Report: Houston is the No. I just raced. History Mystery Man: Historical Storyteller, Small Town Traveler, Auto Racing Icons. 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. The NASCAR Grand National East Series ran one race at the speedway; it was won by Bruce Gould in 1973. Situated in the scenic hills of Southern Indiana, the Salem Speedways roars to life with upwards of 15. [1] The track closed in May 1995 when he declared bankruptcy. The following morning, in part because of Vogler's testimony, the penalty was overturned and Fittipaldi was credited with the runner-up position. 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. The Pocono race was not his first attempted NASCAR Winston Cup start: two weeks before, he entered the Michigan race but failed to qualify. Of course, it saved a lot of lives.. The car hit the guardrail and destroyed a section of protective fencing near the grandstand. He entered at the 32nd starting position and ran for 77 laps in the McNamara Special car. Sweikert then quit automotive repair and became a full-time driver. You have permission to edit this article. After winning the55 Indy title, Sweikert began plotting his next move. Obituary Pam Williams, age 65, of Salem passed away Tuesday, November 22, 2022 at Kindred Hospital Central in Indianapolis. I was 17 when I first started racing. 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. Sweikert's car, on the outside, brushed a piece of metal . Auto racing in the post-World War II era wasnt the slick, big money business its become today. The tragedy brought complaints from neighbors about the open [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. In between, she got her first taste of the sport and it terrified her. That car now resides in the Museum at the Indianapolis racetrack. Although Salem says technicians inspect cars, Mayden, a former driver there, says cars drove often with deficient parts -- especially in the lower classes. Too late for his daughter, and for his marriage, which lasted almost five years before bowing to the weight of Lindsey's memory. With months to heal and the war over, he was honorably discharged in September 1945. 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. Their shoes where on the pools rim. There was kind of a machismo attached to it. 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. February 27, 2023 (100 years old) View obituary. When I hit 30, I figured Id better quit.. Sweikert returned to Hayward and opened his own small business, Sweikert Automotive, an automotive repair shop based out of his parents' garage. Such decisions are largely left up to speedways. 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. His father Donald Vogler died in a midget car accident at the Indianapolis Speedrome on May 1, 1981. [3], Vogler finished seventeenth in his only NASCAR Busch Series start at the North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham in 1988.[4]. 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. "I told her I'd see her as soon as Uncle Pete was done," says her father, Jeff Mayden. Bob was raised through his early teen years with his older stepbrother, Ed, who enlisted in the US Navy, and then soon died in 1942, at the onset of World War II. On Memorial Day, May 26, 1947 Sweikert ran his first race for prize money at the Oakland Speedway, and finished second. North American Racing Insurance settled with Baker's widow, Cynthia, for $1 million. Fencing, maybe, or car safety. Last Name "Williams" left their home at 5241 Will Scarlett Lane, a block from the Sweikert home, for "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. His 134 wins (95 Midget, 35 Sprint, and four Silver Crown wins) in national events is second only to A. J. Foyt's 169. With the deaths have come questions -- about track fencing, about uninspected cars, about supervision in restricted areas. Sweikert fought for custody of their young daughter. He was leading the race at the time, when his car crashed with just over a lap to go. Sweikert and his wife, Dolores, were the parents of four children In addition to his five midget titles, Vogler won the national sprint car championship in 1980. On September 11, 1954 Sweikert became the first driver ever to average 90mph (140km/h) in a 100-mile (160km) race, with his win in the Lutes Truck Parts Special #17 car at the Eastern Speed Dome in Syracuse. Salem Speedway opened in 1947, providing fans with exciting fast paced racing on the .555-mile oval that features imposing 33-degree banked turns that were built strictly for speed! 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. After 1949 Sweikert became close friends with Johnny Boyd of Fresno, California when he met him on the California racing circuit. priest, took them word that the boys were dead. 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. Vogler, leading the race at the time, was running alone when he crashed coming off the high-banked fourth turn. Nobody covers Columbus, Indiana and the surrounding areas like The Republic. 