Speedway Drivers Slated in Three-A Meet at Fairgrounds
Twenty-one monarchs of the nation's speed trails will converge upon the Kanawha fairgrounds oval Sunday for Ralph Hankinson's inaugural presentation of Three-A sanctioned auto racing in West Virginia.
Nestled between towering mountains two miles from Dunbar, the Kanawha base of operations is readily accessible from all parts of the compass. A few miles from Charleston, the spacious speed plant is located along the hard-surfaced highway leading from Nitro to this city.
The impending orgy of thrills will open with a series of time trials at 12:30 p.m. The first of four five-miles qualifying heats, which are competitive events, will get underway promptly at 2:30 p.m. Then the Kanawha Sweepstakes, a 40-lap endurance test of speed, will serve as the concluding feature of the card.
Heavy rains of the last two weeks have proven an asset rather than a detriment to the condition of the track. The seasonal deluges have helped to allay the dust which otherwise would have necessitated the application of tons of calcium chloride. Rain as late as Sunday morning would make a faster course and only a heavy rainstorm in late afternoon could hinder the program.
From the North, South, East and Far West will come intrepid knights of the roaring oval. Including among the lusterful array of drivers will be two Indianapolis money winners:Chet Gardner, of Long Beach, Calk, and George "Doc" Mackenzie, who hails from Eddington, Pa.
Gardner's robin egg blue creation is powered by the same Miller motor which earned him a coveted money award in the Hoosier classic. Mackenzie makes his West Virginia debut in Johnny Bagley's Cresco Special, a car thrice victorious this year with Doc at the helm.
Sharing the limelight with Gardner and Mackenzie will be Ken Fowler, creator of a new track record at Hohokus, N. J., and Vern Orenduff, who first became affiliated with the auto racing game with residing in Bluefield. Orenduff now makes his headquarters in Fort Myers, Fla.
