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Johnny Unser Born In Long Beach, California, USA - October 22, 1958

October 21, 2017, 9:00 pm
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October 22, 1958
Johnny Unser
Born in Long Beach, California, USA.
Johnny is the son of open wheel driver Jerry Unser. Jerry died in a racing accident when Johnny was seven months old. Johnny made 5 starts in CART in 1993 and 1994 with a best result of 15th. He joined the Indy Racing League in its inaugural 1996 season but had a transmission failure during the pace lap of what would've been his first Indianapolis 500 and was not credited with a race start.

In 1997 he made his first start in the Indy 500 starting in the 35th position after league and speedway owner Tony George added his and Lyn St. James' car to the field because slower cars than theirs were guaranteed starting positions because of prior races. He went on to finish 18th, his best "500" result in 5 starts. Unser drove the majority of his IRL races for Hemelgarn Racing and in his 14 career IRL starts he had a best finish of 9th in his very first series start in 1996 at Phoenix International Raceway. His last major open wheel race was the 2000 Indy 500.

On January 14, 2008 Johnny Unser was named as the race director for the 2008 Champ Car Atlantic Championship. He is currently a driver coach and adviser to the Mazda Road to Indy and racing adviser and spokesman for Cooper Tire. He also is an official for Indycar in Race Control and is owner of Unser Racing, Karting and Entertainment track in Denver, Colorado.
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"NASCAR Legend" Darel Dieringer Dies At Age 63 - June 1, 1926

October 27, 2017, 9:00 pm
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June 1, 1926 - October 28, 1989
Darel Dieringer
(Photo;hotrod.com)
Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
He ran 181 NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup races during his career, notably racing for Bud Moore Engineering and Junior Johnson & Associates. Dieringer won seven races and recorded 79 top ten finishes.

Dieringer began to race in 1949 in and around his native Indianapolis, and had offers to race IndyCars. Dieringer began to race in the NASCAR Grand National Series in 1957, running nine races for three owners and finishing in the top ten twice, the first being in only his third race. He did not finish a race in 1958, and did not run a Grand National race again until 1961, where sporadic runs throughout the season culminated in one race for Petty Enterprises late in the year.

The following year, Dieringer ran at Daytona with Ray Fox, but from that point ran part-time in other lower-tier equipment. For 1963, Dieringer teamed up with Bill Stroppe and Mario Rossi to run Mercury Marauders, as they would over the next several years. Dieringer found the checkered flag at Riverside International Raceway in the season's final race, finished outside the top ten only five times, and finished seventh in points despite running less than half of the season's 55 races.

He seemed set to go for the next season, but early season difficulties forced Stroppe to withdraw his team, leaving Dieringer to search for a new team. Taking his Marauder with him, Dieringer quickly found a home at Bud Moore Engineering, taking the pole for the summer Daytona race and winning a late-season road course race in Georgia.

1965 was the closest Dieringer ever came to running a full season in NASCAR, participating in 35 of 55 events. He ran with Moore for the premier events, winning the pole for the 1965 Daytona 500 and finishing second. Piecing together a partial schedule with several different owners for smaller races, Dieringer found moderate success with owners like Elmo Langley and finshed third in overall points behind champion Ned Jarrett and Dick Hutcherson.

Continuing his method of running with many teams in a season, Dieringer found success with Moore, Petty, Buck Baker, Junior Johnson and a surprising race win in Reid Shaw's No. 0 car in 1966. Dieringer's biggest triumph was that year, as he claimed the Southern 500 with the only other car on the lead lap being Richard Petty.

Dieringer continued a dominating part-time schedule with Johnson in 1967, leading every lap form the pole at North Wilkesboro Speedway. He also ran three races for former driver Cotton Owens. Past the peak of his career by 1968, Dieringer ran part-time with former crew chief Mario Rossi and his Plymouth team, scoring no wins and only one pole. He ran one race with Rossi in 1969, then retired for a while. He came back to run superspeedway races in 1975 and attempted one race in 1976 until he entered into a phase of permanent retirement.

Dieringer died on October 28, 1989 at age 63.

(Photo;hotrod.com)
The original checkered flag from the 1966 Southern 500, Darel's most prestigious win.
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Tony Bettenhausen Jr. Born In Joliet, Illinois - October 30, 1951

October 29, 2017, 9:00 pm
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October 30, 1951 - February 14, 2000
Tony Lee Bettenhausen Jr.
Born in Joliet, Illinois, USA.
He was a Champ Car team owner and driver. He was the son of former 14-time Indianapolis 500 competitor Tony Bettenhausen and the brother of 21-time Indy racer Gary Bettenhausen. The family holds the dubious distinction of the most combined starts in the famous race without a victory. Another brother, Merle Bettenhausen, was maimed in his only Indy Car start.

As a driver, he started 11 Indianapolis 500 races, scoring a best finish of 7th his rookie year in the 1981 race. He took his trademark No. 16 into team ownership in 1985, initially using March and Lola chassis, then purchasing year-old Penske chassis and then entering and qualifying two new Penskes for the 1993 race. One, number 76, was driven by himself, the other by former Formula One driver Stefan Johansson. A number of successful drivers passed through Bettenhausen's Alumax car, including Johansson for the first few years as well as three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves and former IndyCar rookie of the year Patrick Carpentier.

Bettenhausen also competed in 33 NASCAR Winston Cup Series events in his career, most coming in 1974 when he scored a career best 7th-place effort at Richmond International Raceway.

A difficult 1999 plagued by a lack of sponsorship and a series of pay-drivers saw the team take on a new look in 2000 with the hiring of Michel Jourdain Jr. and his Herdez sponsorship.

