January 22, 2023 (76 years old) View obituary. In addition to his five midget titles, Vogler won the national sprint car title in 1980 and 1989. I wanted what he wanted, she said. [1] The track received major storm damage in 1981 and it was not used until 1987. "When it came down, it came down on us.". He died the day after his sister, on his 10th birthday. "Fans are their own worst enemy," says Dickie Gore, owner of Old Dominion Speedway in Manassas, Va. Michigan Speedway raised its fences from 14 1/2 to 17 feet after its 1998 CART crash. February 27, 2023 (100 years old) View obituary. With months to heal and the war over, he was honorably discharged in September 1945. To get to Indy, Sweikert had to challenge what were known collectively as The Hills tracks that comprised the Midwest sprint car circuit. Still nursing the leg injury, Waltrip plans to make his milestone start today in the NASCAR AC Spark Plug 500 at Pocono International Raceway. Sacks had the pole at Daytona but was knocked out of the race in a first-lap crash that damaged 25 cars. "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. The Community See All. Insurers wait as much as three years between track visits, leaving opportunity for repairs and maintenance to lag. About See All. 2803 Obituaries. 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. That wasnt what qualified him as an early victim of the SI jinx. 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. beat that day. His father Donald Vogler died in a midget car accident at the Indianapolis Speedrome on May 1, 1981. 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. Tony Floyd, an ambulance medic for the hospital, described the 39-year-old Vogler as having a "severe head injury." 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. Vogler's helmet flew off his head and he suffered severe head injuries that proved to be fatal. Drivers competing at Indy during those years were credited with World Championship points and participation. CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The wheel came off in Turn 2, snapped from its axle in a two-car collision. Follow Ken de . That grief gripped the loved ones of dozens of race car drivers in the 1950s. Among the 33 drivers who started the 1955 Indy 500 won by Sweikert, 16 eventually were killed in accidents on the track. Of the 29 fan deaths since 1990, 10 occurred after tires and other parts inexplicably came off cars. [3], Vogler finished seventeenth in his only NASCAR Busch Series start at the North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham in 1988.[4]. You go to Salem, and you go home a widow. Street, and Edward Karsch, 3470 North Meridian Street, who were on the Broadmoor "We don't do checks before races," says Hall. He is buried at Lone Tree Cemetery in Fairview, California.[3]. The guys who didnt run there, they were flat-ass chicken., No one had to twist Bob Sweikerts arm to race at Salem. Orem, Utah. Salem Speedway Formerly Known As: Salem Super Speedway, Greater Salem Super Speedway, Hi-Bank Speedway.555 mi./0.893 km. They were high-banked tracks in Dayton, Ohio, Winchester, Ind., and Fort Wayne, Ind. Insurance companies, some fearful of legal liability, are reluctant to mandate any driver or car inspections. Racing but was replaced posthumously by Ted Musgrave. Dorie recalled thinking he was the most handsome young man shed ever seen. Richard Kavanagh, pastor of St. Security, it seems, can get lost in the swirl. "The spindle just locked up and came off," he remembers. 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. priest, took them word that the boys were dead. They had a large family wedding in West L.A. 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. Of course, it saved a lot of lives.. The tire hit a concrete barrier in front of the grandstand. 1 sprint car, just one year after he won the worlds most famous race, tumbled over the turn one wall at Salem Speedway. Nobody planned this tragedy, he told them. 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. The sprint car flew over the edge of the track, down the embankment, and landed a hundred feet below, where it briefly burst into flames. The same year, Sweikert moved up to midget cars, and won his first training race with the Bay Cities Racing Association. 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. He is remarried now, and he's even found himself back at the track, racing a truck some weekends at Indianapolis Raceway Park. LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Racing is returning to Salem, Indiana. and the winner of the 1955 Indianapolis Motor Speedway classic and had built 4.3. Your email address will not be published. She never saw danger coming. Find the History Mystery Man on social media! 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. Then came a June 17 sprint car race at Salem Speedway. Salem Speedway. Houston pitmaster goes viral after hilarious TV interview, Report: Houston ranked No. Josh, 9, and Amanda, 7, sat in the grandstand with their mother, their grandparents and 5-year-old brother, Justin. In April 1991, Winchester Speedway began the annual season-opening Rich Vogler Classic sprint car race, usually the first race at the track each year. "Some people said it went over the fence." 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. 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. His death prompted another burst of outrage over the sports dangerous side. Im ready to get started on making improvements as soon as the weather lets us. During 1947 Sweikert began mailing monthly accounts of his life to Veda Orr, through April 1956. "We don't want the legal system to say, `You approved this car inspection thing.' SALEM, IND. 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. Published In. During a qualifying heat, a sprint car driven by Jon Johnson lost its tire and rim in a turn. There were no space-age helmets and flame-proof racing suits. pool and its lure for children. Search Provo obituaries and condolences, hosted by Echovita.com. I saw him coming out of the fourth turn, he and Ed up so high, Dorie Sweikert said. Ostapenko and Karsch removed the boys from the water. 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. {{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. She figures it was a combination of factors, but mostly this: It was Bobs time to die, and he died.. 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. ''I knew him well but we never talked about his father`s death. Sweikerts car flew over the outside wall, through a photographers booth and crash-landed in a weed patch. For as long as he remembers, his view of Saturday nights was framed by the edges of a driver's helmet. You have permission to edit this article. pool that the 500-Mile-Race winner had built for his own children. At smaller tracks, insurance companies are the primary arbiters of fence height and design. I just raced. Coming out of the 4th turn, the two cars started down the straightaway in front of the grandstand. Your email address will not be published. There is also a Team Vogler Classic at the Indianapolis Speedrome. Street Funeral Home. "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. Why did Lindsey want to sit in the infield that night instead of Turn 1 or 2, where she and mother always sat? Mrs. Sweikerts last order before leaving Indianapolis, the neighbors said, was that the fence be completed at once. "It could have been a nightmare," the track's owner said then. Vogler's helmet flew off his head and he suffered severe head injuries that proved to be fatal. (key) (Bold Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Learn how your comment data is processed. After a complicated, sometimes off-and-on courtship, they were married in 1953. "There's no way to stay ahead of these drivers.". There was always the darkness the thing about Vukie.. You hear the story about how someone can walk into a room and everyone turns and looks that was Sweikert, she said. 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. Both tracks also increased their fences' overhang. 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. The boys 33-year-old father arrived at the pool shortly tragedy after two-time 500 winner Bill Vukovich cartwheeled over the 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. 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. Report: Houston is the No. waiting patiently for the boys. Race officials later moved spectators back from the straightaway and built new fencing, now about 30 feet high, to protect them. 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. [2] The ARCA qualifying record is 16.785 seconds/119.035mph by Gary Bradberry in 1994.[6]. Most race fans don't. When Vogler got word of Fittipaldi's penalty, he went up to USAC to testify for him, calling the penalty "unjust." 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. "It didn't belong on that car," Hall says. Sweikert and his wife, Dolores, were the parents of four children Sanctioning bodies, some of which require driver safety equipment, don't demand that tracks inspect cars, a survey by the Charlotte Observer found. Country Club golf course behind the Sweikert home. 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. 2894 Gallahad Drive, around the corner from the Sweikert house, ran to her aid. At the 81 Speedway, Hall says cars are inspected on two occasions -- the first time they appear at the track and after they are involved in accidents. If hed come along a half-century later, Bob Sweikert might have been that lucky young driver.