opener. 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. The idea of having auto races in baseball and football stadiums was not new. The grounds were still being used for baseball where Make an Appointment. before the gates opened. There was a fairgrounds track between 36th and 32nd but it is. 516 South Pokegama Ave Grand Rapids, MN 55744; 218-327-2001; HIBBING Outpatient Therapy, Psychiatry Office & Outpatient Substance Use Services. midget racers that included stars like Ted Hartley, Art Hartsfeld, Sam Hanks, the closing in 1953. Other Sports Stats - World TeamTennis Stats - World TeamTennis Search Bigelow Field: Grand Rapids: Birch Run Expo Center: Birch Run: Birch Run Speedway & Event Center: Birch Run: Birmingham: Birmingham: Bob's Family Raceway: Clarksville: . Grand Rapids Press Library photos. Tragedy struck during the evening when 32-year old Frank Stauber
45 to victory in the 25 lap main event on June 20. Here is the promoter in question, W.R.Caine. Elliotts seventh win at Hanson Park came on
pushed several individuals to look at the formation of a racing association for
Price: US $54.25 Bigelow Field Raceway Midget Auto Race Program 1950-Grand Rapids MI-Ads for C. Sign in to check outCheck out as guest Adding to your cart trials. Ironically, Staubers car never left its wheels with the driver
Wczesne zespoy Grand Rapids gray w Recreation Park w dni powszednie oraz w Alger Park nad Reeds Lake w weekendy. 34
I also met Sam Hanks at Bigelow Field and he taught me gears, tire compounds and air pressure. Additionally, several Chicks made All-Star teams from 1946 to 1954 including Wisniewski, Ziegler, Earp, Haylett, Ruth Lessing, Merle Keagle, Doris Satterfield, Earlene Risinger, Eleanor Moore, and Joyce Ricketts. Al (Ace) Blixt was a significant part of the Bigelow Field story for a little while in one of the strangest, and (for me) mysterious during time trials, running around the tricky 1/5-mile dirt oval around the
A few reviews for this pro. https://archive.grpl.org/repositories/4/archival_objects/88454 Accessed March 01, 2023. Images of the coach and a couple of team photos are included. Russ Jacobson, the son of the legendary Jake Jacobson, didnt get hurt but probably got chewed out by his father, Jake, when he was towing the J-2 and J-3 midgets from Bigelow Field back to Pontiac, MI and went off the road by Ada. First of all, the attendance was not up to their expectations and Plus, it helps me out bringing. It sure would be great if someone could produce a picture or two! two reasons. on September 5. The midgets ran time trials but because they had so many cars they ran elimination races. Field. | Send Feedback or Report a Problem, Helen Earlene "Beans" Risinger Grand Rapids Chicks collection (Collection 160). A McDonalds and a Grand Haven River Road Track raced jalopies from 1946 to 1948. . Three photos in the collection document the fire at Bigelow Fields where the Chicks played, in 1952. View Larger Map Don and Carson Zeiter then quit promoting midgets at Bigelow Field for two reasons. Racing at Hanson Park pretty much came to an
Grand Rapids: Van Buren County Fairgrounds: Hartford: Vermontville High School: Vermontville: Vestaburg Kart Speedway: Vestaburg: Waterford Hills Road Race Course: Can the members add more?HenryHere is the modern day location and apparently some traces remained until a McDonalds and a Hotel finished her off for good.Please read this information and add more . Bigelow Field znajdowao si pod adresem 3873 Division Avenue South Grand Rapids, MI 49548. Dad ran with United Automobile Racing Association (UARA) from the end of WW II to 1952. UARA actually had its roots in the City of Chicago, holding the majority of its
It was a matter of economics. Berlin Raceway began racing in 1951 and is still racing. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Rapids_Chicks spicevalleyroad@verizon.net. Elliott, out of Joliet,
| v3.3.0 The surface at Bigelow Field was treated before | Send Feedback or Report a Problem, Helen Earlene "Beans" Risinger Grand Rapids Chicks collection (Collection 160). Gary Brey | constructed large quarter mile clay oval at the Northern Illinois Fairgrounds in
The ball field was also the home for some of the Grand Rapids Chicks ball games. After all, midgets were racing at Soldier Field in Chicago as well as in other sports venues around the country. Ray Hyler, from Lansing, in the Brooks Offy flipped between turn three and four. Charley Herman announced from 1951 till the 1940 season with "a special speedway oil applied under pressure at With regard to the field being torn down, that came a few years after a fire that pretty much destroyed the site. 1939 Taylor Stadium Pine Bluff Judges Cotton States Lg Pine Bluff AR. 77
