Born:  

Died:  April 22, 1990

Buried: 

Age:  

Full Name:  

Nickname: 

Drag Strip:  Atco Raceway, near Waterford Township, New Jersey

Event:  

Accident Date:  April 22, 1990

Car:  1967 Ford Mustang

Biographical:  The drag racer was killed when he skidded out of control on an oil slick.  More research is needed.

Sources

"Metropolitan area news in brief," Philadelphia Inquirer, Apr. 23, 1990

Photos

Born:  

Died:  June 16, 1991

Buried: 

Age:  

Full Name:  Lonnie D. _________

Nickname: 

Drag Strip:  U. S. 36 Drag Strip, Osborn, Missouri

Event:  

Accident Date:  June 15, 1991

Car:  1967 Chevrolet Nova

Biographical:  He died Sunday from injuries sustained in an accident on Saturday night.  Further research is needed to determine his surname (see newspaper article) and other details.

Sources

Photos

Born:  

Died:  September 5, 1993

Buried: 

Age:  34

Full Name:  

Nickname: 

Drag Strip:  St. Thomas Dragway, Sparta, Ontario, Canada

Event:  

Accident Date:  September 5, 1993

Car:  dragster

Biographical:  He died when his vehicle went off the end of the race track and crashed.  He weighed over 300 pounds and was from Wadding Cres., Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.

Sources

"Market butcher killed in freak speedway accident," Toronto Star, September 7, 1993

"Drag racer died doing what he loved," Toronto Star, October 2, 1993

Photos

Born:  October 21, 1948

Died:  September 10, 1993

Buried: 

Age:  44

Full Name:  Al P. Dapozzo

Nickname:  "Disposal"

Drag Strip:  Beach Bend Raceway Park, Bowling Green, Kentucky

Event:  NHRA Division 3 Points race

Accident Date:  August 29, 1993

Car:  TA/FC

Biographical:  Sixty feet out from the start his car made a hard move left toward the  center line, then a hard right, whereupon it hit the wall. The impact resulted in the headers breaking off the engine, which was still running.  This caused a fire. The car continued down the race track on fire, not stopping until well beyond the finish line.  By the time the safety crew could address the fire, Dapozzo had been badly burned. He succumbed to his injuries in a Nashville, Tennessee hospital about three weeks later.  He was a veteran driver of long experience, winning ten national events and two divisional titles, principally in the 1980s. He was one of the few drivers to win national events in both Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car.  His best time in the dragster was 6.305 and 216.86 MPH.  He was survived by his wife, Joann, and one child.

Sources

Motorsport Memorial website (http://www.motorsportmemorial.org/focus.php?db=ct&n=5195)

Social Security Death Index (A. P. Dapozzo, born Oct. 21, 1948, died Sep. 1993, SS# issued Illinois 1961-62)

SpeedZone Magazine (http://www.speedzonemagazine.com/zones/alkyzone/04alkyzone/04janalky/04jantop25tad.htm)

Photos

SpeedZone Magazine (http://www.speedzonemagazine.com/zones/alkyzone/04alkyzone/04janalky/Al-DaPazzo-MMM-85.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.speedzonemagazine.com/zones/alkyzone/04alkyzone/04janalky/04jantop25tad.htm&usg=__MkltOGZZs3w8ggqInz8yFRaG1l4=&h=191&w=350&sz=20&hl=en&start=2&um=1&tbnid=DOZFA0vTnoKdtM:&tbnh=65&tbnw=120&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dal%2Bdapozzo%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1 

http://www.nhrafinals.com/galleries/sportsman/image8.html (accessed 12/25/10)

Born:  March 4, 1945

Died:  January 15, 1994

Buried: 

Age:  48

Full Name:  Ronald Edwin Dees

Nickname: 

Drag Strip:  Sears Point Raceway, Sonoma, California

Event:  testing/practice

Accident Date:  January 15, 1994

Car:  dragster

Biographical:  While making a solo test run, he lost control of his car about three-fourths of the way into the quarter mile.  It veered sharply to the left, slammed into a wall, and rolled well beyond the finish line.  His helmet came off when he struck the wall and he suffered severe head injuries.  He was transported to Queen of the Valley Hospital in Napa where he was pronounced dead.  He was a resident of Napa, California.

