TULSA, Okla. Decades before the first Chili Bowl was staged, indoor midget racing was held at the Tulsa Fairgrounds. The site was the circular Tulsa Pavilion which still stands on the northwest corner of the property.

Californians Bob Barkhimer and Jerry Piper spearheaded the idea, in conjunction with Tulsa businessman John C. Mullins. Piper and Barkhimer had deep roots in the sport, and both men were destined for the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame.

Barkhimer began racing midgets in 1937 and continued to compete until a flip at Bakersfield, Calif., put him out of commission until the end of World War II. When hostilities ceased, he accepted a ride in Abdo Allens Drake powered car. In 1945, he notched five straight wins at Vallejo, Calif., and was on his way to the Bay Cities Racing Assn title.

After suffering an injury in 1947, he accepted a post as the BCRA business manager and was soon recognized as an outstanding and creative promoter, In 1949, he took the reins at San Jose Speedway and in that same year launched the California Stock Car Racing Assn with Piper. He was a key figure in NASCARS West Coast operations. It was Barkhimer who had the foresight to bring BCRA to the Oakland Exposition building in 1949 and indoor racing became an important facet of the clubs storied history. The man known as Barky died in 2006 at the age of 90.

Some consider Piper to be one of the most underrated midget racers of his time. Born in Havre, Montana, recognized as one of Americas coldest locations, Piper relocated to Oakland. A four-sport athlete at Technical High School, Piper turned down a chance to demonstrate his skills in college to race roadsters against the likes of Fred Agabashian.

He began racing midgets in 1937 and was the champion at Neptune Beach in 1940 and 1941. Before racing activities were halted due to the war Piper had travelled to the Midwest scoring a win at Kansas Citys famed Olympic Stadium. After his stint in the service, he returned to midgets having success with the BCRA and the United Racing Assn. Piper died in 1994.

John C. Mullins is commonly referred to as a roller rink operator. He was a bit more than that. From 1937 to 1948, Mullins operated a popular amusement park located in southwest Tulsa known as Crystal City. Included on the property was Casa Loma, a music hall that featured popular bands such as Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys. The spacious facility had enough room to accommodate 1,500 dancers. The park had finely manicured grounds for picnics, shelters, a plethora of rides, and what was reputed to be the largest swimming pool in Oklahoma. He had a flair for promotion.

The first scheduled race at the Pavilion was presented on Oct. 1, 1949. Johnnie Parsons, who in 1949 ran second in the Indianapolis 500 and won the national championship was the first under the checkered flag. However, a scoring error revealed that Bob Slater, behind the wheel of Lee Sloans Offy was the actual winner.

While Slater, a National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee, is best known for his work in bigger cars, he was a terrific midget racer. He had switched from motorcycles to midgets in 1947 and in 1951 was the Kansas City Midget Auto Racing Assn champion. Slater won three of the 12 races contested at the Pavilion.

Other winners included Bud Camden, Mel Wainwright, Carlos Langston and Jay King. Heading into the Dec. 9 race, three men Angelo Howerton,  Bud Hemphill and Buzz Barton were tied at the top of the standings.

On this night, Barton took the lead with a win in the Gibson Brothers Offy to move to the head of the class. The championship was decided on Jan. 14, 1950. King, a man who stood well over six feet tall and clocked in at two hundred pounds, drove into the winners circle while Barton claimed the overall title.

The three championship combatants were an impressive lot. Howerton represented a great racing clan, one that has remained active in the sport for decades. Barton, a native of Oklahoma raced midgets and sprint cars across the land for decades, sadly Hemphill lost his life at Taft Stadium in Oklahoma City on May 15, 1950.

Chili Bowl founders Emmett Hahn and Lanny Edwards could have easily empathized with Bob Barkhimer, Jerry Piper and John C Mullins. They did their part to assemble a talented field for these indoor races. Beyond those already mentioned the list included Jud Larson, Vito Calia, Cotton Musick and Lloyd Ruby.

The arena, which was used for rodeo and livestock shows was dirt. To get the place in shape some posts were removed, asphalt was laid down and walls were constructed of wood. Mullins negotiated with fairgrounds officials and assured them the pavement would be removed before the traditional shows booked for January would open. Then there was the problem of heat. It was so cold that portable heaters were used to try to keep customers from freezing and the results were mediocre at best.

In an arena that could hold 6,000 only about 1,000 people on average were willing to plop down the $1 admission fee. The promotional group, which included Jerry Pipers wife Alyce, did everything in their power to draw a crowd. Even their newspaper ads were quirky. Running out of fresh ideas they tried a desperate measure. They contacted an ex-paratrooper named Bob Niles. Niles, a man who in many ways was ahead of his time, had parachuted off the Golden Gate Bridge on April 15, 1949. To say it caused a sensation would be a vast understatement. It is a story that is still periodically resurrected in the Bay area. Barkhimer and Piper knew all about Niles because he had occasionally been hired to drop into California race tracks as a stunt, sometimes in a bird costume.

Thus, it was leaked to the press that a driver set to compete that evening was going to parachute into town at noon. Sure enough, at the appointed time Niles, adorned in a racers uniform complete with a helmet and goggles landed on a two-story office building in the 100 block of East Second Street. According to Hall of Fame announcer and historian Bill Hill he was soon greeted by a representative of the Civil Aeronautics Administration, and the police who threatened to arrest him for creating a public disturbance.

The press was also on hand and Niles was soon heard on local radio. It was great publicity.

Piper found a car for Niles to drive and offered a crash course in midget racing, Barkhimer watched it all unfold and later offered a silent thank you when the car blew an engine. Soon Niles was packed away safely on a bus, and the promoters waited patiently for people to storm the gate. That didnt happen. Sadly, this group also had little success at the Oklahoma City Fairgrounds Coliseum and folded their tents in Oklahomas capital city after two races.

Perhaps this adventure was an artistic success because financially it was a flop. Barkhimer reported that when it was all said and done, he was left with $35 to get back to California.

As for Niles, he pulled similar stunts all across the country. Some of Niles attempts in what we now call base jumping were not so successful. One noteworthy failure was captured in a Life magazine spread. Dressed up as Santa Claus, Niles inked a deal to parachute into a Florida city.

Unfortunately, he got tangled up in some high wires above the parking lot where he intended to land. It was a bad look for Santa. On a more serious note, in 1950 he nearly died when his chute failed in a jump off a bridge located on Colorado Street in Sacramento known as the suicide bridge. He survived and was signed to a contract by Lucky Louie Schultz of the Lucky Auto Daredevils thrill show.

Stunt artists and racing have a long history. Some go well, others go south Emmett Hahn and Lanny Edwards learned all about that, too.