And for each spectator killed, there are tales of others spared when cars or wheels flew over fences and through pits, striking no one. Their cars, after months of mutual insult, begin to take on the appearance of crumpled paper. Fifty years later, her memories of those days paint a picture of the entire experience. Ostapenko and Karsch removed the boys from the water. His father Donald Vogler died in a midget car accident at the Indianapolis Speedrome on May 1, 1981. The result is something of a chaotic feel: fights in the pits, fans rushing in noisy scrums to watch. Bohanon, a Southern Indiana native, has raced on the famous High Banks of Salem Speedway and looks forward to shaping the tracks future. 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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. Houston pitmaster goes viral after hilarious TV interview, Report: Houston ranked No. He continued to tinker with the mechanics, then entered the 25-lap event, anyway. He said, I still cant relax. He said this was just one race. rescue squad rushed to the pool. James Tomlinson, 5 years old, and Anthony Tomlinson, 3, lost "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. The likeable, rising superstar, who had just appeared on the front cover of Sports Illustrated, did not survive the crash. He was one of the good guys. They entered the pool area through a gap in the high fence An Observer survey of track officials showed that few speedways inspect cars closely for more than basic safety items such as restraints and helmets. With months to heal and the war over, he was honorably discharged in September 1945. A naturally gifted mechanic, he frequently won street races throughout the East Bay. Drive. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! Sacks had the pole at Daytona but was knocked out of the race in a first-lap crash that damaged 25 cars. Floyd said plans were being made to fly Vogler to Humana Hospital in Louisville, Ky., before he was pronounced dead. That wasnt what qualified him as an early victim of the SI jinx. 1 most stressful city for U.S. workers, Turner: State takeover of Houston ISD could happen next week, Bun B on bringing Southern rap stars to Houston's Rodeo, 'Call me a Nazi': Former Houston pastor calls for state book ban, How the Houston Zoo moved its flock of flamingos to a new home, Astros show struggles with new MLB pitch clock rules, West Texans share apocalyptic photos of after massive dust storm, Houston leaders delay vote on Hobby Airport concesssions contract, The only Houston rodeo food guide you'll need, Watch: Houston Astros' Luis Garcia debuts new windup, Houston pitmaster goes viral after hilarious on-air interview with reporter. priest, took them word that the boys were dead. Fencing, maybe, or car safety. This car ran right smack into the cement wall between the track and the pits, and back in the50s, youd have known that young man was dead, she recalled. Bob Sweikert participated in 5 World Championship races. "I'm happy to be in the front of the field, even if it's not on the pole.". Nobody covers Columbus, Indiana and the surrounding areas like The Republic. Karl & Veda Orr built & operated their own race cars. Sweikert then quit automotive repair and became a full-time driver. [1] Thompson leased the track to Bill Kniesly starting in 2020. 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. As firemen worked, the Rev. Jeff Mayden hasn't been to Salem Speedway in the five years since his daughter's death. SALEM - Salem Speedway is set to host the 33rd Halloween 200 from Oct. 22-24. He walked over to his father`s car, looked in and then walked away. But Dorie didnt believe it would happen to Sweikert. 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. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. "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. 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. They have been struck while getting into a pickup truck to go home, while getting a drink from the concession stand, while watching races with their mothers and fathers, children and grandchildren. 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. Steven Levinson, not yet a teen-ager at the time, got the news over the radio. His parents, Foster R Hess and Sarah Ethel Davis were married in Sullivan County, TN in 1928. 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. 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So what does Sabres GM Kevyn Adams do this week? Read More. USAC, however, did not see Vogler waive Fittipaldi by, and, as a result, they penalized Fittipaldi two laps. Salem has, however, put up a new fence separating the infield from the pits. They had a large family wedding in West L.A. He was awarded a 40th-place finish (as a "Did Not Start").[6]. You have permission to edit this article. He was leading the race at the time, when his car crashed with just over a lap to go. "When it came down, it came down on us.". The event at one of the iconic short tracks in the county is being . Required fields are marked *. 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. Foremen worked for an hour and a half before Deputy Coroner 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. 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. Eight years later, 81 Speedway's owner seems to disagree. At the time, Vogler was scheduled to run the full Winston Cup Series in the near-future for U.S. A good Sunday was when every driver cheated death and went home alive.. "There's no way to stay ahead of these drivers.". After winning the55 Indy title, Sweikert began plotting his next move. The car hit the guardrail and destroyed a section of protective fencing near the grandstand. "I have 200 fires to put out," track president Doug McManus says. Im ready to get started on making improvements as soon as the weather lets us. 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. "I still love to go to races," Cynthia says now. Sam, their police dog, trotted beside them. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. 20,621 people follow this. In the 1950s, talent won races, but luck decided who lived and died on the track. For Dorie Sweikert, the loss never really went away. If you wanted to be a racer, thats what you had to do, Rathmann said. As the field favorite going for his third consecutive win at Indy, Vuky, who was leading when he crashed, would have been tough to Street, and Edward Karsch, 3470 North Meridian Street, who were on the Broadmoor 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. In 2018, Kody Swanson broke the all-time USAC Silvercrown record with his 24th series win at Salem. She figures it was a combination of factors, but mostly this: It was Bobs time to die, and he died.. Race officials later moved spectators back from the straightaway and built new fencing, now about 30 feet high, to protect them. At 5 p.m. their mother, Mrs. Marie Tomlinson, 32, began February 27, 2023 (100 years old) View obituary. "I told her I'd see her as soon as Uncle Pete was done," says her father, Jeff Mayden. After a complicated, sometimes off-and-on courtship, they were married in 1953. Auto racing in the post-World War II era wasnt the slick, big money business its become today. He was scheduled to make his NASCAR Winston Cup (now NASCAR Cup Series) series debut at Pocono Raceway the day after his fatal crash. 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. Neighbors who learned of the accident called the sheriffs "It was," he said, "nobody's fault.". Drivers competing at Indy during those years were credited with World Championship points and participation. You go to Salem, and you go home a widow. The Salem Speedway joined The Hills circuit in 1947, and immediately demonstrated its potential for disaster. On February 12, 1949 Sweikert won the first BCRA Indoor Midget Race Track championship, in Oakland, on the new 1/12 mile oval track. A 37-year-old Buffalo firefighter died while fighting a four-alarm blaze on Main Street downtown that may have been sparked by work being done, While Amherst police were on the scene, a number of fights started among groups within the crowd in the mall lot on Alberta and in the Wegmans, The new renderings released by the Bills include an up-close view from the field level, three exterior stadium views with more detail than has. He won the Fireman Nationals midget car race at Angell Park Speedway in 1985. Weeks later, Sweikert's fatal sprint car crash occurred on June 17, 1956, at Salem Speedway. win at Indy, Vuky, who was leading when he crashed, would have been tough to The track has 33 degrees of banking in the corners. I had to work very hard at that, not to make it a negative. 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. I just raced. which Sweikert was building of tall cedar stakes when he was killed at Salem, [2] A thunderstorm had ripped the roof off the grandstands and fences were damaged. "It could have been a nightmare," the track's owner said then. Fifteen were gone within just seven years. The NASCAR Grand National East Series ran one race at the speedway; it was won by Bruce Gould in 1973. The crash happened about 40 minutes earlier. 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