Local Racing Legend and Sprint Car Pioneer Chuck Amati Passes

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[ At mid-morning Tuesday, Southern Illinois and the world of motorsports, lost a true legend.

Chuck Amati, 68, of Freeman Spur, died shortly before 9 a.m. following a traffic accident on North Park Avenue in Herrin.

Amati was transported to Herrin Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The preliminary investigation shows Amati may have had some type of medical event prior to striking the pole.

The crash is being investigated by the Herrin Police Department and the Williamson County Crash Reconstruction officer.

The Herrin Fire Department and the Williamson County Ambulance Service assisted at the scene.

"He was a true racing legend and one of the original outlaw sprint car drivers," Jeff Gossett of Du Quoin said Wednesday.

Gossett, the Dean of Students and Assistant Principal at Du Quoin High School, has been a life-long follower of open-wheel racing and knew Amati for years.

"Its a sad day. We've lost a legend and my first true sports hero. He was a showman and just a great race car driver. He was a true pioneer in the sport."

Amati's believed to have won between 600 and 1,000 sprint car, midget and winged sprint feature races during a career that began in 1959.

He continued to race until the late 90's and was part of the starting field in the first-ever World of Outlaws sprint car feature at Devil's Bowl Speedway in Texas.

Amati developed a love for racing as a child while attending then-USAC Championship Dirt Car events at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds. He would later run in USAC Silver Crown events on the Magic Mile after starting in the old super-modifieds and coupes at local tracks in Benton, Murphysboro, Cape Girardeau and Marion.

Amati raced professionally and earned National Sprint Car Hall-of-Fame accolades while winning features all over the midwest, mid-south, Texas, Colorado and California.

Known as "The One Armed Bandit" -Amati entered and won a race despite serious arm injury that forced him to wear a shoulder harness -drove to victory lane with the use of just one arm.

In recent years, Amati had built and serviced sprint car engines for several local drivers, including grandson Shane Wade.

Funeral arrangements are pending.