Don White (racing driver)

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