Bob Sweikert
| Born | May 20, 1926 |
|---|---|
| Died | June 17, 1956 (aged 30) |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |
 American |
| Active years | 1950–1956 |
| Teams | Ewing, Wetteroth, Kurtis Kraft, Kuzma |
| Entries | 7 (5 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 1 |
| Podiums | 1 |
| Career points | 8 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 1950 Indianapolis 500 |
| First win | 1955 Indianapolis 500 |
| Last win | 1955 Indianapolis 500 |
| Last entry | 1956 Indianapolis 500 |
Robert Charles 'Bob' Sweikert (May 20, 1926 – June 17, 1956) was an American racing driver, best known as the winner of the 1955 Indianapolis 500 and the 1955 National Championship, as well as the 1955 Midwest Sprint car championship - the only driver in history to sweep all three in a single season.
Sweikert was born in Los Angeles, California. His "Indy 500" win was over-shadowed by the fatal crash of two-time winner Bill Vukovich during the race earlier that day. Sweikert finished sixth at Indianapolis the following May, but then died weeks later, at age 30, in 1956 after crashing a Sprint car at Salem Speedway.
The Indianapolis 500 was part of the FIA World Championship from 1950 through 1960. Drivers competing at Indy during those years were credited with World Championship points and participation. Bob Sweikert participated in 5 World Championship races. He won 1 race and accumulated a total of 8 championship points. He is tied with Pat Flaherty for the record of the driver with the fewest points to have won a race.
Bob Sweikert grew up in pre-war Los Angeles. His mother had married his stepfather, an electrician for the state of California, when Bob was an infant. Bob was raised through his early teen years with his older stepbrother, Ed, who enlisted in the US Navy, and then soon died in 1942, at the onset of World War II. That year the family moved briefly to San Francisco, then across the bay to the rural town of Hayward, California. There in high school Bob met his future wife, Dorie.
From age 16 Sweikert worked after school as a mechanic at the local Ford dealership in Hayward. A naturally gifted mechanic, he frequently won street races throughout the East Bay. One of his frequent local competitors on the streets was Ed Elisian, a teenage boy from nearby Oakland, California. A dozen years later, Elisian and Sweikert were engaged in the racing duel that led to Sweikert's fatal crash at Salem Speedway.
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