2009 News

BOB HIGMAN, 84

BOB HIGMAN, 84

Bob Higman's Funeral arrangements are:

Wednesday January 20, 2010
3:00pm - 8:00pm Viewing and Visitation
Soller & Baker Funeral Home
400 Twyckenham Blvd.
Lafayette, IN 47909
(765) 474-1111

Thursday January 21, 2010
Soller & Baker Funeral Home
1:00pm - 2:00pm Viewing and Visitation
2:00pm Funeral 

Robert "Bob" Higman, whose lifelong devotion to the sport of midget car racing was legendary, passed away in a Lafayette, Ind., hospital on January 13, 2010. Born on January 29, 1925, he was 84.

Already heavily involved with the American Automobile Association (AAA)-sanctioned midget car events by the early 1950s, Higman's career continued through the entire span of the United States Auto Club (USAC), basically from the organization's formation in late 1955 up through to the present time. Confined to a wheelchair for the last few years, his recent contributions tended to be more as a lobbyist and confidant, his annual Midget Racing Forum having taken place just last month at the International Motorsports Industry Show (IMIS) in Indianapolis.

But Higman's career as a participant is rather difficult to define, because not only was he a front-runner as either a chief mechanic or a car entrant-or both-for several decades, but his closest competition was often himself inasmuch as he typically prepared and maintained cars for several owners. It is estimated that one year in the Hut Hundred at Terre Haute, Ind., 12 of the 33 starters were Higman-prepared.

Higman, who was inducted into the National Midget Racing Hall of Fame in 1995, is credited with three USAC Midget car titles as a chief mechanic/team manager, the drivers being Bob Wente in 1963, Mike McGreevy in 1966 and Larry Rice in 1973. He also masterminded no fewer than six runner-up seasonal finishes, Wente's title coming during a phenomenal five-year run in which he also placed second in 1960, '61, '62 and '64. Higman was both owner and chief mechanic for the first three, and mechanic for the latter, his other runner-up finishes coming with Dave Strickland in 1970 and Dana Carter in 1975.

For many years, Higman took on all of this in addition to running a farm in Romney, Ind. In fact, in 1957, a very young A.J. Foyt spent much of the summer at Higman's farm, laboring in return for "rides." Higman's drivers (probably upwards of 100 over the years) numbered among the very finest, the standouts in midgets, in addition to Foyt, Wente, McGreevy, Rice, Strickland and Carter being Mario Andretti (on an occasional basis), Ken Schrader, Leroy Warriner, Johnny Parsons, Tommy Copp, Sam Sessions and Don Meacham.

Bob also had a long career at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and was the chief mechanic on several cars, most notably that of poor Jigger Sirois on the infamous "wave off" of a potential-at least temporary-pole position in 1969. It was not Higman, however, who waved the controversial yellow flag to abort the attempt. Bob's best finish as a chief mechanic in the "500" was ninth with Bob Wente in 1964. Other Higman drivers at IMS included Jimmy McElreath, Bobby Grim, Chuck Hulse, Bob Harkey, Art Malone, Norm Hall, Bill Homeier and Arnie Knepper.

Bob served on the USAC Board of Directors between 1961 and 1970, and thereafter on the safety board and a variety of competition commissions. In 1973, he was presented with USAC's Jim Blunk Award for contributions to midget car racing, only the third year in which the award had been in existence. In 1998, he was honored with the prestigious Eddie Edenburn Award for lifetime achievements in auto racing, an award presented each year since 1939 with the exception of those during WWII.

Funeral arrangements are at the Soller-Baker Funeral Home, at 400 Twyckenham Blvd., Lafayette, Ind., on the south side of town near the Purdue University Airport. Visitation is from 3-8 pm Wednesday, January 20 and the funeral service is at 2 pm Thursday, January 21, with visitation from 1-2. The funeral home phone number is 765-474-1111.

The Higman family has requested that contributions in Bob's memory be sent to: The USAC Benevolent Foundation, c/o Bill Marvel, 4910 W. 16th St., Speedway, Ind., 46224.