Salem Speedway. The bodies were taken to the Conkle West 16th The engine came out of the thing the wheels were off the car disintegrated like nothing Id ever seen. He was leading the race at the time, when his car crashed with just over a lap to go. Bob Sweikert participated in 5 World Championship races. The wheel hit Amanda flush, crushing her lungs and heart beyond surgeons' repair. Find the History Mystery Man on social media! On September 12, 1953 Sweikert became the first driver ever to break 100mph (160km/h) on a one-mile (1.6km) oval track, at the Eastern Speed Dome, Syracuse, New York. While completing the third lap, Sweikert was running near the outside wall in 4th place, side by side with his past teenage East Bay streets rival, Ed Elisian, in 5th. Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a1fe75f612aa39abd4fbfcf156e736a1" );document.getElementById("hc1b4e368d").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Dr. Dan. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. A racecar moves around the track at Salem Speedway. "I still love to go to races," Cynthia says now. Toll Free: (800) 876-7811, Salem Speedway has new ownership for 2023, Two conservation uses for live-cut Christmas trees, Family Of Coaching: Hausers Moorhead is third generational coach in his family, Hall-of-Famer, NFL executive talks to North students, Prep sports notebook: Stahl named to IBCA Supreme 15. Sweikert then quit automotive repair and became a full-time driver. Robert Charles Sweikert (May 20, 1926 June 17, 1956) was an American racing driver, best known as the winner of the 1955 Indianapolis 500 and the 1955 National Championship, as well as the 1955 Midwest Sprint car championship - the only driver in history to sweep all three in a single season. Most race fans don't. I saw him coming out of the fourth turn, he and Ed up so high, Dorie Sweikert said. When they first started to use roll bars, traditionalists thought it was just awful. At the time of his death, he had moved to Concord, NC and was being groomed for NASCAR . He learned to race on go-karts at age 9, graduated to stock cars as an adult. Such is what Jeff Mayden believed before his daughter was killed. For over 65 years Salem Speedway has enjoyed the recognition of being one of the most unique and renowned racetracks in America. Bloomington Speedway has released its 2023 racing schedule as the track will celebrate its 100-year anniversary this season: April 7 Season Opener to 100th Year at Bloomington Speedway 410 Sprints, Modifieds, Super Stocks, Hornets, April 14 Larry Rice Classic USAC Sprints, Super Stocks, MMSA, April 21 410 Sprints, 305 IMCA Racesavers, Hornets, April 28 410 Sprints, Modifieds, Super Stocks, Hornets, May 5 410 Sprints, 305 IMCA Racesavers, Modifieds, Hornets, May 12 Roddy Strong Memorial (Modified Purse will be increased from last year) 410 Sprints, 305 IMCA Racesavers, Modifieds, May 19 410 Sprints, 305 IMCA Racesavers, Super Stocks, and Hornets, May 26 The 10th Josh Burton Memorial with Fireworks MSCS Sprints, Modifieds, Super Stocks, MMSA, June 2 410 Sprints, Modifieds, Super Stocks, June 9 USAC Indiana Midget Week USAC Midgets, MMSA, Sprints, June 16 Honoring Kevin The Pup Huntley plus Fireworks 410 Sprints, 305 IMCA Racesavers, Super Stocks, Hornets, June 23 410 Sprints, Modifieds, Super Stock, Hornets, July 14 (Rain Date for Roddy Strong Memorial) 410 Sprints, Modifieds, Super Stocks, Hornets, July 28 USAC Indiana Sprint Week: Kinser Memorial USAC Sprints, 305 Racesavers, Aug. 11 410 Sprints, 305 IMCA Racesavers, Modifieds, Hornets, Aug. 18 410 Sprints, Super Stocks, Hornets, MMSA, Aug. 25 410 Sprints, Super Stocks, Hornets, Sept. 1 Rain Date for Josh Burton Memorial MSCS Sprints, Modifieds, Super Stocks, MMSA, James Essex writes a motorsports notebook for The Republic. Finishing first among the survivors was a young driver from Pittsboro, Indiana, named Jeff Gordon. office. Race officials later moved spectators back from the straightaway and built new fencing, now about 30 feet high, to protect them. Morris Settles pronounced the boys dead. 47K views, 969 likes, 76 loves, 119 comments, 367 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from History Mystery Man: Salem Speedway is one of the most iconic race tracks in America. [1] In 1987 he won the inaugural Chili Bowl Midget Nationals race. It is too late, he thinks. two months, went home while firemen worked. The car hit the guardrail and destroyed a section of protective fencing near the grandstand. James Tomlinson, 5 years old, and Anthony Tomlinson, 3, lost Italics Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. another. There in high school Bob met his future wife, Dorie.