salem speedway deaths

The tire hit a concrete barrier in front of the grandstand. SALEM Former USAC Midget racer Nick Bohanon has taken over ownership of the iconic Salem Speedway Fueled by the Hoosier Lottery, located in Salem, Indiana. She never saw danger coming. "Fans are their own worst enemy," says Dickie Gore, owner of Old Dominion Speedway in Manassas, Va. At smaller tracks, insurance companies are the primary arbiters of fence height and design. View local obituaries in utah. Yard of Sweikert Home. For Dorie Sweikert, the loss never really went away. His death prompted another burst of outrage over the sports dangerous side. 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. The following paragraphs have been transcribed from the Indianapolis He is buried at Lone Tree Cemetery in Fairview, California.[3]. So what does Sabres GM Kevyn Adams do this week? They interrupted a broadcast with a special bulletin, and I was absolutely devastated, Levinson recalled. Vogler, a native of Glen Ellyn, Ill., who lived in Indianapolis with his wife and three children, was pronounced dead from massive head injuries at Washington County Memorial Hospital, said USAC Vice President Bill Marvel. 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. After Sweikert was buried in California his widow returned 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. He had secured an overseas drivers license and was planning a racing tour of Europe in 1957. 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. The wheel, witnesses would say later, bounced through the unrepaired hole in the fence, then struck Baker above his right eye. 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. I saw him coming out of the fourth turn, he and Ed up so high, Dorie Sweikert said. During 1947 Sweikert began mailing monthly accounts of his life to Veda Orr, through April 1956. 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 parents, Foster R Hess and Sarah Ethel Davis were married in Sullivan County, TN in 1928. 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. Nobody covers Columbus, Indiana and the surrounding areas like The Republic. This was his 170th win. One day I just said, OK, and I wrote it., Dorie doesnt blame anyone for Sweikerts death. In 1947, Sweikert met his first wife, Marion Edwards, at a party at UCLA. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Vogler was the National Alliance of Midget Auto Racing (NAMAR) midget champion in 1973. Sweikert's car, on the outside, brushed a piece of metal . Ostapenko and Karsch removed the boys from the water. 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. 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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. From The Third Turn, an online resource for all news and results stock car racing. [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. Keep reading with unlimited digital access. . The race was red flagged and would never restart. Roger Bruce Hassing. 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. 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. February 27, 2023 (100 years old) View obituary. 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. He learned to race on go-karts at age 9, graduated to stock cars as an adult. Josh, shoved into the bleachers by the impact, suffered massive head injuries. Forgot account? Vogler, leading the race at the time, was running alone when he crashed coming off the high-banked fourth turn. In Charlotte, speedway officials made no changes in the 10 months after the Michigan wreck, then raised their fences from 15 to 21 feet after their own open-wheel racing accident. He had that charisma.. 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. Insurers wait as much as three years between track visits, leaving opportunity for repairs and maintenance to lag. He gained his first racing sponsorship in July 1947, when he became a track roadster race driver for Hubbard Auto Parts of Oakland. He drove in northern California that year and later in Los Angeles. Some neglect even those, conducting superficial prerace walk-throughs or no checks at all. Vogler's helmet flew off his head and he suffered severe head injuries that proved to be fatal. He had reached the first pinnacle, but not the pinnacle, recalled Dorie Sweikert, his wife at the time. Amant. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. The series has visited Salem more than any other track in its almost 70-year history. 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. The crash happened about 40 minutes earlier. office. He was awarded a 40th-place finish (as a "Did Not Start").[6]. 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. Sweikert returned to Hayward and opened his own small business, Sweikert Automotive, an automotive repair shop based out of his parents' garage. Too late for his daughter, and for his marriage, which lasted almost five years before bowing to the weight of Lindsey's memory. 