This article was retyped from the "80 Years of Racing, Lawrenceburg Speedway" program/yearbook.


Danny Milburn
(1950 - 1991)
   If there is one thing that Danny Milburn will be remembered for, it was his quick smile and friendly wave. "He was one of the finest gentlemen I've had the opportunity to know in racing over the last 20 years," says Dayton's Tom Stenger. "He drove sprint cars for me for 10 years."  "He was easy-going, friendly, and it was always sincere, In this racing business, there are a lot of phonies. But not Danny. He's going to be missed by me and a lot of other people."
    Milburn, 41, died Sunday of injuries suffered in a first-turn crash on the seventh lap of the USAC Silver Crown portion of the Copper World Classic at Phoenix International Raceway.    The right side of Milburm's car was sheared off when he hit the wall after tangling with a car driven by Mark Alderson.
    "My car was pushing real bad." Alderson told the Arizona Republic, "so I was going into the corners fast, but low. Just before I got within a car's width of the bottom, I saw Milburn's (car) nose and front tire....he hit my left rear. It was a racing accident."
 Milburn, of Indianapolis, was USAC rookie of the year in the sprint car division in 1982. He finished third in points that season, then was fourth in both 1983 and '84.
   He scored his first USAC victory in a Stenger-backed car at Lawrenceburg, Ind., on Sept. 18, 1983; then drove the Smith Speed Shop sprinter out of Eaton to another victory there a year later.
   Milburn drove for several years for Cissy Smith and her husband, Ray, who died last year.   "Danny was a dear friend," Cissy said. "Its hard to believe. Even after we went our separate ways, we remained good friends. That's what Danny was, a good friend."
   Russ Clendenen, former USAC sprint supervisor who lives in Brookville, said: "He was a pretty careful guy....a great guy. I always kidded him that when he needed help in a race to tap himself on top of the helmet and I'd come out and relieve him. But he'd always come by and say, 'I don't believe I'll need relief today.' "
 Milburn is survived by his wife, Linda, and his four children. Funeral arrangements are pending.  Milburn, who operated a garage door company with his father, had concentrated on the Silver Crown series the past few years, driving a self-owned car.   He scored his best-ever finish in that type of car when he placed fifth in the Golden State 100 at Sacramento in 1989. He was sixth in the Hoosier Hundred in Indianapolis the same year.
   Last season, he qualified second and finished eighth at the Hoosier Hundred. He was also eighth at Milwaukee, ninth in the spring race at Indianapolis and 10th at Phoenix. "His family always came first, racing second," Stenger said. "He mixed it well."
   In measuring his accomplishments on the track, Milburn may have fallen short when compared to some other drivers. But few were as well-liked by fellow competitors and fans. "He never got mad and was always easy to work with," said Larry Aukerman, longtime Shop sprinter. "It's just a shame that this had to happen to a guy like that."
