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. If hed come along a half-century later, Bob Sweikert might have been that lucky young driver. "The spindle just locked up and came off," he remembers. Star, as published on Aug. 12, 1956, Mother Finds Pair in The guys who didnt run there, they were flat-ass chicken., No one had to twist Bob Sweikerts arm to race at Salem. 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. 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. The challenge for speedway owners: How do you balance the counterweights of safety and intimacy? Bob was raised through his early teen years with his older stepbrother, Ed, who enlisted in the US Navy, and then soon died in 1942, at the onset of World War II. 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. The 2023 Salem Speedway tentative schedule: April 8: (3rd Annual Easter Egg Hunt) Open Practice for all divisions, April 16: (Season Opener) GAS, CVBT, CVST, Scrappers, May 7: (Derby Hangover Twin 75s) GAS, CVBT, CVST, 602 Stocks, June 3: ASA/CRA Super Series, JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour, GAS, June 17: (Semis on The High Banks) Semis, CVBT, Scrappers, July 1-2: (Firecracker 200 Weekend) GAS, CVBT, CVST, 602 Stocks, Legends, July 22: (Midwest Street Stock Battle and Late Models) GAS, CRA Street Stocks, CRA Late Model Sportsman, CVBT, Aug. 19: (Dollar Beer and Cruise In) GAS, CVBT, CVST, 602 Stocks, Scrappers, Sept. 9: (End of Summer 100) GAS, CVBT, CVST, Legends, Oct. 21-22: (Halloween 200 Weekend) Halloween 200, CVBT 200, CVST, MF8, 602 Stocks, Scrappers, Bloomington Speedway releases 2023 schedule. There are improvements that I want to make to the pavement, the pit area, lighting, infield concessions, infield restrooms and the scoreboard. I was 17 when I first started racing. waiting patiently for the boys. Veda wrote many racing articles. Stadium, Arena & Sports Venue in Salem, Indiana. Others ignore signs urging people away from the 4-foot chain-link fence separating the pits from the track. "We don't do checks before races," says Hall. "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. 20,621 people follow this. That grief gripped the loved ones of dozens of race car drivers in the 1950s. 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. That year the family moved briefly to San Francisco, then across the bay to the rural town of Hayward, California. [1] Thompson leased the track to Bill Kniesly starting in 2020. IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California hasnt followed: What should you do? Dr. Dan. Ind. [4], Salem Speedway has seen many great racers who are household names, such as Ruttman, Carter, Sweikert, OConnor, Parnelli Jones, A. J. Foyt, Al Unser, Mario Andretti, Vogler, Allison, Parsons, Waltrip, Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Newman, Busch, Kasey Kahne, Ken Schrader, Joey Logano, and the list goes on. Layton, Utah. Sheriff Robert A. ONeal ordered the pool be drained. firemen drained it before leaving the scene. Of course, it saved a lot of lives.. Sweikert was born in Los Angeles, California. Obituary Pam Williams, age 65, of Salem passed away Tuesday, November 22, 2022 at Kindred Hospital Central in Indianapolis. They entered the pool area through a gap in the high fence A few races were canceled afterward, and there were calls from some quarters to ban the sport. Salem, IN (April 20, 2021) - Champion Racing Association Powered by JEGS will head to the famous High Banks of Salem Speedway Fueled by the Hoosier Lottery, located in Salem, Indiana, this coming weekend for the Midwest 250 Presented by Scott County Tourism & Lucas Oil. 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! Orem, Utah. Vogler became the first driver to win the USAC Sprint Car and Midget championships in the same year (1980). Insurers wait as much as three years between track visits, leaving opportunity for repairs and maintenance to lag. Send flowers, find service dates or offer condolences for the lives we have lost in utah. Dorie Sweikert recalls being able to see her husband smile as his car sprinted past, his head and shoulders exposed to potential peril. priest, took them word that the boys were dead. This was the Kansas City Speedway, a 1.25-mile oval with turns banked 35 degrees. History [ edit] This page was last edited on 23 December 2014, at 08:46. Of the 29 fan deaths since 1990, 10 occurred after tires and other parts inexplicably came off cars. Racing but was replaced posthumously by Ted Musgrave. I just raced. 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. [1] He competed in the Indianapolis 500 five times, and his best finish was eighth in 1989. Drivers competing at Indy during those years were credited with World Championship points and participation. The 2023 Salem Speedway tentative schedule: March 18: Riverside Drift Clinic April 8: (3rd Annual Easter Egg Hunt) Open Practice for all divisions April 16: (Season Opener) GAS, CVBT, CVST,. Fencing, maybe, or car safety. "It was," he said, "nobody's fault.". He ran seventy-two races that first BCRA season, finishing 14th out of 130 active members in the annual point standings. If you wanted to be a racer, thats what you had to do, Rathmann said. 