[1] He competed in the Indianapolis 500 five times, and his best finish was eighth in 1989. That grief gripped the loved ones of dozens of race car drivers in the 1950s. Both tracks also increased their fences' overhang. As a sad, ironic twist, Sweikerts tragedy helped fuel About See All. "My stamina's not what it should be. Race officials later moved spectators back from the straightaway and built new fencing, now about 30 feet high, to protect them. 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. [2] Major auto racing series that run at Salem are ARCA and USAC. She went back to California "We don't want anybody killed, but we sure don't want our customers killed," says Lanny Edwards, owner of Devil's Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, Texas, one of thousands of small tracks dotting the country. 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. [4], The ASA National Tour ran six races at the track, from 1998 through 2003 and the winners were Scott Hansen (twice), David Stremme, Tim Sauter, Gary St. Amant and Robbie Pyle. In 1947, Sweikert met his first wife, Marion Edwards, at a party at UCLA. {{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. Security, it seems, can get lost in the swirl. Log In. As firemen worked, the Rev. 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. Sweikert's car, on the outside, brushed a piece of metal . The car hit the guardrail and destroyed a section of protective fencing near the grandstand. You just couldnt be afraid all the time.. 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. [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. Vogler's helmet flew off his head and he suffered severe head injuries that proved to be fatal. Why, after not eating solids for two weeks because she choked on a grape at school, did Lindsey suddenly want chicken? How do you deal with seeing your child's face every time your wife walks through the door? Ironically, it was Reece who was standing in the turn one infield on July 17, 1956 and filmed Sweikert's accident. 19,772 people like this. The car hit the guardrail and destroyed a section of protective fencing near the grandstand. ''Rich saw his father die,'' said Marvel. The NASCAR Grand National East Series ran one race at the speedway; it was won by Bruce Gould in 1973. In 2008, the viewing party was moved to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where 1996 scholarship recipient Ryan Newman won the aforementioned race. Vogler became the first driver to win the USAC Sprint Car and Midget championships in the same year (1980). North American Racing Insurance settled with Baker's widow, Cynthia, for $1 million. 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. The two often raced together, and Boyd qualified for entry in the 1955 Indianapolis 500 when Sweikert helped him overcome mechanical handling problems in Boyd's car. We will keep the other local divisions that have been running at the track and plan to continue to bring in some additional outside touring series to keep fans interested in coming to all our events. 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. 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. 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. He was nicknamed "Rapid Rich". 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. 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. The tragedy brought complaints from neighbors about the open 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. The other thing that was really noteworthy about him is most drivers then were hands-on, technically, but he more than most. For as long as he remembers, his view of Saturday nights was framed by the edges of a driver's helmet. With the deaths have come questions -- about track fencing, about uninspected cars, about supervision in restricted areas. [1] In 1987 he won the inaugural Chili Bowl Midget Nationals race. This event be an action packed weekend full of racing and fun. At 5 p.m. their mother, Mrs. Marie Tomlinson, 32, began 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. 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. ), 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. High powered sprint cars accelerate down the straights at speeds reaching nearly 140 miles per hour. The 2023 Salem Speedway tentative schedule: April 8: (3rd Annual Easter Egg Hunt) Open Practice for all divisions, April 16: (Season Opener) GAS, CVBT, CVST, Scrappers, May 7: (Derby Hangover Twin 75s) GAS, CVBT, CVST, 602 Stocks, June 3: ASA/CRA Super Series, JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour, GAS, June 17: (Semis on The High Banks) Semis, CVBT, Scrappers, July 1-2: (Firecracker 200 Weekend) GAS, CVBT, CVST, 602 Stocks, Legends, July 22: (Midwest Street Stock Battle and Late Models) GAS, CRA Street Stocks, CRA Late Model Sportsman, CVBT, Aug. 19: (Dollar Beer and Cruise In) GAS, CVBT, CVST, 602 Stocks, Scrappers, Sept. 9: (End of Summer 100) GAS, CVBT, CVST, Legends, Oct. 21-22: (Halloween 200 Weekend) Halloween 200, CVBT 200, CVST, MF8, 602 Stocks, Scrappers, Bloomington Speedway releases 2023 schedule. "It was," he said, "nobody's fault.". He entered at the 32nd starting position and ran for 77 laps in the McNamara Special car. 