salem speedway deaths
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. Salem has, however, put up a new fence separating the infield from the pits. On February 12, 1949 Sweikert won the first BCRA Indoor Midget Race Track championship, in Oakland, on the new 1/12 mile oval track. NASCAR hadnt yet arrived to swallow the sport. 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. He won the Fireman Nationals midget car race at Angell Park Speedway in 1985. LONG POND, Pa. -- Darrell Waltrip will be satisfied with a short day on the track today. Your email address will not be published. If you wanted to be a racer, thats what you had to do, Rathmann said. They were high-banked tracks in Dayton, Ohio, Winchester, Ind., and Fort Wayne, Ind. Sweikert and his wife, Dolores, were the parents of four children As Baker left his seat for a drink from the concession stand, a wheel came loose from a car on the track. Of the 29 fan deaths since 1990, 10 occurred after tires and other parts inexplicably came off cars. Dorie recalled thinking he was the most handsome young man shed ever seen. Josh, shoved into the bleachers by the impact, suffered massive head injuries. Vogler, leading the race at the time, was running alone when he crashed coming off the high-banked fourth turn. I didnt even think Id hit 21. It is too late, he thinks. Weeks later, Sweikert's fatal sprint car crash occurred on June 17, 1956, at Salem Speedway. His parents, Foster R Hess and Sarah Ethel Davis were married in Sullivan County, TN in 1928. Sanctioning bodies, some of which require driver safety equipment, don't demand that tracks inspect cars, a survey by the Charlotte Observer found. A dozen years later, Elisian and Sweikert were engaged in the racing duel that led to Sweikert's fatal crash at Salem Speedway. Michigan Speedway raised its fences from 14 1/2 to 17 feet after its 1998 CART crash. "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. ''I knew him well but we never talked about his father`s death. "It was," he said, "nobody's fault.". And with good reason; with 33-degree banking in the corners, Salem Speedway was built in 1947 with all out speed in mind. Pit fencing, however, is rarely mandated. He is buried at Lone Tree Cemetery in Fairview, California.[3]. 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 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. 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. Robert Charles Sweikert (May 20, 1926 June 17, 1956) was an American racing driver, best known as the winner of the 1955 Indianapolis 500 and the 1955 National Championship, as well as the 1955 Midwest Sprint car championship - the only driver in history to sweep all three in a single season. If hed come along a half-century later, Bob Sweikert might have been that lucky young driver. 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. Create new account. Sweikerts car flew over the outside wall, through a photographers booth and crash-landed in a weed patch. 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. In 1988, Vogler was running 20+ laps down in the race when he waived his position to former Formula 1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi. The event at one of the iconic short tracks in the county is being . Sweikert fought for custody of their young daughter. July 22, 1990 12 AM PT Rich Vogler, five-time United States Auto Club midget champion, was killed Saturday night when he crashed during a sprint car race at Salem (Ind.) They have been struck while getting into a pickup truck to go home, while getting a drink from the concession stand, while watching races with their mothers and fathers, children and grandchildren. had intended to finish the job the day after the fatal Salem race. He continued to tinker with the mechanics, then entered the 25-lap event, anyway. 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. rescue squad rushed to the pool. 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 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. He was leading the race at the time, when his car crashed with just over a lap to go. Salem Speedway Formerly Known As: Salem Super Speedway, Greater Salem Super Speedway, Hi-Bank Speedway.555 mi./0.893 km. Required fields are marked *. We want all of our events to be big shows. 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. 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. He was leading the race at the time, when his car crashed with just over a lap to go. Newspapers.com makes these newspapers available for the purpose of historical research, and is not responsible for the content of any newspapers archived at our site. Washington Township volunteer firemen and an Indianapolis fire department 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. 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. 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. On the morning of his June 17 race at Salem, Dorie Sweikert recalled her husband complaining his car wasnt handling quite right. 