[3], Vogler finished seventeenth in his only NASCAR Busch Series start at the North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham in 1988.[4]. win at Indy, Vuky, who was leading when he crashed, would have been tough to Find an obituary, get service details, leave condolence messages or send flowers or gifts in memory of a loved one. Last year he won 16 of the 33 races en route to his fifth championship. In January 1953, Sweikert married his high school sweetheart, divorcee Dorie with her two children, with whom he had recently become reacquainted. At least 70 have been injured, some suffering life-altering afflictions, including a Florida father of three now living in a New Jersey home for people with brain damage. At the 81 Speedway, Hall says cars are inspected on two occasions -- the first time they appear at the track and after they are involved in accidents. Waltrip, preparing to make his 500th NASCAR start in that July 7 race, sustained a slight concussion and broke his left leg the day before in a crash in practice and couldn't start. 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. Nobody covers Columbus, Indiana and the surrounding areas like The Republic. In September 1955 Sweikert became the only driver in history to win the original American motor sports Triple Crown, by sweeping the Indianapolis 500, the AAA big car National Championship, and the Midwest sprint car championship. Lindsey, who liked her daddy to play Pretty, Pretty Princess with her at night, and who, on this day in 1996, kissed him and waited while he worked as a spotter for his brother in the afternoon's last race. 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. The crash happened about 40 minutes earlier. The challenge for speedway owners: How do you balance the counterweights of safety and intimacy? 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. If hed come along a half-century later, Bob Sweikert might have been that lucky young driver. When Vogler got word of Fittipaldi's penalty, he went up to USAC to testify for him, calling the penalty "unjust." More often, like Lindsey Mayden, spectators die with less publicity at smaller ovals and asphalt drag strips on Friday and Saturday nights. Fifty years later, her memories of those days paint a picture of the entire experience. In late 1944, Sweikert enrolled in the US Army Air Force, but suffered a severe knee injury while training at Lowry Field in Colorado. It is, perhaps, racing's worst fear: a car or its disconnected parts hurtling over fences into fans. Floyd said plans were being made to fly Vogler to Humana Hospital in Louisville, Ky., before he was pronounced dead. [2] The ARCA qualifying record is 16.785 seconds/119.035mph by Gary Bradberry in 1994.[6]. 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. His 134 wins (95 Midget, 35 Sprint, and four Silver Crown wins) in national events is second only to A. J. Foyt's 169. 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. It would do no good for anyone to tell Bob Sweikert to quit racing. Community See All. He was one of the good guys. She married again six years ago, but in 1998 published Along for the Ride A Love Story. The book is a personal, poignant and sometimes painful look back on her time with Bob Sweikert. Paved Oval located in Salem, IN: Track Status: Still In Operation (Opened: 1947 ) TOURING SERIES & MAJOR EVENTS ; Date Sanction Winner Laps 22 June 1947: AAA Midwest Big Car Series: another. ", But: "Everywhere I go, I check out their fence.". He was awarded a 40th-place finish (as a "Did Not Start").[6]. The Usually, his mother and his sons appear at the annual fund-raiser. Ironically, it was Reece who was standing in the turn one infield on July 17, 1956 and filmed Sweikert's accident. Always open. Eugene Gerber, bishop of Wichita's Roman Catholic diocese and a family friend, tried to console the mournful. [2] Major auto racing series that run at Salem are ARCA and USAC. This page was last edited on 23 December 2014, at 08:46. 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. "He would be going if it were me that died. Vogler's helmet flew off his head and he suffered severe head injuries that proved to be fatal. The fencing had been laid in position on the ground and Sweikert The reality: "Fences can always be higher," says Tracy Clay, manager of I-30 Speedway in North Little Rock, Ark. of his death. Its like Iraq its that kind of grief.. His Bowes Seal Fast 14 Kurtis-Kraft flew end over end out of Trenton, broke in half on . How do you deal with seeing your child's face every time your wife walks through the door? Gil was a popular Cincinnati, Ohio driver who ran regularly in the area before joining the United States Auto Club sprint car circuit. I didnt even think Id hit 21. "I always thought she was probably in more danger driving to the racetrack than being in the infield," he says. This was the Kansas City Speedway, a 1.25-mile oval with turns banked 35 degrees. (key) (Bold Pole position awarded by qualifying time. 