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. Vogler, leading the race at the time, was running alone when he crashed coming off the high-banked fourth turn. In the 1950s, talent won races, but luck decided who lived and died on the track. The "I'm happy to be in the front of the field, even if it's not on the pole.". Last year he won 16 of the 33 races en route to his fifth championship. Weinberger and Ostapenko began artificial respiration. "It didn't belong on that car," Hall says. In the following 11 years, four more were killed at the track, and in 1983, the 10th and final fatality at Riverside occurred, when ex-Formula 1 and Le Mans driver Rolf Stommelen's IMSA GTP Porsche. Nobody planned this tragedy, he told them. Yet he can't outrun the questions that wait for him at nights in his auto body shop. 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. Drivers competing at Indy during those years were credited with World Championship points and participation. He continued to tinker with the mechanics, then entered the 25-lap event, anyway. 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. Salem Speedway. Foremen worked for an hour and a half before Deputy Coroner 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. 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. 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. He was one of the good guys. The boys 33-year-old father arrived at the pool shortly Sweikerts car flew over the outside wall, through a photographers booth and crash-landed in a weed patch. But Dorie didnt believe it would happen to Sweikert. Dorie Sweikert never had attended an auto race until she met her future husband. One compromise is to offer pit access to fans who sign a liability waiver, which isn't so much a safety solution as acknowledgment that the best viewing is also the most dangerous. [2] The ARCA qualifying record is 16.785 seconds/119.035mph by Gary Bradberry in 1994.[6]. Track technicians had not inspected the car. Star, as published on Aug. 12, 1956, Mother Finds Pair in 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. Auto racing in the post-World War II era wasnt the slick, big money business its become today. None of todays safeguards existed then. That was Bobs favorite of the half-mile tracks, Dorie Sweikert said. 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. Even his victory in 1955 was muted by sadness when Bill Vukovich, a friend and the two-time defending Indy champ, crashed on the 56th lap and was killed. Send comments to [emailprotected]. 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. A good Sunday was when every driver cheated death and went home alive.. The guys who didnt run there, they were flat-ass chicken., No one had to twist Bob Sweikerts arm to race at Salem. Martin took the pole for today's 12:10 p.m. race, qualifying his Ford at 158.264 mph. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, Sabres place Alex Tuch on injured reserve; top-line winger's status is uncertain, Paula's Donuts to move Clarence store that faced backlash for tax breaks to Amherst, Nebraska cheerleader competes by herself at state competition, but crowd doesn't let her feel alone, Chad Hall's departure from Buffalo Bills to Jaguars remains a bit of a mystery. On July 5th, 1970, he was driving for Mauri Amerling, at the Salem, Indiana speedway when. On an autumn Friday in Wichita, Kan., students and teachers walked next door to Christ the King Church, where a eulogist read farewell letters from Cindy and Paul Dutton to their children. 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. 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. He walked over to his father`s car, looked in and then walked away. 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. on Tragedy follows tragedythe aftermath of Bob Sweikerts death, Meet the amazing Miss Nichols, world-record aviator in a Crosley. 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. The boys, only sons of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Tomlinson, had Its like Iraq its that kind of grief.. January 22, 2023 (76 years old) View obituary. Mrs. Sweikerts last order before leaving Indianapolis, the neighbors said, was that the fence be completed at once. Marjorie Ann Bitter. They were dangerous beyond belief, Levinson wrote in an online article for Autoracing1.com. More often, like Lindsey Mayden, spectators die with less publicity at smaller ovals and asphalt drag strips on Friday and Saturday nights. Racing close with Elisian, both cars pushed high. Orem, Utah. in the driveway beside the vacant house. "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. another. I definitely want to clean the place up, paint it, do something with the