Don White (racing driver)

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BornDonald O. H. White
(1928-06-24)June 24, 1928
DiedApril 29, 2016(2016-04-29) (aged 87)
Years active1956–1957, 1960–1981, 1983
Championships2
Don White
BornDonald O. H. White
(1928-06-24)June 24, 1928
DiedApril 29, 2016(2016-04-29) (aged 87)
Championship titles
USAC Stock Car (1963, 1967)
IMCA Stock Car (1954, 1955, 1958)
AAA/USAC Stock Car career
Years active1956–1957, 1960–1981, 1983
Championships2
Best finish1st in 1963, 1967
NASCAR Cup Series career
24 races run over 9 years
Best finish79th (1955)
First race1954 Race 2 (Daytona Beach)
Last race1972 Miller High Life 500 (Ontario)
Wins Top tens Poles
0 12 0

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]

White had 24 starts in the NASCAR Grand National / Winston Cup series between 1954 and 1972 with 12 top-ten and seven top-five finishes.[3] Earlier in his career, White won three IMCA Stock Car championships: 1954, 1955 and 1958.[1][4]

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]

White 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

White 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

References

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