SWEDE'S
STATS
PRE-1970
CAR LIFE
Magazine Article
February 1970
1970
BOBBY BALL
150
AUTO RACING
Magazine
March 1971
David Earl
'SWEDE'
Savage Jr
PRE-1970 Stats & Facts
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David "Swede" Savage competed in the Soap Box Derby in San Bernardino, California at age 5.
Newspaper photo courtesy of Patricia Littrell
1955 - Swede, age 9, and brother Bruce, age 7, compete in the quarter midgets including the championships in Las Vegas, NV. One year Swede had a lap lead on the field when his engine went away on the final lap. The car was #79 which was representative of the boys ages and was nicknamed "The Bucket of Bolts".
After being forced out of quarter midgets due to his age of 12, Swede got into go-kart racing in Southern California and became a factory go-kart racer.
Photo courtesy of the Savage Family Collection
Next was motorcycles. The motorcycle phase started mainly with off road & trail riding, Swede lived right at the base of the San Bernardino mountains and he and friend Gary Kelly could be on the fire roads in a few minutes. From there he participated in some competition events, desert racing and the Tecate Baja race, this was 1959 or so and was the same time Malcolm Smith and Steve McQueen were participating in that type of racing.
Photo courtesy of the Savage Family Collection
Swede also rode a Yamaha YZ 360 sponsored by K&N Motorcycles. K&N are known today for their filters.
Photo courtesy of the Savage Family Collection
Swede then became involved in AMA flat track racing, with a Bultaco two stroke primarily at Ascot Speedway in Gardena, California.
Photo courtesy of the Savage Family Collection
At some point he started riding for Harley Davidson in the novice division on a Harley Sprint tuned by Clarence Czyze and won the class "C" amateur championship twice.
Program scan courtesy of the Mike Capalite
In 1964, Swede became a rebel racer. (photo above) He entered an ACA sanctioned race for the benefit of the family of BOB SKIBSTED at Orange County, which was a combined championship race for the California State Short Track Championship and the State JAP championship. At the time, the AMA was threatening to ban any rider who road a non-AMA event so listed in the program is a Swede Boa and an Ed Boa who in reality were Swede Savage and Eddie Wirth.
Photo courtesy of the Savage Family Collection
Swede was advanced to the professional ranks to ride a Harley XR, but was never as successful in that division.
A fellow competitor, Digger Helm, says this of his first recollection of Swede. The first time I ever saw Swede was at a T.T. Scrambles in the San Diego area. He had a Halloween wig glued to his helmet. When he was on the track, it looked like he didn't have a helmet, and gave the officials quite a shock. We were riding in the 250cc expert class. I didn't see the hair on his helmet until we lined up for the main event. It was pretty hard to ride and laugh at the same time. Ralph White & Cal Rayborn both raced there, too. Swede was a great racer.
Photo courtesy of the Savage Family Collection
1967 - Swede finished 10th in the Daytona 200 for motorcycles on a Honda CR450.
September 8, 1967 - Hickory, North Carolina - Swede's first NASCAR start came in the 1967 Buddy Shuman 250 behind the wheel of the Holman-Moody Ford #111. Swede qualified well with an 8th place start. Unfortunately, the engine blew after 228 of the 250 scheduled laps. Richard Petty won the race and Swede was awarded $100.00.
Photo courtesy of the Savage Family Collection
September 24, 1967 - Martinsville, Virginia - Swede drove the #1 Holman-Moody 1966 Ford to a 6th place finish in the Old Dominion 500 at Martinsville and earned $750.00 in doing so. Swede started the race in the 21st position. Richard Petty won the race.
Photo courtesy of the Savage Family Collection
October 1, 1967 - North Wilkesboro, North Carolina - Swede drove the #1 Holman-Moody 1967 Ford to an 8th place finish after starting 15th in the 1967 Wilkes 400. Richard Petty won the race and Swede was awarded $425.00 in prize money.
Photo courtesy of the Savage Family Collection
Photo courtesy of the Savage Family Collection
1968 - Swede drove a Lola T160 in the USRRC Can Am Series shown above and below.
Photo courtesy of the Savage Family Collection
June 16, 1968 - Rockingham, North Carolina - Swede started the Bondy Long #29 Ford in 1968 Carolina 500 in 10th spot and finished 13th after the clutch went out after 443 laps. Swede was awarded $935.00 and Donnie Allison won the event.
July 21, 1968 - Bristol, Tennesee - Swede started the Bondy Long #29 Ford in 3rd spot on the grid and finished in the same position two laps down to winner David Pearson. Swede picked up $1,700.00 for his best ever NASCAR finish in the 1968 Volunteer 500.
September 15, 1968 - Swede starts 17th and finishes 4th five laps down to winner Mark Donohue at the Bridgehampton Grand Prix on Long Island NY.
Photo courtesy of the Savage Family Collection
September 29, 1968 - Swede starts in the unlucky 13th starting spot and crashes out after only 11 laps in the Klondike Trail 200 at Edmonton Speedway.
October 13, 1968 - Swede starts 10th (above) but finishes last after a lap 2 crash in a monsoon of a race at Laguna Seca. The race was won by an underpowered McLaren driven by John Cannon.
October 27, 1968 - Swede starts 14th (above and below) and finishes 8th six laps down to legend Bruce McLaren in the L.A. Times Grand Prix at Riverside in California.
Best finishes for the Lola T160s in 1968 were a pair of fourths -- one by Sam Posey and one by Swede Savage.
