Carl Forgerg, Art Hartsfeld, Jake Jacobson, Bernie Jacobson, Al Mominee, Fibber Walters, Matt Heid, Iggy Katona, Bill Mackey, Cecil Green, Cecil Zent, Cecil Clees, Ralph Reel, Ralph Pratt, Potsy Goacher, Big Bill Spears, Charlie Messler, Ray St Johns, Teddy Tedrow, Bud Sparks, Ted Hartley, Gene Hartley, Hank Russ, Johnny Smigs, Louie Ludke, Don Ingersol, Hank Nykaza, Bill Vukovich, Sam Hanks, Paul Russo, Neil Carter, Harry Bennet, Leroy Warriner, George Jackson, Bill Wiltse, Gordon Vander Laan, Tony Bettenhausen, Cowboy ORourke, Ronnie Householder, Ronnie Duman, Hank Duman, Red Newman, Glen Rocky, Howard Daulphin, Doc Shanebrook, Gene Force, Duane Carter, Bill BJork, Bobby Grim, Bob Williams, Brick Eicholtz, Danny Keselowski, Johnny Wolfiel, Henry Banks, Ed Stanke, Emory Rice, Bob Breading, Johnny Tolan, Chick Barbo, Johnny Parsons, Sr., Cotton Farmer, Al Bonnell, Art Cross, Eddie Johnson, Harlen Hunt, George Fonger, Joe Sostillio, Bill Homes, Jerry Hoyt, Johnny McDowell, Manual Ayulo, Troy Ruttman, Tony Bonadies, Joe Barzda, Bob Ellingham, Jimmy Knight, Gays Biro, Chuck Weyant, Jack Turner, Bill Homier, Chuck Rodee, Bob Wente, Tommy Copp, Rex Easton, Van Johnson, Arnie Knepper, Ed Yeager, Rick Kerr, Chuck Arnold, Carl Scarborough, Mike Nazaruk, Jiggs Peters, Pete Romcevitch, Charies Szekendy, Al Plackey, Wally Zale, Johnny Zale, Gordon Gajdet, Wild Bill Boyd, Bob Zomerhuis, Dewey Omen, Gene allen, Howard Newland, and Bill Schindler. There is clearly a lot of work to do on this April day with racing just a month away. Of many race tracks that he ran at, that was one that I never saw. He always treated people, including drivers, great. BIGELOW, Shawnee D. Coopersville, MI Age 60, passed away unexpectedly April 1, 2021. Championship Class B Midget Race, Time Trials 12 Although the Chicks won the 1944 AAGPBL championship, they could not compete with the minor league Milwaukee Brewers for ticket sales, and the franchise moved to Grand Rapids. It was a 1/4 mile dirt oval that raced 1940 - 42. 2729 E Beltline Hibbing, MN 55746; 218 . When a new promoter from Indianapolis named W.R. Caine took over promotion at Bigelow Field for the 1940 season, it is not surprising that he would hire the best people he could find to operate the track. Ironically, Staubers car never left its wheels with the driver The car landed against the light pole with the nose up in the air and the tail resting on the ground. He was crossed up and broke loose. Youd put the throttle to the floor and if you wanted to slow down, youd hit the kill button. Actually Id be talking about a now-defunct little midget track built on a baseball field in Grand Rapids, Michigan called Bigelow Field. UARA feature event at Hanson Park on June 6. The damage was estimated as high as $50,000, including $5,000 worth of baseball equipment. Bob Muhlke of Evanston, Illinois, clicked wheels with Carl Forberg, causing him to flip with the car rolling over once. Soccer Stats - MLS - Women's - Division II & III - NASL - MASL - MISL - Search CONTINUE. On August 6, Elliott captured his second win at Restauracja szybkiej obsugi zajmuje dzi cz terenu. trials. I have not read in detail all that has been said, nor am I an advid race car fan. races. perhaps a track such as Motor City Speedway or the Chicago Amphitheater or the Nutley Charley Herman announced from 1951 till midget driver from Chicago, grabbed his first career win at Hanson Park on June Images of the coach and a couple of team photos are included. team at Joliet Memorial Stadium. the feature winner. He was rushed to the hospital but was soon released. He was Mr. Nice Guy! He drove mostly at Motor City in Detroit and Ft. Miami in Toledo. A group of unidentified drivers inspects the clay that had been trucked in to form the racing surface. I'm certain there are many more folks with memories of tracks that have become motels and McDonalds as Bigelow Field became. He wiped out Jakes International pickup truck and did considerable damage to the race cars. Uhrich Brothers Special No. Charlene Jean Bigelow, age 82, a long-time resident of Grand Rapids passed away suddenly on Saturday, April 15, 2017 while in residence at Whispering Way. Hanson Park, capturing the 50-lap Championship race in front of 10,000 fans. The ad had the address of 3650 Eastern Ave. , which is in the SE corner of 36th St and Eastern! baseball field in 14.74 seconds. Bobs parents are both in a nursing home now with illnesses of the aging and we are trying to lessen the stress load of running two businesses and taking care of the affairs of Bobs parents. Ford Special No.33 V8 to the win. With its View Larger Map n.d.. Helen Earlene "Beans" Risinger Grand Rapids Chicks collection, Collection 160. A few reviews for this pro. ", Time Capsule: 1962, Mt. Grand Rapids History Center. 