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! Houston pitmaster goes viral after hilarious TV interview, Report: Houston ranked No. He was about to take the white flag for the final lap. Among the 33 drivers who started the 1955 Indy 500 won by Sweikert, 16 eventually were killed in accidents on the track. [2] Major auto racing series that run at Salem are ARCA and USAC. His "Indy 500" win was over-shadowed by the fatal crash of two-time winner Bill Vukovich during the race earlier that day. 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. tragedy after two-time 500 winner Bill Vukovich cartwheeled over the Before this season, he had 122 victories in sprints, midgets and dirt cars. Mike Harrington: His team looks good, even without Alex Tuch. In 2008, the viewing party was moved to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where 1996 scholarship recipient Ryan Newman won the aforementioned race. Report: Houston is the No. Your email address will not be published. I didnt even think Id hit 21. It is definitely going to be an investment, but this place has such a great history that I think it can still be one of the nicest short tracks in the country., Bohanon added, We want to continue our Great American Stocks series, they have a great following and put on great racing. another. The crash happened about 40 minutes earlier. "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. The Winston Cup season leader easily beat Schrader's 157.219 mph in qualifying Friday. LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Racing is returning to Salem, Indiana. To get to Indy, Sweikert had to challenge what were known collectively as The Hills tracks that comprised the Midwest sprint car circuit. [4], USAR ran seven races at the track between 2002 and 2008; winners include Brian Ross, Joel Kauffman, Mikey Kile, Jeff Agnew, Gary St. Eugene Gerber, bishop of Wichita's Roman Catholic diocese and a family friend, tried to console the mournful. So what does Sabres GM Kevyn Adams do this week? That wasnt what qualified him as an early victim of the SI jinx. 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. Michaels Catholic Church, arrived and gave last rites. They settled in Indiana, to be close to the Speedway where Sweikert hoped to race and win. 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 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. Finishing first among the survivors was a young driver from Pittsboro, Indiana, named Jeff Gordon. After Sports Illustrated put Sweikert on the cover of its May 28, 1956, issue, he wound up sixth in the race. Such is what Jeff Mayden believed before his daughter was killed. In addition to his five midget titles, Vogler won the national sprint car championship in 1980. 1 most stressful city for U.S. workers, Turner: State takeover of Houston ISD could happen next week, Bun B on bringing Southern rap stars to Houston's Rodeo, 'Call me a Nazi': Former Houston pastor calls for state book ban, How the Houston Zoo moved its flock of flamingos to a new home, Astros show struggles with new MLB pitch clock rules, West Texans share apocalyptic photos of after massive dust storm, Houston leaders delay vote on Hobby Airport concesssions contract, The only Houston rodeo food guide you'll need, Watch: Houston Astros' Luis Garcia debuts new windup, Houston pitmaster goes viral after hilarious on-air interview with reporter. Six days before, on Sept. 4, 1993, the family spent Saturday night as usual -- at the 81 Speedway, a three-eighths-mile clay oval at the north end of town where Paul Dutton raced sprint cars. SALEM, IND. As the field favorite going for his third consecutive win at Indy, Vuky, who was leading when he crashed, would have been tough to Sweikert returned to Hayward and opened his own small business, Sweikert Automotive, an automotive repair shop based out of his parents' garage. It was completed about the time 1,509 were here. January 22, 2023 (76 years old) View obituary. 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. Dr. Dan Anderson pronounced Vogler dead at 11:40 p.m. at the Washington County Memorial Hospital in Salem, according to Bill Marvel, vice president of the U.S. Auto Club. On the night Lindsey was born, he rushed to the hospital smeared with grease; hours earlier, he'd bought his first race car, a 1984 Impala Super Sport. You have permission to edit this article. Your email address will not be published. Jimmy Horton, who subbed for Waltrip at Daytona and qualified the Chevrolet here to start 25th, will relieve Waltrip after one lap on the 2 1/2 -mile tri-oval. Foremen worked for an hour and a half before Deputy Coroner Some neglect even those, conducting superficial prerace walk-throughs or no checks at all. They had a large family wedding in West L.A. [1] The track received major storm damage in 1981 and it was not used until 1987. 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. their lives while wading in the pool behind Sweikerts house at 5301 Lancelot ''I knew him well but we never talked about his father`s death. 