(Indianapolis, IN) – Four-time Indianapolis 500 starter Lee Kunzman, a model of perseverance in motorsports, died Feb. 27. He was 80.
Kunzman overcame serious injuries during his career to start in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” in 1972, 1973, 1977 and 1979. His best finish was seventh, in 1973 and 1977. His best qualifying spot was 11th, for his final start in 1979.
His best finish during his INDYCAR SERIES career was second in 1979 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, falling just short in a thrilling late-race duel with winner Johnny Rutherford.
After his driving career, Kunzman served as team manager for Hemelgarn Racing, which won the “500” in 1996 and the INDYCAR SERIES championship in 2000 with driver Buddy Lazier. The Hemelgarn team also finished second at Indianapolis in 1998 and 2000, with Lazier driving.
Iowa native Kunzman’s greatest success as a driver came in United States Auto Club competition. He earned 30 career USAC national feature victories, 16 in Midget and 14 in Sprint Car. Kunzman set the stage for a short-track career that culminated in his induction into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 2006 by winning his very first USAC start, at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds in Davenport, Iowa.
He gained attention in 1967 by earning Little 500 Rookie of the Year honors at Anderson (Indiana) Speedway, but Kunzman’s breakout year in USAC came in 1969. He earned eight USAC National Midget victories, including the Astro Grand Prix on the indoor dirt oval built inside the Astrodome in Houston.
Kunzman also earned another major USAC National Midget win in 1970, capturing the Night Before the 500 at Indianapolis Raceway Park. But seven days later, he suffered severe burns on 40 percent of his body and multiple fractures when the throttle stuck on his sprint car and he endured a violent crash in a USAC race at I-70 Speedway in Odessa, Missouri.
Despite a two-month stay in the hospital after the accident, Kunzman returned to drive in April 1971, winning his first race back in the cockpit, a USAC National Midget feature at Tri-County Speedway in Ohio.
The return started a very successful era for Kunzman, who finished fifth, third, and second, respectively, in the USAC National Sprint Car standings from 1971-73.
His INDYCAR SERIES career also started to flourish at that time, as he finished third in late 1973 at Texas World Speedway. But misfortune struck again, as Kunzman suffered severe head injuries and paralysis on the left side of his body after crashing in an INDYCAR SERIES tire test at Ontario (California) Motor Speedway in December 1973. The injuries forced him to miss the entire 1974 season.
The persistent Kunzman returned to the cockpit in March 1975 for the INDYCAR SERIES 500-mile race at Ontario Motor Speedway, finishing an inspiring fourth at the site of his accident 15 months prior.