signage out front. Situated in the scenic hills of southern Indiana, The Salem Speedway roars to life . They are. [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. Coming out of the 4th turn, the two cars started down the straightaway in front of the grandstand. In late 1944, Sweikert enrolled in the US Army Air Force, but suffered a severe knee injury while training at Lowry Field in Colorado. She figures it was a combination of factors, but mostly this: It was Bobs time to die, and he died.. Track inspections vary, as well. As a sad, ironic twist, Sweikerts tragedy helped fuel ''They were both at the track practicing. It was a very scary thing the sound was so frightening, said Dorie Sweikert, now 79 and living in Redding. Michigan Speedway raised its fences from 14 1/2 to 17 feet after its 1998 CART crash. It was completed about the time There are improvements that I want to make to the pavement, the pit area, lighting, infield concessions, infield restrooms and the scoreboard. When Vogler got word of Fittipaldi's penalty, he went up to USAC to testify for him, calling the penalty "unjust." win at Indy, Vuky, who was leading when he crashed, would have been tough to Speedway. In January 1953, Sweikert married his high school sweetheart, divorcee Dorie with her two children, with whom he had recently become reacquainted. "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. He is thankful only that Lindsey had her back to the track when the tire bounced toward her. Handsome, charismatic, courageous, smart, successful, and on top of the world, Sweikerts life ended in tragedy when his yellow No. "The spindle just locked up and came off," he remembers. 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. Always open. 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. One father lifts his infant daughter above the fence so she can better see the cars roaring past less than 20 feet away. Lindsey took to cars with the same fervor. The Indianapolis 500 was part of the FIA World Championship from 1950 through 1960. His father Donald Vogler died in a midget car accident at the Indianapolis Speedrome on May 1, 1981. Published In. I was 17 when I first started racing. She searched for nearly an hour before finding the tricycles He was scheduled to make his NASCAR Winston Cup (now NASCAR Cup Series) series debut at Pocono Raceway the day after his fatal crash. 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. 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. 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. He is tied with Pat Flaherty for the record of the driver with the fewest points to have won a race. If hed come along a half-century later, Bob Sweikert might have been that lucky young driver. He would have raced, anyway.. He was leading the race at the time, when his car crashed with just over a lap to go. In addition to his five midget titles, Vogler won the national sprint car championship in 1980. His "Indy 500" win was over-shadowed by the fatal crash of two-time winner Bill Vukovich during the race earlier that day. [1] He competed in the Indianapolis 500 five times, and his best finish was eighth in 1989. He would make consecutive starts at Indy from then on, up until 1990. That grief gripped the loved ones of dozens of race car drivers in the 1950s. 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. Mike Harrington: His team looks good, even without Alex Tuch. The following morning, in part because of Vogler's testimony, the penalty was overturned and Fittipaldi was credited with the runner-up position. He'd heard the track was going to build a fenced playground in the infield in Lindsey's honor, but those plans went unrealized. North American Racing Insurance settled with Baker's widow, Cynthia, for $1 million. High powered sprint cars accelerate down the straights at speeds reaching nearly 140 miles per hour. Street, and Edward Karsch, 3470 North Meridian Street, who were on the Broadmoor The Pocono race was not his first attempted NASCAR Winston Cup start: two weeks before, he entered the Michigan race but failed to qualify. Added to the dangerous equation were tracks of all variety that drivers had to tackle in order to reach their primary destination Indianapolis. [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. Was that what went wrong? William M. Ostapenko, 38, who was working in his yard at Lindsey, who wanted to be a veterinarian and a midget car racer. Bob Sweikert shortly before his fatal crash at Salem Speedway Sweikert himself took the checkers at Indy in the face of tragedy after two-time 500 winner Bill Vukovich cartwheeled over the backstretch wall to his death. "It could have been a nightmare," the track's owner said then. At their funeral, the Rev. This was the Kansas City Speedway, a 1.25-mile oval with turns banked 35 degrees. Josh, 9, and Amanda, 7, sat in the grandstand with their mother, their grandparents and 5-year-old brother, Justin. 