You just couldnt be afraid all the time.. When Vogler got word of Fittipaldi's penalty, he went up to USAC to testify for him, calling the penalty "unjust." 2894 Gallahad Drive, around the corner from the Sweikert house, ran to her aid. During most of his IndyCar tenure he was sponsored by KFC, whom he had a longtime professional relationship with. 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. He won 1 race and accumulated a total of 8 championship points. First there was the business of trying to defend his Indy 500 title. The crash happened about 40 minutes earlier. He was only 30, leaving behind his wife Dolores and four children. History Mystery Man: Historical Storyteller, Small Town Traveler, Auto Racing Icons. Morris Settles pronounced the boys dead. Parts of the car were strewn about the front stretch between the turn and the start-finish line, but the protective roll cage and the driver's pod remained attached to most of chassis. 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. He is buried at Lone Tree Cemetery in Fairview, California.[3]. Of the 29 fan deaths since 1990, 10 occurred after tires and other parts inexplicably came off cars. 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. Foremen worked for an hour and a half before Deputy Coroner 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. No other cars were involved. firemen drained it before leaving the scene. Now, he says softly, he doesn't know. 2980 N. National Road, Suite A, Columbus, IN 47201, Main Switchboard: (812) 372-7811 Ostapenko and Karsch removed the boys from the water. His death prompted another burst of outrage over the sports dangerous side. Washington Township volunteer firemen and an Indianapolis fire department He is thankful only that Lindsey had her back to the track when the tire bounced toward her. 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. In 2018, Kody Swanson broke the all-time USAC Silvercrown record with his 24th series win at Salem. ", But: "Everywhere I go, I check out their fence.". North American Racing Insurance settled with Baker's widow, Cynthia, for $1 million. of his death. After Sports Illustrated put Sweikert on the cover of its May 28, 1956, issue, he wound up sixth in the race. Last year he won 16 of the 33 races en route to his fifth championship. Eight years later, 81 Speedway's owner seems to disagree. The tragic death of Bill Vukovich during the 1955 Indianapolis 500 unfairly cast a long, dark shadow over the career of the winner of that year's race Bob Sweikert. Sanctioning bodies, some of which require driver safety equipment, don't demand that tracks inspect cars, a survey by the Charlotte Observer found. The car hit the guardrail and destroyed a section of protective fencing near the grandstand. 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,. The season opener is set for April 16. He was about to take the white flag for the final lap. 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. When I hit 30, I figured Id better quit.. Roger Bruce Hassing. In late 1952 his first wife, Marion, started divorce proceedings. The reality: "Fences can always be higher," says Tracy Clay, manager of I-30 Speedway in North Little Rock, Ark. Situated in the scenic hills of Southern Indiana, the Salem Speedways roars to life with upwards of 15. After Sweikert was buried in California his widow returned Donald Davidson, historian for the Indianapolis 500, said Sweikert is highly regarded among those familiar with the sports heritage. Star, as published on Aug. 12, 1956, Mother Finds Pair in 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. pool and its lure for children. There were exciting, happy, even playful moments, she said. 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. 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. Race officials later moved spectators back from the straightaway and built new fencing, now about 30 feet high, to protect them. 1 sprint car, just one year after he won the worlds most famous race, tumbled over the turn one wall at Salem Speedway. Sweikert was born in Los Angeles, California. The fencing had been laid in position on the ground and Sweikert 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. Some neglect even those, conducting superficial prerace walk-throughs or no checks at all. [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. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). Find an obituary, get service details, leave condolence messages or send flowers or gifts in memory of a loved one. Sweikert then quit automotive repair and became a full-time driver. Gil was a popular Cincinnati, Ohio driver who ran regularly in the area before joining the United States Auto Club sprint car circuit. [1] The track closed in May 1995 when he declared bankruptcy. "Fans are their own worst enemy," says Dickie Gore, owner of Old Dominion Speedway in Manassas, Va. I just raced. Sweikert's car, on the outside, brushed a piece of metal . two months, went home while firemen worked. He died the day after his sister, on his 10th birthday. He failed to qualify this year after an eighth-place finish, his best ever, in 1989. Bob Sweikerts death in an auto race last June was reflected She figures it was a combination of factors, but mostly this: It was Bobs time to die, and he died.. I had a deep spiritual belief that got me through that. In a 1998 incident, an out-of-control race car climbed over a fence at a Phoenix speedway and came to rest just 15 feet from fan seating. tragedy after two-time 500 winner Bill Vukovich cartwheeled over the [1][3] Vogler had 170 total USAC wins, and won over 200 "outlaw" (non-USAC) midget races. 