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. "I ask myself every night if something could have been different," Mayden says. His parents, Foster R Hess and Sarah Ethel Davis were married in Sullivan County, TN in 1928. Salem Speedway is a .555 miles (0.893km) long paved oval racetrack in Washington Township, Washington County, near Salem, Indiana, United States, approximately 100 miles (160km) south of Indianapolis. 20,621 people follow this. Speedway. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). A 37-year-old Buffalo firefighter died while fighting a four-alarm blaze on Main Street downtown that may have been sparked by work being done, While Amherst police were on the scene, a number of fights started among groups within the crowd in the mall lot on Alberta and in the Wegmans, The new renderings released by the Bills include an up-close view from the field level, three exterior stadium views with more detail than has. "I could run to the first caution without any problem," Waltrip, a three-time Winston Cup champion, said Saturday. He is remarried now, and he's even found himself back at the track, racing a truck some weekends at Indianapolis Raceway Park. The names, logos, and other source identifying features of newspapers depicted in our database are the trademarks of their respective owners, and our use of newspaper content in the public domain or by private agreement does not imply any affiliation with, or endorsement from, the publishers of the newspaper titles that appear on our site. Required fence heights for oval track bleachers vary from 9 to 15 feet, according to insurance company representatives. About. A racecar moves around the track at Salem Speedway. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. Five-time USAC midget champion Rich Vogler was killed Saturday night when his car crashed during a feature race of which he was later declared the winner at Salem Speedway. Please subscribe to. The tire struck Lindsey Mayden, 7 years old. An Observer survey of track officials showed that few speedways inspect cars closely for more than basic safety items such as restraints and helmets. He actually maintained his sprint car, even after he won (Indy).. Vogler, who was leading the event at the time and was about to take the white flag signaling one lap to go, hit head on with the turn 4 wall, violently throwing tires, Vogler's helmet, and other pieces of Vogler's car all over the track. A year later, on June 17, 1956, Sweikert, just turned 30, was killed when his sprint car shot over the edge of the high-banked, half-mile track at Salem, Ind. Race officials later moved spectators back from the straightaway and built new fencing, now about 30 feet high, to protect them. I just raced. "It kind of catapulted into the sky," Cindy Dutton remembers. [2] He won USAC National Sprint Car Series championships in 1980 and 1989, USAC National Midget Series championships in 1978, 1980, 1983, 1986, and 1988. That grief gripped the loved ones of dozens of race car drivers in the 1950s. Sweikert himself took the checkers at Indy in the face of But there are those who think he adapted to the track as well as anybody. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Sanctioning bodies, some of which require driver safety equipment, don't demand that tracks inspect cars, a survey by the Charlotte Observer found. More information on Salem Speedway and the 2023 season will be posted on the tracks website at salemspeedway.com and with social media posts on the tracks Facebook page. Dorie recalled thinking he was the most handsome young man shed ever seen. 2980 N. National Road, Suite A, Columbus, IN 47201, Main Switchboard: (812) 372-7811 When the cheerleading coach broke the news to Katrina Kohel that she was the only one left on the cheer squad, Kohel was determined to compete anyway. "Salem Speedway, Hoosier Lottery form partnership", "Salem Speedway on ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule twice in 2019", "Kingsburg's Kody Swanson stamps his name in national racing history", USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car Championship race venues, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Salem_Speedway&oldid=1131321682, Tourist attractions in Washington County, Indiana, Buildings and structures in Washington County, Indiana, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 3 January 2023, at 16:45. Log In. Published In. [1] The track closed in May 1995 when he declared bankruptcy. You could still light them on fire, said Rathmann, 79, the oldest living Indy 500 winner. 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. Of course, it saved a lot of lives.. [4], USAR ran seven races at the track between 2002 and 2008; winners include Brian Ross, Joel Kauffman, Mikey Kile, Jeff Agnew, Gary St. [1] Owen and Beverly Thompson bought the track and reopened it in 1996 after adding a new building, redoing the grandstand seating to a new capacity of 6000 people, and renovating the pits. Lindsey, who wanted to be a veterinarian and a midget car racer. Find the History Mystery Man onFacebookandYouTube. ''I knew him well but we never talked about his father`s death. Now his dream was not just to win Indy, but to be the best in the world. 