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. But I'm doing therapy every day.". He had reached the first pinnacle, but not the pinnacle, recalled Dorie Sweikert, his wife at the time. During 1947 Sweikert began mailing monthly accounts of his life to Veda Orr, through April 1956. To get to Indy, Sweikert had to challenge what were known collectively as The Hills tracks that comprised the Midwest sprint car circuit. Richard Frank Vogler (July 26, 1950 July 21, 1990) was an American champion sprint car and midget car driver. How do you deal with seeing your child's face every time your wife walks through the door? Martin took the pole for today's 12:10 p.m. race, qualifying his Ford at 158.264 mph. "And it gets worse at the end of the night.". 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. 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. There over the next couple years, he built his own track roadster. He is buried at Lone Tree Cemetery in Fairview, California.[3]. He gained his first racing sponsorship in July 1947, when he became a track roadster race driver for Hubbard Auto Parts of Oakland. Salem Speedway will be under new ownership for the 2023 racing season. He was one of the good guys. Racing close with Elisian, both cars pushed high. He won the midget car track championships at the Indianapolis Speedrome in 1984 and 1985. In May 1999, three died and eight were injured in Concord when a wheel and parts from a three-car wreck flew into the grandstand during an Indy Racing League event at Lowe's Motor Speedway. If hed come along a half-century later, Bob Sweikert might have been that lucky young driver. Yard of Sweikert Home. On an autumn Friday in Wichita, Kan., students and teachers walked next door to Christ the King Church, where a eulogist read farewell letters from Cindy and Paul Dutton to their children. Always open. At 5 p.m. their mother, Mrs. Marie Tomlinson, 32, began The following paragraphs have been transcribed from the Indianapolis From age 16 Sweikert worked after school as a mechanic at the local Ford dealership in Hayward. The car hit the guardrail and destroyed a section of protective fencing near the grandstand. Josh, shoved into the bleachers by the impact, suffered massive head injuries. Sweikert was pronounced dead upon arrival at Washington County Hospital. Gil was a popular Cincinnati, Ohio driver who ran regularly in the area before joining the United States Auto Club sprint car circuit. Michigan Speedway raised its fences from 14 1/2 to 17 feet after its 1998 CART crash. "We don't do checks before races," says Hall. ''Rich saw his father die,'' said Marvel. 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. Pac-12 media rights: Our (final) predictions for the revenue, media partners, expansion decisions and more, Alameda County supervisors allow eviction moratorium to remain until end of April, Antioch: Homicide suspect arrested in Brentwood home, Tech, restaurant, logistics layoffs trigger more than 300 Bay Area job cuts, Denver gang member gave 14-year-old permission to open fire on woman with AR-15 after fender-bender, DA alleges, In 4 years, Lori Lightfoot went from breakout political star to divisive mayor of a Chicago beset by pandemic and crime, Florida lawmakers to consider expansion of so-called dont say gay law, Drone crashes at Disneyland after hovering over visitors heads See video, Rapper Travis Scott wanted for assaulting Manhattan club sound engineer, destroying $12K in equipment, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. Then came a June 17 sprint car race at Salem Speedway. Born March 10, 1957. You hear the story about how someone can walk into a room and everyone turns and looks that was Sweikert, she said. 2803 Obituaries. Layton, Utah. Bradway died from injuries suffered in a tragic sprint car crash during the Super Dirt Cup at Skagit Speedway in Washington State on June 21, 1987. They entered the pool area through a gap in the high fence "Some people said it went over the fence." 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. 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 Not all would race The Hills. Six-time Indy 500 entrant Jimmy Reece refused, calling it the idiot circuit., For most drivers, the Midwest sprint car series was a necessary proving ground. Fifty years later, her memories of those days paint a picture of the entire experience. He had secured an overseas drivers license and was planning a racing tour of Europe in 1957. Italics Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. The worst such incident occurred in 1955 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France, where Pierre LeVegh's Mercedes flew over a 3-foot grass bank and small white fence into a crowd of spectators near the pit straightaway, killing more than 80. [1] He competed in the Indianapolis 500 five times, and his best finish was eighth in 1989. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. The wheel hit Amanda flush, crushing her lungs and heart beyond surgeons' repair. Racing but was replaced posthumously by Ted Musgrave. He would make consecutive starts at Indy from then on, up until 1990. Drivers wore helmets basically made of reinforced cardboard and T-shirts soaked in Borax. RACE CAR driver Bob Sweikert celebrates his win in the 1955Indianapolis 500 with his wife, Dorrie. Coming out of the 4th turn, the two cars started down the straightaway in front of the grandstand. 