salem speedway deaths

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. There over the next couple years, he built his own track roadster. SALEM, IND. She died five hours later, early the next day. In the winner's circle, Sweikert and Dorie celebrated with singer-actress Dinah Shore. It would do no good for anyone to tell Bob Sweikert to quit racing. They entered the pool area through a gap in the high fence [4], USAR ran seven races at the track between 2002 and 2008; winners include Brian Ross, Joel Kauffman, Mikey Kile, Jeff Agnew, Gary St. 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. Roger Bruce Hassing. Fencing, maybe, or car safety. [1] Don Gettelfinger Sr. bought the track in 1987 and he replaced the fence with concrete. This was his 170th win. 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. Bohanon, a Southern Indiana native, has raced on the famous High Banks of Salem Speedway and looks forward to shaping the tracks future. The tire hit a concrete barrier in front of the grandstand. 20,621 people follow this. The likeable, rising superstar, who had just appeared on the front cover of Sports Illustrated, did not survive the crash. [1] He competed in the Indianapolis 500 five times, and his best finish was eighth in 1989. 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. One of his frequent local competitors on the streets was Ed Elisian, a teenage boy from nearby Oakland, California. Mrs. Sweikerts last order before leaving Indianapolis, the neighbors said, was that the fence be completed at once. "I told her I'd see her as soon as Uncle Pete was done," says her father, Jeff Mayden. North American Racing Insurance settled with Baker's widow, Cynthia, for $1 million. Auto racing in the post-World War II era wasnt the slick, big money business its become today. That wasnt what qualified him as an early victim of the SI jinx. 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. February 27, 2023 (100 years old) View obituary. They had a large family wedding in West L.A. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. Johnson, who confirmed the experimental spindle on the car involved in Josh and Amanda Dutton's death, says he drove it that night in a one-time arrangement for a local outfit. An Observer survey of track officials showed that few speedways inspect cars closely for more than basic safety items such as restraints and helmets. The reality: "Fences can always be higher," says Tracy Clay, manager of I-30 Speedway in North Little Rock, Ark. Learn how your comment data is processed. It will be a process of getting those done over the next several years. For as long as he remembers, his view of Saturday nights was framed by the edges of a driver's helmet. Tragically, Reece would lose his life on the last lap of the 100 Mile USAC National Championship race at Trenton Speedway on September 28, 1958. Such decisions are largely left up to speedways. Houston pitmaster goes viral after hilarious TV interview, Report: Houston ranked No. 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. "And it gets worse at the end of the night.". had intended to finish the job the day after the fatal Salem race. Sweikert's mother, Grace, often visited Bob's firstborn until Grace died. No other cars were involved. I had to work very hard at that, not to make it a negative. The series has visited Salem more than any other track in its almost 70-year history. In addition to his five midget titles, Vogler won the national sprint car championship in 1980. During a qualifying heat, a sprint car driven by Jon Johnson lost its tire and rim in a turn. In between, she got her first taste of the sport and it terrified her. Vogler was declared the winner when officials decided not to complete the 30-lap event. "We have to be very careful what we ask them to do," says George Knight of George Knight Associates in Tulsa, Okla., a small-track insurance provider. The event at one of the iconic short tracks in the county is being . 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. His parents, Foster R Hess and Sarah Ethel Davis were married in Sullivan County, TN in 1928. 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. 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. At the time, Vogler was scheduled to run the full Winston Cup Series in the near-future for U.S. His 134 wins (95 Midget, 35 Sprint, and four Silver Crown wins) in national events is second only to A. J. Foyt's 169. Salem Speedway will be under new ownership for the 2023 racing season. which Sweikert was building of tall cedar stakes when he was killed at Salem, He was only 28 years old, however he was one of California's brightest stars in the open wheel profession. But Dorie didnt believe it would happen to Sweikert. Vogler became the first driver to win the USAC Sprint Car and Midget championships in the same year (1980). RACE CAR driver Bob Sweikert celebrates his win in the 1955Indianapolis 500 with his wife, Dorrie. He died a week later. [2] The ARCA qualifying record is 16.785 seconds/119.035mph by Gary Bradberry in 1994.[6]. It is, perhaps, racing's worst fear: a car or its disconnected parts hurtling over fences into fans. Foremen worked for an hour and a half before Deputy Coroner Sweikert was pronounced dead upon arrival at Washington County Hospital. James Tomlinson, 5 years old, and Anthony Tomlinson, 3, lost 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. 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. 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. Mike Harrington: His team looks good, even without Alex Tuch. 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. That was your job. Vogler, leading the race at the time, was running alone when he crashed coming off the high-banked fourth turn. Death. Built in 1946/47, the. Carol Ann Williams. after the boys were taken from the water. The boys 33-year-old father arrived at the pool shortly Vogler was declared the winner when officials decided not to complete the the 30-lap event. History [ edit] "We don't want the legal system to say, `You approved this car inspection thing.' Eight years later, 81 Speedway's owner seems to disagree. 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. From The Third Turn, an online resource for all news and results stock car racing. It was completed about the time [2] Major auto racing series that run at Salem are ARCA and USAC. 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. Your email address will not be published. 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Sweikert's car, on the outside, brushed a piece of metal . "I have 200 fires to put out," track president Doug McManus says. It was a very scary thing the sound was so frightening, said Dorie Sweikert, now 79 and living in Redding. Paved Oval located in Salem, IN: Track Status: Still In Operation (Opened: 1947 ) TOURING SERIES & MAJOR EVENTS ; Date Sanction Winner Laps 22 June 1947: AAA Midwest Big Car Series: Dorie Sweikert recalls being able to see her husband smile as his car sprinted past, his head and shoulders exposed to potential peril. He walked over to his father`s car, looked in and then walked away. If you wanted to be a racer, thats what you had to do, Rathmann said. 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. In 1994. [ 6 ] over the next day replaced the fence be completed at.... 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