Art Pollard - driver Richards writes for The Indianapolis Star, a Gannett property. Map Art Pollard crashed hard in the morning practice session, seeing his car flip over and burst into flame. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. what should have been the sixth row.

When all was said and done, the teams just wanted to get the hell out of there and close the book on this chapter of motor racing history that many would prefer to forget. Vukovichs car tumbled over the outside wall, toppled end over end and rolled over on its side before coming to a stop.Vukovich, 36, was killed instantly. David (Salt) Walther was burned seriously on May 27 when his car hit a wall and caught fire in a 10car accident that halted the 500 on the day it was originally scheduled to be run. He hit it head-on with enough force to rip the machine in two 1 year ago 2 years ago 6 years ago 4.5M views 4 years ago On race day, Monday, May 28, the massive crowd included 23 U.S. prisoners of war recently released by Hanoi. . Walthers car pin-wheeled down the front straight with fuel pouring onto the track. Walther's TV was still explaining how Rick Mears and six of his crew members were seriously burned in a pit fire when Danny Ongais frightful crash on lap 63 caused even more confusion. Mud and sodden trash was everywhere. During 1991 practices, Mark Dismore was coming out of the fourth turn at more than 215 mph when his car went to the right and backed into the inside wall. by A life-long racing enthusiast, Santoroski attended his first live race in 1978, the Formula One Grand Prix of the United States at Watkins Glen. WebSavage was moving toward the front again on Lap 59 when he lost control of his STP red Eagle-Offy. Luckily, the car didnt hit anything or anyone. With the tentative pole in his hands, Savage watched from the pit lane as he saw Johnny Rutherford come tantalizing close to the 200 mph mark, knocking him off the top spot. As Indy celebrates its 100th race on May 29, The Associated Press looks back at some of the past centurys worst crashes. Fortunately, Hildebrand was not seriously injured. Teran, a mechanic on Graham McRae's car, sprinted down pit lane to see if he could be of help to his injured teammate. The contact sent Snevas car airborne and into the catch fence as it caught fire. google_color_bg = "ECF8FF";

In 1968 and 1969, he also raced in NASCAR events. The 48th running of the Indianapolis 500 was one of the darkest days in race history. Kevin Cogans second Indy start came between Rick Mears and A.J. [7] Later in the day, as the winds abated, Johnny Rutherford, Bobby Unser, and Mark Donohue each bettered Savage's time. His car hit the outside wall so hard debris was strewn across the track and Hildebrands mangled car still managed to skid across the yard of bricks in second place. Andretti told the television audience the crash was the result of a child trying to do a mans job. Foyt on the front row. Scott Brayton looked like the future of the IndyCar Series, winning the pole for the second consecutive race. Fox eventually recovered from severe head injuries sustained in the wreck but never raced again. [citation needed] However, according to Savage's father, the percentage of oxygen they were giving Swede just prior to his death, due to the damage to his lungs from the fumes inhaled from the accident, was such that there was no way he could have survived, even if he had not contracted hepatitis B. He died at age 26 from complications while recovering from injuries suffered in a Savage never recovered and died July 2, 1973. Stan Foxs car made a hard right coming through the first turn, sending him into the outside wall as he collected five other cars and left debris was all across the track. "I had the gloves on, so I grabbed the hottest thing, the turbocharger, which was The race ended after 133 laps with only 10 cars still on the track. "I was down by the pit wall, steering left, and . WebSwede Savage was a professional race car driver who died on July 2, 1973 from injuries suffered in a crash in the 1973 Indianapolis 500. canceled and he and many others on the team went instead to Methodist Hospital to check on Rather than celebrate the win, Johncock, along with team-owner Pat Patrick, headed straight to the hospital to check on their young teammate. Second, where was I? He was diagnosed him with a concussion and a broken jaw. Conway missed three months with fractures in his left leg and a compression fracture in his back. In 1972 he qualified for the Memorial Day event at 181.726 miles an. "My whole family was in tears. "He told me, 'Don't go up there,'" Johncock recalled. Vukovichs car tumbled over the outside wall, toppled end over end (20:58) and rolled over on its side before coming to a stop. Webswede savage crash photos. I mean, I was skinny. As debris flew, Dismores car caught fire and slid dangerously through the pits where fuel tanks and crew members were in close proximity. as good of friends as you can be when you race against each other," "I tried to keep an upbeat conversation: 'The seat's here for you, Swede, I'm just Designed by, Photo: Joe Skibinski/Penske Entertainment. [citation needed] Lung failure was repeated as the cause of death by Savage's daughter Angela in a May 2015 interview.[13]. He qualified in 31st spot in 1971. I was a helluva mess at the time but still conscious. google_color_text = "000000";