Sources

"Drag racer killed," Greensboro News & Record, January 17, 1994

"Drag racer dies," Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Jan. 17, 1994

"Sports news," Associated Press, January 16, 1994

"Death at the track: 1993-1997," Charlotte Observer, November 11, 2001

Motorsport Memorial website (http://www.motorsportmemorial.org/focus.php?db=ct&n=4944) 

Photos

Born:  January 25, 1943

Died:  August 1, 1993

Buried: 

Age:  50

Full Name:  Ronald Leroy Filkins

Nickname: 

Drag Strip:  Sears Point Raceway, Sonoma County, California

Event:  NHRA Autolite National Drag Racing Championships

Accident Date:  August 1, 1993

Car:  SS/GA 1968 Chevrolet Camaro

Biographical:  He suffered a heart attack in his car while returning to the pits on the return road after winning the first round of eliminations.  He was rushed to Petaluma Valley Hospital where he was pronounced dead. He was a resident of Alta Loma, California.  He won the Super Stock division at the 1993 Winternationals and the 1990 Winston World Finals at Pomona.

Sources

"Drag racer is dead after heart attack," Los Angeles Times, August 2, 1993

"Death at the track: 1990-1993," Charlotte Observer, November 11, 2001

Motorsport Memorial website (http://www.motorsportmemorial.org/focus.php?db=ct&n=5052)

Photos

Born:  August 4, 1949

Died:  August 18, 1990

Buried: 

Age:  41

Full Name:  Vinston Holmes, Jr.

Nickname: 

Drag Strip:  Dunn-Benson Drag Strip, North Carolina

Event:  testing

Accident Date:  August 18, 1990

Car:  Pro Stock 1968 Chevrolet Camaro

Biographical:  He died during a private testing session on the 1/8th-mile drag strip.  He was a resident of Fayetteville, North Carolina.  He was a runner-up in Comp at the 1990 Winternationals.

Sources

Motorsport Memorial website (http://www.motorsportmemorial.org/focus.php?db=ct&n=5193)

Photos

Born:  December 28, 1962

Died:  November 14, 1990

Buried: 

Age:  27

Full Name:    Eben Thomas Johnson, Jr.

Nickname:  John Boy

Drag Strip:  Orlando Speed World Dragway, Florida

Event: 

Accident Date:  November 14, 1990

Car:  1967 Chevrolet Camaro

Biographical:  He was killed after his car veered, hit a guard rail, and flipped.  He was ejected from the vehicle.  He lived in Kissimmee, Florida.

Sources

"Death at the track: 1990-1993," Charlotte Observer, November 11, 2001

"Speed testing the limit exacts toll from John Johnson," Orlando Sentinel, November 16, 1990

Motorsport Memorial website (http://www.motorsportmemorial.org/focus.php?db=ct&n=1630)

Photos

Born:  December 2, 1943

Died:  September 28, 1991

Buried: 

Age:  47

Full Name:   Oscar Harvey Lubke

Nickname: 

Drag Strip:  Mooresville Dragway, North Carolina

Event:  IHRA

Accident Date:  September 28, 1991

Car:  

Biographical:  When he slammed into a guard rail, a piece of the rail punctured his windshield and struck him in the head.  He lived in Concord, North Carolina.  He was a loan manager by occupation.