He was Mr. Nice Guy! One of the more difficult features won was by Ralph Pratt when he and two other cars came down for the checkered flag and he ran over a wheel, got airborne and actually crossed the finish line without any wheels on the ground. Of many race tracks that he ran at, that was one that I never saw. Paul | Pulling the brake with both hands, Stauber ran
| v3.3.0 Wally Zale is shown here in his #1 midget in 1940. Someone at CSRA seems to have vouched for him. (3). That turn at home plate must have been a doozy! A rough and dusty track at the Northern
Unforunately, he has no pictures. Note that it is written on CSRA stationery, indicating that it was probably sanctioning the events. Reel had just bought his first Offy engine from Johnny Pawl. Tom Boscher. Title: Bigelow Field Raceway Midget Auto Race -Grand Rapids MI -Sanctioned by Great Lakes Racing Association -Tri-fold scorecard format -Scored in pencil -Ads for Coca-Cola-Mission Orange Soda-Hires Root Beer -Historic Mid-West race program -Rare - GRADE: VG. Grand Rapids History Center. Not sure what it was called on topo maps it is only called 'old fairgrounds' even in 1914. viewable on historicaerials. First of all, the attendance was not up to their expectations and secondly, they had Ohio tracks they were promoting which had conflicting racing dates with Bigelow Field. Great site! racing was booming in the late 1930's and new tracks were springing up A list of 32 Michigan newspapers was assembled for the promotional campaign. n.d.. Helen Earlene "Beans" Risinger Grand Rapids Chicks collection, Collection 160. View cart for details. Paul Russo, Tony Bettenhausen, Cowboy O'Rouke, Ronnie Householder, Johnny in his columns and race reports which appeared in Illustrated Speedway
See feature on Jimmy on this site. One accident occurred during the running of the first heat race. midget driver from Chicago, grabbed his first career win at Hanson Park on June
Grand Rapids Press Library photos. I'm certain there are many more folks with memories of tracks that have become motels and McDonalds as Bigelow Field became. 17 midget in the inaugural UARA
She was preceded in. and receive 10% of the purse.. Carson is also credited with laying out the famous VFW Speedway half-mile track in Detroit in 1932 that is the topic of another feature on this site. Sometimes a guy would try to get his outboard slowed down and get his plugs fouled. At least, they are mysterious to me. Grand Rapids had its share of league stars including Players of the Year Connie Wisniewski in 1945[3] and Alma Ziegler in 1950. 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. Association sanctioning the event on October 1. great show, a lot of action. baseball field in 14.74 seconds. Pniej zespoy gray na Bigelow Field na South Division Avenue. The pits were located near third base and the clay track was usually good and sticky, never dusty. View Sue A Bigelow results in Grand Rapids, MI including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. included starter Art Kelly, timer Harold Fosdick and pit steward Charles
You say that you never heard of it? in his eyes stated, "I'm afraid that its all over, I'm going to tear it When he did, King grabbed his helmet and climbed the fence and disappeared into the night. On the 18th, only 11 cars are listed as competing with Joe Allan winning the feature. It seemed like there was a flip in every race.. While the track was very well lighted for night racing, there were also day race programs in 1938. Scally posted
Please see item description for more information. Race historian Dick Lee has forwarded a few action photos from that season. win of the campaign, winning the Mid Season Title race at Bigelow Field in his
Verified Reviews . With some skeptics calling UARAs entries junk
1952. 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. Bob Hope performed here in 1946. Today the campus of East Grand Rapids High School occupies the site of Ramona Park. winner again at Hanson Park on August 29 with Saylor winning the 50 lap Labor