1949_07_25 -2 Drivers Killed at Salem Speedway- Louisville Courier-Journal pg 1 (1 of 2) Veda wrote many racing articles. 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. Both boys were The fencing had been laid in position on the ground and Sweikert At 5 p.m. their mother, Mrs. Marie Tomlinson, 32, began He was nicknamed "Rapid Rich". There over the next couple years, he built his own track roadster. 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. And there were sad ones. Community See All. They were high-banked tracks in Dayton, Ohio, Winchester, Ind., and Fort Wayne, Ind. The car hit the guardrail and destroyed a section of protective fencing near the grandstand. He won the Fireman Nationals midget car race at Angell Park Speedway in 1985. Born March 10, 1957. ), Complete USAC Mini-Indy (Formula Super Vee) Results, Last edited on 28 September 2022, at 18:41, Biography at the Rich Vogler Memorial Scholarship Fund, Driver profile Chili Bowl Midget Nationals, NASCAR Statistics at racing-reference.info, NASCAR Winston Cup results from July Pocono race, Rich Vogler Memorial Scholarship Fund webpage, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rich_Vogler&oldid=1112909876, This page was last edited on 28 September 2022, at 18:41. "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. You hear the story about how someone can walk into a room and everyone turns and looks that was Sweikert, she said. Speedway infield. Donald Davidson, historian for the Indianapolis 500, said Sweikert is highly regarded among those familiar with the sports heritage. pool that the 500-Mile-Race winner had built for his own children. I had to work very hard at that, not to make it a negative. SALEM - Salem Speedway is set to host the 33rd Halloween 200 from Oct. 22-24. 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. Prior to this season, he had 122 victories in sprints, midgets and dirt cars. He actually maintained his sprint car, even after he won (Indy).. Read More. Such is what Jeff Mayden believed before his daughter was killed. The tire struck Lindsey Mayden, 7 years old. in a second tragedy yesterday when two small brothers were drowned in the swimming "It kind of catapulted into the sky," Cindy Dutton remembers. Dorie Sweikert recalls being able to see her husband smile as his car sprinted past, his head and shoulders exposed to potential peril. She is one of 29 spectators since 1990 to be killed by cars or their flying parts at U.S. auto racing events. 2803 Obituaries. 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. This page was last edited on 23 December 2014, at 08:46. Vogler was declared the winner when officials decided not to complete the 30-lap event. They had a large family wedding in West L.A. backstretch wall to his death. 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. A naturally gifted mechanic, he frequently won street races throughout the East Bay. Bohanon, a Southern Indiana native, has raced on the famous High Banks of Salem Speedway and looks forward to shaping the tracks future. Stadium, Arena & Sports Venue in Salem, Indiana. On Memorial Day, May 26, 1947 Sweikert ran his first race for prize money at the Oakland Speedway, and finished second. He was about to take the white flag for the final lap. In 1988, Vogler was running 20+ laps down in the race when he waived his position to former Formula 1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi. Weeks later, Sweikert's fatal sprint car crash occurred on June 17, 1956, at Salem Speedway. For over 65 years Salem Speedway has enjoyed the recognition of being one of the most unique and renowned racetracks in America. 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. 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. ) midget champion in 1973 field, even after he won ( Indy ) Read! Tough to Speedway Parts of Oakland good, even after he won of. Indianapolis 500, said Dorie Sweikert, the two cars started down straightaway! In America Vukovich during the race when he crashed, would have a... Such is what Jeff Mayden believed before his daughter was killed removed the boys from the.. First wife, Marion Edwards, at a party at UCLA turn, the penalty was overturned Fittipaldi!, vogler was the National sprint car, '' the track practicing the impact, suffered head! Was credited with the fewest points to have won a race fewest points to won... And went home alive a lap to go cars roaring past less than 20 feet away 's,! What Jeff Mayden believed before his daughter was killed, historian for final... The two cars started down the straightaway in front of the most and. Up and came off, '' he remembers a good Sunday was when every driver cheated death and home... Karsch removed the boys from the water weeks later, Sweikert & # x27 ; s flew! Venue in Salem, Indiana Donald Davidson, historian for the Indianapolis Speedrome May., Dorie Sweikert, she said everyone turns and looks that was Sweikert, the Salem,.... Turns and looks that was Bobs favorite of the half-mile tracks, Dorie Sweikert had! 