Eddie Anderson of Grinnell, Iowa
1949 IMCA Stock Car Champion
ByLee Ackerman
Omaha,Neb. - In the last few years, considerable effort has been given to documentingthe early years of NASCAR. What many fans are unaware of is that before IMCAbecame a grass roots racing series famous for its sanctioning of over 100weekly racing tracks across the country, it had a stock car series that formany years rivaled its southern counterpart, NASCAR.
TheInternational Motor Contest Association (IMCA), organized in 1915, is theoldest active automobile racing sanctioning body in the United States. J. Alex Sloan, a native of Pittsburgh, Pa.,was instrumental in establishing the IMCA, and for years ran more races thanall other promoters in the United States combined, all under IMCA sanction.
After Sloan’s death in 1937, his son Johncontinued the IMCA tradition. Under hisleadership, IMCA continued to grow and reports suggest that IMCA held its firstlate model stock car race on November 9, 1947 in Lubbock, Tex. Certainly, thefirst recorded season of IMCA stock cars was 1949.
Today,late models are all specially constructed frames, mass produced on a jig at achassis companies such as Rocket, MastersBilt, GRT or whomever. In 1949, whenIMCA conducted its first year of stock car racing, many of the cars wereordinary passenger cars were driven to the track with license plates remainingon the car during the race.
As you will see in this story, many carcompanies were represented, some of which have been all but forgotten. What’s aKaiser-Frasier you ask, how about a Willy’s? A Nash won several stock car races,you have to be kidding!
Informationabout that first IMCA stock car season is certainly not complete, but while nopoints were kept, we do know that it is well documented that Eddie Anderson ofGrinnell, Iowa was declared the first IMCA stock car champion.
Thefirst race of the season was held at the Mid-America Fairgrounds on May 30,which became the traditional Topeka Memorial Day Race. Bob McKim of Salina, Kan., won the 200-lapfeature in an Oldsmobile 88 owned by Ron Rice. Ray Rutman finished second,Eldon Burkeholder took third and Frank Winkley was fourth.
Winkleyand his wife Verna would later form Auto Racing, Inc. (ARI) and for many yearspromoted IMCA events. The other group that promoted IMCA sanctioned events foryears was National Speedways, Inc. led by Al Sweeney.
Herschel Buchanan receive congratulations from IMCA promoter Al Sweeney.
Itis also reported that Hershel Buchanan of Shreveport, Louisiana won a race atthe Louisiana State Fairgrounds in a Nash on the same day that may have been anIMCA sanctioned event. Buchanan had spent a number of years racing in the IMCA bigcar (sprint car) division prior to racing stock cars. In 1950 and 1951 Buchananwon the IMCA stock car championship.
OnJuly 4, the IMCA stock cars ran a 200-lap race at the Kansas State Fairgroundsat Hutchinson with McKim leading 96 laps in his 1940 Oldsmobile 88 (whichcarried the number 88), prevailing again before 8,000 fans. Norm Horn finishedsecond, Jim Roper third, Herschel Buchanan fourth and Don Smith fifth.
Also,in the field was Nick Nachicas. Nachicas would later work for Winkley and ARIserving as an announcer of IMCA events for many years.
Asfor Jim Roper, that’s the same Jim Roper from Halstead, Kan., that won thefirst ever NASCAR strictly stock car race on June 19, 1949 at the threequarter-mile Charlotte Speedway. Roper pulled a Lincoln all the way toCharlotte, N.C., and ran second to Glenn Dunaway. Roper was awarded the winwhen Dunaway was disqualified for illegal use of rear springs.
Asfor Dunaway…
The first NationalSpeedways, Inc., sanctioned stock car race took place on August 20, 1949 atCedar Rapids, Iowa with Glen Dunaway of North Carolina winning in anOldsmobile. Yes, the same Glenn Dunaway that was disqualified at Charlotte.
A tremendous crowd of 14,000 jam-packed the All-Iowa Fair grandstand and watched Dunaway push his black 1949 Oldsmobile coupe around the half-mile 200 times in 2 hours and 22 minutes. He finished two laps ahead of Herschel Buchanan.
"Wild" Bill Harrison of Topeka, Kan. - Photo courtesy of Troy Harrison
OnAugust 21, Wild Bill Harrison of Topeka, Kansas drove his Lincoln to the 200-lapfeature win at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds in Davenport, Iowa, before7,052 curious fans. Glen Dunaway followed in an Oldsmobile with Buchanan thirdin his 46’ Nash. The race took 2 hours, 9 minutes and 30seconds to complete.
August23 saw the series back at Topeka, Jim Roper of Great Bend, Kansas winning a 200-lapfeature in a Lincoln. Three days later,on August 26, Herschel Buchanan drove his Nashto victory at the Sioux EmpireFairgrounds in Sioux Falls.
OnSeptember 1, 1949, Anderson came alive and drove his 1949 Mercury to a 200-lapvictory at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines defeating highly toutedHerschel Buchanan. The car Andersondrove had been wrecked in a highway accident near Grinnell, and Anderson tookpossession of the car from the insurance company only five days before therace.
OnSeptember 2, at the Minnesota State Fair in St. Paul, Tom Adelman ofMinneapolis drove his 1948 Kaiser-Fraiser to a win in the 200-lap event. BillHarrison in a Lincoln and Wally Dahl in a Ford finished second and third.
EddieAnderson scored another win on September 4, at the All-Iowa Fair in CedarRapids, Jack Morgan of Duenwig, Mo., ran second driving a 1941 Mercury withDick Hobel of Cedar Rapids third in a Buick and Harlan Young of Anamosa, Iowafourth in a 1940 Willys.
HerschelBuchanan, who set fast time by blistering the half-mile in 34.765 seconds, finishedfifth after making a couple of pit stops. Anderson’s winning time was 2 hours, 10minutes and 35 seconds.
IMCA Stock Cars roll down the front stretch at the Nebraska State Fair. A standing room only crowd eagerly awaits the action.
OnSeptember 9, at the Nebraska State Fair in Lincoln, Eddie Anderson continuedhis winning ways once again taking a 200-lap win pocketing $500 for hisefforts. Herschel Buchanan brought his Nash home second, Wayne Selzer of Omahawas third in a Ford and open-wheel ace Frank Luptow ran fourth.
Andersonkept his streak going by winning the 200-lap race at Topeka, Kansas on October2. He then added yet another win on October 9 back at Hawkeye Downs where he completedthe 200-lap affair in 2 hours and 20 minutes with Don Fischer in a '46 Fordfinishing second and Sonny Ebsen in a '41 Mercury third.
Thefinal event of the season was run on October 26 at the Louisiana StateFairgrounds in Shreveport with Buddy Keith winning in a 1939 Lincoln. For agood part of the 29 years that the IMCA stock car series raced, the seriesstarted the season and ended the season in Shreveport.
Therewere several other IMCA events that were reported ran in 1949, but no reliableinformation is available on those events. In the end, we know that EddieAnderson in his wrecked '49 Mercury was the class of the field and usually hadto battle Herschel Buchanan in his Nash for the win.
TheIMCA stock car series grew to be the leading series in the Midwest for manyyears and in the beginning rivaled NASCAR. IMCA races at the various statefairs routinely drew 20,000 or more fans. Ernie Derr became a legend in theseries, winning 12 IMCA national stock car championships, but in the end theseries faded into history with 1977 being its last year of competition.
