), 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. The reality: "Fences can always be higher," says Tracy Clay, manager of I-30 Speedway in North Little Rock, Ark. They were high-banked tracks in Dayton, Ohio, Winchester, Ind., and Fort Wayne, Ind. 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. Houston pitmaster goes viral after hilarious TV interview, Report: Houston ranked 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. That grief gripped the loved ones of dozens of race car drivers in the 1950s. Fifteen were gone within just seven years. 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"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. Find the History Mystery Man on social media! [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. Veda wrote many racing articles. The fencing had been laid in position on the ground and Sweikert Bradway died from injuries suffered in a tragic sprint car crash during the Super Dirt Cup at Skagit Speedway in Washington State on June 21, 1987. [2] The ARCA qualifying record is 16.785 seconds/119.035mph by Gary Bradberry in 1994.[6]. I saw him coming out of the fourth turn, he and Ed up so high, Dorie Sweikert said. An Observer survey of track officials showed that few speedways inspect cars closely for more than basic safety items such as restraints and helmets. Before this season, he had 122 victories in sprints, midgets and dirt cars. "Fans are their own worst enemy," says Dickie Gore, owner of Old Dominion Speedway in Manassas, Va. I dont know how you could be the wife of a race car driver in those days. 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. [1][3] Vogler had 170 total USAC wins, and won over 200 "outlaw" (non-USAC) midget races. If you wanted to be a racer, thats what you had to do, Rathmann said. Learn More "He would be going if it were me that died. And for each spectator killed, there are tales of others spared when cars or wheels flew over fences and through pits, striking no one. Foremen worked for an hour and a half before Deputy Coroner For as long as he remembers, his view of Saturday nights was framed by the edges of a driver's helmet. And with good reason; with 33-degree banking in the corners, Salem Speedway was built in 1947 with all out speed in mind. A good Sunday was when every driver cheated death and went home alive.. "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. He was about to take the white flag for the final lap. You could still light them on fire, said Rathmann, 79, the oldest living Indy 500 winner. 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. He was only 30, leaving behind his wife Dolores and four children. 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. . Steven Levinson, not yet a teen-ager at the time, got the news over the radio. 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. Required fields are marked *. Weinberger and Ostapenko began artificial respiration. A grim reminder of the darkness of the board-track era of the 1920s. He is remarried now, and he's even found himself back at the track, racing a truck some weekends at Indianapolis Raceway Park. TOLEDO, Ohio (Feb. 3, 2019) According to Mark Twain, in every life there is a drama, a comedy and a tragedy. That certainly holds true for 1955 Indianapolis 500 winner Bob Sweikert. "I ask myself every night if something could have been different," Mayden says. Bohanon, a Southern Indiana native, has raced on the famous High Banks of Salem Speedway and looks forward to shaping the tracks future. "I'm happy to be in the front of the field, even if it's not on the pole.". Eugene Gerber, bishop of Wichita's Roman Catholic diocese and a family friend, tried to console the mournful. History Mystery Man: Historical Storyteller, Small Town Traveler, Auto Racing Icons. Roger Bruce Hassing. The car hit the guardrail and destroyed a section of protective fencing near the grandstand. They settled in Indiana, to be close to the Speedway where Sweikert hoped to race and win. If you are experiencing difficulties logging in or are a subscriber getting a paywall, please try one or more of the following steps. Dorie Sweikert recalls being able to see her husband smile as his car sprinted past, his head and shoulders exposed to potential peril. 20,621 people follow this. You just couldnt be afraid all the time.. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. 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. In addition to his five midget titles, Vogler won the national sprint car championship in 1980. She searched for nearly an hour before finding the tricycles See more of Salem Speedway on Facebook. He was awarded a 40th-place finish (as a "Did Not Start").[6]. That was Bobs favorite of the half-mile tracks, Dorie Sweikert said. 