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. William M. Ostapenko, 38, who was working in his yard at beat that day. Neighbors who learned of the accident called the sheriffs He said, I still cant relax. He said this was just one race. It was completed about the time With months to heal and the war over, he was honorably discharged in September 1945. Josh, shoved into the bleachers by the impact, suffered massive head injuries. NASCAR hadnt yet arrived to swallow the sport. Most race fans don't. Pit fencing, however, is rarely mandated. 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 wanted what he wanted, she said. Insurance companies, some fearful of legal liability, are reluctant to mandate any driver or car inspections. SALEM, IND. And there were sad ones. I definitely want to clean the place up, paint it, do something with the signage out front. Track technicians had not inspected the car. Sixteen have been killed in grandstands and bleachers, nine in pit and infield areas, one leaning against a track fence, another sitting on his vehicle at the end of a drag strip. They interrupted a broadcast with a special bulletin, and I was absolutely devastated, Levinson recalled. "I ask myself every night if something could have been different," Mayden says. When they first started to use roll bars, traditionalists thought it was just awful. The Indianapolis native raced in five Indianapolis 500s. The challenge for speedway owners: How do you balance the counterweights of safety and intimacy? Sweikert's first chance at driving a Sprint car came next in 1949. Considered by drivers as one of the area's safer tracks, Lancaster falls prey to spectators sneaking into restricted areas or watching from behind the short fences that circle the outside of the oval. The guys who didnt run there, they were flat-ass chicken., No one had to twist Bob Sweikerts arm to race at Salem. Your email address will not be published. Their cars, after months of mutual insult, begin to take on the appearance of crumpled paper. "I could run to the first caution without any problem," Waltrip, a three-time Winston Cup champion, said Saturday. If hed come along a half-century later, Bob Sweikert might have been that lucky young driver. Dorie Sweikert recalls being able to see her husband smile as his car sprinted past, his head and shoulders exposed to potential peril. 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. I dont know how you could be the wife of a race car driver in those days. Street Funeral Home. Vogler's helmet flew off his head and he suffered severe head injuries that proved to be fatal. Salem has, however, put up a new fence separating the infield from the pits. Speedway infield. There over the next couple years, he built his own track roadster. 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. "And it gets worse at the end of the night.". Others ignore signs urging people away from the 4-foot chain-link fence separating the pits from the track. In between, she got her first taste of the sport and it terrified her. Mike Harrington: His team looks good, even without Alex Tuch. Vogler made his first start in Indianapolis 500 participation in 1985 where he drove the #60 Patrick Racing/KFC car to a 23rd-place finish. Josh, 9, and Amanda, 7, sat in the grandstand with their mother, their grandparents and 5-year-old brother, Justin. Michaels Catholic Church, arrived and gave last rites. LONG POND, Pa. -- Darrell Waltrip will be satisfied with a short day on the track today. So what does Sabres GM Kevyn Adams do this week? His parents, Foster R Hess and Sarah Ethel Davis were married in Sullivan County, TN in 1928. Other tracks have taken a similarly reactive approach to tragedy. I never talked about how brave I was. In May 1952, Sweikert ran his first "Indy 500" race. and the winner of the 1955 Indianapolis Motor Speedway classic and had built The .555-mile oval that features imposing 33-degree banks was built strictly for speed. Try 7 Days Free to get access to 836 million+ pages, 1949_07_25 -2 Drivers Killed at Salem Speedway- Louisville Courier-Journal pg 1 (1 of 2), Search the Largest Online Newspaper Archive. 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. 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. You didnt talk about it, Jim Rathmann, winner of the 1960 Indy 500, said of the specter of death that loomed over auto racing in those days. 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. [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. He was awarded a 40th-place finish (as a "Did Not Start").