THE HURTUBISE CRASH...

     Vaulting the Dayton Speedway wall in a race car was never a good thing, and though Gordon Reid and Jim Rigsby were both fataly injured when they left the track, other drivers were luckier.  Among those who crashed over the wall and lived to tell about it perhaps none were more famous than Jim Hurtubise.  Hurtubise crashed out during his qualifying attempt for a USAC sprint car series race on July 17, 1960.

     Some of our loyal FODS were actually there and have shared their remembrances with us.  Were you there?  If you were, please let us know and tell us what you saw, heard and thought that day.  You can contact us here.

I WAS THERE

     I was there. Although it was frightening, it was not of the same nature as Rigsby's.
Hurtubise was qualifying, and came into turn 3 too quickly, and hit his brakes. He spun around backwards and was nearly stopped when his rear wheels grabbed the rail and just lifted him over the steel guard rail. He did not fly over the wall like Rigsby.

     Fortunately, he landed on the top of a tree, which braced his fall. The tree bent, and broke, and set the car down. Everyone held their collective breaths and then Hurtubise came crawling back up the bank to wave at the crowd. He wanted to run that day, but since USAC could not magnaflux the car, he was not allowed to participate.

     Hurtubise in his Sterling Plumbing # 56, was not that effective on the "High Banks", but was certainly a threat always at Terre Haute on the dirt.
                                            Steven N. Levinson                          ---April 2008

FAVORITE RACER

     In 1959-62 era, I was at the Dayton Speedway for a USAC Sprint Car event.  A.J. Foyt, Parnelli Jones, Eddie Sachs, Jim Hurtubise, Roger Ward a lot of other Indy 500 drivers were present.

     They had recently repaved the turns which left a slight bump between the staights and turns. Hurtubise during practice had his car swap ends on him when he passed over the pavement joint. He shot up the banking rear end first and sailed over the guard rail.

     As he departed the track he apperared to be waving good-by to the crowd. The car land upright on all four wheels and Jim as OK. The officials inspected the car and determined he had 1 or more cracked wheel hubs and therefore could not run.

     And here is the point of the story....Jim filed a protest. From that day forward he became my favorite racer.
                                            Skip Barker                                    ---April 2008

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