Indianapolis 500 Veteran Lee Kunzman Dies at 80
Source: IMS
SPEEDWAY, Ind.–Lee Kunzman, a four-time Indianapolis 500 starter, died at the age of 80.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway staff say Kunzman died on Thursday February 27.
Despite facing serious injuries, including severe burns and fractures, Kunzman persevered to compete in the Indy 500. His best qualifying position was 11th in 1979, and he achieved a second-place finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway that same year.
Kunzman also overcame adversity in 1973 after a crash left him with severe head injuries and paralysis, but he continued to race and finished fourth at the same speedway in 1975.
Additionally, he worked as a team manager for Hemelgarn Racing, contributing to their success in the INDYCAR SERIES.
He earned 30 career USAC national feature victories, 16 in Midget and 14 in Sprint Car. Kunzman set the stage for a short-track career that culminated in his induction into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 2006 by winning his very first USAC start, at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds in Davenport, Iowa.
He gained attention in 1967 by earning Little 500 Rookie of the Year honors at Anderson (Indiana) Speedway, but Kunzman’s breakout year in USAC came in 1969. He earned eight USAC National Midget victories, including the Astro Grand Prix on the indoor dirt oval built inside the Astrodome in Houston.
Indianapolis 500 Veteran Lee Kunzman Dies at 80 was originally published on wibc.com