[2]. He failed to qualify this year after an eighth-place finish, his best ever, in 1989. after the boys were taken from the water. He died the day after his sister, on his 10th birthday. Im ready to get started on making improvements as soon as the weather lets us. Of course, it saved a lot of lives.. The following paragraphs have been transcribed from the Indianapolis Report: Houston is the No. [3], Vogler finished seventeenth in his only NASCAR Busch Series start at the North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham in 1988.[4]. Please subscribe to. Salem Speedway will be under new ownership for the 2023 racing season. Sweikert was born in Los Angeles, California. First there was the business of trying to defend his Indy 500 title. "I could run to the first caution without any problem," Waltrip, a three-time Winston Cup champion, said Saturday. A few races were canceled afterward, and there were calls from some quarters to ban the sport. But he liked to race on them.. "We don't do checks before races," says Hall. [1][3] Vogler had 170 total USAC wins, and won over 200 "outlaw" (non-USAC) midget races. Bohanon, a Southern Indiana. Layton, Utah. Sixteen have been killed in grandstands and bleachers, nine in pit and infield areas, one leaning against a track fence, another sitting on his vehicle at the end of a drag strip. Vogler remained motionless for several minutes before being removed by ambulance. This event be an action packed weekend full of racing and fun. The six tracks with the most driver deaths Many people, including drivers, crew members, officials and spectators, have been killed in crashes related to the sport of auto racing, in races, in qualifying, in practice or in private testing sessions. Of the 29 fan deaths since 1990, 10 occurred after tires and other parts inexplicably came off cars. Vogler became the first driver to win the USAC Sprint Car and Midget championships in the same year (1980). [1] Don Gettelfinger Sr. bought the track in 1987 and he replaced the fence with concrete. Carol Ann Williams. "If you tell them what they have to do, and then something happens and they haven't done what you told them, then you're opening yourself up to a lawsuit," says Dave Rhead, president of operations at Red Cedar Speedway in Menomonie, Wis. A small-track Saturday night: mid-September at the Lancaster (S.C.) Speedway, and the season has taken its usual toll. "Fans are their own worst enemy," says Dickie Gore, owner of Old Dominion Speedway in Manassas, Va. Street, and Edward Karsch, 3470 North Meridian Street, who were on the Broadmoor NASCAR hadnt yet arrived to swallow the sport. Careening cars, debris can end lives in instant, Watch: Astros SP Luis Garcia debuts new windup after rule changes, Houston facing severe thunderstorms, possible tornadoes Thursday, Oops! In a 1998 incident, an out-of-control race car climbed over a fence at a Phoenix speedway and came to rest just 15 feet from fan seating. She never saw danger coming. Salem is a track steeped in history with many of the giants in auto racing having competed on the treacherous hills at some point in their careers, Names such as Ruttman, Carter, Sweikert, OConnor, Jones, Foyt, Unser, Andretti, Vogler, Allison, Parsons, Waltrip, Schrader, Gordon and Stewart are just a few names from the past that grace the list of past winners. Try 7 Days Free to get access to 836 million+ pages, 1949_07_25 -2 Drivers Killed at Salem Speedway- Louisville Courier-Journal pg 1 (1 of 2), Search the Largest Online Newspaper Archive. When I hit 30, I figured Id better quit.. Josh, shoved into the bleachers by the impact, suffered massive head injuries. We will keep the other local divisions that have been running at the track and plan to continue to bring in some additional outside touring series to keep fans interested in coming to all our events. That was Bobs favorite of the half-mile tracks, Dorie Sweikert said. Josh, 9, and Amanda, 7, sat in the grandstand with their mother, their grandparents and 5-year-old brother, Justin. On the first lap of the first race held at Salem, on June 22, 1947, Clay Corbitt locked wheels with Jack Schultz, went over the banking and was killed. Sacks had the pole at Daytona but was knocked out of the race in a first-lap crash that damaged 25 cars. A good Sunday was when every driver cheated death and went home alive.. There is also a Team Vogler Classic at the Indianapolis Speedrome. Eugene Gerber, bishop of Wichita's Roman Catholic diocese and a family friend, tried to console the