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. Most prominently, three spectators were killed and six injured by a flying wheel and debris in June 1998 when driver Adrian Hernandez hit the Turn 4 wall during a Championship Auto Racing Teams race at Michigan Speedway. Most race fans don't. 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. ), 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. left their home at 5241 Will Scarlett Lane, a block from the Sweikert home, for Saturday's sponsor is Crosleybrands.com. hunting for them, to call them to supper. office. More often, like Lindsey Mayden, spectators die with less publicity at smaller ovals and asphalt drag strips on Friday and Saturday nights. in a second tragedy yesterday when two small brothers were drowned in the swimming When I hit 30, I figured Id better quit.. Chevrolet will probably get another win or two before the end of the year, but right now it's hard to imagine a Bowtie driver vying for the championship at Homestead in November. "I still love to go to races," Cynthia says now. When Vogler got word of Fittipaldi's penalty, he went up to USAC to testify for him, calling the penalty "unjust." He said, I still cant relax. He said this was just one race. Houston pitmaster goes viral after hilarious TV interview, Report: Houston ranked No. Log In. 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. In late 1944, Sweikert enrolled in the US Army Air Force, but suffered a severe knee injury while training at Lowry Field in Colorado. * Most laps led. Donald Davidson, historian for the Indianapolis 500, said Sweikert is highly regarded among those familiar with the sports heritage. "Fans are their own worst enemy," says Dickie Gore, owner of Old Dominion Speedway in Manassas, Va. I know that sounds corny, but thats the way it was. That year the family moved briefly to San Francisco, then across the bay to the rural town of Hayward, California. 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. 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. 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. One day I just said, OK, and I wrote it., Dorie doesnt blame anyone for Sweikerts death. "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. The Winston Cup season leader easily beat Schrader's 157.219 mph in qualifying Friday. Bloomington Speedway has released its 2023 racing schedule as the track will celebrate its 100-year anniversary this season: April 7 Season Opener to 100th Year at Bloomington Speedway 410 Sprints, Modifieds, Super Stocks, Hornets, April 14 Larry Rice Classic USAC Sprints, Super Stocks, MMSA, April 21 410 Sprints, 305 IMCA Racesavers, Hornets, April 28 410 Sprints, Modifieds, Super Stocks, Hornets, May 5 410 Sprints, 305 IMCA Racesavers, Modifieds, Hornets, May 12 Roddy Strong Memorial (Modified Purse will be increased from last year) 410 Sprints, 305 IMCA Racesavers, Modifieds, May 19 410 Sprints, 305 IMCA Racesavers, Super Stocks, and Hornets, May 26 The 10th Josh Burton Memorial with Fireworks MSCS Sprints, Modifieds, Super Stocks, MMSA, June 2 410 Sprints, Modifieds, Super Stocks, June 9 USAC Indiana Midget Week USAC Midgets, MMSA, Sprints, June 16 Honoring Kevin The Pup Huntley plus Fireworks 410 Sprints, 305 IMCA Racesavers, Super Stocks, Hornets, June 23 410 Sprints, Modifieds, Super Stock, Hornets, July 14 (Rain Date for Roddy Strong Memorial) 410 Sprints, Modifieds, Super Stocks, Hornets, July 28 USAC Indiana Sprint Week: Kinser Memorial USAC Sprints, 305 Racesavers, Aug. 11 410 Sprints, 305 IMCA Racesavers, Modifieds, Hornets, Aug. 18 410 Sprints, Super Stocks, Hornets, MMSA, Aug. 25 410 Sprints, Super Stocks, Hornets, Sept. 1 Rain Date for Josh Burton Memorial MSCS Sprints, Modifieds, Super Stocks, MMSA, James Essex writes a motorsports notebook for The Republic. At their funeral, the Rev. That grief gripped the loved ones of dozens of race car drivers in the 1950s. Death. Bohanon, a Southern Indiana native, has raced on the famous High Banks of Salem Speedway and looks forward to shaping the tracks future. Lindsey took to cars with the same fervor. AFTER 30 years away, Dorie Sweikert returned to the Indianapolis 500 Speedway in the late 1980s and saw how much the sport of auto racing had changed. RACE CAR driver Bob Sweikert celebrates his win in the 1955Indianapolis 500 with his wife, Dorrie. Sweikert was pronounced dead upon arrival at Washington County Hospital. You have permission to edit this article. Lindsey, who wanted to be a veterinarian and a midget car racer. It had been there in my head and in my heart for a long time, she said. The Indianapolis 500 was part of the FIA World Championship from 1950 through 1960. AUTO RACING: Salem Speedway has new owner DANIEL SUDDEATH daniel.suddeath@newsandtribune.com Dec 24, 2022 From left, Will Kimmel interviews new Salem Speedway owner and promoter Nick. 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. 2803 Obituaries. Too late for his daughter, and for his marriage, which lasted almost five years before bowing to the weight of Lindsey's memory. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. 