Donald O. H. "Don" White (June 24, 1928 – April 29, 2016) was an American racing driver known for his stock car career.[1] He is best known for competing in United States Auto Club (USAC) sanctioned events; during the 1960s, White was twice the USAC Stock Car National Champion. He retired as the series' winningest driver.[2]
| Don White | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||
| Born | Donald O. H. White June 24, 1928 Monmouth, Illinois, U.S. | ||||||
| Died | April 29, 2016 (aged 87) Keokuk, Iowa, U.S. | ||||||
| Championship titles | |||||||
| USAC Stock Car (1963, 1967) | |||||||
| AAA/USAC Stock Car career | |||||||
| Years active | 1956–1957, 1960–1981, 1983 | ||||||
| Championships | 2 | ||||||
| Best finish | 1st in 1963, 1967 | ||||||
| NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
| 24 races run over 9 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 79th (1955) | ||||||
| First race | 1954 Race 2 (Daytona Beach) | ||||||
| Last race | 1972 Miller High Life 500 (Ontario) | ||||||
| |||||||
White had 24 starts in the NASCAR Grand National / Winston Cup series between 1954 and 1972 with 12 top-ten and 7 top-five finishes.[3] Earlier in his career, White won three International Motor Contest Association (IMCA) championships: 1954, 1955 and 1958.[1][4]
Driving career
editWhite started his first national race in 1949.[2] This IMCA race happened at Cedar Rapids, Iowa; he was second place before retiring because of mechanical problems.[5] White won IMCA championships in 1954, 1955, and 1958.[5] By the time that he ended IMCA racing in 1958, he had won at every track on the circuit.[5] White's biggest competitor in IMCA was his brother-in-law Ernie Derr.[5]
He moved to the USAC Stock Car series in 1959.[5] His national racing career ended at a USAC Stock Car race at Milwaukee on August 28, 1983.[2]
White won the most races in USAC Stock Car history.[2] He had 53 wins and A. J. Foyt was second with 41.[2] In a mid-2015 interview for the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) website, White said "I think I liked Milwaukee as well as any place. Won 14 or 15 there, so I'd say that was my favorite.[2] The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel cited in his obituary that he was the winningest driver in major races at the track.[2]
Death
editWhite died on April 29, 2016 at age 89.[2] Foyt reacted to his death by saying, "Don White was a good racer, real fair because he never did anything dirty, and real smooth. He always had beautiful equipment and his cars handled real well. He was a super guy."[2]
Awards and honors
editWhite has been inducted into the following halls of fame:
- United States Auto Club (USAC) Hall of Fame (2013)[6]
- Iowa Racing Museum Hall of Fame (2018)[7]
References
edit- ^ a b Radebaugh, Don (July 2, 2015). "Oldest living ARCA winner, Iowan Don White still at the wheel". ARCA Racing Series. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Kallmann, Dave. "Stock-car racer Don White was all-time victory leader at Milwaukee Mile". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
- ^ "Don White Racing Results". Racing References. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
- ^ "Past National Champions - Late Model". International Motor Contest Association. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e Cameron, Brad (May 2, 2016). "Keokuk racing legend Don White dies at 87". Daily Gate City. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
- ^ "DON WHITE - USAC HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2013 - USAC Racing". usacracing.com. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
- ^ "Legendary Inductees". Iowa Racing Museum. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
External links
edit- Don White driver statistics at Racing-Reference