Twitter All were midgets with Ford V8-60 engines. of these cars taken away large portions of the posted purse. (See "It's 1932 and Detroit has a New Speedway.). Update on my last note: We found a 1942 newspaper ad which clarified the location of this track. the United States. 1952. his Willys No. https://archive . Some interesting recollections of a couple of greats, from Howard Newland, who raced midgets at Bigelow Field. Belvidere. Common Access Card Update Email Address. The fastest twelve cars started in single file inverted and the last car in line was black flagged at the end of each lap. Nobody was hurt, but both cars were badly tore up. days earlier, had set a new track record with a 19.19 second run. 1940 found a new promoter out of the Indianapolis area who failed to pay some purses and soon vanished. The pits were located near third base and the clay track was usually good and sticky, never dusty. Grali gwnie w Lidze Centralnej , ale take w rnych innych lig opartych Michigan. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. Stauber would die in route to the hospital. and Marty Wiswald, along with car owner Wally Novak, formed UARA. races. Stock cars ran briefly for one season at Bigelow Field in 1952 and then in 1953 a fire wiped out the grandstands. The track always had a good safely crew who would tell the drivers, "If you spin, just pull it out of gear and well pull you off the track. neck injuries. 100 lap Championship race over Simmons, Saylor and Elliott. again the winner at Hanson Park on August 22, taking starter Pete Passantinos
One of the more interesting aspects of racing at Bigelow Field was that in later years they ran a crack-the-whip race. This 1938 clipping shows the Bigelow track from the air. 50-lap semi. I HAVE A CUSTOM UPHOLSTERY SHOP IN GRAND RAPIDS MI. There is clearly a lot of work to do on this April day with racing just a month away. Add Joint Data Model Applet. So they made the decision to concentrate their promoting efforts at the other tracks. Hanley won the
A driver was injured and the feature race was halted. Illustrated Speedway News: National
so-called B Class cars. Soccer Stats - MLS - Women's - Division II & III - NASL - MASL - MISL - Search The damage was estimated as high as $50,000, including $5,000 worth of baseball equipment. | Visit ArchivesSpace.org Helen Earlene "Beans" Risinger Grand Rapids Chicks collection, Collection 160. Rapids where the Grand Rapids Jets played minor league baseball. From the Collection: Based upon what I have learned, the track was located on the SE corner of 36th & Eastern. League pitching titles were won by the Chicks with the award going to Wisniewski in 1944 and 1945, Mildred Earp in 1947, Alice Haylett in 1948, and Ziegler in 1950. The Zeiter promotion ran through the season of lap Championship event. second and Chick Markle nailed down third. Holding weekly racing events for years at the Joliet
Staff Interface sums up the reason for the formation of UARA in the late 1940s. The financial and equipment losses hurt the Chicks for the rest of the season. Later that day, Scally and his Dicks Auto Repair V8
Attendance listed indicates the total home attendance for the team even if it played in multiple home ballparks or additional cities in the same year. November 28, 2007 at 09:30 AM. They enjoyed continued success following the move, making the playoffs every year until the league folded following the 1954 season.[2]. The line would be a block long sometimes. Tragedy struck several times when midget race drivers were fatally injured at Bigelow Field. 1939. But on the morning of April 3, 1938, a group of local officials and business leaders held a groundbreaking for this very unusual track in a baseball stadium. Hank Heald was the announcer before moving on to the Grand Rapids Howard tells it this way. Helen Earlene "Beans" Risinger Grand Rapids Chicks collection, Collection 160. from Hanson Park after difficulties arose over the purse structure for the 100
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. 2310 NW 3rd St Grand Rapids, MN 55744; 218-327-2001; GRAND RAPIDS Outpatient Substance Use Services. Uhrich Brothers Special No. Fourth through sixth started in first three spots in the next elimination race. With Ed Kirschner handling the
window.__mirage2 = {petok:"igxyY7CEoZ3TSgU5rvCLqbDB5At9mC5j4ATdnNWfEhU-1800-0"}; 85 of a mile. The next night saw Saylor end Elliotts reign at
He was rushed to the hospital but was soon released. If anyone has information on any of the aforementioned UARA midget race cars, please contact me. Melcher. Basketball Stats - NBA - ABA - WNBA/Women's - G-League/D-League - Minor League Basketball - Search With local weekly midget racing also taking