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. She attended most of his races, and even had the unthinkable chore of informing the wife of another driver that her husband had been killed. a ride on their tricycles late in the afternoon. Weeks later, Sweikert's fatal sprint car crash occurred on June 17, 1956, at Salem Speedway. January 22, 2023 (76 years old) View obituary. History Mystery Man: Historical Storyteller, Small Town Traveler, Auto Racing Icons. They settled in Indiana, to be close to the Speedway where Sweikert hoped to race and win. Vogler became the first driver to win the USAC Sprint Car and Midget championships in the same year (1980). Sweikert, who graduated from Hayward High in 1944, won the Indy 500 at age 29, the first and only Bay Area racer to capture the event. Sheriff Robert A. ONeal ordered the pool be drained. Others ignore signs urging people away from the 4-foot chain-link fence separating the pits from the track. About See All. Salem has, however, put up a new fence separating the infield from the pits. "Fans are their own worst enemy," says Dickie Gore, owner of Old Dominion Speedway in Manassas, Va. 1993 Salem Speedway Jeff Ellison's Tremendous Crash (AFTERMATH) Jordan St.Amant 1K subscribers Subscribe 328 103K views 8 years ago Local racer Jeff Ellison crashed tremendously during a local. He was about to take the white flag for the final lap. He had that charisma.. The event at one of the iconic short tracks in the county is being . The car hit the guardrail and destroyed a section of protective fencing near the grandstand. No other cars were involved. Martin took the pole for today's 12:10 p.m. race, qualifying his Ford at 158.264 mph. I had a deep spiritual belief that got me through that. TOLEDO, Ohio (Feb. 3, 2019) According to Mark Twain, in every life there is a drama, a comedy and a tragedy. That certainly holds true for 1955 Indianapolis 500 winner Bob Sweikert. USAC Loctite-Crestliner Vans National Sprint Car Series, USAC Copenhagen-Skoal National Midget Series, USAC Stoops Freightliner National Sprint Car Series, USAC MCI WorldCom National Midget Car Series, USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series, Northern Division, Auto Value Bumper to Bumper Super Sprint Series, USAC Valvoline National Sprint Car Series, USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series, Sears Auto Center Northern Division, ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards, AMSOIL USAC Sprint Car National Championship, CRA JEGS All-Stars Tour presented by Chevrolet Performance, Circle Track Great American Racing Series, Lawrence Towing CRA Street Stock Series Powered by JEGS, USAC Silver Crown Champ Car Series presented by Traxxas, Vores Compact Touring Series powered by Mercer County Electric, Van Hoy Oil CRA Street Stocks Powered by JEGS, Victory Custom Trailers CRA Junior Late Model Series, https://www.thethirdturn.com/w/index.php?title=Salem_Speedway&oldid=657339. Other tracks have taken a similarly reactive approach to tragedy. Now, he says softly, he doesn't know. "There's no way to stay ahead of these drivers.". left their home at 5241 Will Scarlett Lane, a block from the Sweikert home, for 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. He walked over to his father`s car, looked in and then walked away. We want all of our events to be big shows. Why, after not eating solids for two weeks because she choked on a grape at school, did Lindsey suddenly want chicken? and the winner of the 1955 Indianapolis Motor Speedway classic and had built His death prompted another burst of outrage over the sports dangerous side. which Sweikert was building of tall cedar stakes when he was killed at Salem, "We don't want the legal system to say, `You approved this car inspection thing.' I had a son who was killed in a crash as well.''. He died the day after his sister, on his 10th birthday. I didnt see him airborne.. Death. He drove in northern California that year and later in Los Angeles. Saturday's sponsor is Crosleybrands.com. Star, as published on Aug. 12, 1956, Mother Finds Pair in Vogler was the National Alliance of Midget Auto Racing (NAMAR) midget champion in 1973. IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California hasnt followed: What should you do? 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. Yet he can't outrun the questions that wait for him at nights in his auto body shop. 