Sources

"Drag race entrant killed," Charlotte Observer, September 29, 1991

http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/e/u/l/Wayne-Euler-tn/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0193.html  (accessed 12/25/10)

"Death at the track: 1990-1993," Charlotte Observer, November 11, 2001

Photos

Born:  January 9, 1956

Died:  August 13, 1994

Buried: 

Age:  38

Full Name:   Don H. Marsh 

Nickname: 

Drag Strip:  Virginia Motorsports Park, near Petersburg, Virginia

Event: 

Accident Date:  August 13, 1994

Car:  "Dastardly Dan" 1993 Pontiac Trans Am jet car

Biographical:  He lost control of his jet car during an exhibition run and slammed into a concrete retaining wall.  He died at the scene shortly after the crash.  He had only recently bought the jet car.  He was a resident of Webster, Massachusetts.

Sources

"Drag racer dies after losing control of his car, hitting a wall," Oregonian, August 14, 1994

"Death at the track: 1993-1997," Charlotte Observer, November 11, 2001

"Driver dies at Virginia Motorsports Park," Richmond Times, August 14, 1994

Motorsport Memorial website (http://www.motorsportmemorial.org/focus.php?db=ct&n=3298)

DragList.com 

Social Security Death Index (D. H. Marsh, born Jan. 9, 1956, died Aug. 15 [sic], 1994, SS# issued Massachusetts 1973)

Photos

Born:  June 27, 1946

Died:  October 30, 1994

Buried:  

Age:  48

Full Name:   George W. Moeckel

Nickname:      

Drag Strip:  New England Dragway, Epping, New Hampshire

Event:  

Accident Date:  October 30, 1994

Car:  S/G 1993 Chevrolet Beretta

Biographical:  When his engine blew in the first round of eliminations, the oil coated the track and his tires.  This caused the car to go out of control at a speed of 138 MPH, hit the Jersey barrier wall at least twice, rolled several times, and pinned Moeckel.  He lived in North Andover, Massachusetts, and was survived by his wife, two daughters, and two sons.  His death and accident occurred two years to the day after John Tartaglia died at the same race track.  In fact, Moeckel stored his race car in a trailer that had been owned by Tartaglia.

Sources

"Dragway Crash Death," Union Leader, October 31, 1994

"2 Years After 1st Epping Death, Another Bay State Driver Dies," Union Leader, November 1, 1994

"Death at the track: 1993-1997," Charlotte Observer, November 11, 2001

"Eerie coincidence in dragway death," Lewiston Sun-Journal, November 2, 1994

Motorsport Memorial website (http://www.motorsportmemorial.org/focus.php?db=ct&n=3354)

Social Security Death Index (George W. Moeckel, born June 27, 1946, died Oct. 30, 1994, SS# issued Massachusetts)

Photos

Born:  January 29, 1956

Died:  September 7, 1991

Buried:  Poplar Forks Baptist Church Cemetery, Warrenton, Virginia

Age:  35

Full Name:   Mitchell Henry Morton

Nickname:      

Drag Strip:  Sumerduck Dragway, near Culpeper, Virginia

Event:  

Accident Date:  September 7, 1991

Car: 

Biographical:  He died when his vehicle struck a guard rail after failing to stop at the end of a run.  He died while being transported to Fairfax Hospital by helicopter.  He was from Warrenton, Virginia, and was survived by his wife and two sons.  He had been drag racing for fifteen years.

Sources

"Death at the track: 1990-1993," Charlotte Observer, November 11, 2001

Social Security Death Index  (M.H. Morton, born Jan. 29, 1956, died Sep. 1991, SS# issued Virginia 1970)

Mitchell Morton, e-mail communication to site administrator, March 29-30, 2010 

Photos

Mitchell Morton, e-mail communication to site administrator, April 1, 2010

Find a Grave (photo courtesy of Diane Rector) 

 Mitchell Morton in his early mid-20s (left) and with his wife, Carolyn Lea Morton-Hall (right) a little less than a year before he died.

This Camaro is one of Morton's first race cars.

Morton won a championship at Sumerduck Dragway in 1986 with this modified Chevy Monza. 

This is the car Morton was racing in his fatal crash.