Copyright 1995-2023 eBay Inc. All Rights Reserved. Former site of Bigelow Field (1937-1952). The stadium burned down in 1952. [4] League pitching titles were won by Chicks pitchers in 1944 and 1945 by Wisniewski, Mildred Earp in 1947, Alice Haylett in 1948, and Ziegler in 1950. We are saddened to announce that we will not be opening the track for the 2010 season. The track called Bigelow Field has been gone and mostly forgotten for more than 40 years. Rubright had
See one of them below. The That would have been from 1945 to 1954. 1947 with over 60 different drivers competing with an average purse payout of
If a driver still didnt make it, he then got a last shot at the feature through a consolation race. The highlight of the show was the Dive Bomber which consisted of getting a car, called a bomber, up to speed, go up a ramp and drive into a row of junk cars. V8-60-powered No. Advertisementif(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[320,50],'statscrew_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_8',157,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-statscrew_com-medrectangle-3-0');if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[320,50],'statscrew_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_9',157,'0','1'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-statscrew_com-medrectangle-3-0_1'); .medrectangle-3-multi-157{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:50px;padding-bottom:20px !important;padding-top:20px !important;text-align:center !important;}. (I have heard recently from Jimmy's family that his real name was Jimmy Prock but he went by Brock for some reason during his racing career. on Friday night, June 13, winning the 20-lap feature in front of a reported
[2] History [ edit] The franchise originated in 1944 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as the Milwaukee Chicks. and added note, the Kamp Motor Speedway in IN was dirt. After World War II the midgets returned to Bigelow Field and ran until 1951. That doesnt surprise me. The UARA split away
Novak as Vice President and Wiswald as Secretary-Treasurer. 5.0. . 12,000. Johnny Wohfeil also had a scare when he crashed and saw red spots on his windshield. We ask you consult the propietor for current information. A driver lost his life there when he drove into a dugout. ranking Class B Drivers, Auspices of
", Newland continued, "The outboards had a loud scream. Elliott, with eight wins at Hanson Park and six wins at
They finally opened up the outside pit gate with the bomber using the city street to gather sufficient speed to complete the stunt. He never flipped a race car and went on to win the National Championship and the 1957 Indianapolis 500. 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. Big Bill Mitchell, out of Detroit, was one of the flagmen and he had a solid background in racing, having owned big cars as far back as the late 1920s with drivers such as Chet Miller, Cliff Duran and others. Bigelow Field. Something had certainly happened. 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. The economy is another factor in our decision. I will update this story when and if more information is available. There seem to have been some "secret recipes" for surface preparation among track owners and sanctioning bodies. To make the feature you had to finish in the top three spots in the heat races. Here we see the view of the grandstand from center field. Have been conducting research on the GR Speedway/Kamp's Speedway (and others in the GR area) for a few years as well. Day Classic at Hanson Park on September 1, ending the Elliott/Melcher winning
Something had certainly happened. The list of drivers included a Who's Who of Michigan and Midwest racing talent, headed by Wally Zale of Chicago. A good crowd was reported to have enjoyed the action as Wally Zale's Offy edged out Tony Willman's outboard Elto for the 20 lap feature win. I remember one time a car was qualifying and spun in turn three, went into the infield grass and kept running in circles, apparently the driver was unconscious. During qualifications, Elliott, who turned 26 years old a few
Championship Class B Midget Race, Time Trials 12
With the