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A racecar moves around the track at Salem Speedway. On May 30, 1955 Sweikert finally won the Indianapolis 500 race, from the 14th starting position in the Zink Kurtis roadster #6. You go to Salem, and you go home a widow. Lindsey, who wanted to be a veterinarian and a midget car racer. His death prompted another burst of outrage over the sports dangerous side. So what does Sabres GM Kevyn Adams do this week? Morris Settles pronounced the boys dead. Sweikerts car flew over the outside wall, through a photographers booth and crash-landed in a weed patch. The car hit the guardrail and destroyed a section of protective fencing near the grandstand. another. He won 1 race and accumulated a total of 8 championship points. One father lifts his infant daughter above the fence so she can better see the cars roaring past less than 20 feet away. Im really excited about acquiring Salem Speedway and looking forward to what the future entails for this historic track, Bohanon said. [5], Because of USAC rules on a red flag reverting to the previous completed lap, he was declared the winner of the event following his death, which was his 170th win. 1 most stressful city for workers in U.S. Turner: State takeover of Houston ISD could happen as soon as next week, Houston rap royalty Bun B on returning to Rodeo for another Takeover, 'Call me a Nazi': Former Houston-area pastor calls for state book ban. 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. The challenge for speedway owners: How do you balance the counterweights of safety and intimacy? Marjorie Ann Bitter. In May 1956, at his final return to the Indianapolis 500, Sweikert began in the 10th starting position and came in for a 6th-place finish, with the team's D-A Lubricant roadster. Sweikert was thrown from the car and was pronounced dead of head injuries upon arrival at Washington County Hospital. He continued to tinker with the mechanics, then entered the 25-lap event, anyway. Josh, 9, and Amanda, 7, sat in the grandstand with their mother, their grandparents and 5-year-old brother, Justin. Drivers competing at Indy during those years were credited with World Championship points and participation. 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. Such decisions are largely left up to speedways. Eight years later, 81 Speedway's owner seems to disagree. 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. Fifty years later, her memories of those days paint a picture of the entire experience. As the field favorite going for his third consecutive win at Indy, Vuky, who was leading when he crashed, would have been tough to 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. His mother had married his stepfather, an electrician for the state of California, when Bob was an infant. [4], USAR ran seven races at the track between 2002 and 2008; winners include Brian Ross, Joel Kauffman, Mikey Kile, Jeff Agnew, Gary St. Please subscribe to. [1] Thompson leased the track to Bill Kniesly starting in 2020. 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. No other cars were involved and no other injuries reported. Your email address will not be published. "I have 200 fires to put out," track president Doug McManus says. Track officials voiced the same hesitance. Orem, Utah. There was always the darkness the thing about Vukie.. Find the History Mystery Man onFacebookandYouTube. 1949_07_25 -2 Drivers Killed at Salem Speedway- Louisville Courier-Journal pg 1 (1 of 2) That wasnt what qualified him as an early victim of the SI jinx. [3] Former driver Nick Bohanon bought the racetrack in December 2022. had intended to finish the job the day after the fatal Salem race. He won the Fireman Nationals midget car race at Angell Park Speedway in 1985. He had that charisma.. 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. He is tied with Pat Flaherty for the record of the driver with the fewest points to have won a race. After Sports Illustrated put Sweikert on the cover of its May 28, 1956, issue, he wound up sixth in the race. Why, after not eating solids for two weeks because she choked on a grape at school, did Lindsey suddenly want chicken? On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. Yet he can't outrun the questions that wait for him at nights in his auto body shop. (key) (Bold Pole position awarded by qualifying time. [2] A thunderstorm had ripped the roof off the grandstands and fences were damaged. 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 born in Los Angeles, California. View local obituaries in utah. 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. She went back to California The boys, only sons of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Tomlinson, had 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. The .555-mile oval that features imposing 33-degree banks was built strictly for speed. 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. 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. 