|
Lee, a native of Volga, Iowa, has been involved in auto racing for the past 35-years. He's been involved in everything from drag cars, modified stock cars, midgets, sprints, to IndyCars. His first IndyCar race was in 1969 at Phoenix -- with no practice laps, he qualified 7th, and finished 9th. In June 1970, he was involved in a bad, fiery accident when the throttle stuck open on his sprint car -- and his career was put on hold. One year later, he returned to racing, and he won a USAC midget race. His IndyCar career resumed in 1972. In December 1973, he was involved in a horrendous accident while tire testing, when the rear wing failed
suffered head and eye injuries, and several broken bones. Upon recovering for 2-years, he returned to racing, and then retired from behind the wheel in 1980. In 1981, he became the general manager of the Primus IndyCar team. When the team sold to Ron Hemelgarn in 1984, Lee continued with the new team. He is currently vice president and general manager for Hemelgarn Racing, Inc. He has managed over forty (40) cars participating in the Indy 500. With Buddy Lazier driving, the Hemelgarn Team was the 1996 Indy 500 and the 2000 IRL Championship. | 