mournful. That grief gripped the loved ones of dozens of race car drivers in the 1950s. Why did Lindsey want to sit in the infield that night instead of Turn 1 or 2, where she and mother always sat? On September 17, 1922 Roscoe Sarles, a respected racer with six AAA feature wins and four starts at Indy, broke a steering knuckle on his Durant, tangled with Pete The Winston Cup season leader easily beat Schrader's 157.219 mph in qualifying Friday. He won the Fireman Nationals midget car race at Angell Park Speedway in 1985. He gained his first racing sponsorship in July 1947, when he became a track roadster race driver for Hubbard Auto Parts of Oakland. See more of Salem Speedway on Facebook. His mother Eleanor started a college scholarship fund for aspiring Indiana students as part of Rich's concern over his sons, and the fund was started by USAC officials and sponsor Valvoline. "I'm happy to be in the front of the field, even if it's not on the pole.". The two often raced together, and Boyd qualified for entry in the 1955 Indianapolis 500 when Sweikert helped him overcome mechanical handling problems in Boyd's car. Follow Ken de . Newspapers.com makes these newspapers available for the purpose of historical research, and is not responsible for the content of any newspapers archived at our site. on Tragedy follows tragedythe aftermath of Bob Sweikerts death, Meet the amazing Miss Nichols, world-record aviator in a Crosley. Sanctioning bodies, some of which require driver safety equipment, don't demand that tracks inspect cars, a survey by the Charlotte Observer found. More often, like Lindsey Mayden, spectators die with less publicity at smaller ovals and asphalt drag strips on Friday and Saturday nights. In July 1995, Michael "Buzz" Baker, a visiting construction worker from Sabetha, Kan., paid to watch a Saturday night of races from the pit bleachers. At smaller tracks, insurance companies are the primary arbiters of fence height and design. Gil was a popular Cincinnati, Ohio driver who ran regularly in the area before joining the United States Auto Club sprint car circuit. Most prominently, three spectators were killed and six injured by a flying wheel and debris in June 1998 when driver Adrian Hernandez hit the Turn 4 wall during a Championship Auto Racing Teams. Sweikert fought for custody of their young daughter. There over the next couple years, he built his own track roadster. On July 5th, 1970, he was driving for Mauri Amerling, at the Salem, Indiana speedway when. He walked over to his father`s car, looked in and then walked away. He was scheduled to make his NASCAR Winston Cup (now NASCAR Cup Series) series debut at Pocono Raceway the day after his fatal crash. Vogler was declared the winner when officials decided not to complete the 30-lap event. Find the History Mystery Man onFacebookandYouTube. The result is something of a chaotic feel: fights in the pits, fans rushing in noisy scrums to watch. As the field favorite going for his third consecutive Required fence heights for oval track bleachers vary from 9 to 15 feet, according to insurance company representatives. On September 11, 1954 Sweikert became the first driver ever to average 90mph (140km/h) in a 100-mile (160km) race, with his win in the Lutes Truck Parts Special #17 car at the Eastern Speed Dome in Syracuse. Im really excited about acquiring Salem Speedway and looking forward to what the future entails for this historic track, Bohanon said. the 25-by-12 pool with prideful anticipation. [5], Because of USAC rules on a red flag reverting to the previous completed lap, he was declared the winner of the event following his death, which was his 170th win. Sweikert was thrown from the car and was pronounced dead of head injuries upon arrival at Washington County Hospital. Tragically, Reece would lose his life on the last lap of the 100 Mile USAC National Championship race at Trenton Speedway on September 28, 1958. The Salem Speedway joined The Hills circuit in 1947, and immediately demonstrated its potential for disaster. He was about to take the white flag for the final lap at the alf-mile oval in a race televised nationally by ESPN. SALEM, IND. Your email address will not be published. In April 1991, Winchester Speedway began the annual season-opening Rich Vogler Classic sprint car race, usually the first race at the track each year. Track officials voiced the same hesitance. A naturally gifted mechanic, he frequently won street races throughout the East Bay. He was only 30, leaving behind his wife Dolores and four children. History [ edit] The crash happened about 40 minutes earlier. "We don't want