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 bounded free down the small-track straightaway and into the pits, slamming off a car's hood and leaping, faster than fright, into the Salem (Ind.) On the morning of his June 17 race at Salem, Dorie Sweikert recalled her husband complaining his car wasnt handling quite right. More often, like Lindsey Mayden, spectators die with less publicity at smaller ovals and asphalt drag strips on Friday and Saturday nights. Track technicians had not inspected the car. He said, I still cant relax. He said this was just one race. But he liked to race on them.. 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. 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. In between, she got her first taste of the sport and it terrified her. The result is something of a chaotic feel: fights in the pits, fans rushing in noisy scrums to watch. Sweikert fought for custody of their young daughter. He won the midget car track championships at the Indianapolis Speedrome in 1984 and 1985. Sacks had the pole at Daytona but was knocked out of the race in a first-lap crash that damaged 25 cars. The wheel, witnesses would say later, bounced through the unrepaired hole in the fence, then struck Baker above his right eye. "I still love to go to races," Cynthia says now. Obituary Pam Williams, age 65, of Salem passed away Tuesday, November 22, 2022 at Kindred Hospital Central in Indianapolis. 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. His father Donald Vogler died in a midget car accident at the Indianapolis Speedrome on May 1, 1981. He was one of the good guys. When I hit 30, I figured Id better quit.. 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. Mrs. Tomlinson ran behind the Sweikert house. On February 12, 1949 Sweikert won the first BCRA Indoor Midget Race Track championship, in Oakland, on the new 1/12 mile oval track. If hed come along a half-century later, Bob Sweikert might have been that lucky young driver. He gained his first racing sponsorship in July 1947, when he became a track roadster race driver for Hubbard Auto Parts of Oakland. Among the 33 drivers who started the 1955 Indy 500 won by Sweikert, 16 eventually were killed in accidents on the track. But Dorie didnt believe it would happen to Sweikert. in the driveway beside the vacant house. Always open. hunting for them, to call them to supper. 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. SALEM Former USAC Midget racer Nick Bohanon has taken over ownership of the iconic Salem Speedway Fueled by the Hoosier Lottery, located in Salem, Indiana. ''They were both at the track practicing. 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. 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. [1] The track closed in May 1995 when he declared bankruptcy. to Indianapolis and listed the house for sale. Your email address will not be published. Donald Davidson, historian for the Indianapolis 500, said Sweikert is highly regarded among those familiar with the sports heritage. In the 1950s, talent won races, but luck decided who lived and died on the track. 1 sprint car, just one year after he won the worlds most famous race, tumbled over the turn one wall at Salem Speedway. A few races were canceled afterward, and there were calls from some quarters to ban the sport. after the boys were taken from the water. two months, went home while firemen worked. As firemen worked, the Rev. win at Indy, Vuky, who was leading when he crashed, would have been tough to After winning the55 Indy title, Sweikert began plotting his next move. He actually maintained his sprint car, even after he won (Indy).. The boys 33-year-old father arrived at the pool shortly "We don't do checks before races," says Hall. When they first started to use roll bars, traditionalists thought it was just awful. * Most laps led. Born March 10, 1957. I had a son who was killed in a crash as well.''. That year the family moved briefly to San Francisco, then across the bay to the rural town of Hayward, California. In late 1944, Sweikert enrolled in the US Army Air Force, but suffered a severe knee injury while training at Lowry Field in Colorado. "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. RACE CAR driver Bob Sweikert celebrates his win in the 1955Indianapolis 500 with his wife, Dorrie. [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. [2] He won USAC National Sprint Car Series championships in 1980 and 1989, USAC National Midget Series championships in 1978, 1980, 1983, 1986, and 1988. Neighbors who learned of the accident called the sheriffs 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. office. Jeff Mayden hasn't been to Salem Speedway in the five years since his daughter's death. Added to the dangerous equation were tracks of all variety that drivers had to tackle in order to reach their primary destination Indianapolis. From The Third Turn, an online resource for all news and results stock car racing. 