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. At smaller tracks, insurance companies are the primary arbiters of fence height and design. The tire hit a concrete barrier in front of the grandstand. One father lifts his infant daughter above the fence so she can better see the cars roaring past less than 20 feet away. The Pocono race was not his first attempted NASCAR Winston Cup start: two weeks before, he entered the Michigan race but failed to qualify. Michaels Catholic Church, arrived and gave last rites. Sam was sitting on the driveway, Johnson's car, said C. Ray Hall, was using an experimental spindle, which serves as an axle for the front wheels. He is thankful only that Lindsey had her back to the track when the tire bounced toward her. Dorie Sweikert recalls being able to see her husband smile as his car sprinted past, his head and shoulders exposed to potential peril. He failed to qualify this year after an eighth-place finish, his best ever, in 1989. 2803 Obituaries. rescue squad rushed to the pool. Roger Bruce Hassing. Not now. She went back to California You have permission to edit this article. In late 1952 his first wife, Marion, started divorce proceedings. She spent after-school hours at her father's Sellersburg, Ind., body shop and weekends with her mother at nearby Salem Speedway, watching her dad and uncle race. Learn More They were dangerous beyond belief, Levinson wrote in an online article for Autoracing1.com. Last Name "Williams" "He was a true professional who served his community with pride every day for over 32 years," the Amherst Police Department said in a statement. Italics Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. "I have 200 fires to put out," track president Doug McManus says. On February 12, 1949 Sweikert won the first BCRA Indoor Midget Race Track championship, in Oakland, on the new 1/12 mile oval track. The Champion Racing Association (CRA) Super Series returns to the race track . 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. Michigan Speedway raised its fences from 14 1/2 to 17 feet after its 1998 CART crash. In the winner's circle, Sweikert and Dorie celebrated with singer-actress Dinah Shore. 19,772 people like this. She died five hours later, early the next day. 1,509 were here. There was always the darkness the thing about Vukie.. Johnson, who confirmed the experimental spindle on the car involved in Josh and Amanda Dutton's death, says he drove it that night in a one-time arrangement for a local outfit. As a sad, ironic twist, Sweikerts tragedy helped fuel But I'm doing therapy every day.". to Indianapolis and listed the house for sale. In addition to his five midget titles, Vogler won the national sprint car title in 1980 and 1989. He is buried at Lone Tree Cemetery in Fairview, California.[3]. Current NASCAR Stars Chase Elliott, Christopher Bell, Erik Jones and Mitchells own Chase Briscoe have also competed on the High Banks while advancing their careers. on Tragedy follows tragedythe aftermath of Bob Sweikerts death, Meet the amazing Miss Nichols, world-record aviator in a Crosley. When I hit 30, I figured Id better quit.. First there was the business of trying to defend his Indy 500 title. He won numerous major national events: the Hut Hundred eight times, the 4-Crown Nationals midget car event four times, the Copper Classic twice, the Hoosierdome Invitational twice, the WWRA Florida Winter Nationals in 1983, and the Night Before the 500 once. I never talked about how brave I was. At Clay's I-30 Speedway, track officials weren't aware of a hole in a wire fence near the pit area outside the track's oval. Layton, Utah. 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. The season opener is set for April 16. pool and its lure for children. It had been there in my head and in my heart for a long time, she said. hunting for them, to call them to supper. Such is what Jeff Mayden believed before his daughter was killed. AUTO RACING: Salem Speedway has new owner DANIEL SUDDEATH daniel.suddeath@newsandtribune.com Dec 24, 2022 From left, Will Kimmel interviews new Salem Speedway owner and promoter Nick. On July 5th, 1970, he was driving for Mauri Amerling, at the Salem, Indiana speedway when. He was only 30, leaving behind his wife Dolores and four children. 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. SALEM, IND. beat that day. 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. It was a time before safety thats just the way it was, said Steven Levinson, a semi-retired attorney and amateur auto racing historian, who grew up in Indianapolis in the 1940s and 50s. If you wanted to be a racer, thats what you had to do, Rathmann said. Ind. [4], NASCAR Southeast Series ran two races at the facility between 1996 and 1997; the races were won by Steven Christian and Ron Young respectively. Pit fencing, however, is rarely mandated. In May 1956, at his final return to the Indianapolis 500, Sweikert began in the 10th starting position and came in for a 6th-place finish, with the team's D-A Lubricant roadster. Greg Sacks had his fill of those in the last race, the Pepsi 400 at Daytona, Fla., where accidents ruined the weekend for both drivers. RACE CAR driver Bob Sweikert celebrates his win in the 1955Indianapolis 500 with his wife, Dorrie. Fencing, maybe, or car safety. had intended to finish the job the day after the fatal Salem race. Of the 29 fan deaths since 1990, 10 occurred after tires and other parts inexplicably came off cars. "We have to be very careful what we ask them to do," says George Knight of George Knight Associates in Tulsa, Okla., a small-track insurance provider. backstretch wall to his death. You just couldnt be afraid all the time.. He was only 28 years old, however he was one of California's brightest stars in the open wheel profession. 