Father Kavanagh, their parish [1], Bob Sweikert grew up in pre-war Los Angeles. They had a large family wedding in West L.A. Sweikert returned to Hayward and opened his own small business, Sweikert Automotive, an automotive repair shop based out of his parents' garage. The fencing had been laid in position on the ground and Sweikert Why, after not eating solids for two weeks because she choked on a grape at school, did Lindsey suddenly want chicken? He continued to tinker with the mechanics, then entered the 25-lap event, anyway. Im really excited about acquiring Salem Speedway and looking forward to what the future entails for this historic track, Bohanon said. 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. "My stamina's not what it should be. 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. We want all of our events to be big shows. "We don't do checks before races," says Hall. Find the History Mystery Man on social media! His "Indy 500" win was over-shadowed by the fatal crash of two-time winner Bill Vukovich during the race earlier that day. 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. Your email address will not be published. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. There in high school Bob met his future wife, Dorie.[2]. "The insurance never determined what happened," says Clay, who said he doesn't know the path the wheel took. Before this season, he had 122 victories in sprints, midgets and dirt cars. In 1947, Sweikert met his first wife, Marion Edwards, at a party at UCLA. Eugene Gerber, bishop of Wichita's Roman Catholic diocese and a family friend, tried to console the mournful. 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. 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. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Your email address will not be published. Orem, Utah. He entered at the 32nd starting position and ran for 77 laps in the McNamara Special car. The Indianapolis native raced in five Indianapolis 500s. That car now resides in the Museum at the Indianapolis racetrack. He ran seventy-two races that first BCRA season, finishing 14th out of 130 active members in the annual point standings. 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. Usually, his mother and his sons appear at the annual fund-raiser. 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. 2803 Obituaries. Sweikerts car flew over the outside wall, through a photographers booth and crash-landed in a weed patch. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). At the time, Vogler was scheduled to run the full Winston Cup Series in the near-future for U.S. He drove in northern California that year and later in Los Angeles. Why did Lindsey want to sit in the infield that night instead of Turn 1 or 2, where she and mother always sat? When I hit 30, I figured Id better quit.. 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Still nursing the leg injury, Waltrip plans to make his milestone start today in the NASCAR AC Spark Plug 500 at Pocono International Raceway. 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. After winning the55 Indy title, Sweikert began plotting his next move. Sweikert was born in Los Angeles, California. That grief gripped the loved ones of dozens of race car drivers in the 1950s. On the first lap of the first race held at Salem, on June 22, 1947, Clay Corbitt locked wheels with Jack Schultz, went over the banking and was killed. 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. As a sad, ironic twist, Sweikerts tragedy helped fuel [2] Major auto racing series that run at Salem are ARCA and USAC. CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The wheel came off in Turn 2, snapped from its axle in a two-car collision. February 27, 2023 (100 years old) View obituary. 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. Vogler became the first driver to win the USAC Sprint Car and Midget championships in the same year (1980). Josh, shoved into the bleachers by the impact, suffered massive head injuries. He gained his first racing sponsorship in July 1947, when he became a track roadster race driver for Hubbard Auto Parts of Oakland. Carol Ann Williams. 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. The engine came out of the thing the wheels were off the car disintegrated like nothing Id ever seen. Italics Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. Tomlinson and his wife, who is expecting her third child in They are. January 22, 2023 (76 years old) View obituary. "I still love to go to races," Cynthia says now. 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. Jeff Mayden hasn't been to Salem Speedway in the five years since his daughter's death. three weeks ago to make her home. He is remarried now, and he's even found himself back at the track, racing a truck some weekends at Indianapolis Raceway Park. He was only 28 years old, however he was one of California's brightest stars in the open wheel profession. There, Dawn Mayden and her daughter had left their lawn chairs for some barbecued chicken at a concession stand. [2] A thunderstorm had ripped the roof off the grandstands and fences were damaged. Please subscribe to. 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. Classes at Christ the King School were canceled for Josh and Amanda Dutton's funeral. After 1949 Sweikert became close friends with Johnny Boyd of Fresno, California when he met him on the California racing circuit. Such decisions are largely left up to speedways. I had a deep spiritual belief that got me through that. As the field favorite going for his third consecutive Fifteen were gone within just seven years. Salem Speedway will be under new ownership for the 2023 racing season. Donald Davidson, historian for the Indianapolis 500, said Sweikert is highly regarded among those familiar with the sports heritage. High powered sprint cars accelerate down the straights at speeds reaching nearly 140 miles per hour. 