(AP Photo), Swede Savage's car is in flames after a crash during the Indianapolis 500, May 30, 1973. Savage emerged from his stop with 70 gallons (nearly 500 lb.) You have to be on the offensive but not stupid about it.. On the first day of qualifying, gusting winds slowed Savage from matching his best practice speeds, but he still shattered the track record with a four-lap qualifying average of 196.582 mph (316.368 km/h). Savage would survive the crash but die a little more than four months later. He came to rest adjacent to the outer retaining wall, fully conscious and completely exposed while he lay in a pool of flaming methanol fuel. The choice is something we all made. In March 1971, Savage entered the Questor Grand Prix at Ontario Motor Speedway, driving an Eagle-Plymouth Formula 5000 car. Rain delayed, interrupted and shortened the race which. 5/30/1973 7307220348 . Winning the Brickyard's coveted Borg-Warner Trophy remains the aspiration of nearly every open-wheel driver. He oozed charm and charisma because he was unaware how charming and charismatic he really was. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. While still being trapped into the wreckage, rescuers saw him moving, a fact that astonished Jim McKay and Chris Economaki, covering the race for ABC Sports broadcasts. Family and friends of race car driver Swede Savage, who died Monday, July 2, of injuries sustained in the May 30 crash at the Indianapolis 500, gather at the grave site at Mountain View Cemetery following funeral services in San Bernardino, Calif., July 6, 1973. After a partial season driving NASCAR stock cars in the South for the Ford factory-backed racing team Holman-Moody, Savage received a telephone call from Gurney inviting him back to Southern California to try his hand at sports car racing. I'm sure it was the same way for those drivers in 1973, but you have to pick up your boots and move on.. (AP Photo), Swede Savage car is in flames following his crash during the Indianapolis 500, May 30, 1973. Your input will affect cover photo selection, along with input from other users. Even the thought of it 40 years later still evokes a heart-wrenching response from Foyt, an owner who tries to shelter his emotions far more than he did as a driver. He was just 26 years old when he died. [7] Later in the day, as the winds abated, Johnny Rutherford, Bobby Unser, and Mark Donohue each bettered Savage's time. He had been the fastest driver for much of practice. Swede Laid To Rest . On May 5, Swede Savage upped the speed chart to 197.802 mph (318.331 km/h), inching closer to the elusive 200 mph (320 km/h) mark. I felt I wouldn't make a mistake that would kill me, but I knew I could pay for someone else's mistake. [10] The force of the impact, with the car carrying a full load of fuel, caused the car to explode in a massive 60-foot (18m)-high plume of flame.[8][9][11]. It is widely reported that Savage died of kidney failure from infection, but Dr. Steve Olvey, Savage's attending physician at Indy (and later CART's Director of Medical Affairs), claimed in his book Rapid Response that the real cause of death was complications related to contaminated plasma. It was also reported that Savage could have lost control of his car due to the oil that Johnny Rutherford's McLaren - Offy was putting down, having been black flagged for dropping oil just a couple of laps earlier.Despite the sheer violence of the crash, and the fact that he was completely exposed by the impact, Savage never lost consciousness at any time, and later he talked with doctors throughout his journey to the Methodist Hospital Medical Center in Indianapolis. Also in attendance was a Ford public relations executive named Monte Roberts, who watched Savage calmly wheelie a motorcycle for the better part of a mile and, struck by Savage's "racy" name and obvious talent, encouraged Ford officials to take Savage under their wing. It doesn't have to stay dangerous, but it's an element of this sport that makes it what it is.. If you're going to be a race driver, you have to bite your tongue and go on with it. When you're on the sideline, it can be dangerous. Swede raced car #42 and Dan raced an identical car #48. Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. He died at age 26 from complications while recovering from injuries suffered in a crash during the 1973 Indianapolis 500, nearly five weeks earlier. He died later that day at a local hospital. I felt I was willing to take the calculated risk to win the Indianapolis 500. But at a race that has too often ended in tragedy for drivers, crew members and fans, the most spectacular crashes are often the most unforgettable. Then again, he won the race that no one could ever forget.. Among pallbearers are Dan Gurney, second from left, and Jim Wright, dark glasses. But today, Swedes legacy lives on, perpetuated in recent years by the public emergence of the daughter he never knew. I would tell people for years that Johncock won the race that no one wanted to remember, IMS historian Donald Davidson recalled. That reality is reinforced by this year's theme for Sunday's 97th Indianapolis 500: Indy 500 or Bust. He had been the fastest driver for much of practice. The big ones like that you can't accept. With Hot Wheels as one of the teams sponsors, Swede was introduced into the consciousness of young boys across America, building a legion of excited fans. Born David Earl Savage, Jr. on August 26, 1946, in a hospital founded