On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. "It could have been a nightmare," the track's owner said then. Bohanon, a Southern Indiana native, has raced on the famous High Banks of Salem Speedway and looks forward to shaping the tracks future. 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. "It kind of catapulted into the sky," Cindy Dutton remembers. He was one of the good guys. Prior to this season, he had 122 victories in sprints, midgets and dirt cars. 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. He ran seventy-two races that first BCRA season, finishing 14th out of 130 active members in the annual point standings. During most of his IndyCar tenure he was sponsored by KFC, whom he had a longtime professional relationship with. Try 7 Days Free to get access to 836 million+ pages, 1949_07_25 -2 Drivers Killed at Salem Speedway- Louisville Courier-Journal pg 1 (1 of 2), Search the Largest Online Newspaper Archive. Jeff Mayden hasn't been to Salem Speedway in the five years since his daughter's death. He is thankful only that Lindsey had her back to the track when the tire bounced toward her. "Some people said it went over the fence." On May 30, 1955 Sweikert finally won the Indianapolis 500 race, from the 14th starting position in the Zink Kurtis roadster #6. Of the 29 fan deaths since 1990, 10 occurred after tires and other parts inexplicably came off cars. The result is something of a chaotic feel: fights in the pits, fans rushing in noisy scrums to watch. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! He had reached the first pinnacle, but not the pinnacle, recalled Dorie Sweikert, his wife at the time. The Indianapolis 500 was part of the FIA World Championship from 1950 through 1960. Too late for his daughter, and for his marriage, which lasted almost five years before bowing to the weight of Lindsey's memory. rescue squad rushed to the pool. Some neglect even those, conducting superficial prerace walk-throughs or no checks at all. 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. That was Bobs favorite of the half-mile tracks, Dorie Sweikert said. The likeable, rising superstar, who had just appeared on the front cover of Sports Illustrated, did not survive the crash. 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! Weeks later, Sweikert's fatal sprint car crash occurred on June 17, 1956, at Salem Speedway. That was your job. Their cars, after months of mutual insult, begin to take on the appearance of crumpled paper. [1] The track received major storm damage in 1981 and it was not used until 1987. As a sad, ironic twist, Sweikerts tragedy helped fuel Born March 10, 1957. 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! Track inspections vary, as well. 4.3 out of 5 stars. pool and its lure for children. Houston pitmaster goes viral after hilarious TV interview, Report: Houston ranked No. For over 65 years Salem Speedway has enjoyed the recognition of being one of the most unique and renowned racetracks in America. On July 5th, 1970, he was driving for Mauri Amerling, at the Salem, Indiana speedway when. For Dorie Sweikert, the loss never really went away. In the following 11 years, four more were killed at the track, and in 1983, the 10th and final fatality at Riverside occurred, when ex-Formula 1 and Le Mans driver Rolf Stommelen's IMSA GTP Porsche. "I always thought she was probably in more danger driving to the racetrack than being in the infield," he says. The tragedy brought complaints from neighbors about the open I had a deep spiritual belief that got me through that. They interrupted a broadcast with a special bulletin, and I was absolutely devastated, Levinson recalled. Sheriff Robert A. ONeal ordered the pool be drained. I saw him coming out of the fourth turn, he and Ed up so high, Dorie Sweikert said. She died five hours later, early the next day. ), 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. Salem, IN (April 20, 2021) - Champion Racing Association Powered by JEGS will head to the famous High Banks of Salem Speedway Fueled by the Hoosier Lottery, located in Salem, Indiana, this coming weekend for the Midwest 250 Presented by Scott County Tourism & Lucas Oil. The car hit the guardrail and destroyed a section of protective fencing near the grandstand. Create new account. 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In 1988, Vogler was running 20+ laps down in the race when he waived his position to former Formula 1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi. "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. Vogler remained motionless for several minutes before being removed by ambulance. High powered sprint cars accelerate down the straights at speeds reaching nearly 140 miles per hour. Please subscribe to. [2] Major auto racing series that run at Salem are ARCA and USAC . Salem Speedway. The following paragraphs have been transcribed from the Indianapolis The track has 33 degrees of banking in the corners. Karl & Veda Orr built & operated their own race cars. three weeks ago to make her home. He won 1 race and accumulated a total of 8 championship points. The wheel hit Amanda flush, crushing her lungs and heart beyond surgeons' repair. But I'm doing therapy every day.". * Most laps led. 