TULSA, Okla. — Buddy Cagle, a veteran midget racer who competed for three decades, died on June 30 at the age of 89.
A native of Tulsa, Okla., Cagle successfully raced midgets, modifieds and supermodifieds for numerous car owners during his lengthy driving career.
He earned his first feature win in 1950 when he was 20 years old. After a stint in the armed forces, Cagle returned to racing and began racing midgets for team owner John Zink, a two-time Indianapolis 500 winning car owner with drivers Bob Sweikert and Pat Flaherty.
It was while driving for Zink that Cagle enjoyed his most successful seasons. He scored victories across the nation, including collecting trophies at venues suchas Riverside Stadium, Olympic Stadium in Kansas City, and Wichita and Hutchinson in Kansas. He earned his last midget victory in a car fielded by Zink in Tulsa, Okla., in 1964.
His success wasn’t limited to midgets. Driving modifieds, which later evolved into supermodifieds, Cagle won four track championships from 1964, ’65, ’67 and ’68, again in cars fielded by Zink.
He was inducted into the Central Auto Racing Boosters Hall of Fame in March.