by his grandfather, Swede Savage was an American race car driver whose career was just reaching the stratosphere when he was fatally injured in a devastating crash in the 1973 Indianapolis 500. It was also reported that Savage could have lost control of his car due to the oil that Johnny Rutherford's McLaren - Offy was putting down, having been black flagged for dropping oil just a couple of laps earlier.Despite the sheer violence of the crash, and the fact that he was completely exposed by the impact, Savage never lost consciousness at any time, and later he talked with doctors throughout his journey to the Methodist Hospital Medical Center in Indianapolis. I had to accept that or do something else with my life. Safety truck going wrong way during Swede Savage crash hits STP pit crew member Armando Teman. Savage was the last driver to die in the race (1973) and no driver has been killed in May at IMS since pole-winner Scott Brayton in a fatal crash testing a backup car in 1996. Grow your brand authentically by sharing brand content with the internets creators. Whenever we would lose a racer, it was as if you would lose a piece of yourself, said Jones, 79, the 1963 Indy 500 winner who, along with Bobby Unser, sorted through the causes of the crash during last weekend's time trials. Savage joked with medical personnel after the wreck, and was expected to live when taken to Methodist Hospital Medical Center and for some time thereafter. The explosion and disintegration of Savage's car still is difficult to watch on video and even more painful to talk about for drivers who need no video to remind them of what happened that day. Among those that were complaining about oil on the track were Jerry Grant, who mentioned so in an interview with Dave Diles of ABC Sports after Savage's crash. He rejoined in second place, closely behind Al Unser and just ahead of Bobby Unser. There remains a vivid picture in Foyt's mind of Savage's car colliding into the outside wall and exploding as if it had been pierced by a torpedo. Usage Notes: He crashed violently early in the race that year and died a month later. She never had the chance to meet her Dad, nor did she ever see any part of the racing world in which he lived. I don't have a death wish, but I had a goal and felt I had to proceed. Indianapolis 500 Savage Wreck . His skill behind the wheel was obvious from the beginning. He came to rest adjacent to the outer retaining wall, fully conscious and completely exposed while he lay in a pool of flaming methanol fuel. It's still on my mind.. Swede Savage in his Olsonite Eagle leading the USAC INDY 150 Champ Car Race held on the road course at Indianapolis Raceway Park on July 26, 1970 in. While other sports have inherited dangers, auto racing by definition is dangerous, considering the blend of fuel, speed and bravado in the one-eighth mile short chutes that seldom accommodate all three. On lap 58, just behind Al Unser (who was about to make a pit stop of his own), Savage, pushing hard in anticipation of a coming rainstorm, lost control as he exited turn four. Many believed that Swede would soon be joining the exclusive group of Indy 500 winners as he took the lead of the race. Drivers Art Pollard and Savage and crew member Armando Teran were killed in May 1973 and another driver, Salt Walther, somehow survived a frightening, pin-wheeling crash. Tap into Getty Images' global scale, data-driven insights, and network of more than 340,000 creators to create content exclusively for your brand. His widow Sheryl, who is six months pregnant, is seated at far right. According to eyewitness reports, the right half of the car's rear wing had come loose before the crash, this has not yet been confirmed. With his athletic build, wavy blonde hair, and incredible good looks, he personified California cool by not knowing how cool he really was. In the 1973 Indianapolis 500, Savage was entered in an STP-sponsored Eagle-Offenhauser prepared by master mechanic George Bignotti. Bill Vukovich, Jr. was second, the only other car on the lead lap when the race was called, Roger McCluskey who set the fastest lap of the race, finished 3rd, two laps down. The elder of Savage's two daughters passed away from leukemia several years ago; the younger of the two still resides in Southern California. While still being trapped into the wreckage, rescuers saw him moving, a fact that astonished Jim McKay and Chris Economaki, covering the race for ABC Sports broadcasts. The exact cause of Savage's sudden turn across the race track and into the infield wall has not been settled. Savage's wreck was the third explosive crash in Indy's deadliest year that claimed the lives of three men and permanently scarred another. Among those complaining about oil on the track was Jerry Grant, in an interview with Dave Diles of ABC Sports while the wreckage from Savage's crash was cleaned off the track. Ralph N. Paulk is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. (AP Photo/File), Special Instructions: MAY 30 1973, FILE PHOTO, FILE - In this May 30, 1973, file photo, Swede Savage's car is in flames after a crash during the Indianapolis 500 auto race. of additional fuel and a new (cold) right rear tire. The 1973 fatalities, coupled with the earlier deaths of Eddie Sachs and Dave MacDonald during the 1964 race at the Brickyard, were numbing truths for a sport in which death had become an acceptable reality. 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