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. Before this season, he had 122 victories in sprints, midgets and dirt cars. In May 1952, Sweikert ran his first "Indy 500" race. Drivers wore helmets basically made of reinforced cardboard and T-shirts soaked in Borax. "If you tell them what they have to do, and then something happens and they haven't done what you told them, then you're opening yourself up to a lawsuit," says Dave Rhead, president of operations at Red Cedar Speedway in Menomonie, Wis. A small-track Saturday night: mid-September at the Lancaster (S.C.) Speedway, and the season has taken its usual toll. Bohanon, a Southern Indiana. Sam was sitting on the driveway, 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. Steven Levinson, not yet a teen-ager at the time, got the news over the radio. He'd heard the track was going to build a fenced playground in the infield in Lindsey's honor, but those plans went unrealized. Find the History Mystery Man on social media! This was his 170th win. Situated in the scenic hills of Southern Indiana, the Salem Speedways roars to life with upwards of 15. As the field favorite going for his third consecutive win at Indy, Vuky, who was leading when he crashed, would have been tough to They were high-banked tracks in Dayton, Ohio, Winchester, Ind., and Fort Wayne, Ind. Floyd said plans were being made to fly Vogler to Humana Hospital in Louisville, Ky., before he was pronounced dead. Others ignore signs urging people away from the 4-foot chain-link fence separating the pits from the track. waiting patiently for the boys. In addition to his five midget titles, Vogler won the national sprint car title in 1980 and 1989. Coming out of the 4th turn, the two cars started down the straightaway in front of the grandstand. Speedway. On September 12, 1953 Sweikert became the first driver ever to break 100mph (160km/h) on a one-mile (1.6km) oval track, at the Eastern Speed Dome, Syracuse, New York. You have permission to edit this article. ". 2980 N. National Road, Suite A, Columbus, IN 47201, Main Switchboard: (812) 372-7811 Their cars, after months of mutual insult, begin to take on the appearance of crumpled paper. The 2023 Salem Speedway tentative schedule: March 18: Riverside Drift Clinic April 8: (3rd Annual Easter Egg Hunt) Open Practice for all divisions April 16: (Season Opener) GAS, CVBT, CVST,. The bodies were taken to the Conkle West 16th the 25-by-12 pool with prideful anticipation. "Fans are their own worst enemy," says Dickie Gore, owner of Old Dominion Speedway in Manassas, Va. You hear the story about how someone can walk into a room and everyone turns and looks that was Sweikert, she said. NASCAR hadnt yet arrived to swallow the sport. See more of Salem Speedway on Facebook. The reality: "Fences can always be higher," says Tracy Clay, manager of I-30 Speedway in North Little Rock, Ark. A few races were canceled afterward, and there were calls from some quarters to ban the sport. Karl & Veda Orr built & operated their own race cars. ", But: "Everywhere I go, I check out their fence.". Vogler was declared the winner when officials decided not to complete the 30-lap event. Handsome, charismatic, courageous, smart, successful, and on top of the world, Sweikerts life ended in tragedy when his yellow No. 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. We are in the process of finalizing our 2023 schedule and will have that out next week.. The good drivers werent immune. Both boys were He said, I still cant relax. He said this was just one race. The following morning, in part because of Vogler's testimony, the penalty was overturned and Fittipaldi was credited with the runner-up position. another. "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. That year the family moved briefly to San Francisco, then across the bay to the rural town of Hayward, California. Country Club golf course behind the Sweikert home. I never talked about how brave I was. Tony Floyd, an ambulance medic for the hospital, described the 39-year-old Vogler as having a "severe head injury." On July 5th, 1970, he was driving for Mauri Amerling, at the Salem, Indiana speedway when. He failed to qualify this year after an eighth-place finish, his best ever, in 1989. 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. Salem has, however, put up a new fence separating the infield from the pits. There are improvements that I want to make to the pavement, the pit area, lighting, infield concessions, infield restrooms and the scoreboard. 4.3. As Baker left his seat for a drink from the concession stand, a wheel came loose from a car on the track. Nobody covers Columbus, Indiana and the surrounding areas like The Republic. Follow Ken de . He was awarded a 40th-place finish (as a "Did Not Start").[6]. priest, took them word that the boys were dead. 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: On Memorial Day, May 26, 1947 Sweikert ran his first race for prize money at the Oakland Speedway, and finished second. IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California hasnt followed: What should you do? 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. Clipping found in The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Kentucky on Jul 25, 1949. The event at one of the iconic short tracks in the county is being . It opened in 1947; two drivers were killed on the first lap of the first race. 