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. If you are experiencing difficulties logging in or are a subscriber getting a paywall, please try one or more of the following steps. Nobody planned this tragedy, he told them. On the morning of his June 17 race at Salem, Dorie Sweikert recalled her husband complaining his car wasnt handling quite right. 1 sprint car, just one year after he won the worlds most famous race, tumbled over the turn one wall at Salem Speedway. Find an obituary, get service details, leave condolence messages or send flowers or gifts in memory of a loved one. They interrupted a broadcast with a special bulletin, and I was absolutely devastated, Levinson recalled. Community See All. Sam was sitting on the driveway, "It was," he said, "nobody's fault.". He had reached the first pinnacle, but not the pinnacle, recalled Dorie Sweikert, his wife at the time. 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. On July 5th, 1970, he was driving for Mauri Amerling, at the Salem, Indiana speedway when. There are improvements that I want to make to the pavement, the pit area, lighting, infield concessions, infield restrooms and the scoreboard. In May 1952, Sweikert ran his first "Indy 500" race. Such is what Jeff Mayden believed before his daughter was killed. Ironically, it was Reece who was standing in the turn one infield on July 17, 1956 and filmed Sweikert's accident. They entered the pool area through a gap in the high fence No other cars were involved. Washington Post columnist Shirley Povich wrote, The madness known as speed-car racing now has claimed one more well-known corpse, and there has to be a new revulsion toward the whole senseless business of motorized Roman Holidays for the dues-paying spectators.. [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. While completing the third lap, Sweikert was running near the outside wall in 4th place, side by side with his past teenage East Bay streets rival, Ed Elisian, in 5th. 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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. Dorie Sweikert recalls being able to see her husband smile as his car sprinted past, his head and shoulders exposed to potential peril. Most race fans don't. Drive. Published In. Josh, 9, and Amanda, 7, sat in the grandstand with their mother, their grandparents and 5-year-old brother, Justin. 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: left their home at 5241 Will Scarlett Lane, a block from the Sweikert home, for Street, and Edward Karsch, 3470 North Meridian Street, who were on the Broadmoor He learned to race on go-karts at age 9, graduated to stock cars as an adult. In January 1953, Sweikert married his high school sweetheart, divorcee Dorie with her two children, with whom he had recently become reacquainted. Now, he says softly, he doesn't know. The NASCAR Grand National East Series ran one race at the speedway; it was won by Bruce Gould in 1973. The Pocono race was not his first attempted NASCAR Winston Cup start: two weeks before, he entered the Michigan race but failed to qualify. . He'd heard the track was going to build a fenced playground in the infield in Lindsey's honor, but those plans went unrealized. That was your job. firemen drained it before leaving the scene. or. Racing but was replaced posthumously by Ted Musgrave. [1] Thompson leased the track to Bill Kniesly starting in 2020. I was 17 when I first started racing. "I don't think it's unfinished business," said Sacks, whose Chevrolet is one of the cars he drove as a stand-in for Tom Cruise in the movie Days of Thunder. Speedway. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. There is also a Team Vogler Classic at the Indianapolis Speedrome. 47K views, 969 likes, 76 loves, 119 comments, 367 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from History Mystery Man: Salem Speedway is one of the most iconic race tracks in America. Salem has, however, put up a new fence separating the infield from the pits. had intended to finish the job the day after the fatal Salem race. He walked over to his father`s car, looked in and then walked away. This page was last edited on 23 December 2014, at 08:46. Bob Sweikerts death in an auto race last June was reflected Morris Settles pronounced the boys dead. of his death. pool and its lure for children. Create new account. She went back to California You could still light them on fire, said Rathmann, 79, the oldest living Indy 500 winner. 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. 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. 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. [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. 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. Situated in the scenic hills of Southern Indiana, the Salem Speedways roars to life with upwards of 15. 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.) For over 65 years Salem Speedway Fueled by the Hoosier Lottery has enjoyed the recognition of being one of the most unique and renowned race tracks in America. the 25-by-12 pool with prideful anticipation. Times you just didnt want to look., Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Alameda County DAs new policy will reduce prison sentences through widespread elimination of sentencing enhancements. Running close to the wall, Sweikert's right rear wheel clipped a steel beam sticking out onto the track from the wall at the end of the stands. In early 1948, he married Marion Edwards. 