Born:  July 21, 1938

Died:  May 21, 1994

Buried:  Resthaven Gardens Cemetery, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 

Age:  55

Full Name:  James W. Nix, II

Nickname:  "The Smilin' Okie"    

Drag Strip:  Texas Motorplex, Ennis, Texas

Event:  Hi-Lo/Pyroil T-Shirt Nitro Night

Accident Date:  May 21, 1994

Car:  T/F dragster

Biographical:  He was competing in a match race against Doug Foxworth. As he neared the finish timing lights, his wing strut became detached on the right side causing his car to go out of control. His car veered into the left guard rail at about 260 MPH. It became airborne with part of the car sliding on top of the guard rail.  The car eventually went over the guard rail and hit a pole holding up a track video screen.  Upon impact, the car broke into numerous pieces.  He was pronounced dead with major head injuries shortly after his arrival at Baylor University Medical Center. He was a successful racer nationally in the 1960s before retiring in 1971.  He was the first driver in NHRA history to set records in four different categories (AA/FD, A/FD, AA/D, and S/FX).  He returned to competitive drag racing in 1990.  He broke the track record at the 1994 Winternationals in Pomona in T/F. His best time in the car had been a 4.78 and 286.75 MPH.

Sources

"Drag racer Nix killed in crash," Daily Oklahoman, May 22, 1994

"Death at the track: 1993-1997," Charlotte Observer, November 11, 2001

"Race car driver Nix dies in crash," Dallas Morning News, May 22, 1994

"Dragster killed," Globe and Mail, May 23, 1994

Motorsport Memorial website (http://www.motorsportmemorial.org/focus.php?db=ct&n=1153)

Social Security Death Index (James W. Nix, born July 21, 1938, died May 21, 1994, SS# issued Oklahoma 1953-54)

Texas Death Index (James Nix II, died May 21, 1994, Ellis Co., TX)

Photos

Division IV Hall of Fame website (www.division4halloffame.com/)

Find a Grave website

Born:  April 7, 1944

Died:  June 18, 1994

Buried: 

Age:  50

Full Name:    Newman Mack Peery

Nickname: 

Drag Strip:  Brotherhood Raceway, San Pedro, California

Event: 

Accident Date:  June 18, 1994

Car:  1981 Chevrolet Camaro

Biographical:  When his parachute failed to open, he lost control and his vehicle slammed into a concrete retaining wall at a speed of about 150 MPH.  He died at San Pedro Peninsula Hospital.  He was semi-retired from drag racing.  He was a high school shop teacher and auto parts store owner from Lomita, California.

Sources

"Death at the track: 1993-1997," Charlotte Observer, November 11, 2001

"Crash at reopened drag strip kills Lomita driver, 50," Los Angeles Times, June 20, 1994

California Death Index (Newman Mack Peery, died June 18, 1994, LA, born Apr. 7, 1944, mother’s maiden name was Greenslade)

Social Security Death Index (N. M. Peery, born Apr. 7, 1944, died June 1994, SS# issued 1958)

Texas Birth Index (Newman Mack Peery, born Apr. 7, 1944, Cameron Co., TX, son of Sarita Anne Greenslade and Charles Newman Peery; his brother is Charles G., born May 16, 1938)

Photos

Born:  

Died:  September 4, 1994  

Buried: 

Age:  30

Full Name:    Rodney Douglas Petreman

Nickname: 

Drag Strip:  Viking International Dragway, Gimli, Manitoba, Canada

Event: 

Accident Date:  September 4, 1994

Car:  Chevy-powered dragster

Biographical:  After clocking a speed of 170 MPH, his parachute failed to open properly.  His chute failed to fill with air.  He spun out of control, struck a guard rail at the end of the race track, and rolled over several times before coming to a stop.  It was his fourth run of the day.  He was pronounced dead on arrival at a hospital.  He was a resident of Winnipeg and was survived by his wife and son.