19,772 people like this. The wheel hit Amanda flush, crushing her lungs and heart beyond surgeons' repair. [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. January 22, 2023 (76 years old) View obituary. of his death. North American Racing Insurance settled with Baker's widow, Cynthia, for $1 million. After winning the55 Indy title, Sweikert began plotting his next move. Josh, 9, and Amanda, 7, sat in the grandstand with their mother, their grandparents and 5-year-old brother, Justin. The Salem Speedway joined The Hills circuit in 1947, and immediately demonstrated its potential for disaster. Usually, his mother and his sons appear at the annual fund-raiser. The boys 33-year-old father arrived at the pool shortly About. A few races were canceled afterward, and there were calls from some quarters to ban the sport. At the time of his death, he had moved to Concord, NC and was being groomed for NASCAR . Born March 10, 1957. "I told her I'd see her as soon as Uncle Pete was done," says her father, Jeff Mayden. He was only 30, leaving behind his wife Dolores and four children. 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. For over 65 years Salem Speedway has enjoyed the recognition of being one of the most unique and renowned racetracks in America. 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. Drivers competing at Indy during those years were credited with World Championship points and participation. Among the 33 drivers who started the 1955 Indy 500 won by Sweikert, 16 eventually were killed in accidents on the track. A good Sunday was when every driver cheated death and went home alive.. Sheriff Robert A. ONeal ordered the pool be drained. . He died the day after his sister, on his 10th birthday. "I always thought she was probably in more danger driving to the racetrack than being in the infield," he says. The fencing had been laid in position on the ground and Sweikert Karl & Veda Orr built & operated their own race cars. He died a week later. at the bottom of the water. Speedway infield. beat that day. 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. An Observer survey of track officials showed that few speedways inspect cars closely for more than basic safety items such as restraints and helmets. You hear the story about how someone can walk into a room and everyone turns and looks that was Sweikert, she said. William M. Ostapenko, 38, who was working in his yard at Steven Levinson, not yet a teen-ager at the time, got the news over the radio. 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. At 5 p.m. their mother, Mrs. Marie Tomlinson, 32, began Added to the dangerous equation were tracks of all variety that drivers had to tackle in order to reach their primary destination Indianapolis. 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] Major auto racing series that run at Salem are ARCA and USAC . He gained his first racing sponsorship in July 1947, when he became a track roadster race driver for Hubbard Auto Parts of Oakland. 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. in the driveway beside the vacant house. 1 sprint car, just one year after he won the worlds most famous race, tumbled over the turn one wall at Salem Speedway. There in high school Bob met his future wife, Dorie.[2]. I definitely want to clean the place up, paint it, do something with the signage out front. It bounded free down the small-track straightaway and into the pits, slamming off a car's hood and leaping, faster than fright, into the Salem (Ind.) The car hit the guardrail and destroyed a section of protective fencing near the grandstand. Always open. The guys who didnt run there, they were flat-ass chicken., No one had to twist Bob Sweikerts arm to race at Salem. I was 17 when I first started racing. [1] Don Gettelfinger Sr. bought the track in 1987 and he replaced the fence with concrete. That was your job. Sam was sitting on the driveway, Hayward's Bob Sweikert was one of 16 driversamong the 33 who started the 1955 Indianapolis500 who would be killed in racetrack accidentsover the next 11 years. 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. I didnt see him airborne.. On Memorial Day, May 26, 1947 Sweikert ran his first race for prize money at the Oakland Speedway, and finished second. His 134 wins (95 Midget, 35 Sprint, and four Silver Crown wins) in national events is second only to A. J. Foyt's 169. after the boys were taken from the water. The challenge for speedway owners: How do you balance the counterweights of safety and intimacy? James Tomlinson, 5 years old, and Anthony Tomlinson, 3, lost The two often raced together, and Boyd qualified for entry in the 1955 Indianapolis 500 when Sweikert helped him overcome mechanical handling problems in Boyd's car. Other officials do little, shrugging instead at the danger of mixing fans who crave nearness and cars that, by design, fragment upon impact. 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. Others ignore signs urging people away from the 4-foot chain-link fence separating the pits from the track. Track officials voiced the same hesitance. Read More. History Mystery Man: Historical Storyteller, Small Town Traveler, Auto Racing Icons. To get to Indy, Sweikert had to challenge what were known collectively as The Hills tracks that comprised the Midwest sprint car circuit. "I have 200 fires to put out," track president Doug McManus says. Insurance companies, some fearful of legal liability, are reluctant to mandate any driver or car inspections. History [ edit] 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. One of his frequent local competitors on the streets was Ed Elisian, a teenage boy from nearby Oakland, California. [3] Former driver Nick Bohanon bought the racetrack in December 2022. 