Chris Gehrke

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Chris Gehrke (21 February 1966 - May 7, 1991) was a race driver on the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) circuit. Chris first began racing in open wheeled cars, winning the 1988 Spokane Grand Prix and finishing third in the SCCA Star Mazda Series. That same year, Chris also ran a couple of ARCA races in rented Bill Venturini Chevrolets. In 1989, Gehrke campaigned for Rookie of the Year honors in ARCA, finishing a close 2nd behind Graham Taylor in Rookie points, and finishing 7th in the final driver standings. In 1990, Gehrke improved his performance in ARCA, finishing fourth in the season with five top-five finishes and eleven top-ten finishes. His best finish of the season was second at Toledo Speedway. Chris also proved that he could run on the bigger tracks, with a pair of fourth place finishes at Atlanta and Pocono. However, in the 1991 ARCA season, tragedy struck. On the 67th lap of the Poulan Pro 500k at Talladega, Chris Gehrke spun in the tri-oval, flipped several times before sliding to a halt. Several seconds later, the car of Carl Miskotten Jr. hit Gehrke's car behind the left rear tire at nearly full speed. Gehrke suffered serious head injuries and died three days later.