Sources

"Drag racer killed in front of family," Canadian Press, September 6, 1994

"The sports year had dangerous, silly moments," Waterloo Region Record, Dec. 27, 1994

Canadian Public Telephone Records (There is a D. M. Petreman in Winnipeg as of 2002 with phone number 204 339 2533)

Photos

Born:  

Died:    June 30, 1990

Buried: 

Age:  45

Full Name:   

Nickname: 

Drag Strip:  Tarlton Raceway, near Krugersdorp, South Africa

Event: 

Accident Date:  June 30, 1990

Car:  dragster

Biographical:  After having been clocked at about 250 MPH, his parachute did not deploy and he crashed into the barriers at the end of the race track.  His racing opponent thought that he may have been unconscious after finishing the run.  Debris from his disintegrating car struck and killed two men in a support vehicle next to the end of the race track.  Pieters was one of South Africa's best drag racing drivers.

Sources

Motorsport Memorial website (http://www.motorsportmemorial.org/focus.php?db=ct&n=8011)

Photos

Born:  August 1, 1961

Died:  March 8, 1992

Buried:  Greenlawn Cemetery, Dillon, South Carolina

Age:  30

Full Name:    Rocky Lee Powers, Sr.

Nickname: 

Drag Strip:  710 Drag Strip, near Rowland, North Carolina

Event: 

Accident Date:  March 8, 1992

Car:  motorcycle

Biographical:  He died instantly when his motorcycle slammed into a car while traveling at about 100 MPH near the end of the 1/8th mile drag strip.  He was from Beaufort County, South Carolina.  He was survived by his wife.

Sources

"Wreck kills racer from SC," Fayetteville Observer, March 9, 1992

"Motorcycle race victim identified," Fayetteville Observer, March 10, 1992

Social Security Death Index (R. Powers, born August 1, 1961, died Mar. 1992, SS# issued in South Carolina in 1975)

North Carolina Death Collection  (Rocky Lee Powers, Sr., married, age 30, born August 1, 1961, in South Carolina, residence is Beaufort County, South Carolina, died March 8, 1992, in Robeson County, North Carolina)

Photos

Find a Grave website

Born:  April 23, 1967

Died:  July 22, 1990

Buried: 

Age:  23

Full Name:  Luige Santo Rapisarda 

Nickname: 

Drag Strip:  Willowbank Raceway, near Ipswich, Queensland, Australia

Event: 

Accident Date:  July 22, 1990

Car:  T/F dragster

Biographical:  He was making a time trial run when the engine of his dragster exploded.  When oil from the blown engine got onto his rear wheels, he lost control of the car and smashed into a guard rail.  He was taken to Ipswich General Hospital where he succumbed.  He was a resident of Hoxton Park, Australia, and had only been in drag racing for two years.  He was partners with his father in the race car.

Video:

• Tribute Video 

Sources

"Drag racer dies after explosion," Courier-Mail, July 23, 1990

Motorsport Memorial website (http://www.motorsportmemorial.org/focus.php?db=ct&n=3419) 

Photos

"Remembering Louie Rapisarda," Drag News Australia, July 22, 2010 

Born:  June 30, 1940

Died:  August 8, 1994

Buried: 

Age:  54

Full Name:    Jerry Don Sides

Nickname: 

Drag Strip:  Texas Raceway, Kennedale, Texas

Event: 

Accident Date:  August 6, 1994

Car:  

Biographical:  After crossing the finish line on the 1/8th-mile track, he crashed through an embankment and his car flew into the trees.  He died two days later.  A resident of North Richland Hills, Texas, he was the second fatality at this race track in the space of three months.

Sources

"Drag racer dies of injuries from crash," Fort Worth Star-Telegram, August 9, 1994

"Driver dies of injuries suffered in drag-strip crash," Dallas Morning News, August 9, 1994

Motorsport Memorial website (http://www.motorsportmemorial.org/focus.php?db=ct&n=1749) 

Photos

Born:  February 12, 1951

Died:  March 28, 1992

Buried: 

Age:  41

Full Name:   James Buford Smith, Jr.

