Gordon Smiley

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Gordon Eugene Smiley (April 20, 1946 - May 15, 1982) was an American racer who died in a single car crash at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He was inducted into the Nebraska Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 2000.

Video Gordon Smiley

SCCA and street racing career

Driving his first race at the age of 19, Smiley is a great street racer. He ran Ford SCCA Formula, Formula B Formula 5, Can-Am, Formula 5000 and Super Vee Formula, winning in each series while setting 25 track records, winning the SCCA National Championship four times before turning pro in 1974.

In 1979, he raced in the British Formula One Championship (sometimes called "Formula One Aurora Championship") for Team Surtees, and in 11 races he had eight top-10 finishes, including a victory, which was the last by an American in an FIA sanctioned event, at Silverstone, England in 1979. He also questioned the F1 non-championship Race of Champions at Brands Hatch, finishing 10th with Tyrrell.

Maps Gordon Smiley

Indy Career

Smiley shot at Indianapolis 500 twice, in 1980 and 1981, and was killed while trying to qualify for a third in 1982.

In the 1980s Indianapolis 500, Smiley qualified Patrick Racing Valvoline Phoenix/Cosworth in 20th position. The race ended when the turbocharger blew on lap 47, causing him to finish 25. In 1981 Indianapolis 500, Smiley qualified Patrick Racing Intermedics Wildcat VIII/Cosworth, qualifying 8 and leading 1 lap but finishing 22 after an accident on lap 141. The accident set the settlement controversial for the Indy 500 between team mates Mario Andretti and Bobby Unser.

After the 1981 CART season ended, Smiley was released from Patrick Racing, but basically traded to a trip affiliated with Patrick, Fletcher Racing.

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Death

In 1982, record speed was set during qualifying for the 1982 Indianapolis 500. Both Kevin Cogan and Rick Mears set new single laps and 4-lap records in their efforts.

Smiley went out for a qualifying effort an hour later. On the second heating lap, the car begins to oversteer while turning the third corner, causing the car to slide slightly. When Smiley points to the right to correct this, the front wheel gets a sudden grip, sends the car straight across the track and into the first nose wall at nearly 200 mph (320 km/h). The impact was shattered and completely destroyed in March chassis, causing the fuel tank to explode, and sending debris, including the body exposed to Smiley, to the fence catch and then back to the track, falling hundreds of feet across the short turns connecting alternately 3 and 4. Smiley died instantly due to massive trauma caused by severe impacts. His death was the first in Indy since 1973 when Art Pollard and Swede Savage were killed, and to date, the last driver to die in qualifying.

The Smiley cemetery was held on May 20, 1982 and was buried at his birthplace in Nebraska.

CART's medical director Steve Olvey, who was a staff member at the time, discussed an accident in his autobiography in 2006, Quick Response: My Story In as a Life-Saver Racing Motor :

"During an effort to qualify for the Indy 500, Gordon Smiley, a cocky young racer from Texas, is determined to break 200mph or die a try.Some veteran racers... have warned him that he's on top of his head, driving all wrong for Speedway Smiley is a street racer and used to fight the steering of his car to avoid a collision when his rear wheels are broken.While rushing to the car, I see small patches of a typical gray substance marking a trail on the asphalt that leads to the driver When I reach the car, I am shocked when seen that Smiley's helmet has disappeared, along with the top of his skull.He is basically flayed by the ruins of the fence.The material on the race track is the most of his brain.Her helmet, because of the great centrifugal force, is completely pulled from its head on the impact. I went up to the nursing home with my body, and on the way I did a quick check and realizing that almost every bone in his Body was destroyed, he had a gaping wound in his bedroom de it looked as if he had been attacked by a large shark. I have never seen such trauma. "

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Racing record

SCCA National Championship Leap

Indianapolis 500 results

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See also

• List of Indianapolis casualties

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References

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External links

• Gordon Smiley in the Search of the Mausoleum
• Gordon Smiley fatal Crash @ Indy 500 1982 on YouTube

Source of the article : Wikipedia