Eddie Sachs

Edward Julius Sachs Jr, (May 28, 1927 – May 30, 1964) was a United States Auto Club driver who was known as the "Clown Prince of Auto Racing." He coined the phrase "If you can't win, be spectacular."

Eddie Sachs

Born	(1927-05-28)May 28, 1927 Allentown, Pennsylvania
Died	May 30, 1964(1964-05-30) (aged 37) Speedway, Indiana
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	American
Active years	1953–1954, 1956–1960
Teams	Schroeder, Kurtis Kraft, Kuzma, Ewing
Entries	7 (4 starts)
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	0
Career points	0
Pole positions	1
Fastest laps	0
First entry	1953 Indianapolis 500
Last entry	1960 Indianapolis 500

Sachs was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania. His career included eight USAC Championship Trail wins, 25 top-five finishes in 65 career AAA and USAC starts, including the 1958 USAC Midwest Sprint Car Championship. He was an eight time starter of the Indianapolis 500, 1957–64, winning the pole position in 1960 and 1961, with his best finish being second in 1961. Leading the race with only three laps to go, he saw his right rear tire begin to delaminate and pitted, handing victory to A. J. Foyt. Sachs never regretted his decision not to gamble on the tire, saying, "I'd sooner finish second than be dead."[1]

Death at Indianapolis

Main article: 1964 Indianapolis 500

Sachs and sports car driver Dave MacDonald, a 500 rookie, were killed in a fiery crash involving seven cars on the second lap of the 1964 Indianapolis 500. MacDonald was driving a car owned and designed by Mickey Thompson, the #83 "Sears-Allstate Special".[2] Thompson had requested USAC officials to visit his shop in California to inspect the car while it was under construction so that he would not invest money in the car if there was a chance that it would be disqualified at the Speedway. USAC accepted the request and passed the car with its ground effects package. By the time the car reached the Speedway in May USAC had changed their mind and failed it. Working in the cramped spaces of the garage area Thompson and crew practically rebuilt the car to meet the new USAC specs. These changes, removal of the fenders, changing to larger tires and increasing the height from two inches to four made the cars very unstable.[3] Graham Hill tested the vehicle before Indy but refused to drive it in 1963. Masten Gregory crashed earlier in the month due to aerodynamic lift. After MacDonald had qualified and before the race, World Grand Prix Formula One Champion Jim Clark, who knew MacDonald and respected his ability, followed the Californian for several laps. After they pulled in, Clark emphatically urged MacDonald to get out of the car. "Get out," Clark said. "Just get out and walk away." But MacDonald felt obligated to honor his contract with Thompson. Other drivers took the advice of Gregory and stayed away from the Thompson cars. Before the race, Gregory approached Formula One driver Jack Brabham, who was alongside MacDonald on the grid, and urged Brabham to allow the rookie a lot of room. Brabham credited Gregory's advice with saving his life.

On the second lap, MacDonald lost control coming off the fourth turn. As the car began to slide, he came across the track and hit the inside wall, igniting the 45 gallon fuel load which erupted into a massive fire. His car then slid back across the track. Sachs, following Bob Veith, aimed for an opening along the outside wall that was soon closed by MacDonald's burning car. Veith made it through by inches, but Sachs hit MacDonald's car broadside causing a second explosion. Johnny Rutherford, following Sachs, having no place to go except into the inferno, decided his only chance was to power his way through. Going at full throttle his Watson Roadster went under Sachs and over MacDonald taking the injectors off of MacDonald's engine. After clearing the wreckage he was then broadsided by the NOVI of Bobby Unser. He then motored (on fire) down the main straight, through turns one and two, up the back straight and through turn three, stopping at a fire truck station in turn four. Ronnie Duman, following Rutherford, went to the left to avoid the crash. It looked as if he was going to make it through when he was rear-ended by the out of control NOVI, which had lost its steering, splitting his fuel tank which also erupted. Duman then spun into the infield wall where he received serious burns. He was transported to the Methodist Hospital burn unit by helicopter to begin a lengthy recovery. Rutherford and Unser received minor burns and were released from the track hospital. MacDonald, whose lungs were scorched from inhaling the flames and burned over 75% of his body, was awake and alert when he was removed from his car. He was taken to the track hospital then transferred to the Methodist Hospital burn unit by ambulance where he died two hours later. Chuck Stevenson and Norm Hall were also involved but escaped injury. Despite being trapped in his car, Sachs' driver's suit was only scorched but he received critical burns on his face and hands. The car was covered with a tarp before being taken to the garage area for removal of his body. It has never been determined if he died of asphyxiation, burns or blunt force injury. One driver stated that he saw him struggling to get out of the car after the impact. A lemon that had been on a string around Sachs' neck was found inside Rutherford's engine compartment after the crash.[4]

The crash was well documented on film and shown worldwide. For the first time in its history, the Indianapolis 500 was stopped because of an accident. Partially in response to media pressure, for subsequent races USAC required that cars carry less fuel, and to make a mandatory minimum of two pit stops. The new pit stop rule negated any mileage advantage gasoline-powered cars would have had, so gasoline has not been used since. Every race from 1965 forward has been run using methanol or ethanol-based fuels.[5]

