26/8/1925 - 27/2/1954
Record updated 25-Aug-06
The 1950 AMODC Midget Championship, Bobby Ball drove in the Indy 500 twice, finishing 5th in 1951. He sustained serious head injuries in a race in January 1952 and passed away 14 months later without regaining consciousness.
Bobby Ball was born in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. He was the 1950 AMODC Midget Championship, the same year he finished third in the AAA Pacific Coast Midget Championship
He raced in the Indy 500 twice. In 1951 he drove the Blakely Oil Schroeder/Offy. During one of his pit stops, the navy blue car caught fire when fuel was spilled. However this was soon extinguished and he continued to finish 5th.
The following year four Ferrari 375s were entered for the race. Bobby, driving for Keck, had the number 4 car but couldn't qualify it so switched to the Ansted Rotary Engineering Stevens/Offy. He failed to finish going out after just 34 laps.
On 4 January 1953, was involved in an accident at the Carrell Speedway (Gardena, California) on the first lap of the 100 lap feature race for AAA midgets. which left him with terrible head injuries. Six cars wre involved in the crash. Andy Linden and Johnny Tobin escaped with minor injuries, however Ball suffered terrible head injuries which left him unconscious. He was taken to the Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles and was later transferred to a hospital in Phoenix, Arizona, to be nearer home. After nearly fourteen months in a coma, Bobby passed away on 27 February 1954.
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