Dave MacDonald

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Dave MacDonald (July 23, 1936 – May 30, 1964) was a Corvette and Shelby Cobra sports car driver in the early 1960's. He was one of two drivers killed during the 1964 Indianapolis 500 in a fiery crash that directly led to a change in fuel type from gasoline to methanol.

He was born in El Monte, California. MacDonald became noted on the West Coast for his performance in the sports car circuits. He competed in seven NASCAR Grand National races, finishing second in one race each in both 1963 and 1964.

On the second lap of his first Indy 500 race in 1964, he lost control of his radically designed Ford Thompson coming off the fourth turn. As the car began to slide, he came across the track and hit the inside wall, igniting the gasoline onboard (approximately 70 gallons) and causing a massive fire. His car then came back across onto the middle of the track, causing seven more cars to be involved. Popular driver Eddie Sachs was killed instantly as his car went into the smoke and hit MacDonald's burning car. MacDonald was pulled from the wreck and taken into the infield hospital where he died a couple of hours later of severe burns from the intense fire. The crash brought about a permanent change from gasoline to methanol in the Indy 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and reduced the amount of fuel carried onboard.