Killed in qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 when his car crashed backwards against the wall at turn one. Real name Charles Rodeghier. Raced mainly in midgets, but his career was littered with a number of crashes. Rodee was a veteran of the sport who had raced since the early 1950's. He was lucky to have previously survived a big crash at a midget race in Jefferson in 1956, when his car flipped on numerous occasions. A popular racer, who for a while raced whilst wearing dentures, his accident prompted Rodger Ward to announce his retirement almost immediately afterwards once the '500 itself was done. Rodee served in the US marines during World War Two. Rodee was of French (paternal) and Italian (maternal) ancestry.

Biography last updated 8 Sep 2017