As we await the arrival of a new year, let’s look back at those who perished this past one in the world of auto racing.
From Pierre Levegh’s Mercedes launching into the stands resulting in the death of 84 people (including himself) in the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans at Circuit de la Sarthe, which remains the deadliest accident in auto racing history, to Wolfgang von Trips’s Ferrari sliding up an embankment and killing 15 spectators (including himself) in the 1961 Italian Grand Prix at Monza, we’ve come a long way from the days of racing when death was commonplace.
Nevertheless, the advancements in technology and safety procedures won’t ever diminish death’s specter over the world’s most dangerous sport. The 2016 season was no exception.
This list is limited to drivers who’ve died in racing competition. Any others who were killed during active competition, such as spectators, officials, photographers and etc, are excluded. Drivers and other notable personalities who died outside of racing competition will be noted separately.
All information on these drivers comes from MotorsportMemorial.org., with some outside research done through other outlets.
- On March 3, Kenny Michalak was killed in a high-speed wreck at a drag race facility in Texas. The 63-year old was testing at Houston Motorsports Park when the tail end of his vehicle started swaying back and forth, according to eyewitnesses. His car sped off the track and collided with a row of barrels. Deputies with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office said Michalak was dead before paramedics arrived.
- On March 20, Jason Lumpkin died in a wreck at Kansas International Dragway. The 34-year old Texas native was competing in the eighth round of the 2016 M&H Tires Import Face-Off National Race and Show Series when his car slid into a guardrail and flipped over multiple times. He was pronounced dead a few hours later (The Wichita Eagle).
- On April 3, Steve Cabelo perished in a hard wreck in Southern France. The 45-year old French native was competing in the opening round of the 2016 French Hillclimb Championship when he lost control of his car before crossing the finish line, slammed a light pole and ended in a tree (whether the car crashed into the tree itself or landed on the tree’s branches, I couldn’t determine because the sources for his death are in French). He was pronounced dead at the scene. Cabelo’s death was only the second in the event’s 47 year history.
- On April 10, Ronnie Davis succumbed to injuries sustained in an accident sustained the prior evening. The 66-year old Georgia native and three-time IHRA World Champion and reigning PDRA Champion just completed a qualifying run for the PDRA Spring Nationals at Rockingham Dragway when his car shot across the track, slammed into the guardrail and barrel-rolled down the track. He was taken to Moore County Regional Hospital in Pinehurst, North Carolina and then relocated to UNC Medical Center in Chapel Hill (Racer.com).
- On April 19, Charlie Floyd died from injuries sustained in a dirt late model crash four days earlier. The 26-year old Ohio native was racing for second in the AMRA Dirt Late Model A-main final at Southern Ohio Speedway in Wheelersburg, Ohio when he was caught up in a multi-car wreck on the frontstretch, leading to him barrel-rolling several times before coming to a stop. Spilt fuel caught fire with him inside. EMT’s put out the fire quickly, but Floyd was trapped in his burning car for several minutes. He was taken to a local hospital, followed by an airlift to Cabell Huntington Hospital in Huntington, West Virginia with burns on 80 percent of his body.
- On May 8, Wong Teck King was killed in a drag race on an airport runway. Also known by the pseudonym “Ah Sing Spoon,” the 37-year old lost control of his vehicle on his final run at Miri Airport in Sarawak, Malaysia. It skidded off the track and flipped several times before coming to a rest in an orchard. He won the race but perished shortly after he was admitted to the hospital.
- On May 21, Joe Haag died of injuries sustained in a Kansas Antique Car Association exhibition race. The 75-year old Lincoln, Nebraska native was a well-known car restorer and racing enthusiast who operated the Speedway Motors Museum in Lincoln. He was running warm up laps at Junction Motor Speedway when he collided with another car that had hit the wall. Eyewitness reports said Haag was traveling at a reduced rate of speed when he hit the other car. His car rolled over three times and he sustained serious injuries. He died shortly after admission to Bryan Medical Center West in Lincoln.
- On August 7, Bryan Clauson perished from injuries sustained the night before in a dirt midget race. The 27-year old Northern California native was in the middle of what he called “The Chasing 200 Tour, Circular Insanity” (he was attempting to run 200 races in the 2016 season, including the 100th Indianapolis 500) and stop 116 was the USAC National Midget Championship’s 39th Annual Belleville Midget Nationals, of which he was the defending race winner, at Belleville High Banks in Kansas. Right after taking the lead, Clauson’s car climbed the guardrail in turns 3 and 4 and flipped “heavily,” before his car was struck by Ryan Greth’s car. He was airlifted in critical condition to Bryan Medical Center West in Lincoln where he passed away the following night (USA Today).
