Gene Force

15/6/1916 - 21/8/1983

Record updated 15-Jun-06

Migets and sprint car driver in the 1950's and early 60's.

Gene Force raced migets and sprint cars in the 1950's and early 60's.

He drove in the Indy 500 in 1951 finishing 11th. He didn't race there again until nine years later in 1960 when he went out with brake problems

He took pole and was involved in the accident that klled Jim Rigsby in 1952 at the high banked Dayton Speedway. On the 5th lap he got sideways and Jim Rigsby went low to pass him. Unfortunately, Rigsby clipped Force's front wheel. Rigsby's car bounced up and on landing, bottomed out. The floor pan bent jamming his trottle wide open. His car shot up the 3rd turn banking and took off like an airplane, clearing the single-tiered guard rail by 20 feet and landed in a cabbage patch 200 feet away. Rigsby perished in the crash.

He died from a heart-attack while watching a race at the Michigan International Speedway back in 1983.