and the winner of the 1955 Indianapolis Motor Speedway classic and had built 19,772 people like this. He entered at the 32nd starting position and ran for 77 laps in the McNamara Special car. The Indianapolis 500 was part of the FIA World Championship from 1950 through 1960. 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. He ran seventy-two races that first BCRA season, finishing 14th out of 130 active members in the annual point standings. "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. Send comments to [emailprotected]. Pit fencing, however, is rarely mandated. That wasnt what qualified him as an early victim of the SI jinx. He would have raced, anyway.. Bohanon, a Southern Indiana. "I ask myself every night if something could have been different," Mayden says. [2] The ARCA qualifying record is 16.785 seconds/119.035mph by Gary Bradberry in 1994.[6]. NASCAR hadnt yet arrived to swallow the sport. If hed come along a half-century later, Bob Sweikert might have been that lucky young driver. Too late for his daughter, and for his marriage, which lasted almost five years before bowing to the weight of Lindsey's memory. Death. Vogler became the first driver to win the USAC Sprint Car and Midget championships in the same year (1980). Racing but was replaced posthumously by Ted Musgrave. Search Provo obituaries and condolences, hosted by Echovita.com. Born March 10, 1957. [1] The track closed in May 1995 when he declared bankruptcy. Sam was sitting on the driveway, 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. Veda wrote many racing articles. You go to Salem, and you go home a widow. Drivers competing at Indy during those years were credited with World Championship points and participation. His mother had married his stepfather, an electrician for the state of California, when Bob was an infant. The wheel, witnesses would say later, bounced through the unrepaired hole in the fence, then struck Baker above his right eye. Now his dream was not just to win Indy, but to be the best in the world. Sweikert was pronounced dead upon arrival at Washington County Hospital. Racing close with Elisian, both cars pushed high. Required fence heights for oval track bleachers vary from 9 to 15 feet, according to insurance company representatives. tragedy after two-time 500 winner Bill Vukovich cartwheeled over the [3] Former driver Nick Bohanon bought the racetrack in December 2022. 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. I know that sounds corny, but thats the way it was. the 25-by-12 pool with prideful anticipation. 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. History Mystery Man: Historical Storyteller, Small Town Traveler, Auto Racing Icons. His 134 wins (95 Midget, 35 Sprint, and four Silver Crown wins) in national events is second only to A. J. Foyt's 169. Vogler, leading the race at the time, was running alone when he crashed coming off the high-banked fourth turn. That car now resides in the Museum at the Indianapolis racetrack. "The spindle just locked up and came off," he remembers. 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. But I'm doing therapy every day.". [4], USAR ran seven races at the track between 2002 and 2008; winners include Brian Ross, Joel Kauffman, Mikey Kile, Jeff Agnew, Gary St. Vogler was declared the winner when officials decided not to complete the the 30-lap event. Roger Bruce Hassing. 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. Drivers, nursing accumulated grudges, satisfy them on and off the track. 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. I never talked about how brave I was. their lives while wading in the pool behind Sweikerts house at 5301 Lancelot High powered sprint cars accelerate down the straights at speeds reaching nearly 140 miles per hour. Layton, Utah. No other cars were involved. 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! The bodies were taken to the Conkle West 16th Houston pitmaster goes viral after hilarious TV interview, Report: Houston ranked No. At Clay's I-30 Speedway, track officials weren't aware of a hole in a wire fence near the pit area outside the track's oval. Last Name "Williams" Track technicians had not inspected the car. The .555-Mile oval that features imposing 33-degree banked turns was built strictly for speed. There was kind of a machismo attached to it. At their funeral, the Rev. He had secured an overseas drivers license and was planning a racing tour of Europe in 1957. 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. 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. Coming out of the 4th turn, the two cars started down the straightaway in front of the grandstand. Always open. 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. Create new account. 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. Careening cars, debris can end lives in instant, Watch: Astros SP Luis Garcia debuts new windup after rule changes, Houston facing severe thunderstorms, possible tornadoes Thursday, Oops! The event at one of the iconic short tracks in the county is being . 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. 4.3 out of 5 stars. ", But: "Everywhere I go, I check out their fence.". Martin took the pole for today's 12:10 p.m. race, qualifying his Ford at 158.264 mph. Drivers sit so low in modern cars, nestled safely into a protective cockpit, that you can hardly see them. Most race fans don't. SALEM Former USAC Midget racer Nick Bohanon has taken over ownership of the iconic Salem Speedway Fueled by the Hoosier Lottery, located in Salem, Indiana. Obituary Pam Williams, age 65, of Salem passed away Tuesday, November 22, 2022 at Kindred Hospital Central in Indianapolis. In the 1950s, talent won races, but luck decided who lived and died on the track. ''They were both at the track practicing. backstretch wall to his death. 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. His father Donald Vogler died in a midget car accident at the Indianapolis Speedrome on May 1, 1981. We want all of our events to be big shows. 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. 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. "There's no way to stay ahead of these drivers.". 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. He learned to race on go-karts at age 9, graduated to stock cars as an adult. There are improvements that I want to make to the pavement, the pit area, lighting, infield concessions, infield restrooms and the scoreboard. 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. Not now. Richard Kavanagh, pastor of St. Salem Speedway will be under new ownership for the 2023 racing season. [1] In 1987 he won the inaugural Chili Bowl Midget Nationals race. So what does Sabres GM Kevyn Adams do this week? The track has 33 degrees of banking in the corners. Morris Settles pronounced the boys dead. As the field favorite going for his third consecutive win at Indy, Vuky, who was leading when he crashed, would have been tough to Others ignore signs urging people away from the 4-foot chain-link fence separating the pits from the track. "When it came down, it came down on us.". 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. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, Sabres place Alex Tuch on injured reserve; top-line winger's status is uncertain, Paula's Donuts to move Clarence store that faced backlash for tax breaks to Amherst, Nebraska cheerleader competes by herself at state competition, but crowd doesn't let her feel alone, Chad Hall's departure from Buffalo Bills to Jaguars remains a bit of a mystery. But Dorie didnt believe it would happen to Sweikert. That year the family moved briefly to San Francisco, then across the bay to the rural town of Hayward, California. "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. That was Bobs favorite of the half-mile tracks, Dorie Sweikert said. He was one of the good guys. Salem Speedway. Speedway. 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. SALEM, IND. Gil was a popular Cincinnati, Ohio driver who ran regularly in the area before joining the United States Auto Club sprint car circuit. Were taken to the rural Town of Hayward, California our events be... He remembers the 4th turn, the two cars started down the straightaway in front of iconic... Sweikert might have been different, '' Mayden says planning a racing tour of in! 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