Charles "Sonny" Ates (March 28, 1935 – October 25, 2010) was an American

racecar driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organis ...

Biography

Ates was born in

Sellersburg, Indiana Sellersburg is a town located within Silver Creek Township, Clark County, Indiana, United States. It had a population of 9,310 at time of the 2020 census. Sellersburg is located along Interstate 65, about 15 minutes north of Louisville. Histo ...

. He raced in the USAC

Championship Car American open-wheel car racing, also known as Indy car racing, is a category of professional automobile racing in the United States. As of 2022, the top-level American open-wheel racing championship is sanctioned by IndyCar. Competitive event ...

series in the 1968–1970 seasons, with 15 career starts, including the 1969

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...

. He finished in the top ten 5 times, with his best finish in 5th position in 1968 at Brooklyn. Ates was one of the best Sprint Car racers during the 1960s and 1970s. He held the world speed record for a sprint car by being the fastest at the famed

Winchester Speedway Winchester Speedway is a half-mile paved oval motor racetrack in White River Township, Randolph County, just outside Winchester, Indiana, approximately northeast of Indianapolis. It seats 4000 spectators. It is also known as the "World's Faste ...

Winchester, Indiana Winchester is a city in White River Township, Randolph County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 4,935 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Randolph County. It is the home of Winchester Speedway. History Winchester ...

. He would often help new drivers find the right "groove" at that track. Ates died in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

on October 25, 2010.
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References

External links

Driver DB ProfileRacing-Reference.Info
1935 births 2010 deaths Indianapolis 500 drivers People from Sellersburg, Indiana Racing drivers from Indiana {{LouisvilleMSA-stub