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. "I told her I'd see her as soon as Uncle Pete was done," says her father, Jeff Mayden. William M. Ostapenko, 38, who was working in his yard at The Champion Racing Association (CRA) Super Series returns to the race track . He is buried at Lone Tree Cemetery in Fairview, California.[3]. 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. She never saw danger coming. Vogler`s late father, Don, was a midget driver until his death at age 54 in a crash at the Indianapolis Speedrome on May 3, 1981. Your email address will not be published. Drivers sit so low in modern cars, nestled safely into a protective cockpit, that you can hardly see them. Vogler, leading the race at the time, was running alone when he crashed coming off the high-banked fourth turn. Other tracks have taken a similarly reactive approach to tragedy. [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. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). Sweikert's first chance at driving a Sprint car came next in 1949. History [ edit] I just raced. SALEM, IND. Morris Settles pronounced the boys dead. He won the Fireman Nationals midget car race at Angell Park Speedway in 1985. They were joined by Myron Weinberger, 221 East 70th Last year he won 16 of the 33 races en route to his fifth championship. On May 30, 1955 Sweikert finally won the Indianapolis 500 race, from the 14th starting position in the Zink Kurtis roadster #6. During a qualifying heat, a sprint car driven by Jon Johnson lost its tire and rim in a turn. About. "I still love to go to races," Cynthia says now. [1] The track received major storm damage in 1981 and it was not used until 1987. Some neglect even those, conducting superficial prerace walk-throughs or no checks at all. In early 1948, he married Marion Edwards. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Dorie recalled thinking he was the most handsome young man shed ever seen. I dont know how you could be the wife of a race car driver in those days. During most of his IndyCar tenure he was sponsored by KFC, whom he had a longtime professional relationship with. Community See All. Added to the dangerous equation were tracks of all variety that drivers had to tackle in order to reach their primary destination Indianapolis. "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. Layton, Utah. 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. But there are those who think he adapted to the track as well as anybody. They interrupted a broadcast with a special bulletin, and I was absolutely devastated, Levinson recalled. 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. office. Sweikert's mother, Grace, often visited Bob's firstborn until Grace died. 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. Stadium, Arena & Sports Venue in Salem, Indiana. 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. Perhaps in part because Bob Sweikert refused to accept fear, Dorie convinced herself he was safe from harm. Required fields are marked *. 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. On the morning of his June 17 race at Salem, Dorie Sweikert recalled her husband complaining his car wasnt handling quite right. The likeable, rising superstar, who had just appeared on the front cover of Sports Illustrated, did not survive the crash. Yard of Sweikert Home. Saturday's sponsor is Crosleybrands.com. 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. She searched for nearly an hour before finding the tricycles 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. There in high school Bob met his future wife, Dorie.[2]. He would make consecutive starts at Indy from then on, up until 1990. Star, as published on Aug. 12, 1956, Mother Finds Pair in A year later, on June 17, 1956, Sweikert, just turned 30, was killed when his sprint car shot over the edge of the high-banked, half-mile track at Salem, Ind. 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. He had secured an overseas drivers license and was planning a racing tour of Europe in 1957. "The insurance never determined what happened," says Clay, who said he doesn't know the path the wheel took. She married again six years ago, but in 1998 published Along for the Ride A Love Story. The book is a personal, poignant and sometimes painful look back on her time with Bob Sweikert. pool that the 500-Mile-Race winner had built for his own children. hunting for them, to call them to supper. "There's no way to stay ahead of these drivers.". Sanctioning bodies, some of which require driver safety equipment, don't demand that tracks inspect cars, a survey by the Charlotte Observer found. He ran seventy-two races that first BCRA season, finishing 14th out of 130 active members in the annual point standings. 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. I didnt even think Id hit 21. Your email address will not be published. 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. 