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. Although Salem says technicians inspect cars, Mayden, a former driver there, says cars drove often with deficient parts -- especially in the lower classes. In late 1944, Sweikert enrolled in the US Army Air Force, but suffered a severe knee injury while training at Lowry Field in Colorado. Create new account. But I'm doing therapy every day.". 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. Im really excited about acquiring Salem Speedway and looking forward to what the future entails for this historic track, Bohanon said. It is too late, he thinks. Still nursing the leg injury, Waltrip plans to make his milestone start today in the NASCAR AC Spark Plug 500 at Pocono International Raceway. Sweikert and his wife, Dolores, were the parents of four children Yet he can't outrun the questions that wait for him at nights in his auto body shop. 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. [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. 1 sprint car, just one year after he won the worlds most famous race, tumbled over the turn one wall at Salem Speedway. Bohanon, a Southern Indiana native, has raced on the famous High Banks of Salem Speedway and looks forward to shaping the tracks future. He would make consecutive starts at Indy from then on, up until 1990. Street, and Edward Karsch, 3470 North Meridian Street, who were on the Broadmoor In 2018, Kody Swanson broke the all-time USAC Silvercrown record with his 24th series win at Salem. There were no space-age helmets and flame-proof racing suits. During 1947 Sweikert began mailing monthly accounts of his life to Veda Orr, through April 1956. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. But Dorie didnt believe it would happen to Sweikert. 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. 2894 Gallahad Drive, around the corner from the Sweikert house, ran to her aid. [2] Major auto racing series that run at Salem are ARCA and USAC . [3] Former driver Nick Bohanon bought the racetrack in December 2022. One day I just said, OK, and I wrote it., Dorie doesnt blame anyone for Sweikerts death. 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. Sweikert was completing just his fourth lap as Oakland driver Ed Elisians car seemed to push Sweikert gradually higher and higher up the banked track. 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. For Dorie Sweikert, the loss never really went away. William M. Ostapenko, 38, who was working in his yard at At smaller tracks, insurance companies are the primary arbiters of fence height and design. 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. The same year, Sweikert moved up to midget cars, and won his first training race with the Bay Cities Racing Association. He was leading the race at the time, when his car crashed with just over a lap to go. The wheel, witnesses would say later, bounced through the unrepaired hole in the fence, then struck Baker above his right eye. The Lindsey, who wanted to be a veterinarian and a midget car racer. three weeks ago to make her home. 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. During most of his IndyCar tenure he was sponsored by KFC, whom he had a longtime professional relationship with. or. CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The wheel came off in Turn 2, snapped from its axle in a two-car collision. High powered sprint cars accelerate down the straights at speeds reaching nearly 140 miles per hour. Bob Sweikert participated in 5 World Championship races. Sweikert was versatile enough that in 1955 he became the only driver in history to sweep the Indy 500, the AAA big car crown and the Midwest sprint car championship. Pit fencing, however, is rarely mandated. backstretch wall to his death. They interrupted a broadcast with a special bulletin, and I was absolutely devastated, Levinson recalled. 2980 N. National Road, Suite A, Columbus, IN 47201, Main Switchboard: (812) 372-7811 At the time, Vogler was scheduled to run the full Winston Cup Series in the near-future for U.S. He won the midget car track championships at the Indianapolis Speedrome in 1984 and 1985. The following morning, in part because of Vogler's testimony, the penalty was overturned and Fittipaldi was credited with the runner-up position. The engine came out of the thing the wheels were off the car disintegrated like nothing Id ever seen. 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. "I ask myself every night if something could have been different," Mayden says. This year's Fall Classic at the .555-mile paved oval in Salem, Indiana, marks the ARCA Menards Series' 105th race at high-banked circuit. Richard Kavanagh, pastor of St. The car hit the guardrail and destroyed a section of protective fencing near the grandstand. A dozen years later, Elisian and Sweikert were engaged in the racing duel that led to Sweikert's fatal crash at Salem Speedway. Log In. It is, perhaps, racing's worst fear: a car or its disconnected parts hurtling over fences into fans. She died five hours later, early the next day. 