Motorsport Memorial -

Kara Hendrick

Complete name: Kara Renee Hendrick

Birth date: 10.Sep.1969

Birth Place: Montebello, Los Angeles County, CA, United States

Death date: 05.Oct.1991

Death Place: San Diego, San Diego County, CA, United States

Nationality: United States

Gender: female

Age at death: 22

Event date: 05.Oct.1991

Series: United States Auto Club (USAC) Western States Midget

Race: [USAC Western States Midget race]

Event type: race

Country: United States (California)

Venue: Cajon Speedway

Variant: 3/8-mile paved oval (1966-present)

Role: driver

Vehicle type: car

Vehicle sub-type: single seater

Vehicle brand/model: Beast

Vehicle number: ??

Notes:
On her third ever outdoor Midget race, and the second race with a brand new, state-of-the-art Beast, owned by her father, who had raced stock cars on Southern California short tracks in the 1960s, Kara Hendrick set the new track record for midget cars at Cajon Speedway with a time of 15.75 seconds in the qualifying sessions.

Starting the race in sixth place, Hendrick was dicing with the leaders when, on the second lap, her car hit the ripple strips entering Turn 3, also called South Turn, which sent it flipping end-over-end into the concrete crash wall. Hendrick’ vehicle then collected a car driven by Rick Gray, sending it flipping as well. Hendrick’ car carried over the wall and into a signboard - it punched a hole in it - before coming to rest on a dirt embankment between the crash wall and the signboard. The back of the top of the roll cage contacted the crash wall, and was crushed on the impact. Hendrick was airlifted to Sharp Memorial Hospital where she died from head trauma. Gray was momentarily knocked unconscious and was transported to Grossmont Hospital complaining of neck pain.

Although the cause of the crash was linked to some sort of mechanical failure, witnesses believe that Hendrick – a talented, but inexperienced driver racing a top-class machine – was overdriving and made a mistake. These witnesses reported that the sparks pointed as proof of a mechanical failure actually occurred when the car hit the ripple strips. Nevertheless, or regardless, it was a tragic accident that took the life of a driver that might have gone on to greater things.

On her memory the USAC instituted the Kara Hendrick Award to crown promising women drivers. Kara and her brother Kenny Hendricks, who were twins started racing together in USAC's west coast TQ series at the age of 17, coming up through the Quarter Midget ranks.

Kara Hendrick is buried at Rose Hills Memorial Park, Whittier, California.

Sources:

U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007.
California Birth Index, 1905-1995.
California Death Index.
Book "The History of America's Speedways - Past & Present", 2nd edition, by Allan E. Brown, Comstock Park, MI, United States, 1994, ISBN 0-931105-42-0, pages 107 and 112.
Magazine Open Wheels, issue October 1987.
Newspaper Daily Herald (Chicago, IL, United States), issue of 7 October 1991, page section 4 sports 5, article "Driver dies in midget car race in California".
Newspaper Chronicle Telegram (Elyria, OH, United States), issue of 7 October 1991, page C-3, article "Auto Racing".
Website United States Auto Club, article "Women in auto racing progressing; St. James to present Hendrick Award", page http://usacracing.com/stories.asp?StoryID=1348.
Website Racing Deaths, article "Kara Hendrick", page http://161.188.204.190/charlotte/rd/results.asp?F=i&Q=411.
Website Chuck Fry, The Chucko Zone, article "Fallen Heroes of Sprint Car Racing", page http://www.chucko.com/racing/fallen-heroes.html.
Website Atlas F1, bulletin boards, "The Nostalgia Forum", thread "Speed's Ultimate Price: The Toll", page 42, posting by "Buford", message http://forums.atlasf1.com/showthread.php?postid=1742853#post1742853.
Website Atlas F1, bulletin boards, "The Nostalgia Forum", thread "Speed's Ultimate Price: The Toll", page 42, posting by Jim Thurman, message http://forums.atlasf1.com/showthread.php?postid=1743568#post1743568.
Website Atlas F1, bulletin boards, "The Nostalgia Forum", "The Nostalgia Forum Archives", thread "In search of...", posting by "FEV", message http://forums.atlasf1.com/showthread.php?postid=430775#post430775.
Website Atlas F1, bulletin boards, "The Nostalgia Forum", "The Nostalgia Forum Archives", thread "In search of...", posting by "FEV", message http://forums.atlasf1.com/showthread.php?postid=431121#post431121.
Website Atlas F1, bulletin boards, "The Nostalgia Forum", "The Nostalgia Forum Archives", thread "In search of...", posting by Jim Thurman, message http://forums.atlasf1.com/showthread.php?postid=431439#post431439.
Website Atlas F1, bulletin boards, "The Nostalgia Forum", "The Nostalgia Forum Archives", thread "In search of...", posting by Jim Thurman, message http://forums.atlasf1.com/showthread.php?postid=431443#post431443.
Website Atlas F1, bulletin boards, "The Nostalgia Forum", "The Nostalgia Forum Archives", thread "In search of...", posting by Jim Thurman, message http://forums.atlasf1.com/showthread.php?postid=432558#post432558.
Website Atlas F1, bulletin boards, "The Nostalgia Forum", "The Nostalgia Forum Archives", thread "In search of...", posting by Jim Thurman, message http://forums.atlasf1.com/showthread.php?postid=457675#post457675.
Website Atlas F1, bulletin boards, "The Nostalgia Forum", "The Nostalgia Forum Archives", thread "In search of...", posting by "Rob29", message http://forums.atlasf1.com/showthread.php?postid=458863#post458863.
Website Sharp HealthCare, page http://www.sharp.com/Hospital/list.cfm?id=1F1A4BCC-6FA9-11D4-B4B300508B76449E.
Website Find-A-Grave: Kara Renee Hendrick .
E-mail by Chris Sampang, dated 15 June 2004.
E-mail by Rick Kelly, dated 16 June 2004.
E-mail by Don Tash, dated 19 June 2009.
E-mail by Don Tash, dated 27 June 2010.
E-mail by Don Tash, dated 27 August 2010.