David MacFarland Steele (May 7, 1974 – March 25, 2017)[2] was an American professional racing driver who won numerous sprint car racing championships and also competed in IndyCar and NASCAR races. Steele last drove a winged sprint car in the Southern Sprintcar Shootout Series, where he won the first 5 races in series history. Steele was killed in a crash at Desoto Speedway on March 25, 2017.[3]
David Steele | |
---|---|
![]() Steele in 2003 | |
Born | |
Died | March 25, 2017 | (aged 42)
Cause of death | Racecar crash |
Occupation(s) | Racecar driver, Business Owner |
Awards | USAC Silver Crown Champion, 2004 and 2005 National Sprint Car Hall of Fame, 2018[1] United States Auto Club Hall of Fame, 2019[1] |
He was posthumously inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame on the first eligible ballot in 2018.
Racing career
editSprint Cars, Midgets, and Silver Crown
editChampionships
editSteele won three Tampa Bay Area Racing Association (TBARA) championships.[1]
He claimed 60 wins in USAC sprint car (26), midget (18), and Silver Crown (16) races between 1996 and 2007.[4][1]
He claimed the USAC Silver Crown Series championship in 2004 and 2005, putting him in the company of drivers such as Mario Andretti, A. J. Foyt, Al Unser, Jeff Gordon, and Tony Stewart.[5]
Race Wins
editHe won the 2001 and 2003 Turkey Night Grand Prix midget car race.[6][7] Other notable Turkey Night winners include A. J. Foyt, Tony Stewart, and Billy Boat.
He was also a two-time winner of the Little 500,[1] held annually at Anderson Speedway. Throughout his sixteen starts in that race, he was a five-time pole-sitter and finished in the top 5 ten times.
Steele won the Copper Classic at Phoenix International Raceway eight times. He won the Silver Crown portion 5 times and Midget race 3 times.[1] In 1998, he won the Night Before the 500 race.[1]
IndyCar and NASCAR
editSteele attempted to make his Indy Racing League IndyCar Series debut in 1996 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for ABF Motorsports but failed to qualify. He made his first start in 1998 at Phoenix International Raceway, the second race of the season, driving for RSM Marko, then drove in the final two races of the year for Panther Racing. He failed to finish all three races. He was entered in a Panther car for the 1999 Indianapolis 500 but crashed in practice.[8]
Steele drove in the first two races of the 2000 NASCAR Busch Series for Felix Sabates. After finishes of 23rd and 34th he failed to qualify for the next three races and Steele and the team parted ways.[9]
Steele also competed in four ARCA Racing Series races in 1999 and 2000 and two Infiniti Pro Series races (one each in 2002 and 2003). In 2002, Steele raced for Bowes Seal Fast Racing at Michigan finishing eighth in the Infiniti Pro Series.
Death
editSteele was killed in a racing accident during a Southern Sprintcar Shootout Series race at Desoto Speedway in Bradenton, Florida, on March 25, 2017. His car's front wheel struck and overrode the rear wheel of another car during the event, sending him into the wall; he was pronounced dead at the scene.[10]
Honors
edit- The Carb Night Classic at Lucas Oil Raceway, starting in 2018, is now known as the Dave Steele Classic.
- He was elected to the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame on the first ballot in 2018 under the six month rule.
- He was elected to the United States Auto Club Hall of Fame in 2019.