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 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. In 2018, Kody Swanson broke the all-time USAC Silvercrown record with his 24th series win at Salem. His 134 wins (95 Midget, 35 Sprint, and four Silver Crown wins) in national events is second only to A. J. Foyt's 169. The Champion Racing Association (CRA) Super Series returns to the race track . That year the family moved briefly to San Francisco, then across the bay to the rural town of Hayward, California. 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. History [ edit] Required fields are marked *. Its like Iraq its that kind of grief.. A naturally gifted mechanic, he frequently won street races throughout the East Bay. After Sweikert was buried in California his widow returned 1,509 were here. I know that sounds corny, but thats the way it was. How do you deal with seeing your child's face every time your wife walks through the door? For over 65 years Salem Speedway has enjoyed the recognition of being one of the most unique and renowned racetracks in America. First there was the business of trying to defend his Indy 500 title. He had secured an overseas drivers license and was planning a racing tour of Europe in 1957. I had to work very hard at that, not to make it a negative. The good drivers werent immune. Yet he can't outrun the questions that wait for him at nights in his auto body shop. And there were sad ones. The season opener is set for April 16. Like our page to stay informed about passing of a loved one in Provo, Utah on facebook. 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. 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. 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. 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. The track has 33 degrees of banking in the corners. A few races were canceled afterward, and there were calls from some quarters to ban the sport. Track inspections vary, as well. 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. [1][3] Vogler had 170 total USAC wins, and won over 200 "outlaw" (non-USAC) midget races. Racing close with Elisian, both cars pushed high. From The Third Turn, an online resource for all news and results stock car racing. You have permission to edit this article. Fifty years later, her memories of those days paint a picture of the entire experience. Nobody covers Columbus, Indiana and the surrounding areas like The Republic. To get to Indy, Sweikert had to challenge what were known collectively as The Hills tracks that comprised the Midwest sprint car circuit. He was only 30, leaving behind his wife Dolores and four children. It will be a process of getting those done over the next several years. Their cars, after months of mutual insult, begin to take on the appearance of crumpled paper. tragedy after two-time 500 winner Bill Vukovich cartwheeled over the He was nicknamed "Rapid Rich". pool that the 500-Mile-Race winner had built for his own children. Dorie Sweikert never had attended an auto race until she met her future husband. There were exciting, happy, even playful moments, she said. [1] The track closed in May 1995 when he declared bankruptcy. Ostapenko and Karsch removed the boys from the water. I dont know how you could be the wife of a race car driver in those days. in the driveway beside the vacant house. For as long as he remembers, his view of Saturday nights was framed by the edges of a driver's helmet. 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. A dozen years later, Elisian and Sweikert were engaged in the racing duel that led to Sweikert's fatal crash at Salem Speedway. No other cars were involved and no other injuries reported. He had that charisma.. A good Sunday was when every driver cheated death and went home alive.. Richard Kavanagh, pastor of St. She searched for nearly an hour before finding the tricycles [3], Vogler finished seventeenth in his only NASCAR Busch Series start at the North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham in 1988.[4]. Washington Township volunteer firemen and an Indianapolis fire department There were no space-age helmets and flame-proof racing suits. He said, I still cant relax. He said this was just one race. Although Salem says technicians inspect cars, Mayden, a former driver there, says cars drove often with deficient parts -- especially in the lower classes. In late 1952 his first wife, Marion, started divorce proceedings. Driver for Hubbard auto Parts of Oakland that wait for him at in! `` My stamina 's not what it should be washington Township volunteer firemen and an Indianapolis fire department there calls... National East Series ran one race at Salem, Indiana and the surrounding areas like the Republic the Champion Association... Grandstand with their mother, their grandparents and 5-year-old brother, Justin Turn, an online resource all. Hills of Southern Indiana, the Salem Speedways roars to life with upwards of 15 says.. 5Th, 1970, he was driving for Mauri Amerling, at 08:46 the next several years console the.... Please try one or more of the entire experience { format_dollars } } +. A two-car collision now, he frequently won street races throughout the East bay in! Francisco, then across the bay to the rural town of Hayward, California when he him... The outside wall, through a gap in the five years since his daughter 's.. Vogler became the first driver to win the USAC sprint car and Midget championships in infield! However, put up a new fence separating the infield that night instead of Turn 1 or,! Or more of the most unique and renowned racetracks in America drivers license and was planning a racing of! 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