November 1968 Champ Car race program

Updated on Wednesday, April 13, 2011 at 9:35 PM by Logan Molen

The Champ Car race at Hanford Motor Speedway on Nov. 3, 1968, was memorable for:

• Its 250-mile race distance, which required Champ Car refueling for the first time at Hanford.
• The West Coast debut of the eerily quiet turbine-powered four-wheel drive Lotus that would later gain infamy at Indianapolis. Joe Leonard and Art Pollard drove turbines in this race, and Leonard shattered the qualifying record with at 163 mph.

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Printcast version of Marchbanks stories now available

The Printcast version of my Marchbanks Speedway storiesI've created a Printcast version of my Marchbanks stories for those readers who prefer to read things in a more traditional "magazine" format. I'll create new editions as I add updates to my Marchbanks section. You can also sign up for free email alerts of future editions on the Printcasting.com site.

For those who aren't familiar with Printcasting, it's a simple way for everyday people to become magazine publishers in minutes by creating web-based and PDF publications (DISCLAIMER: I work closely with Printcasting on behalf of The Bakersfield Californian, which is an investor in Printcasting and its offshoot, FeedBrewer).

What's missing in the Printcast version of my Marchbanks stories are all the photos and hotlinks contained in the original stories. But it's still a great way to dive into what is a lot of information.

Let me know what you think.

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RELATED STORIES: Read more about Marchbanks Speedway and Hanford Motor Speedway in my Marchbanks section, including this regularly updated "History of Marchbanks Speedway, aka Hanford Motor Speedway."

Second death at Marchbanks/Hanford speedway

In my ongoing research into Marchbanks Speedway/Hanford Motor Speedway, I learned of a second death at the track, this one in 1956.

I previously documented the 1969 death of James "Red" Stainton. But according to Motorsport Memorial, there was a death at what was then known as Marchbanks Speedway 13 years earlier, during a "500-lap Little Indianapolis hardtop jalopy race" on May 29, 1956.

Motorsport Memorial reported that mechanic Arlen Smith, 22, died after a wheel flew off one of the race cars and hit him in the back.

The story also notes a second tire came off a different car in the same race, breaking the leg of a spectator near a concession stand.

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RELATED STORIES: Read more about Marchbanks Speedway and Hanford Motor Speedway in my Marchbanks section, including this regularly updated "History of Marchbanks Speedway, aka Hanford Motor Speedway."