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. But I'm doing therapy every day.". On July 5th, 1970, he was driving for Mauri Amerling, at the Salem, Indiana speedway when. They were dangerous beyond belief, Levinson wrote in an online article for Autoracing1.com. The Champion Racing Association (CRA) Super Series returns to the race track . Like our page to stay informed about passing of a loved one in Provo, Utah on facebook. backstretch wall to his death. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). Although Salem says technicians inspect cars, Mayden, a former driver there, says cars drove often with deficient parts -- especially in the lower classes. 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: Weeks later, Sweikert's fatal sprint car crash occurred on June 17, 1956, at Salem Speedway. 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. SALEM, IND. Pit fencing, however, is rarely mandated. 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 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. 4.3 out of 5 stars. He was about to take the white flag for the final lap at the alf-mile oval in a race televised nationally by ESPN. This event be an action packed weekend full of racing and fun. He failed to qualify this year after an eighth-place finish, his best ever, in 1989. I just raced. 4.3. Bob Sweikerts death in an auto race last June was reflected "It kind of catapulted into the sky," Cindy Dutton remembers. 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. There, Dawn Mayden and her daughter had left their lawn chairs for some barbecued chicken at a concession stand. January 22, 2023 (76 years old) View obituary. He drove in northern California that year and later in Los Angeles. waiting patiently for the boys. Log In. SALEM - Salem Speedway is set to host the 33rd Halloween 200 from Oct. 22-24. 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 was scheduled to make his NASCAR Winston Cup (now NASCAR Cup Series) series debut at Pocono Raceway the day after his fatal crash. At smaller tracks, insurance companies are the primary arbiters of fence height and design. You have permission to edit this article. Situated in the scenic hills of Southern Indiana, the Salem Speedways roars to life with upwards of 15. IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California hasnt followed: What should you do? Saturday's sponsor is Crosleybrands.com. As the field favorite going for his third consecutive "We don't want the legal system to say, `You approved this car inspection thing.' A dozen years later, Elisian and Sweikert were engaged in the racing duel that led to Sweikert's fatal crash at Salem Speedway. Sam was sitting on the driveway, 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. She is one of 29 spectators since 1990 to be killed by cars or their flying parts at U.S. auto racing events. In late 1952 his first wife, Marion, started divorce proceedings. "The spindle just locked up and came off," he remembers. Salem Speedway is a .555 miles (0.893 km) long paved oval racetrack in Washington Township, Washington County, near Salem, Indiana, United States, approximately 100 miles (160 km) south of Indianapolis. Forgot account? Dr. Dan. at the bottom of the water. Six days before, on Sept. 4, 1993, the family spent Saturday night as usual -- at the 81 Speedway, a three-eighths-mile clay oval at the north end of town where Paul Dutton raced sprint cars. 2980 N. National Road, Suite A, Columbus, IN 47201, Main Switchboard: (812) 372-7811 The track has 33 degrees of banking in the corners. 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. In 2008, the viewing party was moved to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where 1996 scholarship recipient Ryan Newman won the aforementioned race. In September 1955 Sweikert became the only driver in history to win the original American motor sports Triple Crown, by sweeping the Indianapolis 500, the AAA big car National Championship, and the Midwest sprint car championship. In the winner's circle, Sweikert and Dorie celebrated with singer-actress Dinah Shore. Martin took the pole for today's 12:10 p.m. race, qualifying his Ford at 158.264 mph. 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. She died five hours later, early the next day. There are improvements that I want to make to the pavement, the pit area, lighting, infield concessions, infield restrooms and the scoreboard. The .555-Mile oval that features imposing 33-degree banked turns was built strictly for speed. The guys who didnt run there, they were flat-ass chicken., No one had to twist Bob Sweikerts arm to race at Salem. Sweikert's first chance at driving a Sprint car came next in 1949. 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!