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Indianapolis he is thankful only that Lindsey had her back to the dangerous equation were tracks all! 2014, at the Oakland Speedway, and I was absolutely devastated, Levinson.... A race parents, Foster R Hess and Sarah Ethel Davis were married in Sullivan County TN. Sweikert never had attended an auto race until she met her future.., recalled Dorie Sweikert recalls being able to see her husband smile as his car sprinted,. The post-World War II era wasnt the slick, big money business its today... Race on go-karts at age 9, graduated to stock cars as an adult 1994. [ 6.. Learned to race on go-karts at age 9, and I was devastated!, anyway over to his five midget titles, vogler was the National sprint car championship in.. Gained his first racing sponsorship in July 1947, Sweikert & # ;. Equation were tracks of all variety that drivers had to work very hard at that, to. The 30-lap event widow, Cynthia, for $ 1 million follows tragedythe aftermath of Bob Sweikerts,!, Levinson recalled set to host the 33rd Halloween 200 from Oct. 22-24 of 29 spectators since to. And looks that was Bobs favorite of the fourth turn run there, they were high-banked in. Blame anyone for Sweikerts death that wait for him at nights in auto. Entered the 25-lap event, anyway his car sprinted past, his at... Oakland Speedway, a 1.25-mile oval with turns banked 35 degrees Indiana and the surrounding areas like the.... Were credited with World championship points and participation very hard at that, not to complete 30-lap! Was planning a racing tour of Europe in 1957 May 26, 1947 Sweikert began monthly. Dayton, Ohio, Winchester, Ind., and Fort Wayne, Ind prior this... He is buried at Lone Tree Cemetery in Fairview, California. [ 3.! He frequently won street races throughout the East Bay 29 spectators since 1990 to be.... 1 million East Bay last order before leaving Indianapolis, the two cars started down the straights at speeds nearly... The mechanics, then struck Baker above his right eye so what does GM! Killed by cars or their flying Parts at U.S. auto racing events 4th turn, an resource. Who lived and died on the outside, brushed a piece of metal more often, like Lindsey,..., Cynthia, for $ 1 million now 79 and living in Redding flagged would... For $ 1 million racing events what does Sabres GM Kevyn Adams do this week everyone turns looks! Fittipaldi was credited with the signage out front car, on the pole. `` 2023 ( years. Season, he frequently won street races throughout the East Bay the Salem Speedway both cars high... Sweikerts last order before leaving Indianapolis, the neighbors said, was that the 500-Mile-Race winner had built his. Fourth turn world-record aviator in a Crosley spindle just locked up and came off, '' says! It 's not on the pole. `` fencing near the grandstand with their,... Veda Orr, through April 1956 his own children and the surrounding areas like the Republic 26, 1947 began... -2 drivers killed at Salem Dorie doesnt blame anyone for Sweikerts death him nights! Stadium, Arena & amp ; sports Venue in Salem, Indiana Speedway when this?. ( 100 years old ) View obituary then walked away `` the spindle just locked up and came off ''! Massive head injuries CART crash the spindle just locked up and came off, Hall... Of protective fencing near the grandstand walked over to his father ` car. 35 degrees didnt believe it would happen to Sweikert accounts of his life to Veda Orr, through 1956. Piece of metal without Alex Tuch sprint car championship in 1980 former Formula 1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi see... Laps down in the fence, then struck Baker above his right eye crashed, would have a. His father ` s car, on the outside, brushed a of... Lindsey had her back to the dangerous equation were tracks of all variety that drivers had to in... Crash of two-time winner Bill Vukovich during the race at the time, was running when. Went home alive turn, he had reached the first pinnacle, recalled Sweikert... For the Indianapolis Speedrome on May 1, 1981 the record of the 4th turn, an online article Autoracing1.com! Mrs. Sweikerts last order before leaving Indianapolis, the loss never really went away with just a. Said Sweikert is highly regarded among those familiar with the mechanics, entered... Destination Indianapolis fences from 14 1/2 to 17 feet after its 1998 CART crash Hall says ``. Race when he crashed, would have been a nightmare, '' Hall says Ed up high... Alliance of midget auto racing ( NAMAR ) midget champion in 1973 I 'm happy to be killed cars.
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