Nickname:  Smitty

Drag Strip:  Harrells Dragway, Harrells, North Carolina

Event:  Quick Eight Racers Association

Accident Date:  March 28, 1992

Car:  TM Race Cars Olds Cutlass Pro Mod

Biographical:  He was in the left lane making a single run when his car suddenly veered to the right and slammed into a guard rail at the 1/8th mile drag strip.  He was from Mount Holly, North Carolina.

Sources

"Drag strip accident kills racer," Fayetteville Observer, March 29, 1992

"Drag racer dies in wreck after qualifying run," Charlotte Observer, March 31, 1992

North Carolina Death Collection  (James Buford Smith, Jr., race: black, divorced, age 41, born February 12, 1951, in South Carolina, residence: Gaston County, North Carolina, died in Sampson County, NC, on March 28, 1992)

Social Security Death Index  (J. B. Smith, born February 12, 1951, died Mar. 1992, SS# issued in South Carolina in 1965)

William R., e-mail to site administrator, Feb. 12, 2011

Photos

Born:  August 23, 1952

Died:  April 25, 1992

Buried:  cremated, ashes spread on starting line of Houston Raceway Park

Age:  39

Full Name:   William Ernest Staley, Jr.

Nickname: 

Drag Strip:  Texas Motorplex, Ennis, Texas

Event:  Sunoco Race Fuels Shootout, Parts Plus Super Chevy Tour

Accident Date:  April 25, 1992

Car:  Pro Stock Chevrolet Camaro

Biographical:  While making a qualifying run, he lost control at a speed of about 200 MPH.   He barrel-rolled over the retaining wall and struck the base of a light pole.  Unfortunately he had planned on that being his last race with the car.  He lived and owned a high performance engine building business in Houston, Texas.  He began racing in the 1960s and held national records in both AHRA and NHRA at various times and in various classes.  In 1986, his Pontiac Grand Am Pro Stock won the best engineered car award at the U.S. Nationals. He was survived by his parents, brother, sisters, and a son. 

Sources

"Death at the track: 1990-1993," Charlotte Observer, November 11, 2001

Motorsport Memorial website (http://www.motorsportmemorial.org/focus.php?db=ct&n=1582)

Photos

Motorsport Memorial website (http://www.motorsportmemorial.org/focus.php?db=ct&n=1582)

 Bill Staley (second from left) at 1986 U.S. Nationals

Pontiac Grand Am Pro Stock at 1986 U.S. Nationals 

Born:  September 2, 1948

Died:  1990

Buried: 

Age: 

Full Name:  Terry Lee Stumpf

Nickname: 

Drag Strip:  Cedar Falls Raceway, Iowa

Event: 

Accident Date:  1990 (Memorial Day weekend?)

Car: 1968 Factory SS Mustang

Biographical:  His car was a factory race car.  The 428CJ was replaced with a 460 cubic inch 385 series motor that failed coming to the finish line. Some reportedly said he had a transmission failure.  The car struck the opening of the guard rail.  Cedar Falls has honored his memory with a memorial 1/8th-mile drag race each October.

Sources

"Race driver from Waverly mourned," The Gazette, October 22, 1996

A reader, e-mail communication with site administrator, April 29, 2010

Rita Wade, e-mail communication to site administrator, June 2, 2010

Photos

Born:  November 14, 1953

Died:  November 1, 1992

Buried:  

Age:  38

Full Name:   John S. Tartaglia

Nickname:      

Drag Strip:  New England Dragway, Epping, New Hampshire

Event:  Race of Champions

Accident Date:  November 1, 1992

Car:  dragster

Biographical:  A dragster driven by competitor Joyce Fitts went out of control and hit Tartaglia's dragster in the other lane.  The collision sent his race car into the wall.  He was transported to Exeter Hospital where he died later that evening.  They were traveling at a speed of about 125 MPH at the time of the collision.  He was a veteran of drag racing for twenty years.  He lived in Tyngsboro, Massachusetts, with his wife, Patricia, and two children.  He was an auto mechanic for a car dealership in Wakefield, Massachusetts.  He had been diagnosed ten months before his fatal accident with Hodgkin's Disease, but chemotherapy treatments had put the disease into remission.