On February 14, 2000 Bettenhausen and his wife Shirley, the daughter of former Indianapolis racing star Jim McElreath, as well as business associates Russ Roberts and Larry Rangel were killed in a light plane crash. On route from Indianapolis to Homestead, Florida they went down on a farm in Harrison County, Kentucky. He is buried at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis.
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"Family Patriarch/Veteran Racer" Jim Sauter Passes Away - October 31, 2014

October 30, 2017, 9:00 pm
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June 1, 1943 - October 31, 2014
Jim Sauter
(Photo;nascar.com)
 Born in Necedah, Wisconsin, USA.
He formerly raced in all three of NASCAR's national series, and is best known for having been a test driver for the International Race of Champions, as well as winning two championships in the Midwest-based ARTGO Challenge Series.

Sauter started racing in 1964 in a modified at Raceway Park in Savage, Minnesota. He moved up to late models the following year. Sauter moved to Wisconsin, and his career took off after he won the North Star 500 at the Minnesota State Fair in a Dave Marcis Chevelle. Sauter said "The funny thing about that race was the fact that we had a barn full of various brands of tires that we wanted to use up and ended up with Goodyear on the outside and Firestone on the inside for no other reason than that. Everyone thought it must be the hot tip." Marcis called Sauter in 1978 and asked him to drive his racecar in the ARCA 200. Sauter battled Bruce Hill for the win on the last lap. They crashed, with Hill ending his race along the wall and Sauter won.

Sauter raced part time in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series in the 1980s and 1990s, posting four top ten finishes in 76 starts. He was an independent driver with limited funds. To help pay the bills, Sauter did Goodyear tire tests along with Marcis.

Sauter raced primarily in the ARTGO and ASA series. Sauter returned to Wisconsin to win the 1981 track championship at Wisconsin International Raceway. Sauter won the 1981 and 1982 ARTGO championships with 16 of 20 career victories in those years. Sauter won several major regional races including the 1980 National Short Track Championship at Rockford Speedway and the 1983 All American 400 at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway. He also competed at the Slinger Nationals, Snowball Derby, Winchester 400 and the World Crown.

His sons Tim, Jay, and Johnny have followed his footsteps by racing on the NASCAR circuit. His other son Jim, Jr. has raced on regional events along with his grandson Travis Sauter. Sauter raced in his final NASCAR Nationwide Series at the Milwaukee Mile racing against Tim, Jay and Johnny. None of Sauter's seven daughters nor his son Joe are involved in racing.

Sauter was also well known for preparing the setups and testing International Race of Champions cars with Dick Trickle and Dave Marcis.

Sauter died following a brief illness on October 31, 2014. He was 71 years old.
Jim Sauter (top middle) poses with sons Tim (from left), Johnny and Jay in 2002 before the three of them raced in the GNC Live Well 250 NASCAR Busch Series race at the Milwaukee Mile. Credit: Russ Lake
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"2-Time CART Champ" Alex Zanardi Born In Bologna, Italy - October 23, 1966

October 22, 2017, 9:00 pm
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October 23, 1966
Alessandro Zanardi
(Alessandro Zanardi  - photo taken by Morio)
Born in Bologna, Italy.
A 2-time CART FedEx Series Champion and former Formula One driver, Zanardi began racing karts at the age of 13. He built the kart from wheels used from a dustbin and pipes from his father's line of work. In 1988, he joined the Italian Formula 3 series with a fifth place as his highest finish. In 1989, Zanardi took two pole positions and three podiums despite suffering from his team switching to unleaded fuel which reduced the engine power in his car. 

In 1991, he moved up to the Formula 3000 series with the Il Barone Rampante team, who were themselves newcomers to the series. Winning on his F3000 debut, he went on to score two more wins that season, en route to second in the championship. Zanardi had his first taste of Formula One at a test session at Paul Ricard where he drove a Footwork. By the end of that year, he had commenced his career in Formula One. Three starts for Jordan were his reward for a strong F3000 campaign.

For 1992 Zanardi had to be content with guest drives for Minardi, replacing the injured Christian Fittipaldi. In the off-season, he tested for Benetton, but contracted with Lotus for 1993.

In 1993, Zanardi compared reasonably to teammate Johnny Herbert and was important in fine-tuning the team's active suspension system, scoring his only F1 point at the Brazilian Grand Prix. Zanardi suffered an injury when an elderly motorist collided with his bicycle knocking him off and ran over Zanardi's left foot leaving several bones broken. Despite this, Zanardi raced in Germany but spun out. However, his season ended prematurely after he suffered a terrible crash during practice for the Belgian Grand Prix where he suffered a concussion.

Still injured, Zanardi missed the beginning of the 1994 season, but he returned in the Spanish Grand Prix, replacing Pedro Lamy, who had been hurt in a testing crash. However, that year's Lotus was highly unreliable, and Zanardi failed to score a single point or qualify higher than 13th. With Lotus Formula One having folded, Zanardi took time to race in Sports car racing. His first meeting was at a Porsche Supercup event at Imola. Zanardi later raced at a four-hour event at Donington Park where he and Alex Portman retired with eight minutes remaining despite leading by over a lap. The pair managed to finish 4th at a wet weather race at Silverstone.

During 1995, Zanardi went to the United States for a drive in the Champ Car series. He felt that finding a race seat would be easy with Formula One experience but no teams took any interest. However, Reynard Commercial Director Rick Gorne managed to secure Zanardi a test drive at Homestead with Chip Ganassi Racing. Zanardi officially signed a contract on 23 October 1995. The team's race engineer Mo Nunn advised Chip against signing him, as he believed Italian drivers were too prone to mistakes.

He rapidly became one of the series' most popular drivers. He took the pole for his second race, although his first win didn't come until mid-season. In total he won three races in his rookie season and five pole positions, finishing third in the championship behind team-mate Jimmy Vasser and Michael Andretti. He and Andretti were level on points but Andretti took second place by virtue of having five race wins to Zanardi's three. Zanardi was named Champ Racing "Rookie of the Year". He won the championship for Ganassi in both 1997 and 1998, bringing home twelve victories.

