Indy 500 Legend, Former NASCAR Driver Has Died At 98
09/07/2024 03:21 PM
The racing world said goodbye to a legend this weekend as it was revealed that Indy 500 veteran and nine-time NASCAR Cup Series winner Paul Goldsmith sadly passed away at the age of 98.
Goldsmith made his name as a versatile driver who raced stock cars, indy cars and even motorcycles.
He raced his last race in 1969 so that he could focus on his aviation exploits and he would actually fly his own plane to his races. Goldsmith later went on to train pilots and eventually owned a small airport in Indiana.
Goldsmith was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame, the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame in his post-racing life.
"Paul Goldsmith had more natural talent than any driver I ever had anything to do with," the late Smokey Yunick said in the 1993 book, "American Zoom." "He's a very, very quiet, likable guy … good manners. A very, very fast race driver and had extremely quick reflexes. Inside of three or four races, he was as good as there was."
Goldsmith was predeceased by his wife, Helen, and son, Greg. And he's survived by his daughter, Linda.
The West Virginia native certainly lived as full of a life as one could imagine and will always be remembered as one of the more unique competitors in the sport of racing.
May he rest in peace.
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