🇺🇸 Dave Steele

Dave Steele was a professional racing driver who competed in single-seater open-wheel racing on American ovals. His indexed career spans two seasons, from 1998 to 2000, with three starts in IndyCar for Panther Racing and two starts in NASCAR Xfinity. He raced primarily on oval tracks against fields that mixed amateur, semi-professional and professional drivers.[1]

Steele's record in these series was modest. In IndyCar he finished outside the points in all three starts; his best result came against established professionals including Eliseo Salazar, an IndyCar veteran with 53 starts and 24 Formula 1 races to his name, and Arie Luyendyk, who had 28 IndyCar starts. In NASCAR Xfinity he started twice and finished 43rd in the season standings. He regularly raced against Tony Stewart, the 1997 IndyCar champion with extensive experience in both series, and Scott Goodyear, an IndyCar professional, though he typically finished behind both.[2]

Steele's reputation came chiefly from sprint car racing, where he won the first five championships in Southern Sprintcar Shootout Series history. He was killed in a crash at Desoto Speedway on March 25, 2017.