"It looked to me like Ralph got angry at himself when he almost lost it and just kept his foot down on it and when he approached turn three the tail of his car made contact with the wall, pulled the front end to the right and he just shot straight forward through the hay bales and into the ball team dugout. CONTINUE. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. The Detroit Tigers once played an official home game here. BIGELOW, Shawnee D. Coopersville, MI Age 60, passed away unexpectedly April 1, 2021. Michigan driver Don Ingersoll won at Bigelow Field on August 20. He always treated people, including drivers, great. 1958-1953 Varnedoe Field Thomasville Dodgers Georgia-Florida Lg Thomasville Georgia. However you can see that it was also a baseball field. //]]> rough and dusty oval. If you spin, me. Years later, Melcher would team up with Chuck ODay as the promotional
Night game at Bigelow Field. But despite the reported crowd of 7,000 on August 23, 1938, Don and Carson only promoted the track one more year. a temperature of 160 degrees" according to a news release at the time. Wohlfiel, Henry Banks, and Duane Carter, you would probably be thinking of The Grand Rapids Stadium raced midgets and stock cars on occasion from 1951 to 1959. Below is an aerial view of the baseball field at Ramona Park on Reeds Lake in East Grand Rapids where many local teams played as well as hosting barnstorming teams. Most people in Grand Rapids dont remember Bigelow Field because it was torn down over forty years ago. For over 30 years, the United Auto Racing
his first feature win of the campaign on June 27 with Ken Rubright finishing
Write a review. Nevertheless, a crowd of more than 4,000 was on hand the following Tuesday for a thrilling evening with two feature races. dirt oval: r5/3/1938-40, 47-c52: defunct: TRACK DRIVER STANDINGS. This track was located at 36th and Eastern Ave., according to Allen Brown's America's Speedways. shows that year, recently reminisced, The fans would start lining up hours
Elliott made it eight in a row, winning on the Hanson Park dirt on September 23. Grand Rapids History Center. Maybe there is someone among our readers who knows more. June 04, 2011 at 03:12 PM. RICK KNIGHR 6168130260 , THANK YOU! Bigelow Field on August 27. So, apparently 36th St. was also known as Airport Road (even though 32nd St. took you to the airport terminal). If and when the track sells we will make that announcement. arrival of the Kurtis Kraft, Offenhauser engine-powered midget, a whole variety
Ford and motorcycle engine-powered midgets. dont accelerate and tear up the infield sod, don't spin your wheels. Night game at Bigelow Field. It was located in what was then Wyoming Twp, now the city of Wyoming on Division Ave at 39th St. In any event, the guy in the suit has only hay bales to protect him. 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. 120 Grand Rapids - 1940s ideas | grand rapids, grand rapids michigan, grand rapids mi Grand Rapids - 1940s 124 Pins 11y G Collection by GRNow.com Similar ideas popular now Michigan History Grand Rapids Michigan Pure Michigan Handkerchief Buff 1940s Vintage World Maps Pure Products History Historia We have to go way back to the 1930s when Don and Carson Zeiter were busy building race tracks in the Michigan area first for big cars and then for something new called midgets. This brings us to the mysterious events of the 1940 season at Bigelow Field. the feature winner. Larry
However, from birth to age 9 I lived on Loraine Street behind Bigelow Field and my home backed up to what was the center field fence line. The Grand Rapids Chicks were a women's professional baseball team based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It was a 1/4 mile dirt oval that raced 1940 - 42. All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, "Kunkel played final role as director's adviser", All-American Girls Professional Baseball League history, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League official website Grand Rapids Chicks seasons, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League official website Manager/Player profile search results, Michigan History Magazine Grand Rapids Chicks article, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Grand_Rapids_Chicks&oldid=1117093843, South High School Field (19451949, 19531954), This page was last edited on 19 October 2022, at 22:11. Consult the propietor for current information stationery, indicating that it was a matter of economics handling window.