Edward Julius Sachs Jr, (May 28, 1927 – May 30, 1964) was a
United States Auto Club
The United States Auto Club (USAC) is one of the sanctioning bodies of auto racing in the United States. From 1956 to 1979, USAC sanctioned the List of USAC Championship Car seasons, United States National Championship, and from 1956 to 1997 the ...
driver who was known as the "Clown Prince of Auto Racing". He coined the phrase "If you can't win, be spectacular".
Early life
Sachs was born May 28, 1927 in
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Allenschteddel'', ''Allenschtadt'', or ''Ellsdaun'') is a city in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The city has a population of 125,845 as of the 2020 United ...
.
Professional racing career
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 to replace it, handing victory to
A. J. Foyt
Anthony Joseph Foyt Jr. (born January 16, 1935) is an American retired auto racing driver who has raced in numerous genres of motorsports. His open wheel racing includes United States Automobile Club Champ cars, sprint cars, and midget cars. H ...
. Sachs never regretted his decision not to gamble on the tire, saying, "I'd sooner finish second than be dead".
Death at Indianapolis
Sachs and sports car driver
Dave MacDonald
David George MacDonald (July 23, 1936 – May 30, 1964) was an American road racing champion noted for his successes driving Corvettes and Shelby Cobras in the early 1960s. At the age of 27, he was killed in the 1964 Indianapolis 500, alon ...
, a 500 rookie, were killed in a fiery crash involving seven cars on the second lap of the
1964 Indianapolis 500
The 48th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Saturday, May 30, 1964. The race was won by A. J. Foyt, but is primarily remembered for a fiery seven-car accident which resulted in th ...
. MacDonald was driving a car owned and designed by
Mickey Thompson
Michael Lee "Mickey" Thompson (December 7, 1928March 16, 1988) was an American auto racing builder and promoter.
A hot rodder since his youth, Thompson increasingly pursued land speed records in his late 20s and early 30s. , the #83 "Sears-Allstate Special". 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.
Graham Hill
Norman Graham Hill (15 February 1929 – 29 November 1975) was a British racing driver and team owner, who was the Formula One World Champion twice, winning in and as well as being runner up on three occasions (1963, 1964 and 1965). Despite ...
tested the vehicle before Indy but refused to drive it in 1963.
Masten Gregory
Masten Gregory (February 29, 1932 − November 8, 1985) was an American racing driver. He raced in Formula One between and , participating in 43 World Championship races, and numerous non-Championship races.
He was also a successful sports car r ...
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
James Clark Jr. OBE (4 March 1936 – 7 April 1968) was a British Formula One racing driver from Scotland, who won two World Championships, in 1963 and 1965. A versatile driver, he competed in sports cars, touring cars and in the Indianapol ...
, 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 Gregory's advice and stayed away from the Thompson cars. Before the race, Gregory approached
Formula One
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
driver
Jack Brabham
Sir John Arthur Brabham (2 April 1926 – 19 May 2014) was an Australian racing driver who was Formula One World Champion in , , and . He was a founder of the Brabham racing team and race car constructor that bore his name.
Brabham was a R ...
, 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
Bob Veith (November 1, 1924 – March 29, 2006) was an American racecar driver.
Veith drove in the AAA and USAC Championship Car series, racing from 1955 to 1968 with 63 starts. He finished in the top ten 37 times, with a best finish of 2n ...
, 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
John Sherman "Johnny" Rutherford III (born March 12, 1938), also known as "Lone Star JR", is an American former automobile racing driver. During an Indy Car career that spanned more than three decades, he scored 27 wins and 23 pole positions in 3 ...
, 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
Robert William Unser (February 20, 1934 – May 2, 2021) was an American automobile racer. At his induction into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1994, he had the fourth most IndyCar Series wins at 35 (behind his brother Al, A. J. Fo ...
. 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
Ronald B. Duman (February 12, 1929 – June 9, 1968), was an American racing driver who competed in the USAC Championship Car series and the Indianapolis 500. Duman was an accomplished driver in sprints and midgets, and won the prestigious L ...
, 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 who was 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
Charles Stevenson (October 15, 1919 – August 21, 1995) was an American racecar driver.
AAA and USAC Championship Car series
Stevenson drove in the AAA and USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1949–1954, 1960–1961, and 1963–1965 ...
and
Norm Hall
Norm Hall (May 14, 1926 – March 11, 1992), was an American racecar driver.
Born in San Francisco, California, Hall died in Pittsboro, Indiana. He drove in the USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1961, 1964, and 1965 seasons, with 17 ...
were also involved but escaped injury. Despite being trapped in his car, Sachs's 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's neck was found inside Rutherford's engine compartment after the crash.
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 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.
Complete AAA/USAC Championship Car results
Indianapolis 500 results
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. Accordingly, Sachs participated in four World Championship races. He started on the pole once, but scored no World Championship points.
Awards
Sachs was inducted into the
National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1999.
Personal life
Sachs married Nance McGarrity of
Coopersburg, Pennsylvania
Coopersburg is a borough in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The population of Coopersburg was 2,447 as of the 2020 census. It is a suburb of Allentown and is located miles southeast of Allentown, north of Philadelphia, and west of New York City. ...
on June 3, 1959 at the home of Harry Hamilton, a relative of his car owner, Peter Schmidt in
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...
. 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 Clinton is the name of some places in the U.S. state of Michigan:
* Clinton County, Michigan
* Clinton Township, Macomb County, Michigan
* Clinton, Lenawee County, Michigan, village
* Clinton Township, Lenawee County, Michigan
* Clinton Township, O ...
. She is survived by her son Edward III, and grandchildren, Edward IV and Meagan Sachs. Forty-one years after his death, she was buried next to her beloved Eddie in Holy Saviour Cemetery in
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem is a city in Northampton and Lehigh Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, Bethlehem had a total population of 75,781. Of this, 55,639 were in Northampton County and 19, ...
. 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
The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...
. He has become a businessman as the owner of Sachs and Associates in
Lake Orion, Michigan
Lake Orion ( ) is a village in the northern outskirts of Metro Detroit in Oakland County, Michigan, United States. The population was 2,973 at the 2010 census. "Lake Orion" can refer to either the village or the much larger Orion Township, of wh ...
. He has been a part-time car owner in various levels of motorsport, currently in the
USAC Silver Crown Series
The United States Auto Club (USAC) is one of the sanctioning bodies of auto racing in the United States. From 1956 to 1979, USAC sanctioned the United States National Championship, and from 1956 to 1997 the organization sanctioned the Indianapol ...
.
See also
*
List of Indianapolis 500 fatal accidents
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sachs, Eddie
1927 births
1964 deaths
Filmed deaths in motorsport
Indianapolis 500 drivers
Indianapolis 500 polesitters
National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductees
Racing drivers from Pennsylvania
Racing drivers who died while racing
Sports deaths in Indiana
Sportspeople from Allentown, Pennsylvania
USAC Stock Car drivers