Rich Vogler

Rich Vogler is one of those people who needed only 20 years to become an overnight sensation. Thanks to ESPN's new "Thursday Night Thunder" series, thousands of viewers have discovered sprint car and midget auto racing--and Vogler. "I'll walk into a store somewhere and I'll hear girls mumbling, 'Is that him? Isn't that Rich Vogler?' " he said. Not surprising, since little has happened in those types of racing the last decade or so that Vogler hasn't had a foot in. He has won the national championship five times since 1978, and the 1980 national sprint car title as well.

Rich Vogler, five-time United States Auto Club midget champion, was killed Saturday night when he crashed during a sprint car race at Salem (Ind.) Speedway. Dr. Dan Anderson pronounced Vogler dead at 11:40 p.m. EDT at the Washington County Memorial Hospital in Salem, according to Bill Marvel, vice president of USAC. The crash occurred about 40 minutes earlier. Tony Floyd, an ambulance medic for the hospital, described the 39-year-old Vogler as having a "severe head injury."

Rich Vogler, five-time United States Auto Club midget champion, was killed Saturday night when he crashed during a sprint car race at Salem (Ind.) Speedway. Dr. Dan Anderson pronounced Vogler dead at 11:40 p.m. EDT at the Washington County Memorial Hospital in Salem, according to Bill Marvel, vice president of USAC. The crash occurred about 40 minutes earlier. Tony Floyd, an ambulance medic for the hospital, described the 39-year-old Vogler as having a "severe head injury."

The official results of Sunday's Indianapolis 500 were posted here Monday morning without protest or position changes. In fact, in the only change, Canadian driver John Jones, who finished 11th, was credited with 189 laps, one more than in the unofficial standings. One-lap penalties were announced for Rich Vogler and Scott Pruett, both for running over air hoses during pit stops, but each wound up with the same number of laps as previously announced, Vogler in eighth place with 192 and Pruett in 10th with 190. A two-lap penalty against Billy Vukovich III for passing the pace car under the yellow flag had been assessed previously.

Gordon Johncock's momentary joy turned to despair Sunday as Rich Vogler bumped the two-time champion from the Indianapolis 500 on the final qualification attempt. Three-time winner Johnny Rutherford was able to make it into the 33-car field, along with Stan Fox, Howdy Holmes and Ludwig Heimrath Jr. of Canada. Vogler barely beat the final gun at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He was the final driver with an opportunity to get into the race.

The fastest 33-car field in racing history will start the May 28 Indianapolis 500 without three-time winner Johnny Rutherford, whose last-minute qualifying attempt blew up Sunday along with the engine in the car he borrowed from A.J Foyt. Rutherford, 51, was bumped from the lineup by Rich Vogler with under 15 minutes remaining on the final day of time trials. But Foyt, a fellow Texan and longtime friend, put Rutherford into a Cosworth-powered Lola, got the car through technical inspection and onto the 2 1/2-mile oval one minute before the scheduled close of the track.

Lealand McSpadden and Rich Vogler won their first titles and Rick Carelli and Billy Vukovich III repeated previous championships Sunday in the $145,000 Copper World auto races at Phoenix International Raceway. McSpadden, from nearby Tempe, won the sprint-car 25-lap event and Vogler, of Indianapolis, Ind., took the midget crown. Carelli, of Denver, Colo., matched his 1982 stock-car victory and Vukovich, of Coarsegold, Calif., took his second straight supermodified main.

Ken Schrader of Concord, N.C., a NASCAR Winston Cup driver, entered the open-wheeled racing ranks Sunday and won the featured 50-miler for United States Auto Club Silver Crown machines at the 12th annual Skoal Bandit Copper World Classic. Schrader took the lead from pole winner Bob Cicconi of Prospect Park, Pa., on the fifth of 50 circuits around the one-mile Phoenix International Raceway oval and won at an average speed of 126.536 m.p.h.

The official results of Sunday's Indianapolis 500 were posted here Monday morning without protest or position changes. In fact, in the only change, Canadian driver John Jones, who finished 11th, was credited with 189 laps, one more than in the unofficial standings. One-lap penalties were announced for Rich Vogler and Scott Pruett, both for running over air hoses during pit stops, but each wound up with the same number of laps as previously announced, Vogler in eighth place with 192 and Pruett in 10th with 190. A two-lap penalty against Billy Vukovich III for passing the pace car under the yellow flag had been assessed previously.

Rich Vogler is one of those people who needed only 20 years to become an overnight sensation. Thanks to ESPN's new "Thursday Night Thunder" series, thousands of viewers have discovered sprint car and midget auto racing--and Vogler. "I'll walk into a store somewhere and I'll hear girls mumbling, 'Is that him? Isn't that Rich Vogler?' " he said. Not surprising, since little has happened in those types of racing the last decade or so that Vogler hasn't had a foot in. He has won the national championship five times since 1978, and the 1980 national sprint car title as well.

The fastest 33-car field in racing history will start the May 28 Indianapolis 500 without three-time winner Johnny Rutherford, whose last-minute qualifying attempt blew up Sunday along with the engine in the car he borrowed from A.J Foyt. Rutherford, 51, was bumped from the lineup by Rich Vogler with under 15 minutes remaining on the final day of time trials. But Foyt, a fellow Texan and longtime friend, put Rutherford into a Cosworth-powered Lola, got the car through technical inspection and onto the 2 1/2-mile oval one minute before the scheduled close of the track.

Gordon Johncock's momentary joy turned to despair Sunday as Rich Vogler bumped the two-time champion from the Indianapolis 500 on the final qualification attempt. Three-time winner Johnny Rutherford was able to make it into the 33-car field, along with Stan Fox, Howdy Holmes and Ludwig Heimrath Jr. of Canada. Vogler barely beat the final gun at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He was the final driver with an opportunity to get into the race.

Bill Elliott and Geoff Brabham shared the honors Saturday night at the American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Assn. banquet in the Spruce Goose Pavilion at Long Beach. Elliott was named driver of the year by a panel of 10 racing writers over Brabham, Danny Sullivan and Rusty Wallace in the closest balloting ever. Elliott, Winston Cup stock car champion, received the most points in the 1-through-5 voting although Wallace, the Winston Cup runnerup, had the most first-place votes.

Ascot Park will present its annual "Salute to Indy" for sprint cars next Saturday night, with many of its drivers and car owners having interests in the Indy 500, and vice versa. First, there is Bubby Jones, 44, of Glen Avon, who will drive the Alex Morales-owned "Tamale Wagon" in the 50-lap feature on the Gardena half-mile dirt track. Jones competed in the 1977 Indy 500, when he started 33rd, or last, in the Bruce Cogle Ford Special.