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Jimmy Reece

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jimmy Reece
BornJames Garland Reece
(1929-11-17)November 17, 1929
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.
DiedSeptember 28, 1958(1958-09-28) (aged 28)
Trenton, New Jersey, U.S.
Champ Car career
58 races run over 7 years
Years active1952–1958
Best finish4th (tie) – 1954
First race1952 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis)
Last race1958 Trenton 100 (Trenton)
Wins Podiums Poles
0 7 3
Formula One World Championship career
Active years1952, 19541958
TeamsPankratz, Kurtis Kraft, Watson, Lesovsky
Entries6
Championships0
Wins0
Podiums0
Career points0
Pole positions0
Fastest laps0
First entry1952 Indianapolis 500
Last entry1958 Indianapolis 500

James Garland Reece Sr.[1] (November 17, 1929 – September 28, 1958)[2] was an American racecar driver. He died in an accident during a 1958 Champ Car race at Trenton Speedway.

1954 Bobby Ball Memorial race

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On November 8, 1954, Reece crashed during the Bobby Ball Memorial, an AAA Champ Car event held at the Arizona State Fairgrounds, sustaining "a punctured lung, fractured right shoulder and possible internal injuries when his car flipped coming out of the south turn [...] and crashed into the east wall."[3]

AAA Championship Trail

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Reece and Bill Vukovich tied for 4th in the 1954 AAA championship standings. Reece scored 1000 points in 6 races by finishing 2nd, 3rd or 5th; Vukovich scored 1000 points for winning the Indianapolis 500.

Death

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On September 28, 1958, Reece was killed during a USAC Champ Car race held at Trenton Speedway. On the first turn of the last lap, Reece's inside wheels got into the dirt next to the concrete track, causing his car to change its direction and run up an embankment. After bursting through a two-foot wooden fence on the edge of the track, the Kurtis 500G spiraled through the air and smashed down on a hurricane fence, having ejected Reece, who died of multiple injuries in an ambulance.[4][5]

Indianapolis 500 results

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World Championship career summary

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The Indianapolis 500 was part of the FIA World Championship from 1950 through 1960. Drivers competing at Indy during those years were credited with World Championship points and participation. Jimmy Reece participated in 6 World Championship races but scored no World Championship points.

References

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  1. ^ "Jimmy Reece". www.champcarstats.com. Retrieved 2023-06-11.
  2. ^ "Motorsport Memorial - Jimmy Reece". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  3. ^ "Driver injured in race crash". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Associated Press. November 9, 1954.
  4. ^ "Reece killed in Trenton crash". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Associated Press. September 29, 1958.
  5. ^ "Reece killed in Trenton crash". Reading Eagle. United Press International. September 29, 1958.
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