Jimmy Gordon’s Fatal Crash @ Sacramento Fairgrounds 1970

One of the drivers taking part in the event was Jimmy Gordon of Sacramento, CA, that had won the championship at Capitol Speedway a few weeks earlier. Gordon usually drove a pearl color, number 1 Roddy-Quipped super modified, but that day he was driving the Don Edmunds Research Chevy V8 copper-brownish sprint car number 96. This was Gordon’s second outing on a sprint car, a week earlier he had finished second in a race in Phoenix.

Gordon started the race from the eighth place on the grid. On the thirty-fifth lap of the main event, he locked wheels with Bud Gilbert of Santa Ana, CA, as the two went into Turn 3. Gordon’s vehicle cartwheeled and, in a facsimile of Purssell’s accident of a few hours before, landed upside and was hit by another competitor – as Ron Rea of Sepulveda, CA, could not avoid crashing against the Gordon’s wreckage. The impact ripped out the fuel tank of Gordon’s car and flames spread across the track. Officials moved quickly to put out the fire, but Gordon’s roll cage had collapsed, causing the driver fatal injuries. Gordon was pronounced dead at the hospital. Ron Rea was able to walk away before the fire erupted.

Promoter J. C. Agajanian told the California Racing Association members on hand that he was ending the race at that point, and not a single voice of dissent was heard. Having lost Purssell, Reiff and Gordon racing had become a futile exercise. Jerry Blundy, who was leading the race, was declared the winner and registered his third straight victory at the 100-mile championship.

It is also of interest that one racing report indicated Gordon’s car had a chromed roll cage. It wasn’t too much later that chromed roll cages were banned as it was discovered the chroming process weakened the integrity of the cages.

The race was also marred by the death of Ernie Purssell and spectator Walt Reiff.

R.I.P