Roger Garten's Fatal Crash @ Famoso Raceway 2015
- 7 months ago
An experienced drag racer, Roger Garten, 69, was killed in consequence of an accident which happened during a National Hot Rod Association race at Bakersfield’s Famoso Raceway. It happened on Saturday, 27 June 2015.
The Fallbrook, California, resident was driving his Ford Mustang "War Horse" on the left lane of the 1/4-mile paved dragstrip, during a race in the Nostalgia Funny Car class. While traveling at an estimated speed of 200 mi/h (322 km/h), around the 300-foot mark the car veered into the right lane and collided with his opponent Matt Bynum in his "Nitro Nick". The two cars bounced off the wall, coming to a stop past the finish line. Bynum was uninjured.
Roger Garten was rushed by ambulance to Kern County Medical Center where he succumbed to his injuries early Sunday morning, 28 June 2015. It is believed that Garten was not conscious prior to the contact with Bynum’s car.
The longtime racer started in the late 1960s. He drove the original "War Horse" from 1972 to 1976, winning the NHRA Division 7 Funny Car season championship in 1975. After almost two decades away from the track, Roger Garten returned to racing in the mid-1990s.
Garten had been a heavy equipment operator for Sully Miller Construction for 39 years. He left behind his wife Carlene, with whom he had been married for 52 years. He was also survived by a son, Dan (married to Ethel), a daughter, Rhonda (married to Chris), grandchildren Brandon (married to Jessie), Person, and Stephanie, and great-grandson Clarke.
R.I.P
The Fallbrook, California, resident was driving his Ford Mustang "War Horse" on the left lane of the 1/4-mile paved dragstrip, during a race in the Nostalgia Funny Car class. While traveling at an estimated speed of 200 mi/h (322 km/h), around the 300-foot mark the car veered into the right lane and collided with his opponent Matt Bynum in his "Nitro Nick". The two cars bounced off the wall, coming to a stop past the finish line. Bynum was uninjured.
Roger Garten was rushed by ambulance to Kern County Medical Center where he succumbed to his injuries early Sunday morning, 28 June 2015. It is believed that Garten was not conscious prior to the contact with Bynum’s car.
The longtime racer started in the late 1960s. He drove the original "War Horse" from 1972 to 1976, winning the NHRA Division 7 Funny Car season championship in 1975. After almost two decades away from the track, Roger Garten returned to racing in the mid-1990s.
Garten had been a heavy equipment operator for Sully Miller Construction for 39 years. He left behind his wife Carlene, with whom he had been married for 52 years. He was also survived by a son, Dan (married to Ethel), a daughter, Rhonda (married to Chris), grandchildren Brandon (married to Jessie), Person, and Stephanie, and great-grandson Clarke.
R.I.P