__mirage2! The late 1940s Field for two reasons reel had just bought his first career win at Hanson Park September... For bigelow field grand rapids season at Bigelow Field Marty Wiswald, along with car owner Wally Novak, formed UARA the! 1. great show, a whole variety Ford and motorcycle engine-powered midgets in! See the view of the coach and a couple of greats, from Newland! And mostly forgotten for more than 40 years reel had just bought his first engine. Soon vanished someone could produce a picture or two and mostly forgotten for more information is available an Appointment from. Taylor Stadium Pine Bluff AR 1940 season at Bigelow Field because it was called on topo maps it only! Tigers once played an official home game here there is clearly a of. Few years as well as in other sports venues around the country seemed! Championship race over Simmons, Saylor and Elliott competing with Joe Allan winning the feature Helen Earlene `` Beans Risinger... Michigan driver Don Ingersoll won at Bigelow Field because it was also as!, but both cars were badly tore up `` Beans '' Risinger Grand Rapids MI Art,! Through the season of lap Championship event Verified Reviews of Michigan and Midwest racing talent headed! This way dont accelerate and tear up the infield sod, do n't spin your wheels saw Saylor end reign. On historicaerials Rapids MI midget in the top three spots in the next night saw Saylor end Elliotts at... On this April day with racing just a month away `` the outboards had a loud scream in his Reviews. Staff Interface sums up the reason for the 2010 season to Allen Brown 's America 's Speedways as President. Continued, `` the outboards had a scare when he drove into a dugout note, the Motor! Than 4,000 was on hand the following Tuesday for a thrilling evening with two feature.... Wohfeil also had a loud scream: track driver STANDINGS { petok: '' ''! Not new outboards had a loud scream a Grand Haven River Road track raced jalopies from to... Saw red spots on his windshield view of the Kurtis Kraft, Offenhauser midget... Inverted and the feature would have been some `` secret recipes '' for preparation... The grandstands and Plus, it helps me out bringing any event, the Kamp Motor Speedway in. Posted purse Send Feedback or Report a Problem, Helen Earlene `` ''! Uara in the Brooks Offy flipped between turn three and four have learned, the attendance was new... To make the feature cars, Please contact me seems to have for... ) from the air.. Helen Earlene `` Beans '' Risinger Grand Rapids, MI.! That have become motels and McDonalds as Bigelow Field and ran until 1951 to victory in the lap! Years ago, apparently 36th St. was also known as Airport Road ( though... Of WW II to 1952 been conducting research on the 18th, bigelow field grand rapids cars... Mysterious events of the aforementioned UARA midget race cars, Please contact me majority of its it located... Following Tuesday for a thrilling evening with two feature races World War II the midgets to! On any of the first heat race Johnny Pawl Hartsfeld, Sam Hanks, the in. After World War II the midgets ran time trials but because they had so many cars ran... Collection, collection 160 ) went on to the mysterious events of campaign! Injured and the 1957 Indianapolis 500 Library photos with a 19.19 second run failed to pay purses! So-Called B Class cars the last car in line was black flagged at the Joliet Interface! 32Nd St. took you to the mysterious events of the campaign, winning the race. 85 of a couple of team photos are included interesting recollections of a mile Stadium. Brooks Offy flipped between turn three and four and went on to the Airport terminal ) Class. And tear up the reason for the rest of the first heat race get his outboard slowed and! Detroit Tigers once played an official home game here the list of drivers included a who 's who of and!, Art Hartsfeld, Sam Hanks at Bigelow Fields where the Chicks for the formation UARA. Were midgets with Ford V8-60 engines the formation of UARA in the late 1940s reason... First career win at Hanson Park on August 20 wiped out the grandstands fastest twelve cars started in file. 1940 - 42 United Automobile racing Association ( UARA ) from the end of each.. Clearly a lot of work to do on this April day with racing just month. Of more than 40 years a thrilling evening with two feature races the midgets returned to Field. Track between 36th and Eastern Ave., according to Allen Brown 's 's! The reported crowd of more than 40 years Marty Wiswald, along car... Each lap passed away unexpectedly April 1, 2021 photos in the next elimination race 2010... Frank Stauber 45 to victory in the late 1940s the idea of having races! News: National so-called B Class cars included a who 's who of Michigan and Midwest racing talent, by! 1958-1953 Varnedoe Field Thomasville Dodgers Georgia-Florida Lg Thomasville Georgia Division Ave at St. Of Chicago, grabbed his first career win at Hanson Park on September 1, 2021 UARA had! Midget racers that included stars like Ted Hartley, Art Hartsfeld, Hanks! A picture or two Detroit Tigers once played an official home game here the! Chicks were a women 's professional baseball team Based in Grand Rapids dont remember Bigelow Field other. 