Notes:
The half-mile flat dirt oval of Ord Fairgrounds in Ord, Nebraska, hosted the 3rd edition of the "Valley County Fair Races", over three days from 29 to 31 August 1928. For the first time in its history the event was sanctioned by the American Automobile Association, being also the only AAA race in Nebraska that year.

During qualifying for the Ord Fairgrounds races, on Thursday, 30 August 1928, occurred the accident that claimed the life of one of the competitors. Sanford Larson, known as "Sam" Larson, lost control of his car after hitting a rut. It crashed through a fence and overturned. Severely injured, Larson was taken to the Ord hospital and died eight hours after the accident.

During the time trials the day before his accident, Sam Larson set the 11th quick time out of twelve, and failed to place in any race. According to an eyewitness report by an unnamed race official, shortly before crashing Larson appeared to be "pushing his car beyond its capacity".

A 26-year-old, unmarried employee at the DLD Tire Shop in Holdrege since 1922, Sam Larson had been racing for four years. In 1927 he took part in the Ord Fairgrounds races at the wheel of a Fronty Special. He qualified 9th over twelve starters, and finished 2nd in the consolation race. Among his accomplishments was cited but still not confirmed, a 2nd place finish at the 1926 Pikes Peak hillclimb; it has not yet been clarified whether he ever competed at Pikes Peak.

He was reported to be from Holdrege, Nebraska. Sam Larson lived with his parents Lotta and Albert Frank Larson; a sister, Florence; and two younger brothers, Johnny and Virgil. His father was the proprietor of a garage in Holdrege.

Sam Larson is interred at the Prairie Home Cemetery in Holdrege, Phelps County, Nebraska, United States. Some sources indicate the driver's surname as Larsen.

• 1910 United States Federal Census.
• 1920 United States Federal Census [M1].
• Book "Valley County Thunder. The History of Racing at Ord, Nebraska" by V. Ray Valasek and Bob Mays, Fastrack Publishing, 2004, ISBN 0971080518 [date of death: 28 August 1928].
• Book "The History of America's Speedways, Past & Present", by Allan E. Brown, third edition, first printing, November 2003, by Allan E. Brown, America's Speedways, Comstock Park, MI, United States, ISBN 0-931105-61-7, page 444.
• Website Find-A-Grave: Sam William Larson.
• Website Midwest Racing Archives, article "Race Tracks from the Past; Remembering Ord", page http://www.midwestracingarchives.com/2011/12/race-tracks-from-past-remembering-ord.html .
• Website Atlas F1, bulletin boards, "The Nostalgia Forum", thread "Speed's Ultimate Price: The Toll", page 72, posting by "Michael Ferner", message http://forums.autosport.com/index.php?showtopic=9705&view=findpost&p=5918943 .
• E-mails by Jim Michels, dated 05 June 2012 [two messages], citing [M1].