Family and friends take pictures and read the memorial plaque for the late auto racer Swede Savage, who died in 1973 after a wreck at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The American Racing Memorial Association honored Swede Savage with a memorial at the National Orange Show in San Bernardino on Saturday, Jun. 24, 2023. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Those who grew up with Swede Savage, knew the late San Bernardino race car driver or simply learned his name and story at some point over the years gathered at the National Orange Show Saturday, June 24, for the unveiling of a memorial marker commemorating his brief, yet brilliant, career.
Savage died July 2, 1973, while recovering from injuries he sustained in a wreck at that year’s Indianapolis 500, the marquee race he grew up dreaming of winning.
He was 26.
The American Racing Memorial Association honored Swede Savage with a memorial at the National Orange Show in San Bernardino on Saturday, Jun. 24, 2023. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Vicki Proctor takes pictures during the memorial dedication ceremony honoring the late auto racer Swede Savage, who died in 1973 after a wreck at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The American Racing Memorial Association honored Swede Savage with a memorial at the National Orange Show in San Bernardino on Saturday, Jun. 24, 2023. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Angela Savage, daughter of Swede Savage, finishes her speech by saying, “Long live Swede Savage,” during the memorial dedication ceremony honoring her father who died in 1973 after a wreck at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The American Racing Memorial Association honored Swede Savage with a memorial at the National Orange Show in San Bernardino on Saturday, Jun. 24, 2023. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
American Racing Memorial Association’s Bob Gates remembers Swede Savage as he speaks during the dedication ceremony honoring the late auto racer who died in 1973 after a wreck at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The American Racing Memorial Association honored Swede Savage with a memorial at the National Orange Show in San Bernardino on Saturday, Jun. 24, 2023. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
An attendee wears a Riverside International Raceway jacket during the memorial dedication ceremony honoring the late auto racer Swede Savage, who died in 1973 after a wreck at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The American Racing Memorial Association honored Swede Savage with a memorial at the National Orange Show in San Bernardino on Saturday, Jun. 24, 2023. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
About 50 people attend a memorial ceremony honoring the late auto racer Swede Savage, who died in 1973 after a wreck at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The American Racing Memorial Association honored Swede Savage with a memorial at the National Orange Show in San Bernardino on Saturday, Jun. 24, 2023. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Angela Savage, daughter of Swede Savage, holds a photo of him racing motorcycles at the National Orange Show during the memorial dedication ceremony honoring the late auto racer Swede Savage, who died in 1973 after a wreck at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The American Racing Memorial Association honored Swede Savage with a memorial at the National Orange Show in San Bernardino on Saturday, Jun. 24, 2023. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
A red heart pendant rests in the asphalt at the memorial dedication ceremony honoring the late auto racer Swede Savage, who died in 1973 after a wreck at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The American Racing Memorial Association honored Swede Savage with a memorial at the National Orange Show in San Bernardino on Saturday, Jun. 24, 2023. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Angela Savage, right, daughter of Swede Savage, unveils the memorial honoring her father who died in 1973 after a wreck at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with, from left, her husband Scott Jackson and children, Chance Jackson, 17, and Cruz Jackson, 11. The American Racing Memorial Association honored Swede Savage with a memorial at the National Orange Show in San Bernardino on Saturday, Jun. 24, 2023. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Angela Savage, daughter of Swede Savage, unveils the memorial honoring her father who died in 1973 after a wreck at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. American Racing Memorial Association revealed the Swede Savage memorial at the National Orange Show in San Bernardino on Saturday, Jun. 24, 2023. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Childhood friend Marie McCully, right, hugs Angela Savage, daughter of Swede Savage who died in 1973 after a wreck at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The American Racing Memorial Association honored Swede Savage with a memorial at the National Orange Show in San Bernardino on Saturday, Jun. 24, 2023. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Angela Savage, daughter of Swede Savage, reacts as she sees the memorial honoring her father who died in 1973 after a wreck at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The American Racing Memorial Association honored Swede Savage with a memorial at the National Orange Show in San Bernardino on Saturday, Jun. 24, 2023. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Family and friends take pictures and read the memorial plaque for the late auto racer Swede Savage, who died in 1973 after a wreck at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The American Racing Memorial Association honored Swede Savage with memorial at the National Orange Show in San Bernardino on Saturday, Jun. 24, 2023. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Author Ted Woerner, right, snaps a photo of American Racing Memorial Association’s Bob Gates, left and Angela Savage, daughter of Swede Savage, with the memorial plaque. The American Racing Memorial Association honored Swede Savage with a memorial at the National Orange Show in San Bernardino on Saturday, Jun. 24, 2023. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Family and friends take pictures and read the memorial plaque for the late auto racer Swede Savage, who died in 1973 after a wreck at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The American Racing Memorial Association honored Swede Savage with a memorial at the National Orange Show in San Bernardino on Saturday, Jun. 24, 2023. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Don Melton, 90, left, who used to race midgets and sprint cars at the National Orange Show, reminisces with Angela Savage, daughter of Swede Savage, during a memorial honoring her father who died in 1973 after a wreck at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The American Racing Memorial Association honored Swede Savage with a memorial at the National Orange Show in San Bernardino on Saturday, Jun. 24, 2023. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Angela Savage, daughter of Swede Savage, is greeted with hugs after unveiling the memorial honoring her father who died in 1973 after a wreck at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The American Racing Memorial Association honored Swede Savage with a memorial at the National Orange Show in San Bernardino on Saturday, Jun. 24, 2023. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
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The American Racing Memorial Association honored Swede Savage with a memorial at the National Orange Show in San Bernardino on Saturday, Jun. 24, 2023. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
A teenage sports star at Pacific High School, Savage came from a long line of San Bernardino luminaries, chief among them, his grandfather, Dr. Philip Savage, who helped found St. Bernardine’s Hospital.
The American Racing Memorial Association, an Indiana-based group that creates memorials for drivers in their hometowns, worked collaboratively with Chuck Street, host of the YouTube channel “I Remember the Inland Empire,” to create a permanent marker for Savage at his former stomping grounds.
“Handsome San Bernardino native, Swede Savage, reached the pinnacle of the sport of auto racing,” the plaque starts. “His career started here at the National Orange Show.”