Complete AAA/USAC Championship Car results

Year	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	Pos	Points
1951	INDY	MIL	LAN	DAR	SPR	MIL	DUQ	DUQ	PIK	SYR DNQ	DET	DNC	SJS	PHX	BAY	-	0
1953	INDY DNQ	MIL	SPR	DET	SPR	MIL	DUQ	PIK	SYR DNQ	ISF DNQ	SAC 18	PHX DNQ				-	0
1954	INDY DNQ	MIL DNQ	LAN 5	DAR 16	SPR DNQ	MIL DNQ	DUQ	PIK	SYR	ISF DNQ	SAC DNQ	PHX 7	LVG			29th	160
1955	INDY	MIL	LAN	SPR	MIL DNS	DUQ	PIK	SYR	ISF DNQ	SAC	PHX DNQ					45th	46.8
1956	INDY DNQ	MIL	LAN	DAR 21	ATL 1	SPR 3	MIL 4	DUQ DNQ	SYR 12	ISF DNQ	SAC	PHX DNQ				12th	650
1957	INDY 23	LAN 2	MIL 16	DET	ATL	SPR	MIL	DUQ	SYR	ISF	TRE	SAC	PHX			25th	160
1958	TRE DNQ	INDY 22	MIL 10	LAN 1	ATL 6	SPR DNQ	MIL 3	DUQ 17	SYR 10	ISF 1	TRE 10	SAC 15	PHX 3			7th	990
1959	DAY 19	TRE 19	INDY 17	MIL 7	LAN 18	SPR 7	MIL 10	DUQ 18	SYR 1	ISF 2	TRE 1	SAC DNQ	PHX 10			6th	797
1960	TRE 8	INDY 21	MIL 5	LAN 13	SPR 2	MIL 20	DUQ 4	SYR 11	ISF 13	TRE 1	SAC DNQ	PHX				12th	650
1961	TRE 1	INDY 2	MIL Wth	LAN 3	MIL 5	SPR DNS	DUQ 3	SYR DNQ	ISF DNQ	TRE 1	SAC DNQ	PHX 6				2nd	1,760
1962	TRE 18	INDY 3	MIL 21	LAN	TRE 15	SPR	MIL 4	LAN	SYR	ISF	TRE 7	SAC	PHX			9th	1,060
1963	TRE 15	INDY 17	MIL 2	LAN	TRE DNQ	SPR	MIL 24	DUQ	ISF	TRE 23	SAC	PHX				21st	160
1964	PHX 6	TRE DNQ	INDY 30	MIL	LAN	TRE	SPR	MIL	DUQ	ISF	TRE	SAC	PHX			36th	80

Indianapolis 500 results

Year[6] Car Start Qual Rank Finish Laps Led Retired 1957 88 2 143.872 3rd 23 105 0 Piston 1958 88 18 144.660 7 22 68 1 Universal joint 1959 44 2 145.425 2nd 17 182 0 Gear Tower Bolt 1960 6 1 146.592 2nd 21 132 21 Magneto 1961 12 1 147.481 1st 2 200 44 Running 1962 2 27 146.431 27 3 200 0 Running 1963 9 10 149.570 10 17 181 0 Crash T3 1964 25 17 151.439 22 30 1 0 Crash FS - Fatal Totals 1069 66

Starts 8 Poles 2 Front Row 4 Wins 0 Top 5 2 Top 10 2 Retired 6

World Championship career summary

The Indianapolis 500 was part of the FIA World Championship from 1950 through 1960. Drivers competing at Indy during those years were credited with World Championship points and participation. Sachs participated in 4 World Championship races. He started on the pole once, but scored no World Championship points.

Award

He was inducted in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1999.[7]

Family

Sachs married Nance McGarrity of Coopersburg, Pennsylvania on June 3, 1959 at the home of Harry Hamilton, a relative of his car owner, Peter Schmidt in Indianapolis, Indiana. Their son, Edward Julius Sachs, III was born on February 6, 1962. Nance Sachs died on September 28, 2005 at her home in Clinton Township, Michigan. She is survived by her son Edward III, and grandchildren, Edward IV and Meagan Sachs. 41 years after his death, she was buried next to her beloved Eddie in Holy Saviour Cemetery in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Using the name "Eddie Sachs, Jr," Eddie III became a race car driver racing on the local dirt tracks in the Midwest. Unlike his famous father, he never raced in the Indianapolis 500. He has become a successful businessman as the owner of Sachs and Associates in Lake Orion, Michigan. In recent years he has been a part-time car owner in various levels of motorsport, currently in the USAC Silver Crown series.

• 
  During the pre-race festivities on the morning of the 100th Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil on May 29, 2016, Rich MacDonald (Dave's son, left), Sherry MacDonald (Dave's widow), and Edward Sachs III pose for a photo near the impact point of the 1964 crash, near the road course entrance.

See also

• List of Indianapolis 500 fatal accidents

References

1. This is Indy! ISBN 978-1-329-53138-3 p. 127
2. Mickey Thompson @ 1963 Indy 500 Archived 2007-09-11 at the Wayback Machine
3. American Driver, Lone Star JR Johnny Rutherford - Columns - Automobile Magazine
4. Motorsport Memorial
5. IndyStar.com: Indy 500 Archived 2007-08-08 at the Wayback Machine
6. Eddie Sachs Indy 500 Race Stats
7. "EDDIE QACHQ". Retrieved 1 May 2017.

6. Eddie Sachs-The Clown Prince