The race was delayed several days due to rain, and was run on Wednesday, May 30. Safety workers shielded television viewers from the scary scene by parking in front of the car with Ongais still seated in the cockpit as the air filled with white smoke. The 1970 season also saw Savages finest moment in motor racing when he out-dueled both Roger McCluskey and Al Unser in the USAC Champ Car season finale at Phoenix. "I pulled up right at the end of pit road and remember telling the radio If there is anything good that came about from the 1973 Indianapolis, it was a new "I jumped on the throttle coming out of 2," Krisiloff said, "and spun my wheels halfway down the back straight in high gear.". Johnny Rutherford, who had been one of the first drivers on the scene of Pollard's Bobby Unser took the early lead while Savage held his own in the top five. Coming out of Turn 4 on the next lap, the rear of his 1,500-pound Eagle, heavy with 500 pounds of methanol, twitched. I'd splash on the alcohol and take a handful of sand and squeeze and squeese it. Links His car exploded in an angry orange flash. Thirty-three minutes later, doctors pronounced Brayton dead. The start was Before the next race, significant changes were made to the cars to keep speeds in check

"This is what everybody feared," ABC's Jim McKay told the worldwide television audience.

Although he was the second youngest driver on the United States Auto Club championship circuit, he had been racing for 17 years. All Rights Reserved. The clouds finally broke, and the cars roared off for the start shortly after 2:00 pm. He wasnt from Clermont or Coal City or Lebanon or Tinley Park. | STROUDSBURG, Pa., July (UPI)Al Unser of Albuquerque, N.M., was reported in good condition today at a hospital where he was under treatment for injuries received in yesterday's Schaeffer 500 at Mount Pocono, Pa. Unser was injured when his Viceroy.Parnelli spun and struck a retaining wall. By the end of the month, the 1973 Indianapolis 500 turned out to be one of the darkest, ugliest ever contested. People in the pits recall the searing intensity of the heat. Kevin Cogans second Indy start came between Rick Mears and A.J. Swede Savage, driver of another Patrick Racing, STP-sponsored car, and Armando Teran, mechanic on a third Patrick/STP car, also died. Swede Savage - driver (died later), driving on the track. google_ad_client = "pub-8002195670072149"; My car hit another and then spun down the track with the wheels off it. His next two outings with the team, at Martinsville and North Wilkesboro, both resulted in top-ten finishes. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. Time trials began on time, at 11 a.m. Rutherford qualified at 198.413 to set a track record and take the pole. Stan Foxs car made a hard right coming through the first turn, sending him into the outside wall as he collected five other cars and left debris all across the track. He liked and understood people, and he gave of himself to his fans and friends - some of whom called him "Roberto" because of his dark heavy-bearded complexion. It was also reported that Savage could have lost control of his car due to the oil that Johnny Rutherford's McLaren - Offy was putting down, having been black flagged for dropping oil just a couple of laps earlier.Despite the sheer violence of the crash, and the fact that he was completely exposed by the impact, Savage never lost consciousness at any time, and later he talked with doctors throughout his journey to the Methodist Hospital Medical Center in Indianapolis. Foyt and Andretti have since acknowledged the accident was most likely the result of a mechanical failure, not Cogans inexperience. Reports on the number of spectators injured ranged from 11 to 13. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Struggles at Texas, Josh Berry Earns Praise from Hendrick Peers, Where Kyle Larson Finds Inspiration in Adversity, Kyle Larson and Team Grab First Win of 2023 at Richmond Raceway, Frantic Race at Texas Ends with Newgarden Banking Another Victory, Schmitz: Optimistic Approach Into Sundays PPG 375, Takeaways: Atlanta Superduperspeedway and Penalty Talk, Takeaways: Hendrick Dominance, Louvers and the Package. Returning to the cockpit for 1972, Savage signed with Pat Patrick and Walt Michner for a full season in the USAC Champ Car series. The impact broke a support pole and showered the crowd with debris. On lap 58, just behind Al Unser (who was about to make a pit stop of his own), Savage, pushing hard in anticipation of a coming rainstorm, lost control as he exited turn four. . The yellow came out when light rain began falling on Lap 129. He later said he no longer wanted to race on ovals. Among those complaining about oil on the track was Jerry Grant, in an interview with Dave Diles of ABC Sports while the wreckage from Savage's crash was cleaned off the track. For a moment it was up in the air and then it spun sideways and came down on fire. "In that crash forty percent of my body was burned. Two future Indy winners, Eddie Cheever and Gil de Ferran and Lyn St. James, the only woman to start the 95 race, all got caught up in the spectacular melee. Foyt on the front row. It rolled 325 feet, snapping metal poles and ripping off the 3-foot high fencing before it became entangled in steel cables and burst into flames.

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