COLUMBUS, Ind. — Popular Indiana sprint car racer Butch Wilkerson has died. His family has confirmed his death on social media. He was 80 years old.
Wilkerson began racing stock cars in 1962 and raced primarily at Brownstown Speedway during the early 1960s and wheeled his first sprint car at Bloomington Speedway in 1965.
He became a regular aboard Jess Kunder’s No. 17 sprint car at Bloomington, Paragon Speedway and Lawrenceburg Speedway.
Wilkerson earned his first victory, driving for Dizz Wilson at Lawrenceburg in 1966.
Over the next few years, he won more and more frequently and enjoyed in 1970 when he won features for car owners Jim Waltz, Kinder and Wilson.
Wilkerson raced several nights a week for Wilson in 1973 and won track championships at Bloomington, Lawrenceburg and Tri-State Speedway.
Wilkerson first teamed with car owner Jim McQueen in 1974. In 1975, the duo was nearly unbeatable in their Stapp Chassis No. 1 car. Wilkerson 29 features and finished first, second or third an amazing 55 out of 77 races.
The final race of the 1979 USAC season changed Wilkerson’s career path. He was driving for Sherman Armstrong and was battling Bob East for the lead when the two cars tangled and Wilkerson crashed into the turn-four wall.
Wilkerson suffered a severe head injury and he was in a coma at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis for 28 days. In addition to a long recovery time, the injury also cost him an opportunity to attempt to qualify for the 1980 Indianapolis 500.
Working for a time as a flagger at several different race tracks, Wilkerson did not return to driving until 1983.
Driving for car owner Mike Gross at Lawrenceburg, Wilkerson ran second to Greg Staab in his return to competition.
Wilkerson ran his final race at Bloomington in 1986.
Wilkerson started 11 Little 500s and posted three top-five finishes in the famed event at Anderson Speedway.
He is a member of the Little 500 Hall of Fame and the Hoosier Auto Racing Fans Hall of Fame.
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