Chuck Rodee (born Charles J. Rodeghier; September 8, 1927 – May 14, 1966) was an American racecar driver who died while attempting to qualify for the 1966 Indianapolis 500. [1]
Chuck Rodee (born Charles J. Rodeghier; September 8, 1927 – May 14, 1966) was an American racecar driver who died while attempting to qualify for the 1966 Indianapolis 500. [1]
Rodee won the Fort Wayne Indoor midget car title in 1955 at the 1/10 mile cement track, and finished third in the USAC National Midget championship. He repeated with Fort Wayne championships in 1957 and 1958. He collected his fourth track championship in 1966 before his death. He finished second in the 1956 USAC National Midget points, and third in 1965.
He drove in the USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1957, 1958, 1960, and 1962–1965 seasons. He finished in the top ten 4 times, with his best finish in 5th position in 1965 at Atlanta. He had 16 career starts, including the Indianapolis 500 races in 1962 and 1965. He finished in 32nd in 1962 after crashing to avoid Jack Turner, [1] and 28th in 1965.
Rodee died while attempting to qualify for the 1966 Indianapolis 500. He spun on a second lap warm-up and backed the car into the wall exiting Turn 1. The impact appeared minor but the rigid chassis transferred virtually the entire force of the crash to the driver. Rodee suffered a ruptured aorta and lapsed into a coma. He was pronounced dead after emergency surgery failed to save him. [1]
Anthony Joseph Foyt Jr. is an American former racing driver who competed in numerous disciplines of motorsport. He is best known for his open wheel racing career, and for becoming the first four-time winner of the Indianapolis 500. He holds the most American National Championship titles in history, winning seven.
Rodger Morris Ward was an American racing driver best known for his open-wheel career. He is generally regarded as one of the finest drivers of his generation, and is best known for winning two National Championships, and two Indianapolis 500s, both in 1959 and 1962. He also won the AAA National Stock Car Championship in 1951.
Troy Lynn Ruttman was an American racing driver. He is best known for winning the 1952 Indianapolis 500 - at the age of 22 years and 80 days, Ruttman remains the youngest ever winner of the event. Competing since the age of 15, he had a remarkably successful early career, winning several regional and AAA-sanctioned championships.
Paul Frank Russo was an American racing driver.
Melvin Eugene "Tony" Bettenhausen was an American racing driver known primarily for his open-wheel career. He twice won the National Championship, doing so in 1951 and 1958. He also competed in stock cars, winning under AAA and USAC sanction.
James Richard Davies was an American racecar driver in Champ cars and midgets. He was the second man to win three USAC National Midget Championships. When Davies won the 100-mile (160 km) AAA Championship race at Del Mar, California on November 6, 1949 – aged 20 years, 2 months, 29 days, he became the youngest driver to win a race in a major U.S. open wheel series, a record not broken until Marco Andretti won the IRL race at Sonoma, California in 2006. Davies raced AAA on a false birth certificate showing him older, and was racing illegally.
George Reggie "Little George" Amick was an American racecar driver, mainly competing in the American National Championship. He was killed in a crash in a USAC 100-mile (160 km) race at Daytona International Speedway.
Chuck Weyant was an American racecar driver. He was born in St. Mary's, Ohio.
Leslie Eugene "Gene" Hartley was an American racecar driver. He was born and died in Roanoke, Indiana.
James Ernest Hurtubise was an American racing driver who competed in Championship Cars, sprint cars and stock cars. Hurtubise enjoyed much success in sprint cars, champ dirt cars, and stock cars, and was the winner of the 1966 Atlanta 500; however, he never achieved the success at the Indianapolis 500 which his rookie qualifying run promised, when he out qualified pole-sitter Eddie Sachs by three mph, nearly breaking the 150 mph mark.
James Ernest "Jimmy" Bryan was an American racing driver. Well-known for his habit of racing with an unlit cigar, Bryan was a three-time National Champion, and won the Indianapolis 500 in 1958. In Europe he is well-known for winning the 1957 Race of Two Worlds.
Len Sutton was an American racecar driver. He is best known for finishing second at the 1962 Indianapolis 500.
Samuel Dwight Hanks was an American racing driver who won the 1957 Indianapolis 500. He was a barnstormer, and raced midget and Championship cars.
Clark Thomas "Shorty" Templeman was an American racecar driver.
Rufus Parnell "Parnelli" Jones was an American professional racing driver and racing team owner. He is notable for his accomplishments while competing in the Indianapolis 500 and the Baja 1000 desert race, and the Trans-Am Championship series. In 1962, he became the first driver to qualify over 150 mph (240 km/h). He won the race in 1963, then famously broke down while leading the 1967 race with three laps to go in a turbine car. During his career as an owner, he won the Indy 500 in 1970–1971 with driver Al Unser.
Bob Wente was an American racing driver.
Mel Kenyon is a former midget car driver. He is known as the "King of the Midgets", "Miraculous Mel" and "Champion of Midget Auto Racing." The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America says "Many consider him to be midget car racing's greatest driver ever."
Willard Leo "Bill" "Billy" Cantrell was a midget, sprint, and stock car racing driver from Anaheim, California. He was nicknamed the "Silver Fox" for his gray hair and sly tricks.
John Wayne Parsons is an American race car driver. He is the son of 1950 Indianapolis 500 winner Johnnie Parsons. He drove Indy cars in the USAC National Championship, and also drove USAC championship dirt cars. Parsons made twelve starts at the Indianapolis 500, with a best finish of 5th in 1977 and 1985.
Ronald Barth Duman, was an American racing driver who competed in the USAC Championship Car series and the Indianapolis 500. Duman was an accomplished driver in sprints and midgets, and won the prestigious Little 500 at Anderson Speedway in 1959 and 1960.
 | This biographical article related to United States auto racing is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