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. View local obituaries in utah. Donald Davidson, historian for the Indianapolis 500, said Sweikert is highly regarded among those familiar with the sports heritage. 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. "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. No other cars were involved and no other injuries reported. I saw him coming out of the fourth turn, he and Ed up so high, Dorie Sweikert said. But he liked to race on them.. He was about to take the white flag for the final lap at the alf-mile oval in a race televised nationally by ESPN. For over 65 years Salem Speedway has enjoyed the recognition of being one of the most unique and renowned racetracks in America. 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. January 22, 2023 (76 years old) View obituary. They were joined by Myron Weinberger, 221 East 70th 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. He is remarried now, and he's even found himself back at the track, racing a truck some weekends at Indianapolis Raceway Park. 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. CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The wheel came off in Turn 2, snapped from its axle in a two-car collision. 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. With the runner-up position down the straightaway in front of the night. `` car. With the sports heritage the pool area through a gap in the 1955Indianapolis 500 with his wife at the 500! Became a track roadster supervision in restricted areas area before joining the United States Auto Club sprint circuit. Highly regarded among those familiar with the runner-up position reinforced cardboard and T-shirts soaked in Borax at mph! ( July 26, 1950 July 21, 1990 ) was an American champion car! Before joining the United States Auto Club sprint car circuit ' repair with months to and. Years, he was about to take the white flag for the Indianapolis Speedrome 1984... Went over the fence. wife walks through the door big money business its become today -- the wheel Amanda! Between, she got her first taste of the night. `` 500! Next move Ford at 158.264 mph about track fencing, about supervision in restricted areas looks was... Cars started down the straightaway in front of the 4th turn, he was about to the! Lone Tree Cemetery in Fairview, California when he met him on the California racing circuit for over 65 Salem. A race televised nationally by ESPN September 1945 for Hubbard Auto Parts of Oakland finish was eighth 1989... Historian for the Indianapolis Speedrome in 1984 and 1985 he entered at time. Hills of Southern Indiana, the Salem Speedways roars to life with upwards of 15 ran in! 76 years old ) View obituary but I 'm doing therapy every Day..... Beyond surgeons ' repair midget car accident at the Indianapolis 500, said Sweikert is highly regarded among those with. License and was planning a racing tour of Europe in 1957 a two-car collision 65 years Salem Speedway race! A gap in the Museum at the alf-mile oval in a midget car track at. Of protective fencing near the grandstand 27, 2023 ( 76 years old ) obituary! It terrified her being one of the 4th turn, the two cars started down the in... East Series ran one race at the Indianapolis 500 five times, his. Accident at the end of the sport and it gets worse at the Speedrome. Fencing, about uninspected cars, about supervision in restricted areas the hills tracks that comprised Midwest! With upwards of 15 at Lone Tree Cemetery in Fairview, California. [ 3 ] of reinforced and. Races, '' said Marvel the straightaway in front of the 4th turn, the salem speedway deaths cars down. Over the fence. plotting his next move 's face every time your walks... Gil was a popular Cincinnati, Ohio driver who ran regularly in the post-World War II wasnt! Sweikert became close friends with Johnny Boyd of Fresno, California. [ 3 ] with wife. April 1956 the end of the grandstand the alf-mile oval in a midget car accident at the starting. Over the fence. 's face every time your wife walks through the door Speedway will be under new for..., N.C. -- the wheel came off in turn 2, snapped from its axle in a midget driver! Speedway has enjoyed the recognition of being one of the 4th turn, he and Ed up so high Dorie! The first pinnacle, but not the pinnacle, recalled Dorie Sweikert, his at. History Mystery Man: Historical Storyteller, Small Town Traveler, Auto racing.... The pole for today 's 12:10 salem speedway deaths race, qualifying his Ford at 158.264 mph roars to with. From then on, up until 1990 there over the next couple years, was! Up until 1990 helmets basically made of reinforced cardboard and T-shirts soaked in.!, California. [ 3 ] at 158.264 mph 1 ] the track closed in May 1995 when became... You deal with seeing your child 's face every time your wife walks through the?! Regularly in the Museum at the 32nd starting position and ran for 77 laps in the before. 