Butch Lindley's Fatal Crash @ DeSoto Speedway 1985
- 6 months ago
Two-time NASCAR Late Model Sportsman Division Champion, Clyde Lindley, almost invariably called "Butch" Lindley, was a popular short track driver from Greenville, South Carolina. He passed away on Wednesday, 06 June 1990 after being in a five-year coma resulting from a racing accident. He was 42.
Butch Lindley's career began as a teenager at Riverside Speedway in Travelers Rest, South Carolina, and he emerged in the 1970s as one of the nation's top drivers. He won the NASCAR Late Model Sportsman Division two times in a row, in 1977 and 1978. He also competed in the NASCAR Busch National Series in the early 1980s, finishing in the top-ten many times. Lindley then moved to the All Pro Super Series, the stock car racing organization which operated until 1990 when it was bought by NASCAR, earning dozens of victories. In 1981 and 1984 he was the driver with most wins in a season and was the All Pro Super Series winningest competitor at the time of his accident.
Butch Lindley suffered an accident on a Spring Saturday evening in 1985 at the 3/8-mile DeSoto Speedway in Bradenton, Florida, United States. It happened on 13 April 1985, he was driving a car from the stable of Neil Bonnett Race Cars Ind. While leading the pack during the first of the two events at the track, with only three laps to go, apparently a trailing arm of Lindley's car suddenly broke along the backstretch, throwing the car into a spin. The white 1985 Chevrolet Camaro #15 swerved to the right at an estimated speed of 100 mi/h, pivoted 180 degrees and hit the third turn wall on the driver’s side. Lindley's head hit the wall and he sustained a brain stem injury.
The emergency crews that found him unconscious, managed to extricate Butch Lindley from the car which did not look badly damaged. He was taken to the Manatee Memorial Hospital in Bradenton, Florida, and several days later was transferred to the intensive care unit of Greenville Memorial Hospital in South Carolina.
Butch Lindley remained in a coma for over five years until he died in the Summer of 1990 at an assisted living facility in Greer, South Carolina. He was survived by his wife Joan, whom he had married in 1965; their daughter Tonda, 24, and son Mardy, 19, who later pursued a career in racing, competing in the X-1R Pro Cup Series in the 2000s. Joan Lindley, who frequently followed her husband and assisted his race team, was scoring laps during the race in which he had his fatal crash.
R.I.P
Butch Lindley's career began as a teenager at Riverside Speedway in Travelers Rest, South Carolina, and he emerged in the 1970s as one of the nation's top drivers. He won the NASCAR Late Model Sportsman Division two times in a row, in 1977 and 1978. He also competed in the NASCAR Busch National Series in the early 1980s, finishing in the top-ten many times. Lindley then moved to the All Pro Super Series, the stock car racing organization which operated until 1990 when it was bought by NASCAR, earning dozens of victories. In 1981 and 1984 he was the driver with most wins in a season and was the All Pro Super Series winningest competitor at the time of his accident.
Butch Lindley suffered an accident on a Spring Saturday evening in 1985 at the 3/8-mile DeSoto Speedway in Bradenton, Florida, United States. It happened on 13 April 1985, he was driving a car from the stable of Neil Bonnett Race Cars Ind. While leading the pack during the first of the two events at the track, with only three laps to go, apparently a trailing arm of Lindley's car suddenly broke along the backstretch, throwing the car into a spin. The white 1985 Chevrolet Camaro #15 swerved to the right at an estimated speed of 100 mi/h, pivoted 180 degrees and hit the third turn wall on the driver’s side. Lindley's head hit the wall and he sustained a brain stem injury.
The emergency crews that found him unconscious, managed to extricate Butch Lindley from the car which did not look badly damaged. He was taken to the Manatee Memorial Hospital in Bradenton, Florida, and several days later was transferred to the intensive care unit of Greenville Memorial Hospital in South Carolina.
Butch Lindley remained in a coma for over five years until he died in the Summer of 1990 at an assisted living facility in Greer, South Carolina. He was survived by his wife Joan, whom he had married in 1965; their daughter Tonda, 24, and son Mardy, 19, who later pursued a career in racing, competing in the X-1R Pro Cup Series in the 2000s. Joan Lindley, who frequently followed her husband and assisted his race team, was scoring laps during the race in which he had his fatal crash.
R.I.P