A win came at Laguna Seca for the final race of the 1996 season, where he conducted a highly risky overtaking move at the Corkscrew corner (known to many racing fans as "The Pass"; the maneuver was banned for future years), on race leader Bryan Herta, having fought his way through the field. After winning a race, Zanardi was fond of spinning his car around in tight circles, leaving circular donut-shaped patterns of tyre rubber on the track; this would eventually become a popular means of celebrating race wins all across America.

Zanardi's CART success caught the eye of Sir Frank Williams whom he made contact in 1997, to inform them he would be available for contract negotiations if needed. Williams visited Zanardi who signed a three-year contract in July 1998 which was publicly confirmed in September of that year. He began testing at the end of that year alongside test driver Juan Pablo Montoya. Zanardi also received offers from BAR and Honda.

In the 2000 season Zanardi was not signed for Formula One team, but was interested in a CART comeback. He tested for Mo Nunn in July at Sebring driving for 246 laps and opted to sign to the team for 2001, however he was not successful for the most part.

On September 15, 2001, in his most competitive race of the season, he suffered a violent accident on the Lausitzring in Germany. Zanardi started from the back of the grid and was gaining ground on his rivals. The crash occurred while Zanardi was leading the race in the closing laps. After a late pit stop, Zanardi was attempting to merge back onto the track when he accelerated abruptly and spun into the path of Patrick Carpentier. Carpentier was able to avoid him, but Alex Tagliani, who was just behind Carpentier at the time, could not and Zanardi's car was impacted from the side, behind the front wheel, severing the nose of the car. Zanardi lost both legs in the impact and nearly three-quarters of his blood volume, though rapid medical intervention saved his life. Further portions of his legs were amputated during three hours of surgery to clean and facilitate closing the wounds. This was the end of his open-wheel racing career.

More recently, he has attracted widespread praise for his return to competition in the aftermath of a crash. Zanardi was fitted with two prosthetic limbs and began an ambitious rehabilitation program. Dissatisfied with the limitations of legs available commercially, Zanardi designed and built his own custom legs, to allow him to compare the weight and stiffness of various feet in order to find the ones most suitable for racing. In 2002, CART honoured Zanardi by giving him the privilege of waving the checkered flag in Toronto, Canada. In 2003, Zanardi was not only back behind the wheel, he was also racing again, with the aid of hand-operated brake and accelerator controls. He completed the final thirteen laps at the race track which had nearly killed him in 2001, and did so at highly competitive speeds approaching 310 km/h (193 mph). In fact, had he been qualifying for the race that weekend, he would have been fifth. It persuaded him that a race return was something to pursue.

Zanardi competed at Monza, Italy, in his first race since the accident in a touring car modified to allow the use of his prosthetic feet, finishing the race in seventh. In 2004, Zanardi returned to racing full-time, driving for Roberto Ravaglia's BMW Team Italy-Spain in the FIA European Touring Car Championship. The season did not see him score many points, but for 2005 matters were much improved, in a series which became the World Touring Car Championship by adding two non-European races. On 24 August 2005, Zanardi won his first world series race since his accident at Lausitzring. He had taken advantage of the championship's reverse grid system, in which by finishing the weekend's first race in 8th, a driver starts the second on pole. Still, Zanardi had held off attacks from several drivers, and celebrated his win with a series of trademark "donuts". He then finished the season strongly. He took further wins at Istanbul in 2006 and Brno in 2008 and 2009. At the end of the 2009 season he announced his retirement from the WTCC

Zanardi returned to a Formula One car in late November 2006 at a testing session for BMW Sauber in Valencia, Spain. The car had been specially adapted to have hand controls fitted on the steering wheel. After the drive Zanardi told the main problem he was having was using only his right hand to steer through corners, as his left operated the throttle. Zanardi was quoted as saying, "Of course, I know that I won't get a contract with the Formula One team, however having the chance to drive an F1 racer again is just incredible."

In 2007 he achieved 4th place in the New York City Marathon in the handcycle division, after only four weeks of training.
(photo credit: maxzix74 via photopin cc)
He has since taken up handcycling in earnest, and competed at the Para-Cycling Road World Championships in 2009. He stated that he was targeting a place in the Italian team for the 2012 Summer Paralympics. In 2009 he won the Venice Marathon in the category for the disabled, riding his wheelchair in one hour, thirteen minutes, 56 seconds, and won the Rome City Marathon in 2010, in a time of one hour, fifteen minutes, 53 seconds. In 2011, at his fourth attempt, Zanardi won the New York City Marathon in his handcycling class.

On 5 September 2012, Zanardi won a gold medal in the men's road time trial H4 at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London, finishing 27.14 seconds ahead of Nobert Mosandi.
(photo credit: unpodimondo via photopin cc) 
Two days later, he won the individual H4 road race, ahead of Ernst van Dyk (South Africa) and Wim Decleir (Belgium), and then a silver medal for Italy in the mixed team relay H1-4 on 8 September 2012. The bike used by Zanardi was constructed by Italian racecar constructor Dallara.

In November 2012 Zanardi tested a BMW DTM touring car, completing 32 laps of the Nürburgring. He later admitted that the test had rekindled his interest in motor racing, and in January 2014 it was announced that he would return to motorsport in the 2014 Blancpain Sprint Series season, racing a BMW Z4 GT3 for Ravaglia's ROAL Motorsport outfit.
(photo credit: MJRoberts55 via photopin cc)
Blancpain GT Series - Roal MotorSport - Alex Zanardi.

Zanardi has been married to Daniela since 1996, and they have a son, Niccolò. His sister Cristina was a promising swimmer until her death in an automobile collision in 1979. He has co-written two books based on his life, Alex Zanardi: My Story (2004) and Alex Zanardi: My Sweetest Victory (2004). Zanardi and his story have been featured on the HBO sports series Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel.