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. ". Last edited on 17 December 2022, at 23:08, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bob_Sweikert&oldid=1128015419, This page was last edited on 17 December 2022, at 23:08. His mother had married his stepfather, an electrician for the state of California, when Bob was an infant. 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. But Dorie didnt believe it would happen to Sweikert. After 1949 Sweikert became close friends with Johnny Boyd of Fresno, California when he met him on the California racing circuit. If you wanted to be a racer, thats what you had to do, Rathmann said. Send comments to [emailprotected]. Both boys were Sweikert himself took the checkers at Indy in the face of We want all of our events to be big shows. Father Kavanagh, their parish 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. Drivers wore helmets basically made of reinforced cardboard and T-shirts soaked in Borax. He walked over to his father`s car, looked in and then walked away. He said, I still cant relax. He said this was just one race. He had secured an overseas drivers license and was planning a racing tour of Europe in 1957. 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. 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.) She searched for nearly an hour before finding the tricycles "And it gets worse at the end of the night.". Street Funeral Home. 1993 Salem Speedway Jeff Ellison's Tremendous Crash (AFTERMATH) Jordan St.Amant 1K subscribers Subscribe 328 103K views 8 years ago Local racer Jeff Ellison crashed tremendously during a local. Bob Sweikert participated in 5 World Championship races. Dr. Dan. SALEM - Salem Speedway is set to host the 33rd Halloween 200 from Oct. 22-24. 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. Now, he says softly, he doesn't know. 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. Vogler was declared the winner when officials decided not to complete the 30-lap event. USAC, however, did not see Vogler waive Fittipaldi by, and, as a result, they penalized Fittipaldi two laps. Ostapenko and Karsch removed the boys from the water. There in high school Bob met his future wife, Dorie.[2]. 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. Learn how your comment data is processed. Why did Lindsey want to sit in the infield that night instead of Turn 1 or 2, where she and mother always sat? Sweikert was thrown from the car and was pronounced dead of head injuries upon arrival at Washington County Hospital. The challenge for speedway owners: How do you balance the counterweights of safety and intimacy? The .555-Mile oval that features imposing 33-degree banked turns was built strictly for speed. How do you deal with seeing your child's face every time your wife walks through the door? "We don't do checks before races," says Hall. "The spindle just locked up and came off," he remembers. There, Dawn Mayden and her daughter had left their lawn chairs for some barbecued chicken at a concession stand. waiting patiently for the boys. It was completed about the time 2894 Gallahad Drive, around the corner from the Sweikert house, ran to her aid. He'd heard the track was going to build a fenced playground in the infield in Lindsey's honor, but those plans went unrealized. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Sacks had the pole at Daytona but was knocked out of the race in a first-lap crash that damaged 25 cars. [4], USAR ran seven races at the track between 2002 and 2008; winners include Brian Ross, Joel Kauffman, Mikey Kile, Jeff Agnew, Gary St. 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. They are. 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. Foremen worked for an hour and a half before Deputy Coroner Salem Speedway is a .555 miles (0.893km) long paved oval racetrack in Washington Township, Washington County, near Salem, Indiana, United States, approximately 100 miles (160km) south of Indianapolis. 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. Sweikert's first chance at driving a Sprint car came next in 1949. He drove in northern California that year and later in Los Angeles. Required fence heights for oval track bleachers vary from 9 to 15 feet, according to insurance company representatives. Fifty years later, her memories of those days paint a picture of the entire experience. Vogler became the first driver to win the USAC Sprint Car and Midget championships in the same year (1980). 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. on Tragedy follows tragedythe aftermath of Bob Sweikerts death, Meet the amazing Miss Nichols, world-record aviator in a Crosley. Sweikert's car, on the outside, brushed a piece of metal . Nobody covers Columbus, Indiana and the surrounding areas like The Republic. Richard Kavanagh, pastor of St. There were exciting, happy, even playful moments, she said. Most race fans don't. "I still love to go to races," Cynthia says now. There over the next couple years, he built his own track roadster. Vogler was the National Alliance of Midget Auto Racing (NAMAR) midget champion in 1973. 