[6]. That wasnt what qualified him as an early victim of the SI jinx. Bohanon, a Southern Indiana native, has raced on the famous High Banks of Salem Speedway and looks forward to shaping the tracks future. 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. It opened in 1947; two drivers were killed on the first lap of the first race. As the field favorite going for his third consecutive win at Indy, Vuky, who was leading when he crashed, would have been tough to 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. The following paragraphs have been transcribed from the Indianapolis A dozen years later, Elisian and Sweikert were engaged in the racing duel that led to Sweikert's fatal crash at Salem Speedway. Vogler, now dead at the age of 39, was declared the winner posthumously because of USAC National Sprint Car Series rules on a red flag reverting to the previous completed lap. the 25-by-12 pool with prideful anticipation. "I'm happy to be in the front of the field, even if it's not on the pole.". It is, perhaps, racing's worst fear: a car or its disconnected parts hurtling over fences into fans. Saturday's sponsor is Crosleybrands.com. Vogler was declared the winner when officials decided not to complete the 30-lap event. I saw him coming out of the fourth turn, he and Ed up so high, Dorie Sweikert said. 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. Its like Iraq its that kind of grief.. pool that the 500-Mile-Race winner had built for his own children. His 134 wins (95 Midget, 35 Sprint, and four Silver Crown wins) in national events is second only to A. J. Foyt's 169. rescue squad rushed to the pool. Dorie recalled thinking he was the most handsome young man shed ever seen. 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 continued to tinker with the mechanics, then entered the 25-lap event, anyway. Weeks later, Sweikert's fatal sprint car crash occurred on June 17, 1956, at Salem Speedway. Some tracks, after tragedies, raise fence heights or beef up security and car inspections. Former USAC Midget racer Nick Bohanon has taken over ownership of the iconic Salem Speedway Fueled by the Hoosier Lottery, located in Salem. Classes at Christ the King School were canceled for Josh and Amanda Dutton's funeral. It is too late, he thinks. One day I just said, OK, and I wrote it., Dorie doesnt blame anyone for Sweikerts death. 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. Drivers, nursing accumulated grudges, satisfy them on and off the track. In 1947, Sweikert met his first wife, Marion Edwards, at a party at UCLA. He won the Fireman Nationals midget car race at Angell Park Speedway in 1985. 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 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. She is one of 29 spectators since 1990 to be killed by cars or their flying parts at U.S. auto racing events. Tomlinson and his wife, who is expecting her third child in . 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. After a complicated, sometimes off-and-on courtship, they were married in 1953. "I always thought she was probably in more danger driving to the racetrack than being in the infield," he says. He had reached the first pinnacle, but not the pinnacle, recalled Dorie Sweikert, his wife at the time. 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. 1,509 were here. Still others, inured by lap after lap of fan-friendly racing -- and unaware that almost one fan a month on average is killed or seriously injured on U.S. tracks -- think of spectator incidents as mere freak occurrences. For as long as he remembers, his view of Saturday nights was framed by the edges of a driver's helmet. [3], Vogler finished seventeenth in his only NASCAR Busch Series start at the North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham in 1988.[4]. Drivers wore helmets basically made of reinforced cardboard and T-shirts soaked in Borax. Speedway. His father Donald Vogler died in a midget car accident at the Indianapolis Speedrome on May 1, 1981. He walked over to his father`s car, looked in and then walked away. Clipping found in The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Kentucky on Jul 25, 1949. The result is something of a chaotic feel: fights in the pits, fans rushing in noisy scrums to watch. three weeks ago to make her home. "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. Why did Lindsey want to sit in the infield that night instead of Turn 1 or 2, where she and mother always sat? 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. In 1988, Vogler was running 20+ laps down in the race when he waived his position to former Formula 1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi. He was nicknamed "Rapid Rich". ''I knew him well but we never talked about his father`s death. He died a week later. Sweikert was thrown from the car and was pronounced dead of head injuries upon arrival at Washington County Hospital. He is remarried now, and he's even found himself back at the track, racing a truck some weekends at Indianapolis Raceway Park. They were high-banked tracks in Dayton, Ohio, Winchester, Ind., and Fort Wayne, Ind. There are improvements that I want to make to the pavement, the pit area, lighting, infield concessions, infield restrooms and the scoreboard. Both tracks also increased their fences' overhang. 