Mrs. Sweikerts last order before leaving Indianapolis, the neighbors said, was that the fence be completed at once. Wife of popular Wild 94.9 radio host JV says new information suggests he will not be coming back, Bay Area federal judge orders extradition of woman suspected of killing MSU student in hit-and-run, Santa Rosa high school student stabbed to death in classroom, Harry, Meghan asked to vacate Frogmore, their UK home, East Bay lawmaker blasts open sore at BART, resigns from Senate committee, United Dumplings' fare in Rockridge 'meant to be enjoyed together', Three Bay Area men, including justice reform activist, plead guilty in Norteo RICO murder case, Walnut Creeks Shake Shack is finally opening this weekend. Mrs. Tomlinson ran behind the Sweikert house. 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. The series has visited Salem more than any other track in its almost 70-year history. The car hit the guardrail and destroyed a section of protective fencing near the grandstand. You go to Salem, and you go home a widow. 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. He won the Fireman Nationals midget car race at Angell Park Speedway in 1985. The Champion Racing Association (CRA) Super Series returns to the race track . Learn More ), 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. More often, like Lindsey Mayden, spectators die with less publicity at smaller ovals and asphalt drag strips on Friday and Saturday nights. 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. [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. Both tracks also increased their fences' overhang. Vogler, leading the race at the time, was running alone when he crashed coming off the high-banked fourth turn. Racing but was replaced posthumously by Ted Musgrave. This page was last edited on 23 December 2014, at 08:46. Former USAC Midget racer Nick Bohanon has taken over ownership of the iconic Salem Speedway Fueled by the Hoosier Lottery, located in Salem. 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. 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. It is too late, he thinks. Usually, his mother and his sons appear at the annual fund-raiser. And there were sad ones. As the field favorite going for his third consecutive You just couldnt be afraid all the time.. 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. Yard of Sweikert Home. Orem, Utah. In May 1952, Sweikert ran his first "Indy 500" race. Sweikert's car, on the outside, brushed a piece of metal . 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. waiting patiently for the boys. Added to the dangerous equation were tracks of all variety that drivers had to tackle in order to reach their primary destination Indianapolis. Their shoes where on the pools rim. I never talked about how brave I was. "Fans are their own worst enemy," says Dickie Gore, owner of Old Dominion Speedway in Manassas, Va. Drivers competing at Indy during those years were credited with World Championship points and participation. "I have 200 fires to put out," track president Doug McManus says. Nobody covers Columbus, Indiana and the surrounding areas like The Republic. 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. Roger Bruce Hassing. In the winner's circle, Sweikert and Dorie celebrated with singer-actress Dinah Shore. Drivers wore helmets basically made of reinforced cardboard and T-shirts soaked in Borax. He is tied with Pat Flaherty for the record of the driver with the fewest points to have won a race. With months to heal and the war over, he was honorably discharged in September 1945. The boys 33-year-old father arrived at the pool shortly "He was a true professional who served his community with pride every day for over 32 years," the Amherst Police Department said in a statement. The guys who didnt run there, they were flat-ass chicken., No one had to twist Bob Sweikerts arm to race at Salem. He had that charisma.. Washington Township volunteer firemen and an Indianapolis fire department 2803 Obituaries. They settled in Indiana, to be close to the Speedway where Sweikert hoped to race and win. . Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. He was scheduled to make his NASCAR Winston Cup (now NASCAR Cup Series) series debut at Pocono Raceway the day after his fatal crash. 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. the 25-by-12 pool with prideful anticipation. Clipping found in The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Kentucky on Jul 25, 1949. Please subscribe to. I had to work very hard at that, not to make it a negative. He'd heard the track was going to build a fenced playground in the infield in Lindsey's honor, but those plans went unrealized. "The insurance never determined what happened," says Clay, who said he doesn't know the path the wheel took. Some tracks, after tragedies, raise fence heights or beef up security and car inspections. "I could run to the first caution without any problem," Waltrip, a three-time Winston Cup champion, said Saturday. Track inspections vary, as well. Gil was a popular Cincinnati, Ohio driver who ran regularly in the area before joining the United States Auto Club sprint car circuit. 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. I dont know how you could be the wife of a race car driver in those days. Dorie recalled thinking he was the most handsome young man shed ever seen. Bob Sweikerts death in an auto race last June was reflected The first major fund-raiser for the fund has been a Daytona 500 viewing party in Indianapolis, today well-attended with a silent auction and notable names in auto racing in the state as guests. 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. After winning the55 Indy title, Sweikert began plotting his next move. 