Scott Liebler (December 22, 1959 – October 14, 1989) was a racing driver from

Manhattan, Kansas Manhattan is a city in and the county seat of Riley County, Kansas, United States, although the city extends into Pottawatomie County, Kansas, Pottawatomie County. It is located in northeastern Kansas at the junction of the Kansas River and Big ...

. To date Liebler is one of two racing deaths during the SCCA National Championship Runoffs, along with

Jim Ladd James William Ladd (January 17, 1948 – December 17, 2023) was an American disc jockey, radio producer and writer. He was one of the last notable remaining Freeform (radio format), freeform rock DJs in United States commercial radio. Ladd first ...

Racing career

After competing in

autocross Autocross is a form of motorsport in which competitors are timed to complete a short course using automobiles on a dirt or grass surface, excepting where sealed surfaces are used in United States. Rules vary according to the governing or sanctioni ...

, Liebler raced in various

SCCA The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) is a non-profit American automobile club and sanctioning body supporting Autocross, Rallycross, High Performance Driver Education, HPDE, Time trial, Time Trial, Road racing, Road Racing, Regularity rally, R ...

single seater classes since 1979. Liebler was set to make his Runoffs debut in 1983. In a

Citation A citation is a reference to a source. More precisely, a citation is an abbreviated alphanumeric expression embedded in the body of an intellectual work that denotes an entry in the bibliographic references section of the work for the purpose o ...

- Zink Z18B he failed to qualify in the

Formula Vee Formula Vee (Formula Fau Vee in Germany) or Formula Volkswagen is a open wheel, single-seater junior motor racing formula, with relatively low costs in comparison to Formula Ford. On the international stage, Niki Lauda, Emerson Fittipaldi ...

class. He returned in 1985 in the

Formula Atlantic Formula Atlantic is a specification of open-wheel racing car developed in the 1970s. It was used in professional racing through the IMSA Atlantic Championship until 2009 and is currently primarily used in amateur racing through Sports Car Club ...

class in a

Ralt Ralt was a manufacturer of single-seater racing cars, founded by ex-Jack Brabham associate Ron Tauranac after he sold out his interest in Brabham to Bernie Ecclestone. Ron and his brother had built some specials in Australia in the 1950s under ...

RT4. Liebler qualified eleventh and finished the race in ninth place. Between 1986 and 1989 the Kansas based driver won the Midwest Division championship in the Formula Atlantic class four consecutive times. In 1987 Liebler had a heavy crash at the Lake Afton Grand Prix, near

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the List of cities in Kansas, most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397, ...

. At the street circuit Liebler hit a pole splitting his car in two pieces. In the violent crash the driver suffered a broken

pelvis The pelvis (: pelves or pelvises) is the lower part of an Anatomy, anatomical Trunk (anatomy), trunk, between the human abdomen, abdomen and the thighs (sometimes also called pelvic region), together with its embedded skeleton (sometimes also c ...

, cracked teeth and double vision for almost six months. His best result at the Runoffs came in 1988. At

Road Atlanta Road Atlanta (known for sponsorship reasons as Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta) is a road course located just north of Braselton, Georgia, United States. The facility is utilized for a wide variety of events, including professional and amateur spo ...

Liebler finished in fourth place. The following year Liebler competed at his home track,

Heartland Park Topeka Heartland Motorsports Park, formerly known as Heartland Park Topeka, was a multi-purpose motorsports facility south of downtown Topeka, Kansas near the Topeka Regional Airport. It operated from 1989 until its closure in 2023. History When it o ...

, in the

Atlantic Championship The Atlantic Championship Series is an American open-wheel racing series with races throughout North America. It has previously been called Champ Car Atlantics, Toyota Atlantics (after its then engine supplier for sponsorship reasons), or just ...

East championship race. Liebler finished thirteenth overall, third in the B Class for older cars.

Fatal accident

As he won the SCCA Midwest Division championship in the Formula Atlantic class, Liebler qualified to compete in the SCCA National Championship Runoffs. The fast driver ran a

Martini Martini may refer to: * Martini (cocktail), a drink made with gin and vermouth, garnished with an olive or a lemon twist * Martini (vermouth), a brand of vermouth * Martini (surname), an Italian surname * Martini (automobile company), a Swiss auto ...

Mk.53 with a

Volkswagen Volkswagen (VW; )English: , . is a German automotive industry, automobile manufacturer based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Established in 1937 by German Labour Front, The German Labour Front, it was revitalized into the global brand it ...

engine. Liebler qualified in eighth place for the race on Saturday. In turn 11 corner, Liebler's front tire touched the rear tire of Jim Brouk's Ralt RT4. Liebler's car launched into the air and rolled several times before coming to rest a 100 yards after the crash. The injured driver was transported to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in nearby

Gainesville, Georgia Gainesville is a city and the county seat of Hall County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 42,296. Because of its large number of poultry processing plants, it has been calle ...

. Liebler died Sunday night of

Cerebral edema Cerebral edema is excess accumulation of fluid ( edema) in the intracellular or extracellular spaces of the brain. This typically causes impaired nerve function, increased pressure within the skull, and can eventually lead to direct compres ...

Complete motorsports results

SCCA National Championship Runoffs

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Liebler, Scott 1959 births 1989 deaths Sportspeople from Manhattan, Kansas Racing drivers from Kansas Atlantic Championship drivers SCCA National Championship Runoffs participants Racing drivers who died while racing Sports deaths in Georgia (U.S. state)