This last weekend I was at a local flea market in Omaha and I was looking through a small stack of magazines and papers when I see the words Midget Racing. Well, its not very often I come across things like this. Its a Program for Midget Races at the Olympic Stadium in Kansas City. It looks to be old by the midget photo in the upper left corner with the name of George Binnie (I would learn more about him). Inside I find that it is a progam for the 1946 season. Times are written in for the different heats. There is a list of drivers and what engines they are running, a number are V8 60's. I did some research on the web and found photos and info on George Binnie who was a champion in K.C. for many years. I also found what had happened to him during the 1948 season. That story (which I found at Motorsports Memorial) is after the pics, which were taken by Jimmy Sams. Both Jimmy Sams and Motorsports Memorial web sites are referenced at the bottom. Amazing men and machines. Season standings for 1946 George Binnie. By Jimmy Sams George Binnie. By Jimmy Sams George Binnie. By Jimmy Sams George Binnie. By Jimmy Sams Memorial for George Binnie before the race. By Jimmy Sams Memorial for George Binnie before the race. By Jimmy Sams George Binnie Complete name: George Binnie Birth Place: Kansas City, MO, United States Death date: 28.Sep.1948 Death Place: Oklahoma City, OK, United States Nationality: United States Gender: male Age at death: 31 Accident date: 28.Sep.1948 Event: race Country: United States Venue: Oklahoma State fairgrounds (old) Variant: 0.5 mile dirt oval (ca. 1913-1941)(1946-1954) Role: driver Vehicle type: car Vehicle sub-type: single seater Note: Binnie had started racing in 1935 in Kansas City and had driven both midgets and big cars. He was the midget track champion at Olympic Stadium in Kansas City in 1941, 1945, 1946 and 1947. He had set a world speed record earlier in 1948 at the Heidelburg, Pennsylvania, track, and had been the big winner at the Kansas Free Fair in Topeka, Kansas just ten days earlier. During a qualification run, his midget car went through the retaining fence in the northeast turn and ran into a tree. Some speculated that Binnie chose hitting the tree rather than hitting a fence lined with unpaid spectators. He was taken to Mercy Hospital but was dead upon arrival. That night at Playland Speedway in Council Bluffs, Iowa, a special tribute was made to Binnie by his fellow drivers, who circled the track in formation, carrying the flags of racing, led by the first midget car that Binnie had ever driven. Binnie was a many time winner at Playland. www.motorsportmemorial.org www.jimmysamsracingphotos.com
HatMan- Neat stuff - thanks for posting. Don't know your age, but suspect you might have seen a few roundy-round races back in the day. The midgets were pretty much done when I got into things (born in '44), but I never missed the "big car" races at the Nebraska State Fair from about '52-3 on up through the '60s. The '50s "big car" racing was a lot like the midget pix. No rollbars (or seatbelts for some, as they felt it safer to be thrown clear of their car in a crash), cheesy helmets, and cars with narrow studded tires and very high (compared to nowadays) centers of gravity. All that made for some very dicey action. It was common to have at least one driver in the field who was missing part of a limb from as a result of a crash. When a car rolled or went into the fence, it was serious business and often another racer would stop and render assistance before the ambulance arrived. The ambulance attendant's medical "skills" were often very basic. It was pretty much just scoop up the injured driver and take him to the nearest hospital. One fun part was seeing "name" racers who also competed at Indy. Most of those guys also had "dirt cars" (often an obsolete Indy car) and actually made their livings racing those around the country the rest of the year. Castor oil was the lubrication of preference, and the unique smell and sounds (Offys!) at the track really added to the excitement. There was much more of an "edge" for spectators, as there was always the very real chance that there could be a very serious injury or death. The names of drivers who lost thier lives that way would fill a very large book. It was a waaaay different time in the history of racing - and American society as well.
There is a old guy that comes into my shop a couple of times a month and tells me all the old stories about Flatheads and something about every car that's in my shop, he takes up an hour everytime he comes in, but I still like to set down and listen to those stories. He has mentioned several people on the list mostly Lee Hudson, I actually think he wrenched for Hudson. I'll show this to him and I'm sure he will know most of them, He will enjoy this very much, thanks for showing this to us!
The Jalopy Journal
