With most of the motorsports world on hiatus because of the coronavirus pandemic, we’ve decided to highlight some of the sport’s legends on a daily basis. We begin each story within the pages of National Speed Sport News.
Clearly one of the finest open-wheel drivers of all time, Tom Bigelow is the second winningest sprint car driver in United States Auto Club history.
The Wisconsin native, who still races stock cars occasionally, started his career in the Badger Midget Auto Racing Ass’n in 1959 and won the Sun Prairie, Wis., championship in 1964.
Bigelow went on to race in USAC, winning the USAC National Sprint Car Series championship in 1978 and the National Midget Series title in 1985.
He is the second (behind Dave Darland) winningest sprint car driver in USAC competition with 52 victories in the division.
An additional 23 midget triumphs and six victories in Silver Crown place him fifth on the overall all-time USAC winner’s list with 81 victories.
Bigelow posted scores of victories with other sanctioning bodies and went on to race Indy cars as well. He made nine starts in the Indianapolis 500, with a best finish of sixth in 1977.
Racing under the CART banner, Bigelow made 20 starts, with a pair of fifth-place finishes.
He was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1996.