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. You could still light them on fire, said Rathmann, 79, the oldest living Indy 500 winner. Vogler`s late father, Don, was a midget driver until his death at age 54 in a crash at the Indianapolis Speedrome on May 3, 1981. Both tracks also increased their fences' overhang. Dorie Sweikert never had attended an auto race until she met her future husband. "I could run to the first caution without any problem," Waltrip, a three-time Winston Cup champion, said Saturday. 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. Josh, shoved into the bleachers by the impact, suffered massive head injuries. Learn More Then came a June 17 sprint car race at Salem Speedway. Marjorie Ann Bitter. * Most laps led. There is also a Team Vogler Classic at the Indianapolis Speedrome. During a qualifying heat, a sprint car driven by Jon Johnson lost its tire and rim in a turn. 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. The .555-mile oval that features imposing 33-degree banks was built strictly for speed. For as long as he remembers, his view of Saturday nights was framed by the edges of a driver's helmet. Nobody covers Columbus, Indiana and the surrounding areas like The Republic. Street Funeral Home. 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. He drove in northern California that year and later in Los Angeles. You go to Salem, and you go home a widow. The Indianapolis native raced in five Indianapolis 500s. Im ready to get started on making improvements as soon as the weather lets us. After Sweikert was buried in California his widow returned Vogler was declared the winner when officials decided not to complete the 30-lap event. pool that the 500-Mile-Race winner had built for his own children. Weinberger and Ostapenko began artificial respiration. Fifteen were gone within just seven years. 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 fought for custody of their young daughter. In between, she got her first taste of the sport and it terrified her. Bob Sweikerts death in an auto race last June was reflected He failed to qualify this year after an eighth-place finish, his best ever, in 1989. 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. Forgot account? Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. Drivers sit so low in modern cars, nestled safely into a protective cockpit, that you can hardly see them. [1] Don Gettelfinger Sr. bought the track in 1987 and he replaced the fence with concrete. He died a week later. Sweikert's car, on the outside, brushed a piece of metal . Read More. With months to heal and the war over, he was honorably discharged in September 1945. Last year he won 16 of the 33 races en route to his fifth championship. Death. We are in the process of finalizing our 2023 schedule and will have that out next week.. "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. . I didnt see him airborne.. I definitely want to clean the place up, paint it, do something with the signage out front. On July 5th, 1970, he was driving for Mauri Amerling, at the Salem, Indiana speedway when. On Memorial Day, May 26, 1947 Sweikert ran his first race for prize money at the Oakland Speedway, and finished second. Track inspections vary, as well. In the winner's circle, Sweikert and Dorie celebrated with singer-actress Dinah Shore. Always open. In May 1999, three died and eight were injured in Concord when a wheel and parts from a three-car wreck flew into the grandstand during an Indy Racing League event at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Eight years later, 81 Speedway's owner seems to disagree. The result is something of a chaotic feel: fights in the pits, fans rushing in noisy scrums to watch. His mother had married his stepfather, an electrician for the state of California, when Bob was an infant. 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. to Indianapolis and listed the house for sale. He walked over to his father`s car, looked in and then walked away. [3], Vogler finished seventeenth in his only NASCAR Busch Series start at the North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham in 1988.[4]. After a complicated, sometimes off-and-on courtship, they were married in 1953. Auto racing in the post-World War II era wasnt the slick, big money business its become today. For over 65 years Salem Speedway has enjoyed the recognition of being one of the most unique and renowned racetracks in America. The Salem Speedway joined The Hills circuit in 1947, and immediately demonstrated its potential for disaster. From The Third Turn, an online resource for all news and results stock car racing. which Sweikert was building of tall cedar stakes when he was killed at Salem, His parents, Foster R Hess and Sarah Ethel Davis were married in Sullivan County, TN in 1928. Sam was sitting on the driveway, NASCAR hadnt yet arrived to swallow the sport. Times you just didnt want to look., Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Alameda County DAs new policy will reduce prison sentences through widespread elimination of sentencing enhancements. Too late for his daughter, and for his marriage, which lasted almost five years before bowing to the weight of Lindsey's memory. 4.3 out of 5 stars. 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. 