USAC SILVER CROWN RECORD
DATE
TRACK
CAR#
ENTRANT
FINISH
10/11/81
ELDORA SPEEDWAY,
ROSSBURG, OHIO
81
RED ROOF INNS
16
 4/25/82
 ELDORA SPEEDWAY,
ROSSBURG, OHIO
 41
DATA PROCESSING SOLUTIONS
 9
 5/8/82
 INDIANA STATE FAIRGROUNDS, IND
 41
 DATA PROCESSING SOLUTIONS
 24
 7/4/82
 FLEMINGTON
 41
DATA PROCESSING SOLUTIONS
 14
 10/3/82
 ELDORA SPEEDWAY,
ROSSBURG, OHIO
 41
 STENGER LEASING
 11
 9/10/83
 INDIANA STATE FAIRGROUNDS, IND
 14
 SMITH SPEED SHOP
 32
 5/25/84
 INDIANA STATE FAIRGROUNDS, IND
 46
 KWIK-WAY MACHINE
 16
 8/18/84
 ILLINOIS STATE FAIRGROUNDS, ILL
 14
 SMITH SPEED SHOP
 20
 9/3/84
 DuQUOIN STATE FAIRGROUNDS, ILL
 14
 SMITH SPEED SHOP
 25
 9/15/84
 INDIANA STATE FAIRGROUNDS, IND
 14
 SMITH SPEED SHOP
 22
 2/10/85
 TAMPA, FLORIDA
 14
 SMITH SPEED SHOP
 12
 5/24/85
 INDIANA STATE FAIRGROUNDS, IND
 14
 SMITH SPEED SHOP
 14
 7/13/85
 IRP
CLERMONT, INDIANA
 14
 SMITH SPEED SHOP
 23
 8/11/85
 PARKERSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA
 14
 SMITH SPEED SHOP
 7
 9/2/85
 DuQUOIN STATE FAIRGROUNDS, ILL
 14
 SMITH SPEED SHOP
 11
 9/14/85
 INDIANA STATE FAIRGROUNDS, IND
 14
 SMITH SPEED SHOP
 12
 10/6/85
ELDORA SPEEDWAY,
ROSSBURG, OHIO
 14
 SMITH SPEED SHOP
 14
 5/23/86
 INDIANA STATE FAIRGROUNDS, IND
 14
 SMITH SPEED SHOP
 12
 8/16/86
 ILLINOIS STATE FAIRGROUNDS, ILL
 14
 SMITH SPEED SHOP
 22
 9/1/86
 DuQUOIN STATE FAIRGROUNDS, ILL
 14
 SMITH SPEED SHOP
 27
 9/28/86
 ELDORA SPEEDWAY,
ROSSBURG, OHIO
 14
 SMITH SPEED SHOP
 6
 8/22/87
 ILLINOIS STATE FAIRGROUNDS, ILL
 94
 GARY BRIDGE & IRON
 25
 2/7/88
 TAMPA, FLORIDA
 27
 R.B. MILBURN
 24
 5/27/88
 INDIANA STATE FAIRGROUNDS, IND
 27
 R.B. MILBURN
 12
 2/5/89
 PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL (AZ)
 27
 R.B. MILBURN
 19
 5/26/89
 INDIANA STATE FAIRGROUNDS, IND
 27
 R.B. MILBURN
 19
 6/4/89
 SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA
 27
 R.B. MILBURN
 5
 7/8/89
 IRP CLERMONT, INDIANA 2nd 75
 27
 R.B. MILBURN
 17
 8/19/89
 ILLINOIS STATE FAIRGROUNDS, ILL
 27
 R.B. MILBURN
 25
 8/27/89
 INDIANA STATE FAIRGROUNDS, IND
 27
 R.B. MILBURN
 6
 9/4/89
 DuQUOIN STATE FAIRGROUNDS, ILL
 27
 R.B. MILBURN
 16
 9/24/89
 ELDORA SPEEDWAY,
ROSSBURG, OHIO
 27
 R.B. MILBURN
 10
 2/4/90
 PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL (AZ)
 27
 R.B. MILBURN
 10
 5/28/90
 INDIANA STATE FAIRGROUNDS, IND
 27
 R.B. MILBURN
 9
 6/3/90
 SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA
 27
 R.B. MILBURN
 14
 8/11/90
 INDIANA STATE FAIRGROUNDS, IND
 27
 R.B. MILBURN
 8
 8/18/90
 ILLINOIS STATE FAIRGROUNDS, ILL
 27
 R.B. MILBURN
 22
 9/3/90
 DuQUOIN STATE FAIRGROUNDS, ILL
 27
 R.B. MILBURN
 12
 9/8/90
 MILWAULKEE MILE
 27
 R.B. MILBURN
 8
 9/30/90
 ELDORA SPEEDWAY,
ROSSBURG, OHIO
 27
 R.B. MILBURN
 13
 2/3/91
 PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL (AZ)
 27
 R.B. MILBURN
 30
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