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. "I told her I'd see her as soon as Uncle Pete was done," says her father, Jeff Mayden. She figures it was a combination of factors, but mostly this: It was Bobs time to die, and he died.. their lives while wading in the pool behind Sweikerts house at 5301 Lancelot For Dorie Sweikert, the loss never really went away. [2] Major auto racing series that run at Salem are ARCA and USAC . She died five hours later, early the next day. Read More. 1949_07_25 -2 Drivers Killed at Salem Speedway- Louisville Courier-Journal pg 1 (1 of 2) Tomlinson and his wife, who is expecting her third child in A lot of people today have no idea who he is, never heard of him, Davidson said. The sprint car flew over the edge of the track, down the embankment, and landed a hundred feet below, where it briefly burst into flames. 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. Some neglect even those, conducting superficial prerace walk-throughs or no checks at all. 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. LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Racing is returning to Salem, Indiana. No other cars were involved and no other injuries reported. 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. If you wanted to be a racer, thats what you had to do, Rathmann said. "A good Sunday was when every driver cheated death and went home alive." The Salem Speedway joined "The Hills" circuit in 1947, and immediately demonstrated its potential for disaster. 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. 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. and the winner of the 1955 Indianapolis Motor Speedway classic and had built I know that sounds corny, but thats the way it was. Of the 29 fan deaths since 1990, 10 occurred after tires and other parts inexplicably came off cars. 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. She married again six years ago, but in 1998 published Along for the Ride A Love Story. The book is a personal, poignant and sometimes painful look back on her time with Bob Sweikert. He was leading the race at the time, when his car crashed with just over a lap to go. after the boys were taken from the water. ", But: "Everywhere I go, I check out their fence.". You have permission to edit this article. hunting for them, to call them to supper. pool that the 500-Mile-Race winner had built for his own children. On September 26, 1953 Sweikert won the Hoosier Hundred, at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, a race which is chronicled by many as "the greatest race ever" run. "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. office. "It could have been a nightmare," the track's owner said then. Yet he can't outrun the questions that wait for him at nights in his auto body shop. 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. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). We are in the process of finalizing our 2023 schedule and will have that out next week.. Washington Post columnist Shirley Povich wrote, The madness known as speed-car racing now has claimed one more well-known corpse, and there has to be a new revulsion toward the whole senseless business of motorized Roman Holidays for the dues-paying spectators.. On Memorial Day, May 26, 1947 Sweikert ran his first race for prize money at the Oakland Speedway, and finished second. "We don't want the legal system to say, `You approved this car inspection thing.' [2] He won USAC National Sprint Car Series championships in 1980 and 1989, USAC National Midget Series championships in 1978, 1980, 1983, 1986, and 1988. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. There, Dawn Mayden and her daughter had left their lawn chairs for some barbecued chicken at a concession stand. As Baker left his seat for a drink from the concession stand, a wheel came loose from a car on the track. Send flowers, find service dates or offer condolences for the lives we have lost in utah. His mother had married his stepfather, an electrician for the state of California, when Bob was an infant. [1], Bob Sweikert grew up in pre-war Los Angeles. He continued to tinker with the mechanics, then entered the 25-lap event, anyway. She searched for nearly an hour before finding the tricycles [3], Vogler finished seventeenth in his only NASCAR Busch Series start at the North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham in 1988.[4]. 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. "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. The good drivers werent immune. [2] The ARCA qualifying record is 16.785 seconds/119.035mph by Gary Bradberry in 1994.[6]. I just raced. I was 17 when I first started racing. "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. For as long as he remembers, his view of Saturday nights was framed by the edges of a driver's helmet. Your email address will not be published. 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. An Observer survey of track officials showed that few speedways inspect cars closely for more than basic safety items such as restraints and helmets. For over 65 years Salem Speedway Fueled by the Hoosier Lottery has enjoyed the recognition of being one of the most unique and renowned race tracks in America. [1] Thompson leased the track to Bill Kniesly starting in 2020. Neighbors who learned of the accident called the sheriffs History [ edit] February 27, 2023 (100 years old) View obituary. The car hit the guardrail and destroyed a section of protective fencing near the grandstand. Fencing, maybe, or car safety. The NASCAR Grand National East Series ran one race at the speedway; it was won by Bruce Gould in 1973. SALEM, IND. Drivers sit so low in modern cars, nestled safely into a protective cockpit, that you can hardly see them. Coming out of the 4th turn, the two cars started down the straightaway in front of the grandstand. 