- On August 24, Matt Schuh died following an accident at a Wisconsin speedway. The 27-year old resident of Manitowoc, Wisconsin was taking part in a heat race at Manitowoc County Expo Speedway when his car crashed into the infield guardrail. This stopped the race 45 minutes to facilitate repairs. A press release by the Manitowoc County Coroner’s Office said an autopsy performed on August 25 “revealed no significant injuries, and it was likely a medical issue which caused death prior to the car versus barrier impact.” It also stated that alcohol and drug use wasn’t suspected, although it would take another four to six weeks for toxicology results (The Herald Times Reporter & WBAY 2). We reached out to Curtis Green, department director of the Manitowoc County Coroner’s Office, for more information and he responded with the following, “The cause of death is undetermined. The manner of death is natural.”
- On September 4, Wojciech Szumski was killed in a rally race in Poland. The 40-year old Polish native was taking part in the 2016 Rajd Tarmac Masters rally event in Southwestern Poland as a co-driver when the car left the road at high speed and crashed into a ditch. He was pronounced dead at the scene, while the driver, Paweł Goś, suffered only a fractured arm.
- On September 10, Shane Unger died from injuries sustained in a dirt late model race at Eldora Speedway. The 35-year old Rossburg, Ohio resident was caught up in a multi-car wreck in turn 3 on the final restart of the second heat of the World 100 where his car hit the outside concrete wall drivers-side. EMT’s were quickly on the scene and he was taken to Mercer County Community Hospital in Coldwater, Ohio. He passed away shortly after admission.
It’s also worth noting that seven spectators, a team member, an official and a photographer were all killed in racing-related accidents.
We also lost a number of prominent individuals away from active racing competition, but still had a major influence on the world of racing.
On January 25, Rex Robbins, founder of the American Speed Association, died following an extended illness. Founded in 1968 at Anderson Speedway, Robbins led the ASA and turned the asphalt late model series into a national touring series that spawned the careers of drivers such as Mark Martin, Alan Kulwicki, Jimmie Johnson, Rusty Wallace, Dick Trickle and many more.
On January 26, Barney Hall, longtime radio broadcaster for the Motor Racing Network, died from surgery complications at the age of 83.
Having called his first Daytona 500 in 1960, Hall was a fixture on radio dials for five decades and his voice became synonymous with NASCAR racing.
“Barney’s (Hall) impeccable delivery and incredible storytelling skills left an indelible mark on the sport that he so clearly loved,” said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France. “His legacy remains through an honor that rightly carries his name – the Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence. It will remain a constant reminder of the skill and passion that Barney brought to his work.”
Hall mentored a great number of radio and TV broadcasters in the racing industry today, such as Eli Gold (lead radio announcer of Alabama Crimson Tide football) Mike Joy (multiple outlets, most notably lead announcer of NASCAR on CBS and NASCAR on FOX), Allen Bestwick (longtime MRN announcer and NASCAR broadcaster, now general sports broadcaster for ESPN), Dave Moody (lead MRN turn announcer and host of SiriusXM Speedway) and so many more.
If you want a taste of how great a broadcaster he was, look up a video called “Barney Hall: ‘The Voice of MRN'” on YouTube. It’s a tribute piece done by RacingOne.com that’s a few years old, but it still demonstrates just how incredible the man truly was.
On February 10, Lennie Pond died of cancer at 75. The resident of Chester, Virginia started as a modified racer on dirt and asphalt in Virginia before moving to late models. Eventually, he found his way to the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. He had mild success beating out Darrell Waltrip for rookie of the year in 1973 and a career-best fifth-place points finish. On August 6, 1978, Pond set a new NASCAR record for the fastest 500-mile race (which was later broken by Mark Martin) and scored his first career victory in the Talladega 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.
On August 29, Betty Jane France, the matriarch of the France family, died at 78. She was an executive vice-president and assistant treasurer of NASCAR and chairperson of the NASCAR Foundation. Best known for her humanitarian work, the NASCAR Foundation awards the Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award to a NASCAR fan(s) that “honors the unwavering commitment that Founder and Chairwoman Emeritus Betty Jane France demonstrated with philanthropic and community efforts throughout her life,” states the NASCAR Foundation on their website.
On October 5, Brock Yates, renowned automotive journalist and creator of the Cannonball Run cross-country road race, died of complications related to Alzheimer’s at the age of 82. He was a pit reporter for a number of NASCAR races on CBS in the 1980’s, but it was his columns in Car and Driver, of which he was the longtime executive editor, that gained him notoriety. He went after the 55-mph speed limit on the U.S. Interstate Highway’s, the arrogance of safety advocate Ralph Nader and even the American automotive industry and its management.
The bottom line is we must strive to advance safety, but not forget racing will always be a dangerous sport. However, that’s part of the draw of auto racing. We want to see drivers push the boundaries of speed and control for the sake of sport, so long as it doesn’t end with a driver in a body bag.
To put it another way, we don’t want to see the lion tamer get eaten, but we want to see him stick his head inside the lion’s mouth.
