Sand Lake native killed at CA racetrack

ROCKFORD, Mich. (WOOD) - A West Michigan native was killed in a crash at a California raceway last weekend.

A driver veered off the track at Marysville Raceway Park Saturday and into pit row during warm-up laps, killing a 14-year-old boy and 68-year-old Dale Wondergem, officials said.

Wondergem, a Sand Lake, Mich. native, was watching his own car in the race at the time.

From motorcycle flat track racing to sprint cars, Wondergem's love of adrenaline-pumping competition spanned more than four decades.

It's something he shared with his brother, Jack, who lives in Rockford.

The two grew up in Sand Lake, and Dale eventually moved to California.

But distance didn't keep the brothers apart. They would meet up for races. For 22 years they've made the trip to the Sprint Car Nationals together.

This year, Jack will go with a heavy heart.

"Well, it's going to be pretty empty this year, I don't know," Jack told 24 Hour News 8.

Jack thought the danger was over once Dale handed over the keys to his race car in the mid-1990s, choosing ownership over being behind the wheel.

Jack never imagined his brother would be killed watching a race, at the very speedway where he spent so many weekends.

"He was racing with the same group every weekend, so he knew everybody," Jack said. "So it was kind of like a family to him."

Dale was a man who will be missed by the tight-knit racing community in California, and by his brother who won't forget all of the races and all of the memories.

"At least he was doing something he liked to do," said Jack.