1964 Indianapolis 500

Time trials

Time trials were scheduled for four days.

• Saturday May 16 – Pole Day time trials
  • Rodger Ward was the first to make headlines, as he set a one-lap record of 157.563 mph, and a four-lap average of 156.406 mph. Bobby Marshman raised the record to 157.867 mph. Jim Clark took pole position with a record-setting run. His second lap set the one-lap track record at 159.337 mph, and his four-lap average was a record 158.828 mph. Clark became the first foreign-born pole-sitter since 1919. The following weekend, Clark traveled to Europe and won the Dutch Grand Prix.
• Sunday May 17 – Second day time trials
• Saturday May 23 – Third day time trials
• Sunday May 24 – Fourth day time trials

Starting grid

Alternates

• First alternate: Paul Russo (#21)

Failed to Qualify

• Chuck Arnold (#47, #71, #75)
• Duane Carter (#47, #75)
• Bob Christie (#33)
• Elmer George (#21)
• Jerry Grant **** (#45)
• Masten Gregory **** (#82)
• Cliff Griffith (#35)
• Don Horvath **** - Took rookie test
• Chuck Hulse (#7) - Driver declined, injury
• Bobby Johns **** (#47)
• Dee Jones **** (#65)
• Ed Kostenuk ****
• Jud Larson (#85)
• Ralph Ligouri **** (#38)
• Al Miller (#93)
• Pedro Rodriguez **** (#48)
• Chuck Rodee (#81)
• Gig Stephens ****
• Dempsey Wilson (#8)

Sachs/MacDonald crash

''Sears-Allstate Special''

Dave MacDonald was driving a car owned and designed by Mickey Thompson, the #83 Sears-Allstate Special. It was a rear-engined car that first raced in 1963, updated with a streamlined body for 1964. The car utilized Allstate tires, manufactured by Armstrong Tire and Rubber Co. Due to rule changes by USAC for 1964, the car was required to utilize 15 in tires (it previously used 12 in ones). The wheels were most notably enclosed in the front and the rear by streamlined bodywork, intended to take advantage of aerodynamic effects to increase top speeds. However, it is believed that the wheel encasements, as well as the bodywork in general, made the car difficult to handle.

The fuel tanks were located in the sidepods of the car surrounding the cockpit, and held exactly 75 gallons of fuel, per race USAC rules as published in the race programs sold trackside. The tanks each had a single bladder installed by the late Dave Zieger, in a fiberglass shell supported by the fill neck and a molded fiberglass body housing and a flat thin magnesium plate beneath the tank, braced by two steel straps hanging from the top rails of the frame. Following the crash, numerous erroneous accounts described the tanks as oversized, some claiming they held upwards of 80 usgal. An urban legend circulated that Thompson was boasting plans to drive the entire 500 miles without a pit stop, using an oversized fuel tank, but this has been proven false. The crashworthiness of the car and the fuel cell was brought into question at the time.

Practice and qualifying

During practice, it was discovered immediately that the car's handling was seriously flawed. Masten Gregory complained that aerodynamic lift reduced the steering response. Gregory suffered a crash on May 6, and quit the team due to what he believed was a terribly-handling car.

Dave MacDonald managed to qualify his car without incident. Eddie Johnson qualified the second team car. On Carburetion Day, MacDonald tested the car, with conflicting accounts on whether he ever drove with a full load of fuel. Other drivers in the paddock were known to be concerned about the car, and at least one account claimed that 1963 pole winner and reigning Formula One World Champion Jim Clark advised MacDonald to get out of the car. Another Formula One driver and future Indy 500 winner Graham Hill had actually tested the car at the speedway in 1963 but had refused to drive it because of its bad handling.

Crash

On the first lap, MacDonald passed at least five other cars. As he passed Johnny Rutherford and Sachs, Rutherford noticed MacDonald's car was handling poorly, zig-zagging, and throwing grass and dirt up from the edge of the track. Rutherford later said, watching the behavior of MacDonald's car, he thought, "he's either gonna win this thing or crash." Eyewitness accounts and film footage are inconsistent about the exact details of MacDonald's first two laps, but it is generally agreed he was attempting to pass many cars.