The book Rapid Response: My Inside Story as a Motor Racing Life-Saver by Stephen Olvey. Foreword by Alex Zanardi and begins with a vivid description of Alex Zanardi’s crash in Germany in 2001, and from there the author reflects on his career with many tragic, funny, interesting stories. The book also provides an important history of the evolution of motorsport safety. Now available in paperback with an updated final chapter, this is the compelling story of the author’s life in motor racing, providing fascinating insight into crashes involving many famous racers and circuits.
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Al Unser III Born In Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA - October 23, 1982

October 22, 2017, 9:00 pm
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October 23, 1982
Alfred Richard Unser
(Photo; Motors - NBC Sports)
Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.
Al Unser III is the son of two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Al Unser, Jr., grandson of Al Unser, Sr. During his young childhood years, he was often nicknamed "Mini Al" by the media and fans, all with the anticipation that he would undoubtedly follow in his family's footsteps to race. His grandfather became known as "Big Al," his father for a time became known as "Little Al," and Al III thus became known as "Mini Al." When starting his professional career, he has since abandoned any sort of nickname, and has insisted on being referred to as Just Al or by his full name, Al Richard Unser. His first TV appearance was the 1992 Indy 500 when his father won. Unser III was seen greeting his father in victory circle on live TV.

Unser began driving go karts at age 10, but stopped racing until after earning his driver's license at 16. After attending driving schools, Unser competed in the Skip Barber Western Racing Series in 2002, winning six races and earning "Rookie of the Year" honors. A year later, he posted four top-10 finishes in the Barber Dodge Series.

In 2004, Unser made his Toyota Atlantic Championship debut, running in four of the 12 series events. His best finish came in his final start of the season when he was eighth at Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. He also ran in eight of twelve races in the Infiniti Pro Series, a feeder series to the Indy Racing League, and finished third five times.

Unser started the 2005 season in the Infiniti Pro Series, posting three top-10 finishes in the first four races. He then returned to the Toyota Atlantic series and finished the season 7th in championship, after running ten of twelve events and posting a best finish of 4th.

In 2006 he drove in 2 Champ Car Atlantic series events with a best finish of 19th, prior to funding issues seeing him losing his drive.

Unser was signed to drive the Playa Del Racing #12 car in the Freedom 100 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 2007 Indy Pro Series. He continued in the series also appearing in several other oval races. He was announced as Playa Del Racing's full-time driver in the #12 car for the 2008 season.

Controlling interest in Playa Del Racing was sold in May, 2008 to former Las Vegas restaurateur Eric Zimmerman, who renamed it American Dream Motorsports. After finishing in 11th position at Indianapolis, Unser was reportedly released by the new owner and replaced by Tony Turco, who brought sponsorship to the program. American Dream Motorsports posted an entry for the Milwaukee 100 on May 31, but the car never took to the track.

Unser's sponsor, Ethos for Earth, shifted its support to Indy Lights at the series level, where it continues to feature Al Unser III and Al Unser, Jr. in marketing and promotions.
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"USAC Hall of Famer" Jimmy Caruthers Dies Of Cancer - October 26, 1975

October 22, 2017, 9:00 pm
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January 18, 1945 - October 26, 1975
Douglas "Jimmy" Caruthers
(Photo; trackforum.com)
 Born in Anaheim, California, USA.
Jimmy raced midget cars, sprint cars, and IndyCars. Caruthers won the 1970 USAC National Midget Series championship. His championship was the closest in USAC midget history, as he beat Dave Strickland by 12.48 points. He finished second to his brother Danny Caruthers in 1971. Jimmy won 21 USAC midget car features between 1967 and 1975.

He competed in the ARDC while stationed on the East Coast during his tour of duty in the armed forces. He was transferred to Phoenix, and race in caged sprint cars on weekends. He almost won the championship, but was transferred overseas before the end of the season.

He drove in the USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1970-1975 seasons with 43 starts, including the 1972-1975 Indianapolis 500. He finished in the top ten 21 times. His best finish were second place finishes at the 1974 California 500 at the Ontario Motor Speedway and 1974 Pocono 500. He drove in four Indianapolis 500s.

He won the 1975 USAC Silver Crown Series championship while suffering from cancer. He captured the title by finishing third at the Hoosier 100 six weeks before he died. He died of cancer in October 1975 before claiming his championship trophy.

USAC has annually awarded the "Jimmy Caruthers Award" in his honor since 1978. Initially given to the Rookie of the Year, it was rededicated to honor his spirit and determination, shown in winning the Silver Crown championship in the year of his death.

He was inducted into the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1992 and the USAC Hall of Fame in 2015.

His father Doug Caruthers and brother Danny Caruthers also died before accepting their USAC series championship at the end of the year awards banquet. The Caruthers family is synonymous with midget car racing.
(Photo; nmdoty.com)
Danny Caruthers (5) and brother Jimmy Caruthers (1) pose with car owner & father Doug Caruthers (left), along with a crew member.
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Jo Siffert Dies In Fiery Crash At Brands Hatch - October 24, 1971

October 23, 2017, 9:00 pm
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July 7, 1936 - October 24, 1971
Jo Siffert
(Photo; "Siffert, Joseph 1968".)
Born in Fribourg, Switzerland.
Affectionately known as "Seppi" to his family and close friends. Siffert initially made his name in racing on two wheels, powering his way to the Swiss 350 cc motorcycle championship in 1959, before switching to four wheels with a Formula Junior Stanguellini. Siffert graduated to Formula One as a privateer in 1962, with a four-cylinder Lotus-Climax. He later moved to Swiss team Scuderia Filipinetti, and in 1964 joined Rob Walker's private British Rob Walker Racing Team. Early successes included victories in the non-Championship 1964 and 1965 Mediterranean Grands Prix, both times beating Jim Clark by a very narrow margin.

In 1968, Siffert drove into the F1 history books by winning the 1968 British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch in Rob Walker Racing Team's Lotus 49B, beating Chris Amon's Ferrari into second place after a race-long battle. This is regarded as the last GP victory by a genuine privateer.