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. Speedway infield. Weeks later, Sweikert's fatal sprint car crash occurred on June 17, 1956, at Salem Speedway. About See All. Vogler's helmet flew off his head and he suffered severe head injuries that proved to be fatal. He was awarded a 40th-place finish (as a "Did Not Start").[6]. If you are experiencing difficulties logging in or are a subscriber getting a paywall, please try one or more of the following steps. Street Funeral Home. Im ready to get started on making improvements as soon as the weather lets us. Sweikerts car flew over the outside wall, through a photographers booth and crash-landed in a weed patch. When Vogler got word of Fittipaldi's penalty, he went up to USAC to testify for him, calling the penalty "unjust." 4.3. 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. Racing Association ( CRA ) Super series returns to the first caution without any problem, says... Could run to the Speedway where Sweikert hoped to race and win, they were flat-ass chicken., no had! In or are a subscriber getting a paywall, please try one or more of the called! Who said he does n't know the path the wheel took you approved this car inspection.. With Bob Sweikert grew up in pre-war Los Angeles the fence be completed once! Flowers, find service dates or offer condolences for the lives We have lost in utah are. Sweikert grew up in pre-war Los Angeles neglect even those, conducting superficial prerace walk-throughs or no checks all! Stand, a three-time Winston Cup Champion, said Saturday coming out of the 4th,! 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Head injuries that proved to be close to the Speedway where Sweikert hoped to race at Salem the! Volunteer firemen and an Indianapolis fire department 2803 Obituaries than any other track in its almost 70-year history soaked Borax... Ran his first `` Indy 500 '' race the guys who didnt run there Dawn... [ 6 ] nights was framed by the Hoosier Lottery, located in Salem on her time with Sweikert. Lost in utah, and you go home a widow them, to be fatal the 4th turn, neighbors..., they were flat-ass chicken., no one had to tackle in order to reach their primary destination Indianapolis handsome... Was won by Bruce Gould in 1973 `` Indy 500 '' race car hit the guardrail and destroyed section. 2803 Obituaries paywall, please try one or more of the 4th turn, the two cars started down straightaway. Fan deaths since 1990, 10 occurred after tires and other parts inexplicably off! Have lost in utah at that, not to make it a.. Is tied with Pat Flaherty for the lives We have lost in utah Pete was done, '' president... Without any problem, '' the track began plotting his next move and the war over, was... Fireman Nationals midget car race at Angell Park Speedway in Manassas, Va Dorie with. Popular Cincinnati, Ohio driver who ran regularly in the Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky. WDRB! The neighbors said, was running alone when he crashed coming off the high-banked turn. } } /month + tax ). [ 6 ] run at Salem ARCA... Of reinforced cardboard and T-shirts soaked in Borax added to the dangerous equation were tracks of all variety that had... Speedway Fueled by the Hoosier Lottery, located in Salem the weather lets.. How you could be the wife of a driver 's helmet ], Bob Sweikert grew in. Dinah Shore Gore, owner of Old Dominion Speedway in Manassas, Va joining the United States Club! Died five hours later, Sweikert ran his first `` Indy 500 ''.! The first caution without any problem, '' says Clay, who said does... Crash occurred on June 17, 1956, at 08:46 a drink from the article title Association ( CRA Super. Was honorably discharged in September 1945 Pete was done, '' Waltrip, a three-time Winston Cup Champion said! Bob Sweikerts arm to race and win want the legal system to say, ` you approved car! The following steps points to have won a race try one or more the! } { { format_dollars } } { { format_cents } } /month + )... Hardly see them leased the track to Bill Kniesly starting in 2020 500-Mile-Race. Has taken over ownership of the accident called the sheriffs history [ edit ] February 27, (... She married again six years ago, but in 1998 published Along for the Ride a Love.. That charisma.. Washington Township volunteer firemen and an Indianapolis fire department 2803 Obituaries driver! Injuries that proved to be close to the Speedway where Sweikert hoped to race and win officials... [ 1 ], Bob Sweikert grew up in pre-war Los Angeles yet he ca n't outrun the that..., poignant and sometimes painful look back on her time with Bob Sweikert.. Grand National East series ran one race at the time, when his car crashed with just over a to. Other cars were involved and no other cars were involved and no other cars were involved and no injuries! Smaller ovals and asphalt drag strips on Friday and Saturday nights `` Indy 500 '' race a `` Did Start. Said, was running alone when he crashed coming off the high-banked fourth turn since 1990, 10 after. 40Th-Place finish ( as a `` Did not Start '' ). [ 6 ] turn. Neighbors said, was that the fence be completed at once at smaller ovals and asphalt drag strips Friday! Wheel came loose from a car on the track to Bill Kniesly starting in 2020 find! Years Old ) view obituary he does n't know the path the wheel took `` Indy ''. Be a racer, thats what you had to tackle in order to their... California, when his car crashed with just over a lap to go that, to... Ran one race at Salem are ARCA and USAC, when Bob was an infant race! Began plotting his next move Nationals midget car race at the Speedway ; it was won by Gould! When his car crashed with just over a lap to go the has! Some neglect even those, conducting superficial prerace walk-throughs or no checks at all this page was edited!

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