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. Morris Settles pronounced the boys dead. Not long before his death, he won that year's Rich Vogler Memorial Race at Winchester in the restored Hoffman Brothers' "White Lightning" #69 sprint car in which then defending national champion Vogler had been killed at the Salem Speedway in 1990. Im ready to get started on making improvements as soon as the weather lets us. waiting patiently for the boys. But he liked to race on them.. Vogler, who would have been 40 on Thursday, raced in five Indianapolis 500s. Coming out of the 4th turn, the two cars started down the straightaway in front of the grandstand. 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. On July 21, 1990, during the Joe James / Pat O'Connor Memorial sprint car event at the Salem Speedway, which was nationally broadcast on ESPN Thunder, sprint car driver Rich Vogler sustained fatal head injuries due to a crash in turn 4. Ostapenko and Karsch removed the boys from the water. You hear the story about how someone can walk into a room and everyone turns and looks that was Sweikert, she said. This was his 170th win. Salem Speedway opened in 1947, providing fans with exciting fast paced racing on the .555-mile oval that features imposing 33-degree banked turns that were built strictly for speed! The following morning, in part because of Vogler's testimony, the penalty was overturned and Fittipaldi was credited with the runner-up position. They are. He is tied with Pat Flaherty for the record of the driver with the fewest points to have won a race. Veda wrote many racing articles. Sweikert's first chance at driving a Sprint car came next in 1949. Washington Township volunteer firemen and an Indianapolis fire department three weeks ago to make her home. Karl & Veda Orr built & operated their own race cars. North American Racing Insurance settled with Baker's widow, Cynthia, for $1 million. It opened in 1947; two drivers were killed on the first lap of the first race. Added to the dangerous equation were tracks of all variety that drivers had to tackle in order to reach their primary destination Indianapolis. Earned by points standings or practice time failed to qualify this year after an eighth-place finish, his and... 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In 1998 published along for the Ride a Love Story tracks, insurance companies are the arbiters! His infant daughter above the fence so she can better see the cars roaring past less than 20 feet.... Sweikert hoped to race on them.. Vogler, who wanted to be a veterinarian and a family friend tried! Floyd said plans were being made to fly Vogler to Humana Hospital in Louisville, Ky., before was. Being in the same year ( 1980 ). [ 6 ] have won a race feet. His fifth championship Orr built & operated their own race cars drivers ``! Hit the guardrail and destroyed a section of protective fencing near the grandstand weeks,. Feet, according to insurance company representatives 's face every time your wife walks through the?... Probably in more danger driving to the track closed in May 1995 he... That got me through that and USAC, on his 10th birthday the day after his sister, his! Driver with the runner-up position president Doug McManus says down the straightaway and new... 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Be a veterinarian and a family friend, tried to console the mournful Hospital in Louisville, Ky. before. Last year he won 16 of the 29 fan deaths since 1990, 10 occurred after tires other... S car, looked in and then walked away racecar moves around the at... And dorie celebrated with singer-actress Dinah Shore to quit racing to put,... Catapulted into the sky, '' he says softly, he says,. } } /month + tax ). [ 3 ] back to the Speedway where Sweikert hoped to race win! Was overturned and Fittipaldi was credited with the runner-up position, her memories of those days paint a of. High, to call them to supper weather lets us I always thought she was probably in danger. By qualifying time a Ride on their tricycles late in the infield from the water is buried at Tree... Waltrip, a 1.25-mile oval with turns banked 35 degrees died the day after sister. Her memories of those days paint a picture of the 29 fan deaths since,... His Indy 500 winner business of trying to defend his Indy 500 winner less than 20 feet.... Eighth-Place finish, his best ever, in part because of Vogler 's flew... You do, bishop of Wichita 's Roman Catholic diocese and a midget car racer 158.264 mph 1/2.
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