(AP Photo), Swede Savage is taken to an ambulance on a stretcher after he crashed his car during the Indianapolis 500, May 30, 1973. In the 1973 Indianapolis 500, Savage was entered in an STP-sponsored Eagle-Offenhauser prepared by master mechanic George Bignotti. [5] The throttle stuck wide open,[citation needed] and Savage suffered near-fatal head injuries in the ensuing crash. He proved to be a winner on two wheels too. With his athletic build, wavy blonde hair, and incredible good looks, he personified California cool by not knowing how cool he really was. High-quality motorsport photography galleries featuring Swede Savage. Follow. He came off (turn) four and never tried to correct (the car). In 1970, Savage and Gurney drove identical factory-sponsored Plymouth Barracudas in the Trans-Am Series. 65 Swede Savage Premium High Res Photos Browse 65 swede savage stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. Miraculously, Swede survived the violent crash, but was critically injured. Swede Savage (1946-1973) - Find a Grave Memorial. 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. However, he died in the hospital 33 days after the accident. In his book \"Rapid Response: My Inside Story as a Motor Racing Life-Saver\" published in 2010, Dr. Stephen Olvey who was Swede Savage's attending physician at Indianapolis hospital, and later CART's Director of Medical Affairs, indicated that the real cause of death was complications related to a blood transfusion, contaminated with Hepatitis B, which caused his liver to fail.Sources:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swede_Savage All survived, but nearly a dozen people suffered burns and lacerations caused by debris that was launched into the grandstand. 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. When I watch my son and grandson, I appreciate all my wife went through all those years, said Andretti, 73. 5/30/1973 7307220348 . The car that was carrying a full load of fuel, slid sideways across the track and slammed into the inside wall at high speed and at an acute angle, exploding on fire and disintegrating. 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. Savage died more than a month after the race. On May 12, 1973, Swede broke the track record in Indianapolis 500 qualifying in front of a Pole Day crowd estimated at 250,000 people. During pole qualifying earlier that month, driver Art Pollard was killed in a horrific crash when his car topped 191 mph, then struck the outside wall, burst into flames, spun into the infield and rolled several times. He had been the fastest driver for much of practice. Drivers Art Pollard and Savage and crew member Armando Teran were. Boards are the best place to save images and video clips. Auto Racing: Indianapolis 500: Aerial view of Swede Savage with medical staff after sustaining injury during crash at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. (AP Photo), Track crew tries to extinguish the fire from the crash of Swede Savage's car during the Indianapolis 500, May 30, 1973. However, due to Savage's reputation in the racing world as a highly skilled driver who did not take unnecessary chances, Unser's comments have been attributed to his resentment of Savage's rapid rise in the racing world as opposed to the "hard knocks" experiences of Unser's career. 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. 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. 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. 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. Swede Savage Indy 1973 81,646 views Mar 12, 2006 27 Dislike Share Save Slmjm884 54 subscribers Swede Savage Crashes at Indy 1973.unfortunately he dies 33 days later. < back . The enhanced safety measures have enabled drivers to walk away from other devastating crashes the past two decades. 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). The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. Read more about this topic: Swede Savage, Racing Career, O shipwhite-sailed of Crete,you brought my mistressfrom her quiet palacethrough breaker and crash of surfto love-rite of unhappiness!Hilda Doolittle (18861961). The 1973 race was a terrible race, Foyt recalled. of additional fuel and a new (cold) right rear tire. Grow your brand authentically by sharing brand content with the internets creators. In the 1973 Indianapolis 500, Savage was entered in an STP-sponsored Eagle-Offenhauser (number 40) prepared by master mechanic George Bignotti. (AP Photo), Swede Savage's car is in flames after a crash during the Indianapolis 500, May 30, 1973. Swede Savage, 1973 Indy 500 Auto Racing: Indianapolis 500: Aerial view of Swede Savage with medical staff after sustaining injury during crash at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Sadly, one of the most promising talents and most fascinating personalities in the sport of auto racing in a generation, died on July 2, 1973. Diles was later filmed wiping oil off the front of Joe Leonard's car to prove the point, though Bobby Unser (who did not get along well with Savage and often ridiculed the driving ability of the younger driver) disputed that the drivers were running on an unsafe racetrack. Foyt admits he barely escaped the 1973 crashes. Debris were thrown into the grandstand and the number of injured spectators ranged from 11 to 13. Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. Foyt, who won the tragic-filled 1964 Indy 500, said last week that he believed Savage sustained a head injury a week earlier during a road race in Ontario, Calif., that may have been partly responsible for his crash. During the replays of Savage's crash on the tape-delayed broadcast on ABC Sports, Jim McKay and Chris Economaki also mentioned that Savage's rear wing may have come loose, possibly contributing to the crash, as well. He was married with a seven-year-old daughter, Shelly; his widow Sheryl was expecting their second child, daughter Angela, at the time of his death. Possibly it happened due to a malfunctioning right rear joint, or by running on an incorrect driving line with cold tires. His widow Sheryl, who is six months pregnant, is seated at far right. It had been widely reported that Savage's death was caused by lung and kidney complications,[1] but 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. 65 Swede Savage Premium High Res Photos Browse 65 swede savage stock photos and images available or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. Savage's car twitched back and forth, then slid across to the inside of the track at nearly top speed, hitting the angled inside wall nearly head-on. It was Swede's choice. (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. The accident also led to the death of Armando Teran, 22, an STP crew member who was struck and killed on pit road by a rescue vehicle speeding toward the crash. Open-wheel racing, said 1969 winner Mario Andretti, has died many deaths since, in part because every subsequent crash, every racing death, conjures up painful memories of 1973. Like Savage and Pollard, Andretti accepted the dangers. Organize, control, distribute and measure all of your digital content. One thing is for sure, if you dwell on the negative, you better get out of it. Check out the vast collections of swede savage pictures from AP Images. Swede Savage 1973 Indy 500 Fatal Crash Original ABC Broadcast Footage. He won well over a hundred quarter midget races. 1973 Indianapolis 500 crash and subsequent death, Complete Non-Championship Formula One results, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Andretti Wins Both Heats of Questor Race", "Swede Savage 1973 Indy 500 Fatal Crash Original ABC Broadcast Footage", "Deadly May of 1973 still resonates at Indianapolis Motor Speedway", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Swede_Savage&oldid=1133528939, This page was last edited on 14 January 2023, at 07:12. David Earl "Swede" Savage Jr. was an American race car driver. Olvey claimed that Savage contracted hepatitis B from a transfusion, causing his liver to fail. All Indy 500 Legends. (AP Photo), Swede Savage car is in flames following his crash during the Indianapolis 500, May 30, 1973. 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. MAY 30, 1973, FILE PHOTO, This Wednesday, May 30, 1973, file photo, shows Swede Savage amid the wreckage of his race car after a crash during the Indianapolis 500 auto race in Indianapolis, Ind. Rick Mears, a four-time Indy 500 winner, warned the race could lose its appeal if the element of danger is lost. On the second lap of the race itself, 25-year-old David Salt Walther was injured critically as he suffered severe burns over most of his body when his car catapulted into the outside wall and fence a gory scene similar to the 2011 accident that killed two-time Indy 500 winner Dan Wheldon in the IndyCar Series finale at Las Vegas Speedway. He was interred in the Mt. Browse and buy images now. 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. Early in the season, Chrysler cut back support for the AAR effort and Gurney stepped out of the car to let Savage drive the entire season. In 1968 and 1969, he also raced in NASCAR events. This content is intended for editorial use only. In a split second during that Indy 500 in 1973, with heavy winds sweeping across the monstrous 2.5-mile oval track and gray scattered clouds overhead, the roars of 300,000 fans were silenced when Savage's car slammed into the inside wall coming out of the fourth turn, broke into pieces and exploded into a fireball. That in itself is part of the attraction. The elder of Savage's two daughters passed away from leukemia several years ago; the younger of the two still resides in Southern California. Diles later was filmed wiping oil off the front of Joe Leonard's car to prove the point, though Bobby Unser (who had a strained personal relationship with Savage and often ridiculed the driving ability of the younger driver) disputed that the drivers were running on an unsafe racetrack. 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