Motorsports career results
editAmerican open–wheel racing results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)
Indy Racing League
editIndy Racing League results | ||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Team | Chassis | No. | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Rank | Pts | Ref |
1996-97 | ABF Motorsports | Lola | 96 | Buick | NHA | LVS DNQ |
WDW | PHX | INDY | TXS | PPIR | CLT | NHA2 | LSV2 | NC | 0 | [11] | |
1998 | RSM Marko | Riley & Scott | 22 | Oldsmobile | WDW | PHX 22 |
INDY | TXS | NHA | DOV | CLT | PPIR | ATL | 36th | 17 | [12] | ||
Panther Racing | 43 | TXS 24 |
LVS 27 | |||||||||||||||
1999 | G-Force | WDW | PHX | INDY DNQ |
TXS | PPIR | ATL | DOV | PPIR | LVS | TXS | NC | 0 | [13] |
Indianapolis 500
editYear | Chassis | Engine | Start | Finish | Team | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1999 | G-Force | Oldsmobile | DNQ | Panther Racing | [13] |
Indy Pro Series
editYear | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Rank | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2002 | Bowes Seal Fast Racing | KAN | NSH | MIS 8 |
KTY | STL | CHI | TXS | 19th | 24 | |||||
2003 | Brian Stewart Racing | HMS | PHX | INDY | PPIR | KAN | NSH 11 |
MIS | STL | KTY | CHI | FON | TXS | 25th | 19 |
NASCAR
edit(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
Busch Series
editNASCAR Busch Series results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | NBSC | Pts | Ref | |||
1999 | Team SABCO | 82 | Chevy | DAY | CAR | LVS | ATL | DAR | TEX | NSV | BRI | TAL | CAL | NHA | RCH | NZH | CLT | DOV | SBO | GLN | MLW | MYB | PPR | GTY | IRP | MCH | BRI | DAR | RCH | DOV | CLT | CAR | MEM | PHO DNQ |
HOM | NA | - | [14] | |||
2000 | DAY 23 |
CAR 34 |
LVS DNQ |
ATL DNQ |
DAR DNQ |
BRI | TEX | NSV | TAL | CAL | RCH | NHA | CLT | DOV | SBO | MYB | GLN | MLW | NZH | PPR | GTY | IRP | MCH | BRI | DAR | RCH | DOV | CLT | CAR | MEM | PHO | HOM | 88th | 155 | [15] |
ARCA Bondo/Mar-Hyde Series
edit(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
ARCA Bondo/Mar-Hyde Series results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | ABMSC | Pts | Ref | |||||||||||||||||
1999 | Team SABCO | 01 | Chevy | DAY | ATL | SLM | AND | CLT | MCH | POC | TOL | SBS | BLN | POC | KIL | FRS | FLM | ISF | WIN | DSF | SLM | CLT 16 |
TAL 11 |
68th | 355 | [16] | ||||||||||||||||||
02 | ATL 40 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2000 | 01 | DAY 11 |
SLM | AND | CLT | KIL | FRS | MCH | POC | TOL | KEN | BLN | POC | WIN | ISF | KEN | DSF | SLM | CLT | TAL | ATL | 98th | 175 | [17] |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g "2020 Carb Classic". USAC Silver Crown. August 21, 2020. Event occurs at 20:46:44. FloRacing.
- ^ "Motorsport Memorial - Dave Steele". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
- ^ "David Steele Killed In Sprint Car Crash". Speed Sport. March 25, 2017. Archived from the original on April 23, 2019. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
- ^ Dave Steele Ready for Orlando Archived June 7, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Motorsport.com, January 18, 1999, Retrieved December 30, 2011
- ^ Hoffman Racing names Steele, Coons for 2007 Archived June 7, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Motorsport.com, December 19, 2007, Retrieved December 30, 2011
- ^ Solorzano, Tony. Steele Puts a Stop to Kahne's Plan; Auto racing: Upset victory in Turkey Night Grand Prix prevents last year's runner-up from following in Stewart's footsteps at Irwindale Speedway. Archived March 9, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, Los Angeles Times, November 23, 2001, Retrieved December 30, 2011
- ^ Paternie, Patrick C. FAST CAT IN THE HAT; Dave Steele wins the 2003 Turkey Night Midget Grand Prix, AutoWeek, December 8, 2003, Retrieved 2011-12-30[dead link]
- ^ David Steele, Champ Car Stats, Retrieved December 30, 2011
- ^ Dave Steele, Racing Reference, Retrieved December 30, 2011
- ^ Ayello, Jim (March 26, 2017). "Sprint car driver David Steele killed in Florida speedway crash". Indianapolis Star. Archived from the original on March 26, 2017. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
- ^ "Dave Steele – 1997 Indy Racing League Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
- ^ "Dave Steele – 1998 Pep Boys Indy Racing League Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
- ^ a b "Dave Steele – 1999 Pep Boys Indy Racing League Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
- ^ "Dave Steele – 1999 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
- ^ "Dave Steele – 2000 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
- ^ "Dave Steele – 1999 ARCA Bondo/Mar-Hyde Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
- ^ "Dave Steele – 2000 ARCA Bondo/Mar-Hyde Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
External links
edit- Dave Steele driver statistics at Racing-Reference