I was given permission to use this picture
photo was taken by Dana Royer

Brent Slocum - Visitation will be held Tuesday, June 14th from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM at Lunning Chapel on Mt. Pleasant Street in Burlington. The family will be receiving friends from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM.
Funeral services will be held at the United Methodist Church in Mediapolis at 10:00 AM on Wednesday, June 15th.
A memorial has been established for Isabelle's (Brent's 3 month old daughter) education.
Anyone wishing to send cards, prayers, or thoughts to the family may send them to: Steve Slocum, 5864 Summer Street, Burlington, Iowa 52601

Brent Slocum from the Burlington, Iowa area was killed last night at the 34 Speedway in West Burlington, Iowa...

there was 134 cars in the pits last night.....I chose not to go down to the pits after the long road trip.... I am so glad I didn't....

We watched all the modified hot lap ,,,, then the late model.... then the bombers..the the VINTAGE CARS....... as the vintage cars went off the field the midgets were being push started to the track..... suddenly the ambulance from the middle of the track turned its lights on and went into the pit area.... it stopped almost directly across the field from where we were sitting.........right at the entrance into the pit area............then two more ambulances arrived plus two squad cars.............. we sit there waiting........no announcement of any kind telling us what happened..... rumors started flying and then we saw the helicopter come in...................when they roped off the area you knew it was not good news.....the helicopter did not leave for a long time so I knew ......
Finally around 8:30 they announced the races were canceled...........when leaving I stopped a very upset security guard and asked him if he would tell me what had happened......... he was very uspet but told me that when the vintage car came off the field one of them had trouble and their throttle stuck full throttle..he was parked over by the #5 car and he ran over the late model driver Brent Slocum and two of his crew members..... he did not know the condition of the other two guys but he told me that Brent was only 26 years old and one of the nicest guys you could be around.... he just became a father two months ago....
So what had started out to be a really fun road trip ended up with a car ride back home being very somber...........
The Burlington area has had a great loss.... my heart felt sympathy goes out to the Slocum family and the community who is in shock... there were cars sitting in the lot that was just sitting there.... they could not leave.... I saw several young people grieving and one of the boys talked with me..... so sad.........
cj

Two injured at 34 Raceway

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

and SHAWNA RICHTER
news@thehawkeye.com

MIDDLETOWN — An accident in the pit area of 34 Raceway Saturday night seriously injured two people, including an area driver.

Brenton Slocum of Burlington, the defending late model champion at the track, was one of the people injured. A vintage racing car, coming off the 3/8–mile dirt oval after a practice session, careened into the pit area where Slocum was working on his car in preparation for the night's racing. Slocum's car was hit, and witnesses said Slocum and the second injured person were pinned by the car.

Slocum was taken by ambulance to Great River Medical Center. The second injured person, whose name was not released, was flown by helicopter to GRMC.

The condition of the driver of the vintage car, whose name was also not released, was not available.

"There really isn't anything we can say at this point," 34 Raceway promoter Terry Hoenig said. "This was a horrible thing, but right now we're not sure of all the details. We're hoping for the best right now for everyone involved."

The area around the accident site was cordoned off by law enforcement officials. The Iowa State Patrol was handling the investigation.

The accident occurred at approximately 7 p.m. as a vintage car class, racing as a special part of Saturday's scheduled event, was finishing its practice sessions.

"One of those vintage cars came in, and it looked and sounded like the throttle stuck," said Mike Standard of Burlington, who was in the pit area when the accident happened. "The car clipped (late model driver Tom) Darbyshire's car, and then ran into the side of Slocum's car."

The impact of the crash pushed Slocum's car, which was up on jack stands, more than 10 feet.

Hoenig was watering down the back of the pit area when he heard the first call over the radio.

"I knew it was a bad situation," he said.

Racing was immediately halted as rescue workers rushed to the scene. Within moments, track officials were calling for a second ambulance. At approximately 7:30 p.m., a call came for a helicopter to airlift one of the victims.

An ambulance left the scene soon after the helicopter arrived. A vehicle was following, and the driver was holding her head and crying as the car raced behind the ambulance.

"Brent was not breathing and (paramedics) couldn't get him to breathe," said Don Demint, 42, of Basco, Ill., who was in the pit area.

The pit area was closed to everyone moments after the accident happened and was not reopened.

Racing for the night was officially called off at 8:22 p.m.

Fans in the grandstand area sat, mostly silent, until the announcement was made that races were cancelled. Some began leaving soon after the helicopter left the track. Several people who were in the pit area when the accident occurred were crying as they left.

Slocum is a popular driver at the track. He is the defending late model season champion. He is currently second in the standings in the IMCA Deery Brothers Summer Series.

"He was one of the veterans," Demint said.

Krista Reilly, 21, was standing near the fence crying as fans left the pit area.

"It's sad," she said. "(Slocum) had a wife and baby."

34 Raceway has had a solid safety record over the years, especially in the pit area.

The only other pit accident in recent seasons was in 2000, when a driver and a pit crew member were struck by a wheel that had come off a car on the track and was hit by another car, sending it flying into the pit area. Both men were released from the hospital the following day.

Warning signs are posted at the pit entrance about the dangers of being in the pit area, a standard practice at most tracks. Anyone entering the pits must sign a release form before entering the pits, and have to wear an armband at all times.

Hoenig announced at a drivers' meeting after the accident that there would be no racing Saturday. Someone suggested that armbands be collected, and the money raised from the refunds for the armbands be donated to the families of those injured.

By 9 p.m., more than 100 had been collected.



The Hawk Eye
800 S. Main St., Burlington, Iowa 52601
319-754-8461 · 1-800-397-1708 · FAX 319-754-

mott brief 6–14

Teen hurt at 34 Raceway still critical

The Hawk Eye

MIDDLETOWN — A 16–year–old Wapello boy remains hospitalized Monday after surviving a freak race track accident that killed a Burlington man.

