Hanford museum opens Marchbanks exhibit

I’m thrilled with the news that the Carnegie Museum of Kings County in Hanford has unveiled an exhibit on Marchbanks Speedway, which runs through Dec. 19, 2021. 

The exhibit is a long time coming, and I’m happy museum President Jack Schwartz has finally gotten this effort to the finish line. I have communicated with Jack several times over the past year regarding this exhibit, and I know how passionate he is about shedding light on Marchbanks in all its incarnations. 

It’s unlikely I’ll be able to get to the exhibit before it closes (I live in Colorado) but I encourage all race and history fans to stop by the museum and let me know what you think. 

And if you see Jack, be sure to pass along your thanks for doing his part to preserve an important part of Kings County and auto-racing history. I know he relied heavily, as I have, on grassroots support to help tell the track’s history. 

Admission is free, but the museum is encouraging donations and for you to bring a new unwrapped toy, which will go to the Marine Reserve’s Toys for Tots program. 

Here are two news articles on the exhibit: 

• "Marchbanks exhibit gives glimpse of Hanford’s wild past," from the Hanford Sentinel

• "The Carnegie Museum of Kings County presents an exhibition celebrating the history of the Marchbanks Speedway," from Valley Voice

Local news video of March 1968 Champ Car race

Here's a short local-news video previewing the California 200 race in March 1968. 

The video featuring longtime Fresno newscaster Gus Zernial is short on any real information, but there are two highlights for me:

1) The sound of the No. 15 Gerhardt Offy as Mel Kenyon pulls onto the track. 

2) A quick shot of a full grandstand. Throughout my reporting on Marchbanks' history, good shots of the stands have been hard to come by. 

I don't know whether the video was part of a local newscast (Zernial worked for Channel 30 in Fresno for years) or whether it was part of a network telecast. Can anyone share some insight into that question or anything else about TV coverage from the track in those days? 

John Isom photos from 1967-68 Champ Car races

Mario Andretti, Al Unser and Art Pollard in the infield at the 1968 Champ Car race at Hanford Motor Speedway. Note Unser’s heeled dress shoes. (Photo courtesy of John Isom). Drivers’ meeting at the Hanford Speedway Champ Car Race on March 17, 1968.  From left:  Billy Vukovich, Jr., Chuck Hulse, Mario Andretti, Art Pollard, Bobby Unser, &  Unidentified driver.  (Photo courtesy of John Isom). CLICK IMAGE TO VIEW LARGER SIZEPiecing together this history of Marchbanks Speedway and Hanford Motor Speedway has been rewarding thanks to the wonderfully detailed memories so many people have shared of the track and the wildly diverse forms of racing there. 

That includes John Isom, who photographed three races at Hanford: the 1967 and the spring and fall 1968 Champ Car races. What’s special about Isom’s photos is they were shot with a Rolleiflex twin-lens 2.8E2 professional camera, utilizing medium format (2-1/4-inch x 2-1/4-inch 120 film. For those who aren’t shutterbugs, the Rolleiflex is a tidy camera with a unique design. 

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