Don White (racing driver)
| Don White | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Born | June 24, 1926 |
| Died | April 29, 2016 (aged 89) |
| Retired | 1983 |
| USAC Stock Car | |
| Years active | 1959 to 1983 |
| Wins | 53 |
| Best finish | 1st in 1963, 1967 |
| Previous series | |
| 1949 to 1958 | IMCA |
| Championship titles | |
| 1963 and 1967 USAC Stock Car champion 1954, 1955, and 1958 IMCA champion | |
| Awards | |
| 2013 | USAC Hall of Fame |
| Don White | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
| 24 races run over 9 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 79th (1955) | ||||||
| First race | 1954 (Daytona Beach) | ||||||
| Last race | 1972 Miller High Life 500 (Ontario) | ||||||
| |||||||
Don White (June 24, 1926 – April 29, 2016) was an American stock car racing from Keokuk, Iowa.[1] He won two USAC Stock Car championships in the 1960s and was the series' winningest driver.[2] White also had 24 starts in the NASCAR Grand National / Winston Cup (now Sprint Cup Series) between 1954 and 1972 with 12 Top Ten and 7 Top Five finishes.[3] At his death in 2016, he was the oldest living winner in ARCA history.[1] He also won three IMCA championships: 1954, 1955 and 1958.[1][4]
Racing career
White 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 USAC Stock Car history.[2] He had 53 wins and A.J. Foyt was second with 41.[2] In a mid-2015 interview on ARCA's website, he 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
White died on April 29, 2016 at age 89.[2] A.J. 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]
Legacy / Honors
White was named to the USAC Hall of Fame in 2013.[6]
References
- ^ a b c 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.
- ^ Cameron, Brad (August 1, 2013). "White selected to USAC Hall of Fame". Daily Gate City. Retrieved April 30, 2016.