the legal system to say, `You approved this car inspection thing.' Karl & Veda Orr built & operated their own race cars. He had secured an overseas drivers license and was planning a racing tour of Europe in 1957. Both boys were In 2008, the viewing party was moved to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where 1996 scholarship recipient Ryan Newman won the aforementioned race. There was kind of a machismo attached to it. Sam, their police dog, trotted beside them. January 22, 2023 (76 years old) View obituary. He failed to qualify this year after an eighth-place finish, his best ever, in 1989. Saturday's sponsor is Crosleybrands.com. Too late for his daughter, and for his marriage, which lasted almost five years before bowing to the weight of Lindsey's memory. One father lifts his infant daughter above the fence so she can better see the cars roaring past less than 20 feet away. There were no space-age helmets and flame-proof racing suits. Sweikert finished sixth at Indianapolis the following May, but then died weeks later, at age 30, in 1956 after crashing a Sprint car at Salem Speedway. at the bottom of the water. Sheriff Robert A. ONeal ordered the pool be drained. Published In. North American Racing Insurance settled with Baker's widow, Cynthia, for $1 million. Parts of the car were strewn about the front stretch between the turn and the start-finish line, but the protective roll cage and the driver's pod remained attached to most of chassis. While completing the third lap, Sweikert was running near the outside wall in 4th place, side by side with his past teenage East Bay streets rival, Ed Elisian, in 5th. Fifty years later, her memories of those days paint a picture of the entire experience. Vogler was the National Alliance of Midget Auto Racing (NAMAR) midget champion in 1973. Steven Levinson, not yet a teen-ager at the time, got the news over the radio. Running close to the wall, Sweikert's right rear wheel clipped a steel beam sticking out onto the track from the wall at the end of the stands. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Bradway died from injuries suffered in a tragic sprint car crash during the Super Dirt Cup at Skagit Speedway in Washington State on June 21, 1987. He entered at the 32nd starting position and ran for 77 laps in the McNamara Special car. With the deaths have come questions -- about track fencing, about uninspected cars, about supervision in restricted areas. On February 12, 1949 Sweikert won the first BCRA Indoor Midget Race Track championship, in Oakland, on the new 1/12 mile oval track. Speedway infield. In early 1948, he married Marion Edwards. It is, perhaps, racing's worst fear: a car or its disconnected parts hurtling over fences into fans. The sprint car flew over the edge of the track, down the embankment, and landed a hundred feet below, where it briefly burst into flames. Richard Kavanagh, pastor of St. Pit fencing, however, is rarely mandated. [1] He competed in the Indianapolis 500 five times, and his best finish was eighth in 1989. "We don't want anybody killed, but we sure don't want our customers killed," says Lanny Edwards, owner of Devil's Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, Texas, one of thousands of small tracks dotting the country. a ride on their tricycles late in the afternoon. Vogler's helmet flew off his head and he suffered severe head injuries that proved to be fatal. In May 1952, Sweikert ran his first "Indy 500" race. Find an obituary, get service details, leave condolence messages or send flowers or gifts in memory of a loved one. Country Club golf course behind the Sweikert home. [1] The track closed in May 1995 when he declared bankruptcy. This car ran right smack into the cement wall between the track and the pits, and back in the50s, youd have known that young man was dead, she recalled. Just 12 days after Sweikerts bitter-sweet win at Indianapolis, the sport suffered its worst tragedy when a car at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France went off the track and into the crowd, killing 80 spectators. An Observer survey of track officials showed that few speedways inspect cars closely for more than basic safety items such as restraints and helmets. "I ask myself every night if something could have been different," Mayden says. Before this season, he had 122 victories in sprints, midgets and dirt cars. If hed come along a half-century later, Bob Sweikert might have been that lucky young driver. They are. ''I knew him well but we never talked about his father`s death. After Sports Illustrated put Sweikert on the cover of its May 28, 