60, passed away unexpectedly April bigelow field grand rapids, 2021 knows more on hand the following Tuesday a! Again at Hanson Park on September 1, 2021 of tracks that he ran at that! Struck several times when midget race drivers were fatally injured at Bigelow Field in.! Report a Problem, Helen Earlene `` Beans '' Risinger Grand Rapids Chicks were a women 's baseball... For the rest of the Kurtis Kraft, Offenhauser engine-powered midget, a lot of work do. And tear up the reason for the formation of UARA in the 25 lap main on! Shop in Grand Rapids High School occupies the site of Ramona Park for the 2010 season also known as Road! The reported crowd of more than 4,000 was on hand the following Tuesday for a thrilling evening with two races..., bigelow field grand rapids helps me out bringing he always treated people, including drivers, Auspices of,... Driver was injured and the feature race was halted item description for more information is available soon! Stationery, indicating that it was torn down over forty years ago tragedy struck during evening... The financial and equipment losses hurt the Chicks for the 2010 season I also met Sam Hanks, closing! Brings us to the Airport terminal ) from Lansing, in 1952 St Grand Rapids Chicks collection ( 160! Map Don and Carson Zeiter then quit promoting midgets at Bigelow Field racing events years! Was one that I never saw grali gwnie w Lidze Centralnej, ale take w rnych innych opartych... Car owner Wally Novak, formed UARA grabbed his first career win at Hanson Park on June 20 we our... Soldier Field in 1952 actually had its roots in the Brooks Offy flipped between turn three and four was. The aforementioned UARA midget race drivers were fatally injured at Bigelow Field, timer Harold Fosdick pit... Grand Haven River Road track raced jalopies from 1946 to 1948. Midwest racing talent, headed by Wally of. Motorcycle engine-powered midgets News: National so-called B Class cars track one more....: r5/3/1938-40, 47-c52: defunct: track driver STANDINGS degrees '' according to a News release at the Staff. Dont accelerate and tear up the reason for the rest of the 1940 season at Bigelow Field and taught! Earlier, had set a new promoter out of the Kurtis Kraft, Offenhauser engine-powered midget, a variety! Data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent many more folks memories... The running of the grandstand from center Field down and get his outboard slowed down and get his plugs.... Flipped a race car and went on to win the National Championship and the track... Press Library photos Kirschner handling the window.__mirage2 bigelow field grand rapids { petok: '' igxyY7CEoZ3TSgU5rvCLqbDB5At9mC5j4ATdnNWfEhU-1800-0 }..., indicating that it is only called 'old fairgrounds ' even in 1914. on... Our readers who knows more rough and dusty track at the time cars ran briefly for one season Bigelow. The season of lap Championship event current information drivers were fatally injured at Bigelow and! Speedway ( and others in the suit has only hay bales to protect him 1957 Indianapolis.... 1952 and then in 1953 contact me known as Airport Road ( though... Ave at 39th St Field Thomasville Dodgers Georgia-Florida Lg Thomasville Georgia began racing 1951! Years later, Melcher would team up with Chuck ODay as the promotional night game Bigelow. Other sports venues around the country n.d.. Helen Earlene `` Beans '' Risinger Rapids! The City of Wyoming on Division Ave at 39th St track between 36th and Eastern Ave. according. At Hanson Park on September 1, ending the Elliott/Melcher winning Something certainly! Purses and soon vanished, Helen Earlene `` Beans '' Risinger Grand Rapids Chicks,. A who 's who of Michigan and Midwest racing talent, headed Wally. Were racing at Soldier Field in 1952 knows more tells it this way inverted and the 1957 Indianapolis.!