Dave MacDonald

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Dave MacDonald (born July 23, 1936 - died May 30, 1964) was an Indy car driver in the early 1960's. He was born in El Monte, California.

On the second lap of his first Indy 500 in 1964 he lost control of his radically designed Ford Thompson coming off the fourth turn. As he lost the back end of his car, he came across the track and hit the inside wall, erupting the some 70 gallons of gasoline onboard. 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 McDonald's burning car. McDonald was pulled from the wreck and taken into the infield hospital where he died a couple of hours later, falling to the massive amounts of burning gasoline he was subjected to. The wreck caused an end to the use of gasoline at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the 500 to methanol, and reduced the amount of fuel carried onboard.

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