The Outsider Auto Racing & Photo Blog: The Good Die Young

When I make posts that I don’t write, and that are illustrated with images that I didn’t take, I do so because of my love of auto racing and racing history. I especially enjoy sharing history that I remember such as with the drivers below.

The bios of both Bobby Marshman and Billy Foster come from Wikipedia. The photos of both drivers all came from Google photos. They are not mine.

I would add that Bobby drove a few USAC stock car races, usually on the 1 mile dirt tracks although I believe he ran at Milwaukee once. I never saw this young superstar race, but I was told he was one of the best ever. I do remember the news reports when he died.

Foster drove the entire USAC stock cars series and was an “up front” driver there. It is perhaps ironic that this open wheel driver died in a NASCAR stock car at Riverside, CA. I viewed Foster racing in both the USAC Indy Car and Stock Car series on many occasions during his brief career in major auto racing. Such a talent

Bobby Marshman (September 24, 1936 - December 4, 1964), was an American racecar driver

Bobby was the son of a race driver, George Marshman who morphed into a promoter, notably at Hatfield Speedway. Bobby started racing in URC sprints because you didn't have to be 21 to drive. Improving and being named URC rookie of the year. He moved on to ARDC driving for Harry Hespell 4 car team. In 1960 he changed over to Bruce Hoymeyer's Konstant Hot team, notably winning the Trenton 300. In 1961 he was driving the Iddings sprint car at the start of the season, posting fast time at the Reading opener. The Iddings car tried to run the champ car circuit as well, (see previous Mac Miller articles on the car). Bobby qualified the Iddings for the April Trenton champ car race, but got on his head after about30 laps. Spent a few nights in the hospital with a concussion.

He got called by the Hoover Motor express team between first and second weekend of indy qualifying, passed his rookie test and made the field as 33rd starter. He stayed clean and finished 7th earning co rookie of the year honors with Parnelli Jones.

This opened the door to a full time ride in Wally Meskowski's cars for this season and the start of 1962, where the other thread picks up.

His Lotus was the chassis that Dan Gurney crashed in 1963 at the speedway. Damaged goods to start with. The car was the trail horse for the new Ford 4 cam engine and Firestone tire testing. Bobby had been on the Firestone tire test team in 1963 as well

The story on the oil plug was, he was lapping Johnny White when White changed lines going into three, forcing Bobby low on the apron. The car bottomed out.

The rest of the season this car did not finish a race, mostly for chassis reasons. At the Pheonix race he broke the A frame.

They stayed in Phoenix for more tire testing after the race.

Something broke on the car on the backstretch, the car hit the wall and the gasoline fire was horrific. It melted the concrete wall. Bobby lived about 6 days after. He had been transferred to the Brooke Army Burn Center in San Antonio.

Bobby

The first reace track Bobby competed at...Hatfield Speedway

Billy Foster (September 18, 1937 - January 20, 1967), was a Canadian racecar driver.

Born in Victoria, British Columbia, Foster died in a crash during practice for a Nascar stock car race at Riverside International Raceway in Riverside, California. He drove in the USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1964-1966 seasons, with 28 career starts, including the 1965 and 1966 Indianapolis 500 races. He finished in the top ten 10 times, with his best finish in 2nd position in 1966 at Atlanta.

Billy and Mario Andretti became best of friends, building a close relationship which Andretti claimed he would never do again with a fellow racer because Foster's death so significantly affected him.

Billy was cousins with musician, producer, composer, arranger David Foster and with Canadian stock car driver Jim Steen.

He was inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame in 1993.

“Billy Foster was killed just in front of me, before I was ready to go qualify at Riverside. I was the next guy to go out to qualify and my best friend got killed.” Mario Andretti

Billy