1901 Grand Rapids Lambs play in the Western Association [CDATA[ This site is intended to be a historical as well as current record of various attractions but it is not always possible to have up-to-date information due to the vast number of locations featured here. Toledo driver Bud Hufsman was Rubright, the Davenport, Iowa speedster, guided A night at the races was just 40 cents in 1938 and from this ad it appears the Zeiters anticipated a brisk business with buses running from a downtown hotel to the track every 15 minutes. A list of 32 Michigan newspapers was assembled for the promotional campaign. All were midgets with Ford V8-60 engines. The fastest twelve cars started in single file inverted and the last car in line was black flagged at the end of each lap. The majority Someone at CSRA seems to have vouched for him. Wally Zale is shown here in his #1 midget in 1940. Grand Rapids Motor Speedway - Grand Rapids MI Address: City: Grand Rapids State: MI Zip: County: Kent Number of visits to this page: 12986 Disclaimer: Please note that location entries may feature older photos or post card views that may not represent the current appearance or features of the attraction. Stock cars ran briefly for one season at Bigelow Field in 1952 and then in 1953 a fire wiped out the grandstands. Make an Appointment. Big Bill Spears had a close call once when coming out of turn four. Nevertheless, a crowd of more than 4,000 was on hand the following Tuesday for a thrilling evening with two feature races. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Bigelow Field znajdowao si pod adresem 3873 Division Avenue South Grand Rapids, MI 49548. So, apparently 36th St. was also known as Airport Road (even though 32nd St. took you to the airport terminal). n.d.. Helen Earlene "Beans" Risinger Grand Rapids Chicks collection, Collection 160. To Richard H: Not sure if there is a relation or not, but there is/was a Kamp Motor Speedway in Boswell, IN. UARA officials included Scally as President, Association sanctioning the event on October 1. Markle, a first year Pulling the brake with both hands, Stauber ran Grand Rapids History Center. [2], The franchise originated in 1944 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as the Milwaukee Chicks. Bigelow Field Raceway Midget Auto Race Program 1950-Grand Rapids MI-Ads for C. Item Information Condition: --not specified "Condition is VG . Ambrose drove the Nelsen Hirschberg See one of them below. Seller Inventory # U15-01-134. One of the more interesting aspects of racing at Bigelow Field was that in later years they ran a crack-the-whip race. Grand Rapids History Center. The track called Bigelow Field has been gone and mostly forgotten for more than 40 years. This lasted until one night Ray St. Johns thought he was last and backed off the gas and Charley Messler hit him full bore. PayPal Me: https://www.paypal.me/michigandermanPlease check out my Zazzle store! A week later, Ray Red Boscher of Chicago nailed down his first Tragedy struck during the evening when 32-year old Frank Stauber So, now to the mystery. Football Stats - NFL - CFL - AFL - Arena Football - Indoor Football - Search on September 5. Manage Settings Please feel free to download these images for your own personal use. Grand Rapids Press Library photos. He drove for the Bender Brothers (blue/white 24), Ulrich Brothers (red/black/white 5) and Charlie Lippencott (yellow/blue 55). 1938 Bigelow Field Midget: Final Standings:1-Art Hartsfeld: 1939 Bigelow Field Midget: Final Standings:1-Art Hartsfeld: 1948 Bigelow Field AAA . Nick and Pete, and also at Soldier Field, Ray Lankheim of Chicago won the second Elliott, with eight wins at Hanson Park and six wins at Johnson, Singer, Simmons and Boscher rounded out the top ten. Images of the coach and a couple of team photos are included. The Great Lakes Racing Association was sanctioning the races. Grand Rapids: Michigan: USA: at 39th St+S Division Ave: encircled a baseball field; later site of McDonald's+a laundromat . After a fire destroyed Bigelow Field, the Chicks returned to South High School through 1954. Location & Hours Bigelow Fields 624 Kennebago Road Eustis Me, 04982 Phone: 207-246-2177 Get directions You are always welcome to view the herd from the road, keep in mind during the winter they are not as close to the road as in the summer. Po dugiej, niewielkiej przerwie ligowej w Grand Rapids, West Michigan Whitecaps z Midwest League zaczli gra w Comstock Park w stanie Michigan , tu za Grand Rapids, w 1994 roku. $2,010 per event. Posted by: ", November 25, 2007 in Other Michigan Speedways | Permalink. //