Bill Simpson was born on the 14th March 1940 in Hermosa Beach, California USA, and is a retired race-car driver and a businessman, best known to the world for taking the first steps towards safety in racing, by starting the company Simpson Performance Products.
Have you ever wondered how rich Bill Simpson is, as of late 2017? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that Simpson’s wealth is as high as $50 million, an amount earned through his successful involvement in the race-car association of the USA.
Bill Simpson Net Worth $50 Million
From his early years, Bill was drawn to racing cars, and as he got older he became solely focused on racing. When he was 18 years old, Bill suffered a terrible accident during one of his drag-racing events, breaking both arms, which made him think about the safety of the drivers. He teamed up with Mike Sorokin, also a drag racer, to test a prototype parachute that he made out of supplies he found in his uncle’s military supplies store. The two tested the parachute, but the results weren’t good enough since both drivers crashed after becoming airborne since the parachute was too big for the car and just lifted it from the ground. Miraculously, the two didn’t sustain any serious injuries, and in fact were jailed for their acts.
Regardless, Bill started Simpson Drag Chutes – his first customer was Don Garlits, and since then, Bill has not just perfected his parachutes but also developed numerous other safety products, such as helmets, suits, gloves, shoes and other safety items, totaling over 200.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t all good for Bill, since he and his company were blamed for the death of the legendary Dale Earnhardt. Bill was threatened and shots were even fired at his house. He left the company in 2001, as he didn’t want any more problems. He signed a one-year non-competing agreement with his previous company, and then started the Impact! Racing company, as he wanted to continue his career in improving the safety of the racers. He sold the Impact! Racing to Robbie Pierce and MasterCraft Safety in 2010, for an undisclosed fee, but it certainly increased his wealth.
When it comes to his career as a racer, Bill began as a drag racer and then joined the SCCA Formula racing. He reached the ranks of the USAC Championship Car series, competing from 1968 until 1974, and then through the 1976-1977 season. He made 52 career starts and secured 11 top ten finishes throughout his career, with his best result in 1970 in the Milwaukee Mile, coming in at sixth place. For the 1978 season he competed in the USAC Mini-Indy Series and collected 30 points in 10 races, to finish as a 42nd racer at the end of the championship. Since then he has been fully focused on safety.
He has also designed lighter football helmets; teaming up with Chip Ganassi to start Simpson Ganassi Helmets after being an attendant at the Indianapolis Colts football game.
Thanks to his successful enterprises, Bill was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in the “at large” category.
Having acquired experience and knowledge, Bill put all of his learning on paper and published books “Racing Safely, Living Dangerously” (2000), and “Through the Fire” (2001), the sales of which also added to his wealth.
Regarding his personal life, Bill tends to keep information about his personal life hidden from the media, therefore, there is no information about Bill’s most intimate details.