While Siffert's status in F1 grew slowly, his fame came as a leading driver for the factory Porsche effort in its quest for the World Sportscar Championship. In 1968, Siffert and Hans Herrmann won the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring in a Porsche 907, marking the first major outright wins for the company, apart from a few earlier victories on twisty tracks.

Later on, Siffert's driving displays in the Porsche 917 were legendary, earning him several major wins in Europe. In addition, Siffert was chosen by Porsche to help launch its CanAm development program, driving a Porsche 917PA spyder in 1969 and finishing fourth in the championship despite few entries.

In 1970 he teamed up with Brian Redman to drive a Porsche 908/3 to victory at the Targa Florio.
(Photo; "1971-05-29 Joseph Siffert, Porsche 908-3 (Gegengerade)" by Lothar Spurzem)
That same year, Porsche bankrolled Siffert's seat in a works March Engineering F1 since the German company did not wish to lose one of their prize drivers to rival Ferrari. His association with March in F1 was disastrous, so he was delighted to join rival Porsche racer Pedro Rodriguez at BRM the following season.

Siffert won the 1971 Austrian Grand Prix, and was later killed in the non-championship World Championship Victory Race at Brands Hatch, Kent, England, the scene of his first victory in 1968. The suspension of his BRM had been damaged in a lap one incident with Ronnie Peterson, and broke later. The BRM crashed and immediately caught fire. Siffert could not free himself from the burning car.

His funeral in Switzerland was attended by 50,000 people and a Gulf-Porsche 917 of Team John Wyer led the hearse and procession through the streets of Fribourg. A very comprehensive story about Siffert's life and death was published in 2005 by Roger Benoit in the Swiss newspaper Der Blick. Benoit was a period Formula 1 sports reporter and knew Siffert well. He was also present at Siffert's tragic last Brands Hatch race in 1971. The night before the race, Benoit took pictures of Siffert, his wife Simone and his mother Maria as well as a friend Jean Tinguely at an evening victory celebration Link. He then also took the very last picture of Siffert alive as he sat waiting in his BRM in the pole position on the starting line five minutes before the start of the fateful race.

In 2005, a very informative 90-minute documentary about his life was made by director Men Lareida: Jo Siffert – live fast, die young.

In the final round of the 2007–08 A1GP season, at Brands Hatch, the A1 Team Switzerland car carried the message: Jo 'Seppi' Siffert, 40th Anniversary, Brands Hatch. This commemorated his 1968 British Grand Prix victory at Brands Hatch.
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10 Die In Hendrick Motorsports Plane Crash - October 24, 2004

October 23, 2017, 9:00 pm
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October 24, 2004
A Beechcraft Super King Air aircraft, registered and owned by Hendrick Motorsports, crashed into mountainous terrain in Stuart, Virginia, during a missed approach to Blue Ridge Airport. All ten people on board were killed.
 
("Careflight Beechcraft 200 Super King Air DRW Butler" by Eugene Butler jetphotos.net) 
(A Beechcraft Super King Air 200, similar to the one involved in the crash)

The King Air took off from Concord, North Carolina, at 12 pm EST, carrying eight passengers and two flight crew. Among them were several key Hendrick Motorsports staff, including team president John Hendrick and his twin daughters, Kimberly and Jennifer Hendrick; former NASCAR Busch Series driver and owner Ricky Hendrick, son of Rick Hendrick; general manager Jeff Turner and chief engine builder Randy Dorton.

The other people on board were; DuPont executive Joe Jackson and pilots Richard Tracy, Elizabeth Morrison and Scott Lathram, a pilot for driver Tony Stewart.

The plane was en route to the Subway 500 Nextel Cup Series race at Martinsville, Virginia, when it was reported missing at 3:00 pm. Eventually 9-1-1 was called, and fire trucks and police cars patrolled the Virginia area during the race itself. Around midway through the race, searchers patrolling the nearby Bull Mountain's peak found airplane wreckage on the summit. When removing the wreckage from the summit they found the bodies of the Hendrick group at 11:05 pm. Everyone on board had been killed. A search by firefighters also discovered a scar on the mountain of moved dirt; the discovery proved that the airplane crashed on the side of the mountain and the explosion blew the wreckage and group upward.

NASCAR received word of the plane crash halfway through the race at Martinsville. Hendrick Motorsports won the race as a team victory but after the race was over, NASCAR immediately summoned all the Hendrick Motorsports drivers, including the race winner Jimmie Johnson, to the Oval Office and all victory lane ceremonies were cancelled.

The week following the crash, officials at the Atlanta Motor Speedway held a moment of silence before both the Busch and Nextel Cup races and lowered the flags to half staff. All the Hendrick Motorsports cars carried tributes on the hoods for those who were lost the week before. Jimmie Johnson, who won the Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 race and the rest of his teammates and crew wore their caps backwards in victory lane as a tribute to Ricky Hendrick, who had a habit of doing the same. At the Hendrick museum in Concord, North Carolina, 300 people showed up for a candlelight vigil in honor of the ten victims.
(Photo; "Nascarphx14" by Brian Cantoni - Flickr.com - image description page)
Brian Vickers' hood design pays tribute to the people killed in the plane crash.

See our; Ricky Hendrick Tribute Page
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Brian Vickers Born in Thomasville, North Carolina - October 24, 1983

October 23, 2017, 9:00 pm
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October 24, 1983
Brian Vickers
(photo credit: jerbec via photopin cc)
Born in Thomasville, North Carolina, USA.
He most recently drove the No. 55 Toyota Camry for Michael Waltrip Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and was the 2003 NASCAR Busch Series champion. Vickers' career has been marred by a series of health issues since 2010 that have included blood clots and heart problems.