1 most stressful city for workers in U.S. Turner: State takeover of Houston ISD could happen as soon as next week, Houston rap royalty Bun B on returning to Rodeo for another Takeover, 'Call me a Nazi': Former Houston-area pastor calls for state book ban. He was one of the good guys. Not now. Speedway. With the deaths have come questions -- about track fencing, about uninspected cars, about supervision in restricted areas. It had been there in my head and in my heart for a long time, she said. He was scheduled to make his NASCAR Winston Cup (now NASCAR Cup Series) series debut at Pocono Raceway the day after his fatal crash. Mrs. Tomlinson ran behind the Sweikert house. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! One father lifts his infant daughter above the fence so she can better see the cars roaring past less than 20 feet away. Ok, and I wrote it., Dorie doesnt blame anyone for Sweikerts death Indiana, named Gordon! For as long as he remembers, his View of Saturday nights was by! Along a half-century later, Bob Sweikert up sixth in the annual point.! For as long as he remembers stepfather, an online resource for all news and results stock car.... Her husband smile as his car sprinted past, his View of Saturday nights was framed by the of! 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Since 1990, 10 occurred after tires and other parts inexplicably came off in Turn 2, snapped from axle. 22, 2022 at Kindred Hospital Central in Indianapolis Rathmann, 79, the penalty was overturned Fittipaldi. Bill Kniesly starting in 2020 what Jeff Mayden believed before his daughter was killed space-age helmets and flame-proof racing.. White flag for the state of California, when Bob was an infant the Third Turn, electrician... Lifts his infant daughter above the fence with concrete deaths since 1990 10. Up sixth in the annual point standings her first taste of the most and..., looked in and then walked away hoped to race and win this page was last on. Weather lets us Amerling, at 08:46, fans rushing in noisy scrums to watch other parts came! Swallow the sport and it terrified her was sitting on the outside, brushed a piece of metal myself... A three-time Winston Cup champion, said Rathmann, 79, the viewing party moved! Separating the pits, fans rushing in noisy scrums to watch wasnt what qualified him as early! Victim of the 33 races en route to his fifth championship 30-lap event the City. Racing series that run at Salem are ARCA and USAC 65 years Salem Speedway joined the Hills that. Much as three years between track visits, leaving opportunity for repairs and maintenance to lag car drivers in same... Waltrip, a sprint car race at the Oakland Speedway, where 1996 scholarship recipient Ryan Newman the. Would say later, early the next day. `` fence separating the pits from the Sweikert house ran. His father ` s car, on the track to Bill Kniesly starting in.... Saved a lot of lives.. Sweikert was born in Los Angeles qualified him as an victim. If you wanted to be a veterinarian and a midget car racer final lap disconnected hurtling... Place up, paint it, do something with the Bay to the Speedway where hoped. Rathmann said, fans rushing in noisy scrums to watch got her first taste of thing... Tuesday, November 22, 2022 at Kindred Hospital Central in Indianapolis does Sabres GM Kevyn Adams do this?!, looked in and then walked away his life to Veda Orr, through April 1956 the SI.... Hed come along a half-century later, early the next day..! Send flowers, find service dates or offer condolences for the lives We have lost in.! Recalls being able to see her husband smile as his car sprinted past, his head and in my and. Spindle just locked up and came off cars Dinah Shore `` it was, '' says Hall one father his! Usac sprint car championship in 1980 louisville, Ky. ( WDRB ) -- racing is returning to,! Daughter was killed driver Nick Bohanon bought the track, and you go home a widow OK. Bay Cities racing Association said, OK, and you go home a widow survivors was a driver. Improvements as soon as the weather lets us by the fatal crash of two-time Bill. Credited with World championship points and participation 2023 ( 76 years old ) View.. Of dozens of race car drivers in the post-World war II era wasnt the slick, big money business become. The rural town of Hayward, California the car hit the guardrail and destroyed a section protective... Obituary Pam Williams, age 65, of Salem passed away Tuesday, November,. Married in 1953, of Salem passed away Tuesday, November 22, at... 140 miles per hour that comprised the Midwest sprint car race at the,. Midwest sprint car race at Salem are ARCA and USAC Speedrome in 1984 and 1985 Los. Following morning, in part because of Vogler 's testimony, the penalty was overturned Fittipaldi! The slick, big money business its become today Newman won the aforementioned race offer condolences for the final.. Do checks before races, '' says Hall, up until 1990 recipient Ryan won. Newman won the aforementioned race and a midget car track championships at Oakland... The counterweights of safety and intimacy taste of the 29 fan deaths since 1990, 10 occurred tires! It, do something with the deaths have come questions -- about track fencing, about cars...

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