Officials at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City said Monday evening that Michael Mott remains in critical condition. Hospital officials declined to comment further on his condition.

Mott and Brenton Slocum, the defending late model track champion at 34 Raceway, Middletown, and one of the top drivers in Iowa, were working on a car in the south part of the pit area of the track when it was struck by a vintage sprint car driven by John F. Batchelor, 61, of Rockford, Ill., which was heading into the pit area after hot laps.

Slocum was pinned beneath his car. Mott received a head injury and was airlifted to Iowa City from the track. Slocum was pronounced dead later Saturday at Great River Medical Center.

http://34raceway.com/June%2011.htm

article and picture of Mike Mott

I copied this from a message board from Iowa from a friend of Mike Mott's..




was mike mott he races 77m 4cyl at juntion he was walkin back from watchin hotlaps he just got beside slocums car and got hit by the vintage driver him and slocum was pinned between the cars.....they pushed the vintage car out and pulled slocum from underneith his car and mike from the right front of slocums car .......mike is in the hospital he has no broken bones bleeding in the brain no sergery yet at this moment gonna wait to see if the swollening his his head goes down and if it doesnt then they will have to do sergery they said it might be 2 weeks before he is talkin when i left the hospital last night around 1 he had not had his eyes open at all he had movment in his legs and arms at the tack......they wad givin slocum cpr the hole time at the track and they put the fibulator on brent a couple of times and could not get any results from it........im headin back up to iowacity here and ill get back on here with sum more information when i return to keep you all updated................
Timmerman racing #44 our thoughts and prayers are with the slocum and mott

Mike Mott

Slocum dies from track injuries

Accident in pit area takes life of race car driver Brenton Slocum, 28; Michael Mott remains hospitalized.

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP
jbohnenkamp@thehawkeye.com

MIDDLETOWN — Brenton Slocum, the defending late model track champion at 34 Raceway and one of the top drivers in Iowa, died late Saturday from injuries suffered in an accident in the pit area at the 3/8–mile dirt oval during a practice session in preparation for the night's races.

Slocum, 28, of Burlington, was killed when the car he was working on in the pit area was struck by a vintage sprint car coming into the pit area after hot laps.

A second person, Michael Mott, 16, of Wapello, was seriously injured. He was taken to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City. A hospital spokeswoman said Sunday she could not release information on Mott's condition.

The Iowa State Patrol, conducting the crash investigation, said the vintage sprint car driven by John F. Batchelor, 61, of Rockford, Ill., was coming off the race track and into the south part of the pit area when it struck the parked late model of Tom Darbyshire. Batchelor's car then struck Slocum's car, which was being worked on by several individuals.

Slocum was pinned underneath his car.

Mott was airlifted to Iowa City from the track.

"This was unique in that it was in a racetrack and it's not the kind of cars I'm used to dealing with," said State Trooper Jeremy Andreasen, who is heading the investigation. "It could take several weeks, maybe longer, because we want to do a thorough and accurate investigation."

Andreasen said he and at least two other troopers will be talking with witnesses, looking at the vehicles and collecting roadway evidence to come to conclusions about the cause of the accident.

"In this case, a lot will rely on witness statements," he said.

It is the first racing–related death at 34 Raceway in the 39 years the track has been open.

'Like a family'

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of everyone involved in this," 34 Raceway promoter Terry Hoenig said Sunday morning. "This was just something you're never prepared to deal with. Everyone knew Brent. Down in the pits, it's like a family down there. Everyone knows everyone.

"It's really hard for me personally to describe how I feel. I've known Brent for a long time."

The accident occurred at 7:02 p.m. Slocum was taken to Great River Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Racing for the night was canceled at approximately 8:20 p.m., but several drivers exited the pit area before the announcement was made.

Slocum was second in the IMCA Deery Brothers Summer Series standings this season. He won back–to–back features on April 30 and May 7 at 34 Raceway.

"He was just a wonderful person," said veteran late model driver Boone McLaughlin. "Great racer, great competitor on the track, great person off the track."

McLaughlin usually pits next to Slocum's team, but was in a different spot for Saturday's races.

"Everything was full around where Brent was, so we were a few spots up," McLaughlin said.

McLaughlin was in his trailer when the accident occurred.

"I heard the hit," he said. "I ran out, saw what happened, and ran down to where Brent was."

McLaughlin stayed with Slocum's family until Slocum was taken from the track by ambulance. When he returned to his pit, he told his crew to pack up for the night.

"There was no way we were going to race, out of respect for Brent," he said. "I just didn't feel like racing."

McLaughlin was seriously injured in a racing accident at 34 Raceway early last season, but came back and finished the season.

"I've talked about it with my wife, wondering if I still should do this, that sort of thing," McLaughlin said. "But you can't think about it when you race. It was a freak accident. I've walked through the pits a lot of times, and I've come close to getting hit a couple of times. It's a freak accident that you just can't avoid."

The only other pit accident at the track in recent seasons was in 2000, when a driver and a pit crew member were struck by a wheel that had come off a car on the track and was hit by another car, sending it flying into the pit area. Both men were released from the hospital the following day.

Warning signs are posted at the pit entrance about the dangers of being in the pit area, a standard practice at most tracks. Anyone entering the pits must sign a release form before entering the pits, and have to wear an armband at all times.

"It was just a freak accident," Hoenig said.

McLaughlin said it will be hard returning to the track for next week's races.

"Next week's Father's Day," he said. "Brent and his wife just had a little girl. I watched Brent grow up over the years racing out there. It definitely will be bittersweet."

Hawk Eye reporter Shawna Richter contributed to this article.