On December 15, 2014, it was announced that Vickers would miss part of the 2015 season due to health issues. Vickers said that his body had been rejecting an artificial patch which had been inserted in 2010 to fix a hole in his heart. He had corrective surgery in December to repair the hole that was a success, and said that he would need time for rest and rehabilitation. Vickers implied in January that he only would miss a few races. With his racing future uncertain, Vickers joined NASCAR on NBC as a analyst and worked selected Sprint Cup races on the network during the season.

Vickers is a fan of golf and attends several golf-events that NASCAR drivers often host in offseasons. He also loves traveling, hang-gliding and diving underwater. Currently he lives in Daytona Beach, Florida where he spends time with his family and pursues most of his hobbies.
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Johnny Mantz Dies In Car Accident At Age 54 - October 25, 1972

October 24, 2017, 9:00 pm
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September 18, 1918 - October 25, 1972
Johnny Mantz
Born in Hebron, Indiana, USA.
Mantz made two starts in the Indianapolis 500. They were 1948 and 1949. He started 8th in 1948 and finished a black-flagged 13th, completing 185 laps. In 1949 he started 9th and finished 7th, completing all 200 laps. In 1953 he drove relief for Walt Faulkner.

He made 17 starts in the AAA Championship Car series from 1948 to 1952, capturing a victory in his rookie season at the Milwaukee Mile as well as winning the Indianapolis Sweepstakes at Williams Grove Speedway.

He was a member of the Lincoln team in the first Carrera Panamericana in Mexico in 1950. He and Bill Stroppe were able to lead quite a bit of the multi-day race. With the finish line in sight and no more spare tires to run, Mantz was forced to run on rims and limped across the finish line ending up 9th.
Johnny Mantz Lincoln Capri owned by Bob Estes

Mantz was the first USAC Stock Car national champ in 1956. He also made 12 NASCAR Grand National starts from 1950–1951 and 1955-1956. He won in his third NASCAR race, the first Southern 500 held at Darlington Raceway. This was the first 500-mile race in the history of NASCAR. The newly built Darlington Raceway was also the first "Super Speedway" for NASCAR, even though it was a little under a mile and a half in size. The Southern 500 was also the only paved event for NASCAR in 1950. The classification for Super Speedways would later mean 2 miles and up. Mantz and his Plymouth were the race's slowest qualifier, almost 10 MPH slower than the pole winner, Curtis Turner. But because he qualified on the 9th of 15 days of time trials, he started 43d in the 75 car field. Mantz fitted truck tires which did not wear quickly or blow out, while his competitors had to stop often to pit for new tires. It was his only NASCAR win. He would win by 9 laps over the second-place finisher, Fireball Roberts, with an average speed of 75 MPH. The race took more than 6 hours to run. Other than the car number, Mantz had one lone sponsorship decal on his car which was placed by the Justice Brothers for the product they were distributing.
Mantz was also the first person to try and bring NASCAR sanctioning to the West Coast of the United States. Mantz last stock car race was in Pomona, California in 1958. He won this race.

Mantz was featured in a number of magazine advertisements for Ford cars in the early 1960s.
(Photo;terapeak.com)

Mantz died on October 25, 1972 in a fatal car accident near Ojai, California. He was 54 years old.

As of 2010, the speedway presents the Johnny Mantz trophy to the winner of the Southern 500.
(Photo;scnow.com)
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Lou Figaro Dies Of Crash Injuries Received During "Wilkes 160" - October 25, 1954

October 24, 2017, 9:00 pm
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October 12, 1920 - October 25, 1954
Louis Figaro
Home: South Gate, California, USA.
Figaro competed in 16 NASCAR Cup Series races from 1951 to 1954, picking up one victory in the 1951 event at Carrell Speedway in Gardena, California. During the early years of late model stock car racing on the west coast, no name was more well known than that of Lou Figaro.

Figaro started his racing career in the early 1930’s and drove everything he could get his hands on. He liked stock cars, and by the end of WWII had decided to direct most of his energy to that type of racing. He was always a Hudson man and when the Hudson Hornet came out in 1951, Lou was there driving one of Jimmy Dane’s cars. He ran the Mexican Road Race with a Hudson and nearly lost his life in that effort. Lou raced with AAA, NASCAR, IMCA and WAR and won many races. He was especially fast on the high bands of Oakland, and the ½ mile dirt at Carrell Speedway.

He won the 1953 WAR Championship for Late Models and in 1954 had decided to concentrate on running NASCAR Grand National events in the south. He was killed in an accident during the 1954 Wilkes 160 at North Wilkesboro Speedway on October 24, 1954, when his vehicle smashed through the guardrail and overturned with three laps left. He died in the hospital the following day.

In 2002, Figaro was inducted into the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame. His granddaughter, Tracy Figaro-Davis, accepted.
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Sammy Swindell Born In Germantown, Tennessee - October 26, 1955

October 25, 2017, 9:00 pm
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October 26, 1955
Sammy Swindell
(photo credit: Ted Van Pelt via photopin cc)
Born in Germantown, Tennessee, USA.
One of the most recognized names in American motorsports, Sammy Swindell grew up watching his father behind the wheel at many of their local Memphis, Tennessee dirt tracks. In 1971, at the age of fifteen, Sammy took to the dirt at Riverside Speedway in West Memphis, Arkansas. In his rookie season, the oldest of two racing Swindell brothers won eleven feature events.

Now retired, he is a three-time champion and four-time runner-up in the World of Outlaws series; he has also competed in NASCAR and Champ Car competition.

He won his first two titles in 1981 and 1982 driving the famous Nance Speed Equipment #1. He won his third title in 1997 driving his own Channel Lock sponsored #1 team car. Sammy has hundreds of A-main victories to his credit. He also competed in the CART series in 1985 and 1986 and failed to qualify for the 1987 Indianapolis 500 in a March-Pontiac.

