Lindley Dies After 5 Years in a Coma

Clyde (Butch) Lindley, a two-year NASCAR sportsman and 1984 champion of the All-Pro Circuit, died after being in a five-year coma resulting from a racing accident. He was 43.

Lindley, who never regained consciousness after the April 13, 1985 crash at DeSoto Speedway in Bradenton, Fla., died of natural causes Wednesday at the Greer Lutheran Health Center.

The crash severed Lindley’s brain stem, and he underwent treatments without success at a facility for comatose patients in Richmond, Va.

He emerged in the 1970s as one of the nation’s top Late Model Sportsman drivers.

Lindley had up 550 victories and was the All-Pro circuit’s winningest career driver at the time of his accident. He was NASCAR’s sportsman--now known as the Busch Grand National series--in 1977 and 1978.