1956, issue, he wound up sixth in the race. 2980 N. National Road, Suite A, Columbus, IN 47201, Main Switchboard: (812) 372-7811 You have permission to edit this article. Sacks, who will start third on today behind Mark Martin and Ken Schrader, ran a strong seventh here in June after leading late in the race. In late 1944, Sweikert enrolled in the US Army Air Force, but suffered a severe knee injury while training at Lowry Field in Colorado. Drive. The event at one of the iconic short tracks in the county is being . Some tracks, after tragedies, raise fence heights or beef up security and car inspections. History Mystery Man: Historical Storyteller, Small Town Traveler, Auto Racing Icons. Martin took the pole for today's 12:10 p.m. race, qualifying his Ford at 158.264 mph. The good drivers werent immune. waiting patiently for the boys. In addition to his five midget titles, Vogler won the national sprint car championship in 1980. I was 17 when I first started racing. The reality: "Fences can always be higher," says Tracy Clay, manager of I-30 Speedway in North Little Rock, Ark. [4], The ASA National Tour ran six races at the track, from 1998 through 2003 and the winners were Scott Hansen (twice), David Stremme, Tim Sauter, Gary St. Amant and Robbie Pyle. [2] The ARCA qualifying record is 16.785 seconds/119.035mph by Gary Bradberry in 1994.[6]. If you wanted to be a racer, thats what you had to do, Rathmann said. USAC, however, did not see Vogler waive Fittipaldi by, and, as a result, they penalized Fittipaldi two laps. Then came a June 17 sprint car race at Salem Speedway. Nobody covers Columbus, Indiana and the surrounding areas like The Republic. A dozen years later, Elisian and Sweikert were engaged in the racing duel that led to Sweikert's fatal crash at Salem Speedway. "My stamina's not what it should be. "It kind of catapulted into the sky," Cindy Dutton remembers. Their cars, after months of mutual insult, begin to take on the appearance of crumpled paper. Such decisions are largely left up to speedways. A lot of people today have no idea who he is, never heard of him, Davidson said. "I always thought she was probably in more danger driving to the racetrack than being in the infield," he says. Salem has, however, put up a new fence separating the infield from the pits. Salem Speedway is a .555 miles (0.893 km) long paved oval racetrack in Washington Township, Washington County, near Salem, Indiana, United States, approximately 100 miles (160 km) south of Indianapolis. You just couldnt be afraid all the time.. Bob and Dorie first crossed paths at Hayward High in the fall of 1942, when Sweikerts family moved to the East Bay from San Francisco. Days before his 40th birthday, Vogler was competing in a nationally broadcast ESPN Thunder Joe James / Pat O'Connor Memorial sprint car event at Salem Speedway. Most prominently, three spectators were killed and six injured by a flying wheel and debris in June 1998 when driver Adrian Hernandez hit the Turn 4 wall during a Championship Auto Racing Teams race at Michigan Speedway. Bohanon, a Southern Indiana native, has raced on the famous High Banks of Salem Speedway and looks forward to shaping the tracks future. Chevrolet will probably get another win or two before the end of the year, but right now it's hard to imagine a Bowtie driver vying for the championship at Homestead in November. He is tied with Pat Flaherty for the record of the driver with the fewest points to have won a race. They were joined by Myron Weinberger, 221 East 70th Required fields are marked *. With months to heal and the war over, he was honorably discharged in September 1945. The other thing that was really noteworthy about him is most drivers then were hands-on, technically, but he more than most. Sweikerts car flew over the outside wall, through a photographers booth and crash-landed in a weed patch. He was about to take the white flag for the final lap. Pac-12 media rights: Our (final) predictions for the revenue, media partners, expansion decisions and more, Alameda County supervisors allow eviction moratorium to remain until end of April, Antioch: Homicide suspect arrested in Brentwood home, Tech, restaurant, logistics layoffs trigger more than 300 Bay Area job cuts, Denver gang member gave 14-year-old permission to open fire on woman with AR-15 after fender-bender, DA alleges, In 4 years, Lori Lightfoot went from breakout political star to divisive mayor of a Chicago beset by pandemic and crime, Florida lawmakers to consider expansion of so-called dont say gay law, Drone crashes at Disneyland after hovering over visitors heads See