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. "It didn't belong on that car," Hall says. 20,621 people follow this. This was his 170th win. When I hit 30, I figured Id better quit.. From age 16 Sweikert worked after school as a mechanic at the local Ford dealership in Hayward. The Indianapolis native raced in five Indianapolis 500s. Im ready to get started on making improvements as soon as the weather lets us. Report: Houston is the No. The tire struck Lindsey Mayden, 7 years old. His "Indy 500" win was over-shadowed by the fatal crash of two-time winner Bill Vukovich during the race earlier that day. 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. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. 1,476 check-ins. At the time, Vogler was scheduled to run the full Winston Cup Series in the near-future for U.S. Sam was sitting on the driveway, ''They were both at the track practicing. Other tracks have taken a similarly reactive approach to tragedy. Learn More IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California hasnt followed: What should you do? Your email address will not be published. after the boys were taken from the water. 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. 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. Sweikert fought for custody of their young daughter. When Vogler got word of Fittipaldi's penalty, he went up to USAC to testify for him, calling the penalty "unjust." 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. Security, it seems, can get lost in the swirl. 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. He was awarded a 40th-place finish (as a "Did Not Start").[6]. SALEM, IND. Was that what went wrong? RACE CAR driver Bob Sweikert celebrates his win in the 1955Indianapolis 500 with his wife, Dorrie. 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. "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. Drivers, nursing accumulated grudges, satisfy them on and off the track. Drivers competing at Indy during those years were credited with World Championship points and participation. His parents, Foster R Hess and Sarah Ethel Davis were married in Sullivan County, TN in 1928. This page was last edited on 23 December 2014, at 08:46. [4], NASCAR Southeast Series ran two races at the facility between 1996 and 1997; the races were won by Steven Christian and Ron Young respectively. The race was red flagged and would never restart. After Sports Illustrated put Sweikert on the cover of its May 28, 1956, issue, he wound up sixth in the race. Sweikert and his wife, Dolores, were the parents of four children Still nursing the leg injury, Waltrip plans to make his milestone start today in the NASCAR AC Spark Plug 500 at Pocono International Raceway. Other officials do little, shrugging instead at the danger of mixing fans who crave nearness and cars that, by design, fragment upon impact. 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. Vogler's helmet flew off his head and he suffered severe head injuries that proved to be fatal. It is too late, he thinks. Lindsey took to cars with the same fervor. 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. He is buried at Lone Tree Cemetery in Fairview, California.[3]. Perhaps in part because Bob Sweikert refused to accept fear, Dorie convinced herself he was safe from harm. 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. "He would be going if it were me that died. He gained his first racing sponsorship in July 1947, when he became a track roadster race driver for Hubbard Auto Parts of Oakland. Speedway infield. Yard of Sweikert Home. Sweikert's mother, Grace, often visited Bob's firstborn until Grace died. They had a large family wedding in West L.A. They were joined by Myron Weinberger, 221 East 70th I know that sounds corny, but thats the way it was. James Tomlinson, 5 years old, and Anthony Tomlinson, 3, lost Although Salem says technicians inspect cars, Mayden, a former driver there, says cars drove often with deficient parts -- especially in the lower classes. Published In. Read More. On July 21, 1990, during the Joe James / Pat O'Connor Memorial sprint car event at the Salem Speedway, which was nationally broadcast on ESPN Thunder, sprint car driver Rich Vogler sustained fatal head injuries due to a crash in turn 4. Situated in the scenic hills of Southern Indiana, the Salem Speedways roars to life with upwards of 15. As firemen worked, the Rev. Built in 1946/47, the. Fifteen were gone within just seven years. About. Neighbors who learned of the accident called the sheriffs In January 1953, Sweikert married his high school sweetheart, divorcee Dorie with her two children, with whom he had recently become reacquainted. She never saw danger coming. Track technicians had not inspected the car. Others ignore signs urging people away from the 4-foot chain-link fence separating the pits from the track. 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. 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. She is one of 29 spectators since 1990 to be killed by cars or their flying parts at U.S. auto racing events. During 1947 Sweikert began mailing monthly accounts of his life to Veda Orr, through April 1956. 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 winner. In May 1952, Sweikert ran his first "Indy 500" race. The engine came out of the thing the wheels were off the car disintegrated like nothing Id ever seen. 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. 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. 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