George Amick
George Reggie "Little George" Amick (October 24, 1924 – April 4, 1959) was an American racecar driver, mainly competing in the American National Championship.[2] He was killed in a crash in a USAC 100-mile (160 km) race at Daytona International Speedway.[2]
Born | George Reggie Amick[1] October 24, 1924 Vernonia, Oregon |
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Died | April 4, 1959 34) Daytona Beach, Florida | (aged
Formula One World Championship career | |
Nationality | |
Active years | 1957–1958 |
Teams | Snowberger, Epperly |
Entries | 2 (1 start) |
Championships | 0 |
Wins | 0 |
Podiums | 1 |
Career points | 6 |
Pole positions | 0 |
Fastest laps | 0 |
First entry | 1957 Indianapolis 500 |
Last entry | 1958 Indianapolis 500 |
Racing career
Amick began racing in jalopies in the Northwestern United States before switching to midget car racing.[2] He competed in USAC National midgets for three seasons, finishing in the top ten points each season, and won 16 feature races.[2] He totaled 38 wins including the 1957 Turkey Night Grand Prix.[2]
He moved to Indy cars and won three times in 43 starts.[2] In his rookie appearance at the Indianapolis 500 in 1958, Amick was assigned a "lay-down" roadster commissioned by car owner Norm Demler, designed by Quinn Epperly, and built by master Indianapolis chief mechanic George Salih. Amick found himself running a comfortable second to leader Jimmy Bryan with just 20 laps remaining. Demler and Salih felt Amick was in a position to catch Bryan and perhaps even win, but decided against pushing their rookie driver into a potentially fatal mistake, and Amick came home an easy second.
Death
Amick was competing in the only Indy Car race ever run at the Daytona International Speedway and was killed in an accident on the final lap.[2] He is buried at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis.[3][4]
Awards
Amick was inducted into the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 2009.[2]
Complete AAA/USAC Championship Car results
Year | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | Pos | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1955 | INDY |
MIL 7 |
LAN 18 |
SPR 4 |
MIL 20 |
DUQ 3 |
PIK | SYR 3 |
ISF 3 |
SAC 12 |
PHX 3 |
9th | 750 | ||
1956 | INDY DNP |
MIL DNQ |
LAN 1 |
DAR 4 |
ATL 13 |
SPR DNQ |
MIL 6 |
DUQ 5 |
SYR 5 |
ISF 12 |
SAC 13 |
PHX 1 |
4th | 1.050 | |
1957 | INDY DNQ |
LAN 5 |
MIL 6 |
DET 2 |
ATL 1 |
SPR 3 |
MIL 5 |
DUQ 16 |
SYR 5 |
ISF 3 |
TRE 3 |
SAC 4 |
PHX 11 |
3rd | 1.400 |
1958 | TRE 6 |
INDY 2 |
MIL 6 |
LAN 14 |
ATL 2 |
SPR 18 |
MIL 4 |
DUQ 18 |
SYR 2 |
ISF Wth |
TRE 19 |
SAC 4 |
PHX 15 |
2nd | 1.640 |
1959 | DAY 4 |
TRE |
INDY |
MIL |
LAN |
SPR |
MIL |
DUQ |
SYR |
ISF |
TRE |
SAC |
PHX |
36th | 120 |
Indianapolis 500 results
|
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Complete Formula One World Championship results
(key)
Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | WDC | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1957 | Federal Engineering | Snowberger | Offenhauser L4 | ARG | MON | 500 DNQ |
FRA | GBR | GER | PES | ITA | NC | 0 | |||
1958 | Norman Demler | Epperly Indy Roadster | Offenhauser L4 | ARG | MON | NED | 500 2 |
BEL | FRA | GBR | GER | POR | ITA | MOR | 15th | 6 |
References
- U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, 1940–1947
- "Plaque" (Press release). National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame. 2009.
- "Indianapolis Auto greats" (PDF). Celebrating Automotive Heritage at Crown Hill Cemetery. Crown Hill Cemetery. 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 13, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2012.
- "Racing Fraternity Pays Tribute To George Amick At Final Rites". The Indianapolis Star. April 10, 1959. p. 3. Retrieved July 29, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- George Amick driver statistics at Racing-Reference
Sporting positions | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by Don Edmunds |
Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year 1958 |
Succeeded by Bobby Grim |