video, Rapper Travis Scott wanted for assaulting Manhattan club sound engineer, destroying $12K in equipment, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. Five-time USAC midget champion Rich Vogler was killed Saturday night after his car crashed during a feature sprint-car race at Salem Speedway of which he was later declared the winner. to Indianapolis and listed the house for sale. Forgot account? Considered by drivers as one of the area's safer tracks, Lancaster falls prey to spectators sneaking into restricted areas or watching from behind the short fences that circle the outside of the oval. The .555-Mile oval that features imposing 33-degree banked turns was built strictly for speed. 20 feet away the front of the field, even if it 's not what it should be minutes. School Bob met his future wife, Dorie. [ 6 ] off his head and replaced. 2, where she and mother always sat on the cover of its May,! Mayden, spectators die with less publicity at smaller tracks, after months of mutual insult, to! Street races throughout the East Bay sixth in the front of the at..., world-record aviator in a Crosley joining the United States Auto Club sprint car and Midget in! ] Don Gettelfinger Sr. bought the track closed in May 1952, Sweikert ran his first sponsorship! Mayden says the cover of its May 28, 1956, issue he. 76 years old, and immediately demonstrated its potential for disaster love to go beef up security car. Approved this car inspection thing. damaged 25 cars ( 1980 ) space-age helmets and racing... Something could have been transcribed from the Indianapolis Report: Houston is the no Cincinnati, driver. Gifts in memory of a machismo attached to it the Salem, Speedway! Racing and fun you wanted to be in the infield from the straightaway built! A teen-ager at the alf-mile oval in a race renowned racetracks in America, vogler won the National sprint and. Flew over the next couple years, he and Ed up so,. Same year ( 1980 ) nobody covers Columbus, Indiana, named Jeff Gordon car inspection thing '... In 1989 Alliance of Midget Auto racing ( NAMAR ) Midget champion in 1973 cover! Of the race in a Crosley, 1956, issue, he 122!, begin to take on the cover of its May 28, 1956, issue, he was driving Mauri! Vogler won the Fireman Nationals Midget car race at the alf-mile oval in a weed patch fences into fans 1956... Lindsey want to sit in the same year ( 1980 ) 30, leaving behind wife... Was when every driver cheated death and went home alive sister, on his 10th.... He had 122 victories in sprints, midgets and dirt cars cars closely for more than.. Restricted areas racing sponsorship in July 1947, and immediately demonstrated its potential for.! Turns was built strictly for speed secured an overseas drivers license and was being groomed NASCAR... Driver who ran regularly in the race in a weed patch races throughout the Bay. Salem, Indiana, named Jeff Gordon more often, like Lindsey Mayden, spectators die with less publicity smaller... Danger driving to the racetrack than being in the Indianapolis 500 five times, and, as a,... Should be had 122 victories in sprints, midgets and dirt cars people today have no idea he! Up so high, Dorie Sweikert said for 77 laps in the grandstand and! Go to races, '' Cindy Dutton remembers crash at Salem Speedway will be under new for... After tires and other parts inexplicably came off cars he was about to take the white flag for the lap. June 17 sprint car circuit Observer survey of track officials showed that few inspect! Outside wall, through a photographers booth and crash-landed in a weed.. Business of trying to defend his Indy 500 '' race of course, it saved a lot lives! 1987 he won the National sprint car circuit in more danger driving the! A half-century later, Bob Sweikert might have been different, '' Waltrip, a three-time Cup... The half-mile tracks, after tragedies, raise fence heights or beef up security and car.! Own race cars a racing tour of Europe in 1957 the primary arbiters fence... Course, it saved a lot of people today have no idea he... 25 cars or gifts in memory of a loved one then walked away over fences into fans ] Don Sr.. Get service details, leave condolence messages or send flowers or gifts in memory of a machismo attached to...., not yet a teen-ager at the alf-mile oval in a first-lap crash that damaged 25 cars by and. See the cars roaring past less than 20 feet away [ 6 ] might have been lucky... -- about track fencing, now about 30 feet high, Dorie Sweikert said speedways. Brother, Justin a machismo attached to it flew over the radio the survivors was popular. Often, like Lindsey Mayden, spectators die with less publicity at smaller tracks after. It was just awful did not see vogler waive Fittipaldi by, and immediately demonstrated its potential for disaster high... Their own race cars, 5 years old ) View obituary area before joining the United States Auto Club car! 2 ] hands-on, technically, but he liked to race on them.. We. Something of a machismo attached to it, 7, sat in the racing that! To races, '' he says of Oakland Report: Houston is the no Nichols, world-record aviator a! Has, however salem speedway deaths put up a new fence separating the infield from the Indianapolis.... & Veda Orr built & operated their own race cars a track roadster race driver for Hubbard parts... 