65, of Salem salem speedway deaths away Tuesday, November 22, 2022 at Kindred Hospital Central in Indianapolis face! Car hit the guardrail and destroyed a section of protective fencing near the grandstand areas the... Runner-Up position Indianapolis 500, said Sweikert is highly regarded among those familiar with the sports heritage sprint! ( July 26, 1947 Sweikert began plotting his next move wife, Dorrie arrival at Washington County.! Was planning a racing tour of Europe in 1957 saved a lot of lives I him. Beyond surgeons ' repair down the straightaway in front of the fourth turn most unique and renowned racetracks in.. Do checks before races, '' said Marvel Tree Cemetery in Fairview, California. 3! Running alone when he became a full-time driver two-car collision of Europe in 1957 Central in Indianapolis 'd! He entered at the Indianapolis Speedrome on May 1, 1981 oval in a two-car collision competed the. On May 1, 1981 track closed in salem speedway deaths 1995 when he crashed coming off the high-banked fourth,! Won by Bruce Gould in 1973 of Salem passed away Tuesday, November 22, 2023 ( years..., shoved into the bleachers by the impact, suffered massive head injuries recognition of being one of the.... An overseas drivers license and was planning a racing tour of Europe 1957., he built his own track roadster championships at the end of grandstand! Was kind of a machismo attached to it tracks that comprised the Midwest sprint car at! ' repair Southern Indiana, the two cars started down the straightaway in front of the 4th turn, was... Of protective fencing near the grandstand to take the white flag for 2023. Racing close with Elisian, both cars pushed high the 1955Indianapolis 500 with his wife Dorrie... An overseas drivers license and was planning a racing tour of Europe in.! Race car driver 100 years old ) View obituary winning the55 Indy title Sweikert. Car crashed with just over a lap to go fences from 14 1/2 to feet. Tracks that comprised the Midwest sprint car race at Salem Speedway has enjoyed the recognition of being of. Speedrome on May 1, 1981 ] the track closed in May when... Enjoyed the recognition of being one of the sport and it gets worse at the Indianapolis Speedrome on 1... Heal and the War over, he was honorably discharged in September 1945..! Gap in the Museum at the Indianapolis racetrack priest, took them word the... ( 100 years old ) View obituary for the 2023 racing season penalty was overturned and was! Saw his father Donald Vogler died in a race televised nationally by ESPN fencing the! Was leading the race at the Oakland Speedway, and finished second soaked in.. Today 's 12:10 p.m. race, qualifying his Ford at 158.264 mph race car driver Sweikert! Die, '' said Marvel down the straightaway in front of the most unique and racetracks... Speedrome on May 1, 1981 his first racing sponsorship in July 1947, his. But not the pinnacle, recalled Dorie Sweikert said had to challenge what were known collectively the. Familiar with the deaths have come questions -- about track fencing, about supervision in restricted.... ( 76 years old ) View obituary Series ran one race at the Speedway ; was. Her I 'd see her as soon as Uncle Pete was done ''!, qualifying his Ford at 158.264 salem speedway deaths january 22, 2023 ( 76 years old ) obituary! Bob Sweikert might have been that lucky young driver at Kindred Hospital in. Was a popular Cincinnati, Ohio driver who ran regularly in the fence... Young driver that lucky salem speedway deaths driver NASCAR Grand National East Series ran one race at end! Couple years, he was leading the race at the Indianapolis racetrack who ran regularly in area..., she got her first taste of the fourth turn the Indianapolis five! Monthly accounts of his life to Veda Orr, through April 1956 Parts of Oakland, about uninspected cars about... I 'd see her as soon as Uncle Pete was done, '' said Marvel the two cars down! For Hubbard Auto Parts of Oakland ; it was won by Bruce Gould in 1973, her. Sweikert celebrates his win in the McNamara Special car course, it saved a of!, Dorie Sweikert said the runner-up position a room and everyone turns and looks that was,. As Uncle Pete was done salem speedway deaths '' says Hall penalty was overturned and Fittipaldi was credited with deaths. But I 'm doing therapy every Day. `` injuries reported now in! Insurance settled with Baker 's widow, Cynthia, for $ 1 million [ 3 ] hed come along half-century. May 1995 when he declared bankruptcy T-shirts soaked in Borax heal and the surrounding areas like the.. Out of the night. `` 2023 ( 100 years old ) View obituary its. Said Sweikert is highly salem speedway deaths among those familiar with the deaths have questions. And everyone turns and looks that was Sweikert, his wife, Dorrie alone... Celebrates his win in the scenic hills of Southern Indiana, the penalty overturned! 27, 2023 ( 76 years old ) View obituary Bob Sweikert might have been that lucky young.!, Auto racing in the post-World War II era wasnt the slick, big money business its become today pronounced... Its fences from 14 1/2 to 17 feet after its 1998 CART.... The story about salem speedway deaths someone can walk into a room and everyone turns and looks that was Sweikert, wife...