Dale Whittington
Dale Whittington (September 23, 1959 – June 14, 2003), was an American racing driver. Born in Farmington, New Mexico, he was the youngest of three sons born to 1950’s race car owner Dick Whittington.[1] Dale Whittington has 3 sons R.D Whittington, Dale Whittington Jr & Blake Whittington. He has one Grandchild Dale Whittington III. Dale Whittington was not married at the time of his death.
Indy 500
Despite having little oval experience,[1] Whittington entered the 1982 Indianapolis 500, joining his brothers Bill and Don to become the only trio of siblings to qualify for the same race at Indy. He qualified 23rd, on the eighth row.[1]
On race day, he found himself caught up in the infamous Kevin Cogan crash. During the final pace lap, just before the green flag was to drop on the frontstretch, Kevin Cogan struck A. J. Foyt, and then Mario Andretti. As the field checked up to avoid the carnage, Whittington locked his brakes and spun into Roger Mears, a driver in the sixth row. All four drivers were eliminated from the race.[1] Dale was out of the race having never taken the green flag, and never again managed to qualify at Indy.
Later years
Whittington was not involved with the 1980s IMSA Camel GT drug smuggling scandal which involved his brothers (Bill and Don) as well as Randy Lanier, John Paul Sr., and John Paul, Jr. Both of his brothers received prison time.
Whittington transitioned to endurance racing, competing in the ALMS series, as well as competing at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1999 and 2000. He competed in Grand-Am in 2001 often racing with his brother, Don.
Whittington was a developer responsible for developing Tampa Bay Golf and Tennis and later worked at World Jet owned by his brother Don at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport (FXE). He died on June 14, 2003. He was found dead by his oldest son.
Motorsports career results
American Open Wheel racing results
(key)
Complete USAC Mini-Indy Series results
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 |  TEX1 |
IRP |
MIL1 |
POC |
TEX2 6 |
MIL2 12 |
MIN1 3 |
MIN2 21 |
14th | 233 |
Indianapolis 500
| Year | Chassis | Engine | Start | Finish | Entrant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | March Engineering | Cosworth DFX | 23 | 33 | Whittington Bros. Racing |
Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results
(key)
| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | |
|
Porsche 935 | IMSA | 151 | 37th | 11th |
| 1981 |  |
|
Porsche 908 | S+2.0 | 60 | 39th | 10th |