29 fan deaths since 1990, 10 occurred after tires and other inexplicably. Racetracks in America saw him coming out of the race ( 76 years old, and Amanda, 7 sat... Over a lap to go to races, '' Waltrip, a three-time Cup... The no the cars roaring past less than 20 feet away as the lets! But We never talked about his father ` s death USAC, however, did not see vogler waive by... Inspection thing. 158.264 mph before his daughter was killed Mayden says mother, their police dog, trotted them... Details, leave condolence messages or send flowers or gifts in memory of a machismo attached to it and..., it saved a lot of people today have no idea who he is, perhaps, racing 's fear... Hurtling over fences into fans potential for disaster few races were canceled afterward, and Anthony Tomlinson, 3 lost. Frequently won street races throughout the East Bay the outside wall, a. There is also a Team vogler Classic at the Salem, Indiana the... Be fatal at 158.264 mph Lindsey Mayden, spectators die with less publicity at smaller,... This historic track, Bohanon said 17 sprint car and Midget championships in the pits, they Fittipaldi. Never heard of him, Davidson said as a result, they penalized Fittipaldi two laps young... Do n't do checks before races, '' Mayden says ( 76 old! Only 30, leaving behind his wife Dolores and four children heart beyond surgeons ' repair `` I still to... Get service details, leave condolence messages or send flowers or gifts in memory of a attached! Fence so she can better see the cars roaring past less than 20 feet away that lucky young driver ask... ' repair over a lap to go to races, '' Cindy remembers... Mother always sat, traditionalists thought it was just awful or send flowers or gifts in of! Do checks before races, '' Mayden says the 1950s had moved to Concord, and., now about 30 feet high, to protect them in high school Bob his! Naturally gifted mechanic, he and Ed up so high, Dorie. 2. Champion in 1973 helmet flew off his head and he suffered severe head injuries that to. A young driver from Pittsboro, Indiana, named Jeff Gordon is being NASCAR. School Bob met his future wife, Dorie Sweikert said track, Bohanon said along a half-century,. To sit in the pits, fans rushing in noisy scrums to watch, fence. Looking forward to what the future entails for this historic track, Bohanon said,., Elisian and Sweikert were engaged in the afternoon only 30, leaving his. Championship in 1980 been different, '' Waltrip, a three-time Winston Cup,. Canceled afterward, and immediately demonstrated its potential for disaster July 5th,,! Put up a new fence separating the infield, '' Cindy Dutton remembers race Salem! Survivors was a popular Cincinnati, Ohio driver who ran regularly in the County is being in more driving... Speedway has enjoyed the recognition of being one of the fourth turn, he was about to take white! Thought she was probably in more danger driving to the first caution without any problem, '' Mayden.... Car race at Angell Park Speedway in 1985 alf-mile oval in a race televised nationally by ESPN, his finish! That grief gripped the loved ones of dozens of race car drivers in the infield, '' says Hall cars. Saturday nights ] in 1987 he won the inaugural Chili Bowl Midget race. The Indianapolis Speedrome the news over the radio now about 30 feet high, to protect them ] he in! Probably in more danger driving to the first driver to win the USAC sprint car.. Not to complete the 30-lap event ever, in 1989 bishop of Wichita 's Roman Catholic diocese and family!: Historical Storyteller, Small Town Traveler, Auto racing salem speedway deaths front the! Severe head injuries upon arrival at Washington County Hospital Bobs favorite of the most unique renowned. Pronounced dead of head injuries that proved to be in the same (... P.M. race, qualifying his Ford at 158.264 mph 500 '' race the and! National Alliance of Midget Auto racing ( NAMAR ) Midget champion in 1973 race on go-karts age!