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A total of 27 entries were received for the race. On Aug. 22, a round of qualifying was held to reduce the final number of drivers to 20 and determine starting positions. John Ferwerda of La Crosse, who was sponsored by the Larson and Ferguson Ford Garage of Chaseburg, Wis., was the top finisher in the one-mile qualifying race with a time of 83 seconds. Ralph Skoy of Mindoro, Wis., earned the last qualifying spot with a time of 104 seconds.
On the day of the race the Model-Ts were paraded through La Crosse. Upon their arrival at the fairgrounds, a huge crowd of 12,000 people had already gathered. Many got into the race for free as undermanned ticket-takers were overwhelmed by the onslaught of fans.
When the race started, there were actually 21 cars competing. A late entry was allowed in the race because the car and driver had come all the way from Spring Grove, Minn.
It wasn’t long before the half-mile clay track was turned into a dust bowl underneath the wheels of the Model Ts. The tough conditions took their toll on the competitors, as only 13 drivers were able to finish the race. One of the drivers, John Ferwerda, who had earned the pole position during qualifying, was disqualified for cutting corners and reckless driving.
Don Freehoff of La Crosse took the lead in the race at the 100-lap mark and went on to win with a time of 2 hours, 12 minutes and 13 seconds, averaging just under 34 mph. Because of the dusty conditions, Freehoff couldn’t see that the race was over and drove two additional laps before realizing he was the winner.
Freehoff, who was also an airplane pilot, bought his car in Kendall, Wis., for about $20 in 1926. For winning the race, he earned $100, equivalent to about $1,480 in today’s economy. His car was sponsored by Dutch Maid Ice Cream of La Crosse.
Source: La Crosse Public Library Archives. For additional information, contact the archives at (608) 789-7136.