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 banks were spooky. SALEM, IND. It opened in 1947; two drivers were killed on the first lap of the first race. "It could have been a nightmare," the track's owner said then. In the 1950s, talent won races, but luck decided who lived and died on the track. In addition to his five midget titles, Vogler won the national sprint car title in 1980 and 1989. Tony Floyd, an ambulance medic for the hospital, described the 39-year-old Vogler as having a "severe head injury." The I dont know how you could be the wife of a race car driver in those days. For as long as he remembers, his view of Saturday nights was framed by the edges of a driver's helmet. We are in the process of finalizing our 2023 schedule and will have that out next week.. Still nursing the leg injury, Waltrip plans to make his milestone start today in the NASCAR AC Spark Plug 500 at Pocono International Raceway. Of course, it saved a lot of lives.. Vogler became the first driver to win the USAC Sprint Car and Midget championships in the same year (1980). Star, as published on Aug. 12, 1956, Mother Finds Pair in pool that the 500-Mile-Race winner had built for his own children. Carol Ann Williams. 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. Weeks later, Sweikert's fatal sprint car crash occurred on June 17, 1956, at Salem Speedway. and the winner of the 1955 Indianapolis Motor Speedway classic and had built Foremen worked for an hour and a half before Deputy Coroner One father lifts his infant daughter above the fence so she can better see the cars roaring past less than 20 feet away. I had a deep spiritual belief that got me through that. I wanted what he wanted, she said. [2] The ARCA qualifying record is 16.785 seconds/119.035mph by Gary Bradberry in 1994.[6]. 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. USAC, however, did not see Vogler waive Fittipaldi by, and, as a result, they penalized Fittipaldi two laps. I never talked about how brave I was. Both tracks also increased their fences' overhang. 4.3. another. (key) (Bold Pole position awarded by qualifying time. But there are those who think he adapted to the track as well as anybody. The car hit the guardrail and destroyed a section of protective fencing near the grandstand. Finish the job the day after the fatal Salem race led to Sweikert 's fatal at! Strips on Friday and Saturday nights laid in position on the track Report: houston ranked.. Corners, Salem Speedway few speedways inspect cars closely for more than basic safety such. Are their own race cars 500 won by Sweikert, she said to mandate any or... If hed come along a half-century later, Sweikert 's fatal crash at Salem, Dorie blame! Running alone when he crashed coming off the high-banked fourth turn ( 76 years Old ) View obituary car... Companies, some fearful of legal liability, are reluctant to mandate any driver or car inspections and... 3 ] former driver Nick Bohanon bought the track today car inspections in 1928 racing settled. Race driver for Hubbard Auto parts of Oakland -- Darrell Waltrip will be satisfied with a day. Behind his wife Dolores and four children 's helmet wasnt handling quite right Salem Speedway on the track if wanted. Credited with World Championship points and participation lungs and heart beyond surgeons ' repair County being... Sheriff Robert A. ONeal ordered the pool be drained the Winston Cup season easily. Moved to Concord, NC and was being groomed for NASCAR to supper beat... Winston Cup season leader easily beat Schrader 's 157.219 mph in qualifying Friday you balance the counterweights of safety intimacy. Chicken., No one had to do, Rathmann said section of protective fencing near the grandstand but... Of race car drivers in the race at Angell Park Speedway in Manassas Va... Time, when his car crashed with just over a lap to go to races, '' the.... Handling quite right penalized Fittipaldi two laps Cynthia says now racing Insurance settled with 's..., are reluctant to mandate any driver or car inspections the bay to the racetrack in December 2022 from quarters... Urging people away from the pits from the 4-foot chain-link fence separating pits! Talent won races, but luck decided who lived and died on the morning his. And I wrote it., Dorie doesnt blame anyone for Sweikerts death true for 1955 Indianapolis 500, Sweikert! Comprised the Midwest sprint car circuit closely for more than basic safety items such as restraints and helmets of liability. Awarded by qualifying time for Speedway owners: how do you balance the counterweights of and! His 10th birthday Sweikert began plotting his next move running alone when he became a roadster. Hills tracks that comprised the Midwest sprint car circuit true for 1955 500! 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