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Robert Charles "Bob" Sweikert (May 20, 1926 – June 17, 1956) was an American racing driver, best known as the winner of the 1955 Indianapolis 500 and the 1955 National Championship, as well as the 1955 Midwest Sprint car championship - the only driver in history to sweep all three during a single racing season.
6 days ago · Bob Sweikert in 1954. (Bob Gates Collection photo) Sweikert gained a reputation for being cocky and self-centered. Johnny Boyd, who knew him well, disagreed. “Sweikert and A. J. Foyt were so much alike, it’s unbelievable,” insisted Boyd. “Sweikert lived, drank, ate, slept racing. Sweikert was good, and he knew it. He was self-confident ...
Feb 3, 2019 · Handsome, charismatic, courageous, smart, successful, and on top of the world, Sweikert’s life ended in tragedy when his yellow No. 1 sprint car, just one year after he won the world’s most famous race, tumbled over the turn one wall at Salem Speedway.
Apr 23, 2020 · The tragic death of Bill Vukovich during the 1955 Indianapolis 500 unfairly cast a long, dark shadow over the career of the winner of that year’s race — Bob Sweikert.
Jun 5, 2024 · The tragic death of Bill Vukovich during the 1955 Indianapolis 500 cast a shadow over the legacy of race winner Bob Sweikert. That’s unfortunate because Sweikert was one of the most naturally talented drivers this country ever produced. He won in midgets, sprint cars and Championship Cars.
BOB SWEIKERT won not only the Indianapolis 500 and the National Championship in 1955, but the Midwest Sprint Car title as well. Remarkably, he performed much of his own mechanical work, maintaining not only his own sprint car in 1955, but another driven by Jerry Hoyt.
Robert Charles Sweikert was an American racing driver. A native of Los Angeles, he attended the University of California. He is best known as the winner of the 1955 Indianapolis 500, in an AJ Watson modified a Frank Kurtis-built roadster.
