1967 George Snider feature story

Click to open PDF of storyMike Griffith, the longtime motorsports reporter at The Bakersfield Californian, passed along a story I hadn't seen in my Hanford Motor Speedway research. 

It's a Californian feature story from October 1967, on hometown racer George Snider and previewing the first Champ Car race at Hanford. 

I've tried twice without luck to interview Snider for my history. So here's a 45-year-old story that fills in some of the blanks on Snider's experience at Hanford, Indy, Kearney Bowl and elsewhere.

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

Fresh updates to Marchbanks Speedway/Hanford Motor Speedway history

I just finished making a bunch of updates to a variety of stories in my Marchbanks Speedway section, including lots of fixes and additions to the main track history. 

Some of the more noticeable changes include:

• Interviews with Champ Car drivers Mario Andretti, Bobby Unser, Mel Kenyon and George Benson.
• Wonderful photos and memories from motorsports journalist Ken Durham, who shot photos of the Champ Car races as a teen-ager. 
• Other reader stories.
• A 1951 ad and article clipping for the NASCAR Grand National race.
• An update to the Ernie Cornelson obituary.
• Specifics on when the track changed names.
• Specifics on management and leasing deals from 1958-70.
• More 1953 photos from the Tommy Trader collection.
• A breakdown of 1969 Champ Car race revenue.
• A photo of Joe Leonard driving Parnelli Jones' Lotus-Pratt & Whitney during the Fall 1968 Champ Car race.
• Tidbits about the King School house being moved to Marchbanks, drag racing and boxing matches.

Please continue to share your ideas, stories and feedback. I've gotten great reaction and help from people around the world, and I'd love for that to continue. You're invaluable in helping me fill holes, correct mistakes and find new sources. 

You can add your comments to the main history or email me directly.

More great photos from 1968-69 Champ Car races

Regular readers will recall that Ken Durham recently shared four photos he shot at the 1967-69 Champ Car races at Hanford Motor Speedway. 

Well, good news: Durham, a longtime motorsports journalist, has dug even deeper into his files and shared more than a dozen fantastic shots from the 1968-69 Hanford races, including several terrific portraits of Bobby Unser, Johnny Rutherford and Joe Leonard. 

I've included Ken's captions pretty much verbatim because he's provided nice detail that kinda puts you at the track and draws on his experience as a racing journalist. And remember, Durham was only a teen-ager when he snapped these images, setting the stage for a future career. 

Click to read more ...