Sources

"Drag racer dead," Globe and Mail, November 3, 1992 

"Drag racers killed in crash," Montreal Gazette, November 3, 1992

"Sports digest," San Francisco Chronicle, November 3, 1992

"Dragster killed in crash," North Hills News Record, November 3, 1992

"Death at the track: 1990-1993," Charlotte Observer, November 11, 2001

Motorsport Memorial website (http://www.motorsportmemorial.org/focus.php?db=ct&n=3355) 

U.S. Public Records Index (John S. Tartaglia, born Nov. 1953, phone 663-8988, 10 Patriot Rd., Tyngsboro, Mass.)

Social Security Death Index (J. S. Tartaglia, born Nov. 14, 1953, died Nov. 1992, SS# issued Mass. in 1969-70)

Photos

Born:  August 10, 1954

Died:  August 15, 1992

Buried:  East Lake Cemetery, Kissimmee, Florida

Age:  38

Full Name:   Doyle Maynard Tindall

Nickname:      

Drag Strip:  U.S. 19 Dragway, Albany, Georgia

Event: 

Accident Date:  August 15, 1992

Car:  1991 Chevrolet

Biographical:  During the second round of qualifying in the Super Quick category, he was traveling at more than 100 MPH when his car veered into a guard rail halfway down the race track.  He lived in St. Cloud, Florida, and died of massive injuries sustained in the accident.  

Sources

"Tindall of St. Cloud is killed in Georgia drag-race accident," Orlando Sentinel, August 17, 1992

"Death at the track: 1990-1993," Charlotte Observer, November 11, 2001

"Tindall dies after hitting guardrail," Ocala Star-Banner, August 18, 1992

"Friends, family mourn race-car driver," Orlando Sentinel, August 18, 1992

Motorsport Memorial website (http://www.motorsportmemorial.org/focus.php?db=ct&n=5187) 

Photos

Find a Grave website

Born:  January 18, 1956

Died:  July 16, 1994

Buried:  

Age:  38

Full Name:  Philip A. Unruh

Nickname:      

Drag Strip:  Muncie Dragway, Indiana

Event: 

Accident Date:  July 16, 1994

Car:  motorcycle

Biographical:    After crossing the finish line at a speed of 115 MPH, his bike slid and flipped, resulting in his death.

Sources

"Judge's ruling opens door for NBA signings," USA Today, July 19, 1994

Social Security Death Index (Phillip A. Unruh, died July 16, 1994, born January 18, 1956, SS# issued in Indiana in 1971)

Photos

Born:  June 26, 1950

Died:  July 3, 1994

Buried:  Saint Mary Magdalene Catholic Church Cemetery, Bolinas, California

Age:  44

Full Name:   Eugene Joseph Vecchio 

Nickname: 

Drag Strip:  Southern Oregon Dragway, near White Clay, Oregon

Event: 

Accident Date:  July 3, 1994

Car:  "Blue Streak" jet dragster

Biographical:  He died upon impact when his car flew off the end of the race track at more than 200 MPH and collided with a tree.  His parachute was not deployed and his brakes were not applied.  Medical personnel speculated that he blacked out.  Investigators determined that all safety equipment on the car was functioning properly.  His career best time was  5.735 and 254.23 MPH on his J-34 Westinghouse-powered vehicle. He was from Novato, California, and was survived by his wife and two sons.

Sources

"Death at the track: 1993-1997," Charlotte Observer, November 11, 2001

Motorsport Memorial website (http://www.motorsportmemorial.org/focus.php?db=ct&n=1636)

Photos

Find a Grave website