Photo courtesy of Gary Kelly
November 10, 1968 - Swede starts 18th and finishes 25th after loss of fuel pressure in the Stardust Grand Prix in Las Vegas (above).
Photo courtesy of the Savage Family Collection
1968 - Swede is chosen by Evel Knievel to ride in his all star stunt show at Ascot Park in California. (above) Swede did some wheelies up and down the half mile track. Then there was a "motorcycle" skit with Billy Barty. There was an outhouse as a prop and rigged so as to give way when ridden through. Swede was to ride through it, pick up Billy Barty from inside as he crashed through, put him on his bike, ride a ways and then throw him onto a hay wagon. It was to look like a rescue. Well, the skit went fine and the audience loved it. Only later did he find out that the outhouse had been rigged wrong, it hadn't given way and Swede had continued through, ending up with bloody and bruised knuckles etc... After all, the show must go on!
Program scan courtesy of www.speedway.org/programs/
I am not sure how many people that followed Swede's auto racing career ever attended a motorcycle speedway race. (above) I was fortunate enough to witness many of these style races with my friends at a track located ironically in Swede's hometown of San Bernardino in the late 1970's. I can attest that speedway racing was WILD and was my favorite form of motorcycle racing from a then diehard auto racing fan. When I watched speedway bikes they were 500cc Jawa engines on alchohol with NO BRAKES on a 1/10 mile flat dirt oval. AWESOME!
Program scan courtesy of www.speedway.org/programs/
Photo courtesy of the Savage Family Collection
Swede passes speedway legend Sammy Tanner (above) on the inside.
February 20, 1969 - Daytona Beach, Florida - Swede drove for the Wood Brothers in the second 125 qualifier for the Daytona 500. Swede started 11th and finished 5th in a 68 Mercury #11. Swede picked up $450.00 and Bobby Isaac won the qualifier.
February 23, 1969 - Daytona Beach, Florida - Swede started the Daytona 500 in 10th but crashed out of the race on lap 124 after a whell came off. Swede wound up in 36th place and was awarded a career high $$2,520.00. LeeRoy Yarbrough won the race.
March 30, 1969 - Hampton, Georgia - Swede took the wheel of legendary Smokey Yunick's 1969 Ford #13 for the 1969 Atlanta 500. Swede started the race 39th and finished in 19th after the engine let go after 266 laps. Swede won his share of the $1,275.00 and Cale Yarborough won the race.
April 27, 1969 - Martinsville, Virginia - The 1969 Virginia 500 was Swede Savage's final NASCAR Grand National event. Swede started Banjo Matthews 1969 Ford in 11th and finished 7th fifteen laps down to race winner Richard Petty. Swede won $875.00 for the top ten finish.
Due to sponsor cutbacks in 1969, Swede was forced to find excitement on the Speedway Bike scene. Speedway racing is very popular in Europe and in Southern California back then as it is today.
Photo courtesy of the Savage Family Collection
Photo courtesy of Gary Kelly
Swede was sponsored at one time by K&N Motorcycles which later evolved into K&N Filters.
Photo courtesy of the Savage Family Collection
May 30th 1969 - Swede drove Parnelli Jones' #15 Mustang to a 2nd place finish at the Lime Rock Park Trans-Am race behind Sam Posey. The race was between Posey and Savage. Posey broke a valve near the end of the race slowing him down. Swede put forth a huge effort to catch him, but cut a tire on debris from the track, and came in second.
June 27th 1969 - Swede raced Speedway Bikes at Costa Mesa where he won his Handicap Heat Race, the pass was featured on the cover of the next program at the track. (below)
Program scan courtesy of www.speedway.org/programs/
July 4th, 1969 - Swede races the Speedway event which also features a match race between Swede and Bill Cody at Costa Mesa Speedway at the Orange County Fairgrounds in California.
Program scan courtesy of www.speedway.org/programs/
Swede started 10th and finished 5th in the 1st heat race at Donnybrook (Brainerd)MN. driving the #42 AAR Eagle for Dan Gurney. I have no idea where Swede finished in the 2nd heat race. The only records I have found only show to 11th. This was Swede Savages first Indy Car start.
August 30, 1969 - Swede competes in the first of three indoor speedway events sponsored by Great Bear which which were held inside the L.A. Sports Arena.
September 12, 1969 - Swede competes in a motor cycle Speedway race at Costa Mesa and is currently tied for 11th in points with "Slidin' Sonny" Nutter coming into this event.
October 29, 1969 - Swede competed in the 1st USAC Champ Car race ever held in the rain. The race was in Kent, Washington and consisted of two 100 mile heat races. In the 1st race Swede started 13th and finished 14th. Swede started 14th and finished 7th in the second heat race.
December 7, 1969 - Riverside Raceway saw Swede start 7th and finish 6th in the 3rd Annual Rex Mays 300 (shown above).
photo by Bill Warner
Click the magazine to read the articles taken from it
1969 - Swede finished 26th on the USAC Championship Trail after competing in only 4 races in the season.
Photo courtesy of Gary Kelly
Swede (above and below) in the #48 Lola, Dan's Can Am car, this was testing a new 360 ci small block Ford motor at Riverside Raceway in 1969.
Photo courtesy of Gary Kelly
Photo courtesy of the Savage Family Collection
Swede is shown above in his only career Midget race at Ascot Raceway in Gardena, CA. Although he enjoyed it, he knew that Indy car racing would keep food on his plate and a roof over his head. This was fine with childhood Quarter Midget competitor and future USAC Midget Champion Jimmy Caruthers who had been reported as saying something to the effect of "If Swede races Midgets all the time we will all have to move one spot back."
