Nationality American Name Jimmy Reece Championships 0 | Entries 6 Active years 1952, 1954–1958 | |
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Born November 17, 1929
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. ( 1929-11-17 ) Died September 28, 1958(1958-09-28) (aged 28)
Trenton, New Jersey, U.S. Teams Pankratz, Kurtis Kraft, Watson, Lesovsky | ||
Jimmy Reece (November 17, 1929 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – September 28, 1958 Trenton, New Jersey) was an American racecar driver. He died in a racing accident during a 1958 champ car race at Trenton Speedway.
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World Championship career summary
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.
1954 Bobby Ball Memorial race
On November 8, 1954, Reece crashed in an AAA Champ Car race 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."
AAA Championship Trail
In 1954 Bill Vukovich and Jimmy Reece tied for 4th in the AAA Championship Standings. Jimmy Reece scored 1000 points in 6 races by finishing 2nd, 3rd or 5th; Bill Vukovich scored 1000 points for winning the 1954 Indianapolis 500 Mile Race.
Death
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 its pilot, who died of multiple injuries in an ambulance.