Bobby Marshman was born in Pottstown, Pa., the son of Hatfield (PA) Speedway and demolition derby promoters George and Evelyn Marshman.
First racing close to home at age 18 in a Sprint Car, Bobby was URC Rookie of the Year in 1955. He then became a standout in ARDC and national USAC Midget racing, including winning Midget features at NJ’s Trenton Speedway mile paved oval in 1958, 60 and 61. That 1960 victory was at the 300-mile distance! At the same time, he was working toward making his dream of being an Indy Car driver a reality.
Bobby had 49 career starts in the USAC Indy Car series from 1961-64, including each Indianapolis 500 in that span. His seventh-place finish at the 1961 Indianapolis 500 earned him co-Rookie of the Year honors with Parnelli Jones. Bobby finished in the top-ten in Indy Car races 25 times, with one victory, in 1962 at the Arizona State Fairgrounds dirt track in Phoenix.
He competed in USAC dirt and pavement Indy Cars through 1964. A versatile driver, in August 1964 he also won a USAC Late Model feature at the Illinois State Fairgrounds dirt mile. But that November, Bobby suffered severe burns from a crash in an IndyCar test at Phoenix Raceway. He passed away from those injuries on Dec. 1, 1964 at age 28.
Bobby’s father George was inducted into the EMPA Hall of Fame in 1993. |
| |
| |
| |
|