Swindell made his debut in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series in the 1985 Atlanta Journal 500; in 1991, he planned to move full-time to the Winston Cup Series, competing for Rookie of the Year for Moroso Racing, but he was fired by the team following several spins during Speedweeks and crashing again in qualifying for the second race of the year at Richmond International Raceway. Following his release returned to sprint car racing.

Swindell ran a limited schedule in the NASCAR Busch Series in 1993. The team closed mid-season, and he returned to sprint cars once more. Swindell also competed in a full season of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 1995, driving for Akins-Sutton Motorsports, where he finished 12th in points, scoring five top-ten finishes in the series' inaugural season.

In his career he has over 300 World of Outlaws feature wins. 2007 was his 35th consecutive year as a race car driver, racing beside his 18-year-old son Kevin. He's a five-time winner of the prestigious Chili Bowl Midget Nationals, the only driver to win it more than three times, until his son Kevin won his fourth straight race in 2013. During the 2008 season he raced in northern California winning a main event in the California Civil War Series in Placerville and also at the famed Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, California. Swindell is considered one of the best driver/setup men in the business. He is know for experimenting with innovative technology.

Inherently, Swindell is a shy and private person. Over the years he has earned the reputation of being "all business" at the race track, and much of that reputation can be attributed to a very focused approach to his chosen profession. The best description of Sammy may have come from legendary sprint car owner, LaVerne Nance, the man with whom Sammy won two "World of Outlaws" championships. "When he's at the track or working on the car, it's a living to him and he takes it real seriously. A lot of people don't understand that. He has worked hard all of his life to be successful in racing."

Away from his job, Sammy can relax and chat away for hours on a variety of different subjects. That's a side that most people will never get to see. It's the side where he and Kevin, work on Kevin’s cars or he and close friends just sit and chat away about racing. His brother Jeff, is still an active and successful sprint car driver.

On August 25, 2014, Swindell announced he was retiring from racing, though he intends to race in the Chili Bowl Nationals.

Achievements;
1981, 1982, 1997 World of Outlaws Champion.
1983 Knoxville Nationals Winner.
1989, 1992, 1996, 1998, 2009 Chili Bowl Midget Nationals Winner.
1992, 1999, 2012 Eldora Kings Royal Winner.

Sammy Swindell 2014 Big Game Treestands 1:24 Nascar Diecast
Collect your Sammy Swindell 2014 Big Game Treestands 1:24 Nascar Diecast collectible car today!
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Dick Trickle Born In Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin - October 27, 1941

October 26, 2017, 9:00 pm
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October 27, 1941 - May 16, 2013
Dick Trickle
(Photo; nndb.com)
Born in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin.
He raced for decades around the short tracks of Wisconsin, winning many championships along the way. Trickle competed in the ASA, ARTGO, ARCA, All Pro, IMCA, NASCAR, and USAC.

In more than an estimated 2,200 races, Trickle logged one million laps and is believed to have won over 1,200 feature races. He was billed as the winningest short track driver in history. Trickle's career highlights include racing to 67 wins in 1972, winning seven ARTGO Championships in nine years between 1979 to 1987, winning back to back ASA AC-Delco Challenge championships in 1984 and 1985, the 1968 USAC Stock Car rookie of the year, and winning the 1989 NASCAR Rookie of the Year award in what was then called the Winston Cup.

Trickle was nicknamed the "White Knight"
as referenced by his sponsored Super America paint scheme, when he raced in Wisconsin.

Sadly, Trickle died May 16, 2013, from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. For more check out our In memory of Dick Trickle.
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Bernie Ecclestone Born In Bungay, Suffolk, England - October 28, 1930

October 27, 2017, 9:00 pm
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October 28, 1930
Bernie Ecclestone
Born in Bungay, Suffolk, England.
He is the chief executive of the Formula One Group, which manages Formula One and controls the commercial rights to the sport, and part-owns Delta Topco, the ultimate parent company of the Formula One Group. As such, he is generally considered the primary authority in Formula One racing and is most commonly described in tabloid journalism as "F1 Supremo".

His early involvement in the sport was as a competitor and then as a manager of drivers Stuart Lewis-Evans and Jochen Rindt. In 1972, he bought the Brabham team, which he ran for fifteen years. As a team owner he became a member of the Formula One Constructors Association. His control of the sport, which grew from his pioneering the sale of television rights in the late 1970s, is chiefly financial, but under the terms of the Concorde Agreement he and his companies also manage the administration, setup and logistics of each Formula One Grand Prix, making him one of the richest men in the UK, according to his net worth. Ecclestone entered two Grand Prix races as a driver, during the 1958 season, but failed to qualify for either of them.
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Joe Ruttman Born In Upland, California - October 28, 1944

October 27, 2017, 9:00 pm
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October 28, 1944
Joe Ruttman
Born in Upland, California, USA.
Ruttman is the younger brother of Indianapolis 500 winner Troy Ruttman. His father, Ralph "Butch" Ruttman, was an award winning mechanic on top Indy teams. He competed in NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series, and Camping World Truck Series. Ruttman was the United States Automobile Club's 1978 USAC Stock Car Rookie of the Year, and the 1980 USAC Series champion.

Ruttman made his NASCAR Grand National Series debut in 1963 at Riverside International Raceway, finishing 10th at the Winston Western 500. He drove in three more Series races between 1964 and 1980, while racing local tracks in between. Ruttman caught a big break in 1981 when J.D. Stacy, who had just bought Rod Osterlund's team, hired him to take over for Dale Earnhardt, who left the team mid-season to join Richard Childress Racing. Ruttman went on to run a full Series schedule from 1982 through 1984, 1986, and 1991. His best season was in 1983, when he finished 12th in points. During his 20 years in the Sprint Cup Series he had 60 top-ten finishes and 19 top-fives. He came very close to winning a race at Richmond in 1982, but a late power-steering failure sent his car into the wall and gave Dave Marcis the victory.