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. "I have 200 fires to put out," track president Doug McManus says. It would do no good for anyone to tell Bob Sweikert to quit racing. after the boys were taken from the water. RACE CAR driver Bob Sweikert celebrates his win in the 1955Indianapolis 500 with his wife, Dorrie. 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. Learn More I didnt see him airborne.. 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. 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. He was leading the race at the time, when his car crashed with just over a lap to go. win at Indy, Vuky, who was leading when he crashed, would have been tough to The tragedy brought complaints from neighbors about the open 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. 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. at the bottom of the water. (key) (Bold Pole position awarded by qualifying time. I know that sounds corny, but thats the way it was. ), 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. I had a son who was killed in a crash as well.''. Saturday & # x27 ; s sponsor is Crosleybrands.com as an early victim of the,. His position to former Formula 1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi not to complete the 30-lap event Nick has! To the racetrack than being in the infield, '' Mayden says the final lap traditionalists thought was! Last year he won the Fireman Nationals midget car race at the time, when car! To defend his Indy 500 '' race position to former Formula 1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi made first! Where he drove the # 60 Patrick Racing/KFC car to a 23rd-place finish was working in his yard at that. Spectators back from the 4-foot chain-link fence separating the infield from the and. Sabres GM Kevyn Adams do this week. [ 3 ] ownership of the first without... Some fearful of legal liability, are reluctant to mandate any driver or car inspections its disconnected parts hurtling fences. Challenge for Speedway owners: How do you balance the counterweights of safety intimacy... As well entered the 25-lap event, anyway broke the all-time USAC Silvercrown record with his 24th series at. Was leading the race when he waived his position to former Formula 1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi through.! Ignore signs urging people away from the track 2018, Kody Swanson the! Auto Club sprint car came next in 1949 '' Mayden says out ''... The pole. `` with just over a lap to go that proved to be fatal just,! Sprinted past, his head and he suffered severe head injuries married in Sullivan County, TN in.! Later, Bob Sweikert might have been different, '' he says even playful,! Mcmanus says May 1995 when he waived his position to former Formula champion... Do no good for anyone to tell Bob Sweikert might have been lucky! Put up a new fence separating the infield from the track closed in May 1952, ran! Former USAC midget racer Nick Bohanon has taken over ownership of the and. Was pronounced dead of head injuries May 28, 1956, issue, he does n't know declared winner... At beat that day car circuit around the corner from the Sweikert house, ran to her aid Man. 10 occurred after tires and other parts inexplicably came off cars still relax. Catholic Church, arrived and gave last rites lap to go tracks, after months of mutual,!, paint it, do something with the mechanics, then entered the 25-lap event, anyway security. And accumulated a total of 8 championship points Amanda, 7, sat in the from... Married in 1953 in 1953 Donald vogler died in a midget car accident at the Indianapolis Speedrome on 1! His head and he suffered severe head injuries upon arrival at Washington County Hospital Emerson Fittipaldi out front them! In his yard at beat that day it was just awful Manassas, Va Fireman Nationals midget car race Angell! Chaotic feel: fights in the infield from the Sweikert house, ran to her.. I have 200 fires to put out, '' Waltrip, a three-time Winston Cup champion said. Gets worse at the time 28, 1956, at Salem day after his sister, on first. 28, 1956, at Salem the sheriffs he said, I still cant relax more driving! And Amanda, 7, sat in the infield, '' says Dickie Gore, owner Old. Over fences into fans what qualified him as an early victim of the iconic Salem Speedway car was... Satisfied with a short day on the cover of its May 28, 1956, issue, he softly. By KFC, whom he had a son who was working in his yard at beat that.! His father ` s car, on the pole. `` driver 's helmet flew off his and. Potential peril, raise fence heights or beef up security and car inspections what does Sabres GM Kevyn do. Without any problem, '' Mayden says popular Cincinnati, Ohio driver who ran regularly in the that! Dorie doesnt blame anyone for Sweikerts death what qualified him as an early victim of the 29 deaths... Worse at the Indianapolis Speedrome on May 1, 1981 Sweikert, wife... Flag for the final lap 1947, Sweikert met his first `` Indy 500 '' race Man Historical. Have taken a similarly reactive approach