Terry Schoonover fatal accident at Atlanta 500 (November 11, 1984)
- 6 years ago
Terry Schoonover hit the outside wall in turn two on lap 129 , then slid into the infield and struck a dirt embankment head on at a fairly high rate of speed. Behind the wreck, Bobby Hillin spun in avoidance and nosed into the backstretch outside wall.
"When Schoonover crashed, I was behind Dick Brooks," Hillin said. "I tried to go around him but I spun into the wall."
The safety crew had to cut the roof of his car and roll it back in order to extricate Schoonover from the car and he was eventually airlifted from the speedway to a local hospital where he died of massive head and internal injuries. His death was the first fatality at the Atlanta track. Schoonover was pronounced dead at 4:27 p.m. from massive head and internal injuries. It was the first time since Ricky Knotts' death four and a half years prior that a Cup driver died in competition. An accident investigation found that the car performed well in the accident and the wreck was not caused by outside factors.
Terry's death was the first for any driver at Atlanta. It was unclear whether he was killed upon impact with the outside wall or inside dirt bank. It was clear what the problem was when Stuart Lyndon was killed after crashing into the same dirt bank in June 1985 in ARCA competition. The track replaced the dirt with a concrete wall and paved over the grass along it.
Terry L. Schoonover (December 26, 1951 – November 11, 1984) was an American stock car racing driver. A competitor in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, he was killed in an accident in a race of 1984 at Atlanta International Raceway.
Born in Lima, Ohio, Schoonover's father was a well known powerboat racer, becoming one of the first people in history to pilot a pleasure craft at over one hundred miles per hour. Schoonover began racing at the age of sixteen in drag racing and later moved to racing on dirt tracks in West Palm Beach, Florida. After graduating from the Buck Baker Driving School, he served as a driving instructor at the school for a year. He would soon reach an agreement with Restore Auto Care Products to sponsor a limited NASCAR Winston Cup Series campaign in 1984 and a full-time campaign in 1985, driving a car he co-owned with his girlfriend Barbara Pike.
Schoonover made his first attempt at Winston Cup in the Miller High Life 500 at Charlotte. Terry failed to qualify for the race. Two weeks later, the Cup circuit came to the track he knew well, Rockingham. He just barely made the field, qualifying 39th at a speed of 134 mph, ten mph off polesitter Geoff Bodine's speed. That race was filled with attrition, and despite being 71 laps down, Terry finished a respectable 21st. After an off week, he qualified for the Atlanta Journal 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, placing 37th out of 41 cars on the grid.
"When Schoonover crashed, I was behind Dick Brooks," Hillin said. "I tried to go around him but I spun into the wall."
The safety crew had to cut the roof of his car and roll it back in order to extricate Schoonover from the car and he was eventually airlifted from the speedway to a local hospital where he died of massive head and internal injuries. His death was the first fatality at the Atlanta track. Schoonover was pronounced dead at 4:27 p.m. from massive head and internal injuries. It was the first time since Ricky Knotts' death four and a half years prior that a Cup driver died in competition. An accident investigation found that the car performed well in the accident and the wreck was not caused by outside factors.
Terry's death was the first for any driver at Atlanta. It was unclear whether he was killed upon impact with the outside wall or inside dirt bank. It was clear what the problem was when Stuart Lyndon was killed after crashing into the same dirt bank in June 1985 in ARCA competition. The track replaced the dirt with a concrete wall and paved over the grass along it.
Terry L. Schoonover (December 26, 1951 – November 11, 1984) was an American stock car racing driver. A competitor in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, he was killed in an accident in a race of 1984 at Atlanta International Raceway.
Born in Lima, Ohio, Schoonover's father was a well known powerboat racer, becoming one of the first people in history to pilot a pleasure craft at over one hundred miles per hour. Schoonover began racing at the age of sixteen in drag racing and later moved to racing on dirt tracks in West Palm Beach, Florida. After graduating from the Buck Baker Driving School, he served as a driving instructor at the school for a year. He would soon reach an agreement with Restore Auto Care Products to sponsor a limited NASCAR Winston Cup Series campaign in 1984 and a full-time campaign in 1985, driving a car he co-owned with his girlfriend Barbara Pike.
Schoonover made his first attempt at Winston Cup in the Miller High Life 500 at Charlotte. Terry failed to qualify for the race. Two weeks later, the Cup circuit came to the track he knew well, Rockingham. He just barely made the field, qualifying 39th at a speed of 134 mph, ten mph off polesitter Geoff Bodine's speed. That race was filled with attrition, and despite being 71 laps down, Terry finished a respectable 21st. After an off week, he qualified for the Atlanta Journal 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, placing 37th out of 41 cars on the grid.