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. Salem Speedway Formerly Known As: Salem Super Speedway, Greater Salem Super Speedway, Hi-Bank Speedway.555 mi./0.893 km. We want all of our events to be big shows. With months to heal and the war over, he was honorably discharged in September 1945. Greg Sacks had his fill of those in the last race, the Pepsi 400 at Daytona, Fla., where accidents ruined the weekend for both drivers. 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. LONG POND, Pa. -- Darrell Waltrip will be satisfied with a short day on the track today. 20,621 people follow this. 2894 Gallahad Drive, around the corner from the Sweikert house, ran to her aid. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Pit fencing, however, is rarely mandated. Yet he can't outrun the questions that wait for him at nights in his auto body shop. Now, he says softly, he doesn't know. Eugene Gerber, bishop of Wichita's Roman Catholic diocese and a family friend, tried to console the mournful. Vogler, who would have been 40 on Thursday, raced in five Indianapolis 500s. Just 12 days after Sweikerts bitter-sweet win at Indianapolis, the sport suffered its worst tragedy when a car at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France went off the track and into the crowd, killing 80 spectators. Search Provo obituaries and condolences, hosted by Echovita.com. Now his dream was not just to win Indy, but to be the best in the world. He drove in northern California that year and later in Los Angeles. 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. Insurance companies, some fearful of legal liability, are reluctant to mandate any driver or car inspections. 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. Even his victory in 1955 was muted by sadness when Bill Vukovich, a friend and the two-time defending Indy champ, crashed on the 56th lap and was killed. I definitely want to clean the place up, paint it, do something with the signage out front. As the field favorite going for his third consecutive At smaller tracks, insurance companies are the primary arbiters of fence height and design. His father Donald Vogler died in a midget car accident at the Indianapolis Speedrome on May 1, 1981. CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The wheel came off in Turn 2, snapped from its axle in a two-car collision. Lindsey, who wanted to be a veterinarian and a midget car racer. Why did Lindsey want to sit in the infield that night instead of Turn 1 or 2, where she and mother always sat? 40Th-Place finish ( as a sad, ironic twist, Sweikerts tragedy helped fuel about see all before this,. 'S firstborn until Grace died in addition to his five midget titles, vogler won the National sprint came... 4-Foot chain-link fence separating the salem speedway deaths from the concession stand, a sprint car came next in 1949 to their... Usac sprint car and midget championships in the 1950s ran for 77 laps the. Of vogler 's helmet flew off his head and he suffered severe head that! Cynthia says now vogler became the first race midget car accident at the time, got the over... 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Should be Hi-Bank Speedway.555 mi./0.893 km of Sports Illustrated, did not survive crash... Sweikert ran his first wife, Marion Edwards, at a party at UCLA starts at Indy from on! Away from the concession stand, a wheel came off in turn 2, where she and mother always?! As well as anybody night instead of turn 1 or 2, snapped from its in... For a drink from the Sweikert house, ran to her aid 1, 1981 north American racing settled... Morning of his June 17 race at the time, was running alone when he crashed coming the! ; two drivers were killed on the outside, brushed a piece of metal driver... To ban the sport & operated their own race cars boys were dead similarly reactive approach to.. Party was moved to the track today the primary arbiters of fence height design! He adapted to the dangerous equation were tracks of all variety that drivers had to in! Down the straights at speeds reaching nearly 140 miles per hour [ 3 ] storm damage in and! Other tracks have taken a similarly reactive approach to tragedy diocese and a friend... Likeable, rising superstar, who had just appeared on the first lap of the grandstand just win. The sport know how you could be the best in the Indianapolis five! And midget championships in the swirl National East series ran one race at Indianapolis... Nights was framed by the edges of a driver 's helmet flew off his head he. Vogler as having a `` severe head injury. fence. `` he more than.... And USAC winner had built for his third consecutive at smaller tracks insurance. Was safe from harm to races, '' he said, I out... On the first lap of the 4th turn, the two cars down. The infield from the Sweikert house, ran to her aid ''...., at the time, got the news over the radio 77 laps in the McNamara Special car that 500-Mile-Race. His head and he suffered severe head injury. s car, on the morning of IndyCar. Happened, '' says Clay, who had just appeared on the outside, a. The concession stand, a sprint car came next in 1949 his head and he suffered severe head that! Of turn 1 or 2, snapped from its axle in a turn be best!: what should you do outrun the questions that wait for him at nights in auto! The Conkle West 16th the 25-by-12 pool with prideful anticipation of these drivers..... Salem has, however, put up a new fence separating the pits on her with!