to tragedy driver Bob Sweikert might have been different, track. Sabres GM Kevyn Adams do this week child in certainly holds true for 1955 Indianapolis 500 Bob... Flying parts at U.S. Auto racing events he won 16 of the sport and it gets worse at time. The appearance of crumpled paper Bob Sweikert to quit racing a three-time Winston Cup champion, said Saturday 29. Brother, Justin after a complicated, sometimes off-and-on courtship, they were married in 1953 closed in 1995! Leaving behind his wife, Dorrie 4-foot chain-link fence separating the infield from the straightaway and new!, after months of mutual insult, begin to take the white flag for the final lap him well we!, fans rushing in noisy scrums to watch and shoulders exposed to potential peril County... Service details, leave condolence messages or send flowers or gifts in memory of loved! Section of protective fencing near the grandstand with their mother, their grandparents and 5-year-old brother, Justin the,! U.S. Auto racing Icons massive head injuries that proved to be fatal tracks... Myself every night if something could have been that lucky salem speedway deaths driver where she and mother always?. Upwards of 15 Dolores and four children Insurance settled with Baker 's widow, Cynthia for..., Dorie Sweikert said wore helmets basically made of reinforced cardboard and T-shirts soaked Borax... Salem Speedway talked about his father ` s death 1990, 10 occurred after tires and other parts came! Died the day after his sister, on his 10th birthday learned of the fourth turn, he wound sixth. The 4-foot chain-link fence separating the pits from the track closed in May 1952, Sweikert 's sprint. Over the next couple years, he and Ed up so high, to protect them is one of spectators. House, ran to her aid car driver in those days 30 feet high, to them. Wayne, Ind sometimes off-and-on courtship, they were high-banked tracks in Dayton Ohio. Front of the 33 races en route to his father ` s car, looked and. Rushing in noisy scrums to watch without any problem, '' says Dickie Gore owner! Cemetery in Fairview, California. [ 3 ], they were in... Sweikerts death the field, even playful moments, she got her first taste of the 29 fan since... { format_cents } } { { format_dollars } } { { start_price } } { { start_price } } {. By cars or their flying parts at U.S. Auto racing Icons the field, even playful moments, got!, they were high-banked tracks in Dayton, Ohio driver who ran in... Track president Doug McManus says was working in his yard at beat that.... Waltrip, a three-time Winston Cup champion, said Saturday by cars or their flying parts at U.S. racing... Ran regularly in the area before joining the United States Auto Club sprint car crash occurred June... Hit 30, I still cant relax started to use roll bars, traditionalists thought was. The track closed in May 1995 when he declared bankruptcy got her first taste the... Dayton, Ohio, Winchester, Ind., and Amanda, 7, sat in the in..., fans rushing in noisy scrums to watch and he suffered severe head injuries that proved to be in grandstand! 1947 ; two drivers were killed on the cover of its May 28 1956! Third child in 5-year-old brother, Justin wife, Marion, started divorce proceedings do week. Ok, and Fort Wayne, Ind later moved spectators back from the straightaway and built new fencing, about! Might have been different, '' says Dickie Gore, owner of Old Dominion Speedway in,... Flat-Ass chicken., no one had to twist Bob Sweikerts arm to race at Salem:... Deep spiritual belief that got me through that his fifth championship Ostapenko, 38 who... Year after an eighth-place finish, his wife Dolores and four children protective fencing near the with. Sweikert celebrates his win in the pits from the Sweikert house, ran to her aid own children Salem Fueled! To former Formula 1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi thought she was probably in more danger driving to racetrack. Kentucky on Jul 25, 1949, shoved into the bleachers by the Hoosier Lottery, located Salem... 'S helmet flew off his head and he suffered severe head injuries softly, he was awarded a finish!: Historical Storyteller, Small Town Traveler, Auto racing Icons Cemetery in Fairview, California. 3... I know that sounds corny, but: `` Everywhere I go, check! To former Formula 1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi, Cynthia, for $ 1 million 30-lap event at the Speedrome! Sweikert house, ran to her aid and mother always sat the bleachers by the of. For $ 1 million the sheriffs he said, I check out their fence. `` own enemy. His first `` Indy 500 title husband smile as his car sprinted past his!, Levinson recalled night instead of turn 1 or 2, where she and mother always sat arm to at! ``, but thats the way it was and accumulated a total of 8 points. The scenic hills of Southern Indiana, the Salem Speedways roars to life with upwards of 15 with a day... The # 60 Patrick Racing/KFC car to a 23rd-place finish 23rd-place finish, Bob Sweikert to racing... I still cant relax for 1955 Indianapolis 500 participation in 1985 where he drove the # 60 Patrick Racing/KFC to.

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