In 1995 Ruttman competed in the first Craftsman Truck Series season, winning two races that year on his way to finishing second in the inaugural championship. His success as a full-time driver in the Truck Series continued as he went on to win 11 more races between 1996 and 2007.
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Teo Fabi Wins CART "Miller High Life 150" at Phoenix - October 29, 1983

October 28, 2017, 9:00 pm
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October 29, 1983

Teo Fabi drove the Gerry Forsythe/Skoal Bandit March to a 9 second victory over Mario Andretti in the in the CART "Miller High Life 150" at Phoenix International Raceway, Arizona, USA. Fabi qualified on the pole position and led 138 of 150 laps. He would finish 2nd in points and win the CART series rookie of the year award.
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Didier Schraenen Born In Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Quebec - October 29, 1955

October 28, 2017, 9:00 pm
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October 29, 1955
Didier Schraenen
(Photo; transportstch.com)
Born in Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Quebec.
Although he started in motocross and ran into several categories of cars, including NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, Player's GM and the Honda Michelin Series, he is best known for his successes in Formula 1600. He was crowned Canadian champion four times in 1998, 1999, 2006 and 2009, runner up in 2002 & 2003, and finished third in 1996, 2007, 2011 & 2013. He has a total of 13 podium appearances at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, in different categories.

 Didier is also well recognized as a television sports commentator, mainly on the RDS network, and over the years has covered almost every form of motor-sport including NASCAR Sprint Cup, Champ Car, Indy Car and Formula Atlantic.

(Photo; auto123.com)
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Chritian Fittipaldi Leads All Brazilian Poduim At Fontana - October 30, 2000

October 29, 2017, 9:00 pm
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October 30, 2000
(Photo; crash.net)
Chritian Fittipaldi, driving the Newman Haas Racing Lola/Ford, led fellow countrymen Roberto Moreno and Gil de Ferran, to an all Brazilian sweep of the poduim at the CART "Marlboro 500 Presented by Toyota" at California Speedway, Fontana, California, USA.

The final race of the 2000 CART FedEx Championship, resumed from lap 34 on Monday after Sunday rain forced a postponement, with Gil de Ferran locking up the series championship.

Christian Fittipaldi Signed 8x10 Photo COA NASCAR Formula One CART Champ - PSA/DNA Certified - Autographed Photos 
Christian Fittipaldi Signed 8x10 Photo 
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Greg Moore Dies In Violent Crash At Fontana - October 31, 1999

October 30, 2017, 9:00 pm
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April 22, 1975 - October 31, 1999
Greg Moore
(Photo; gregmoore.com)
Home: Maple Ridge, BC, Canada.
Greg Moore, the 1995 Indy Lights Champion, had his promising career and his life come to an abrupt end when he was fatally injured in a violent crash on the tenth lap of the CART season finale, the "Marlboro 500", at the California Speedway in Fontana, Calafornia, USA.

During the weekend before the race, Moore was knocked off his motor scooter by a paddock vehicle and injured his right hand. Unsure that he would be able to race, Player's-Forsythe hired Roberto Moreno as an emergency backup driver. After a medical consultation, and an in-car test, he was allowed to race using a hand brace, starting from the back of the grid because his team had missed qualifying.

Following an early race restart, on lap nine of the race, Moore lost control of his car in the exit of turn 2 and spun into the infield grass at more than 200 mph. His car hit an access road and was tripped over to strike the infield concrete wall sideways with the top of the car directly facing the wall at unabated speed. Moore was critically injured in the crash and was airlifted to Loma Linda University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. The race continued and Adrian Fernandez won. At the pronouncement of Moore's death, the Auto Club Speedway ordered all track flags at half staff. Also, CART ordered that there would be no victory celebrations for either the race, or the newly decided championship. Player's Forsythe racing ordered their other driver, Patrick Carpentier, into the pits and retired Patrick's car mid-race. All other drivers were unaware of Moore's death until the end of the race. At the request of Moore's father, Ric Moore, the CART end-of-season awards banquet continued as scheduled on the following night, although its format was changed out of respect for the families of Moore and Gonzalo Rodríguez, another CART driver who was killed in a crash earlier in the season at Laguna Seca Raceway. Almost 6 laps before Moore's ill-fated lap, driver Richie Hearn had crashed in exactly the same location. The skidmark pattern was nearly identical, both drivers having struck the inside wall. Hearn walked away, and Moore did not. Moreover, a strong northerly wind was blowing that day, creating a cross wind down the backstretch where both incidents occurred.

Moore was a well-liked driver by both racing fans and members of the CART racing community. Makeshift memorials were started at his former high school, Pitt Meadows Secondary School, and at Greg's father's car dealership. The Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame in Toronto also had a small memorial with a condolence book for people to sign.

A private memorial service was held on November 3, 1999 at St. Andrews Wesley United Church in downtown Vancouver and was attended by 1,200 family members and close friends, including Dario Franchitti, Jimmy Vasser, Paul Tracy, and Jacques Villeneuve. Another public funeral service was held in Greg's hometown of Maple Ridge on November 4, 1999, and was attended by more than 1,500 people. The church was full and consequently a tent with TV screens and speakers was set up outside the church for many others who attended but could not get inside.

Moore's car number 99, was retired by CART as a mark of respect after his death. Also a trophy would be presented annually called the Greg Moore Legacy Award. It is given every year to a driver who best typifies Moore's legacy of outstanding talent on track, as well as displaying a dynamic personality with fans, media, and within the CART community. As Greg was a product of the CART Ladder System, having competed in the Indy Lights Championship from 1993–95 and won the series title in 1995, drivers from The Atlantic Championship series were also eligible for the award. The award was purchased by Bridgestone, which in 2008 began sponsoring the award, giving it to a deserving Indy Lights driver. Moore was posthumously inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame in 2000.

In July 2013, Moore was named by Autosport magazine as one of the 50 greatest drivers to have never raced in Formula One.

For more see; In Memory Of Greg Moore.
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