DEKALB, Ill. — Veteran auto racing photographer Phil Rider passed away Thursday, Sept. 5, at the age of 82.
Rider was born and raised in Mechanicsburg, Pa. — a short bicycle ride from Williams Grove Speedway. His father was an ardent race fan and took his son to many famous eastern race tracks like Langhorne, Reading, Syracuse, Allentown and Hatfield as the youngster became a staunch open-wheel race fan.
When he was about 13 years old, he started taking photos at the races. Even without the proper credentials, the young photographer seemed to get close to the action. Rider attended his first Indianapolis 500 in 1954 and was a regular there for many, many years.
Relocating to Illinois, Rider was a busy “lensman” covering open-wheel racing throughout the Midwest, including USAC action and Indy Car racing.
For a number of years, he covered the midget racing at the Grundy County Speedway in Morris, Ill., when it was sanctioned by the United Midget Auto Racing Association (UMARA) and the Short Track Auto Racing Series (STARS).
Rider also “shot” the superspeedway competition at Joliet’s Chicagoland Speedway. In 2015, Rider suffered serious injuries when he was hit by a small stock car at Grundy. Married to his wife Paulanne for 59 years, Rider’s photo imagery graced numerous auto racing publications. Rider was inducted into the Mazon Speed Bowl/Grundy County Speedway Hall of Fame in 2016.