On the second lap, MacDonald's car spun coming off turn four, as he was turning down below the groove to pass Jim Hurtubise and Walt Hansgen. The car slid across the track and hit the inside wall, igniting the gasoline in the tank and resulting in a massive fire. His car then slid back across the track, causing seven more cars to be involved. Ronnie Duman crashed, spun in flames and hit the pit lane wall, and was burned. Bobby Unser hit Duman's car from behind, and Johnny Rutherford's car on its left rear tire, and crashed into the outside wall. Chuck Stevenson and Norm Hall also crashed.

Sachs aimed for an opening along the outside wall, but MacDonald's burning car slid into his path. Sachs hit MacDonald's car broadside, causing a second explosion; Sachs died instantly, although it remains unknown if he died of blunt force trauma or incendiary injuries. Despite Sachs's body being trapped in the burning car, his driver's suit was only scorched and he received burns on his face and hands. The car was covered with a tarp before being towed to the garage area for removal of his body. A lemon that had been on a string around Sachs's neck was found inside Rutherford's engine compartment after the crash.

MacDonald was pulled from the wreckage and taken into the infield hospital. Although very badly burned, he was alive. His lungs were seared from flame inhalation, causing acute pulmonary edema. He died at 13:20 after being taken to Methodist Hospital.

The crash was well documented in film and still images, 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, USAC mandated cars carry less fuel (and crafted the rules to effectively eliminate the use of gasoline, effective for the 1965 season). This resulted in a change to methanol fuel, with a switch to ethanol starting in 2006, although gasoline returned in 2012 with the introduction of the current E85 formula of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. Another response to the crash was the 1965 introduction of the Firestone "RaceSafe" fuel cell, with technology used in military helicopters.

The Sachs/MacDonald crash came just six days after the fiery crash of Fireball Roberts at the World 600. Roberts died about a month later, on July 2, 1964. The sense of gloom within the American racing community was further compounded when, just a week after the tragedy at Indianapolis, popular driver Jim Hurtubise was critically burned at Milwaukee.

2016 reunion

The crash deeply disturbed the MacDonald family. Members of MacDonald's family avoided visiting the Speedway. Closure was not met until son Rich MacDonald began researching his father's career, with the DaveMacDonald.net Web domain since 2003 a tribute to his father's accomplishments and a family diary to the modern era, meeting Sachs's son Edward Julius III (known as Eddie Jr) on social media. Curt Cavin, an Indianapolis Star reporter, was able to contact MacDonald first, and shortly afterwards, contacted Sachs. Along with other contacts, most notably Angela Savage, daughter of Swede Savage, killed in the 1973 race, whose first visit to the 500 was celebrated in 2014 and has become an annual visit, the MacDonalds were able to meet at the Speedway again.

At the 2016 Indianapolis 500, Sherry MacDonald, Dave's widow and son Rich MacDonald appeared for race day, and were joined by Eddie Sachs III. All three took a photo near the site of the fatal crash, the wall which had been heightened and where track boxes had been removed in time for the 1974, that at the time was marked by the series fuel supplier sign behind the wall, which since 2000 has been the pit lane exit for clockwise road course events.

Earlier in 2016, Rich MacDonald appeared in a podcast presented by Angela Savage, the posthumously born daughter of Swede (killed at the 1973 race), which struck a friendship between the two children of the fallen racers. Rich and Angela appeared together at events until his June 2024 death to cancer.

Box score

Beginning in 1964, the time allowed for drivers behind the winner to complete the 200-lap race distance was reduced to "approximately five minutes of extra time", whereas before 1964, several minutes might be granted for the purpose. This five-minute time allowance was allowed until 1974, after which all drivers were flagged off the track after the winner crossed the line.

**** Former Indianapolis 500 winner

**** Indianapolis 500 Rookie

Race statistics

Gallery

File:Indy500winningcar1964.JPG|1964 winning car File:1964Indy500LotusPole.jpg|1964 pole winning car File:American Red Ball Halibrand Ford front view Honda Collection Hall.jpg|1964 American Red Ball entry

Broadcasting

For the first time ever, the race was shown live, flag-to-flag, on closed-circuit television in theater venues across the country. Charlie Brockman served as the anchor. A few minutes of filmed highlights appeared a week later on ABC's "Wide World Of Sports"

Radio

The race was carried live on the IMS Radio Network. Sid Collins served as chief announcer. Fred Agabashian served as "driver expert." Lou Palmer conducted the winner's interview in victory lane. The broadcast was carried by a record 558 affiliates in the United States. With the addition of WJAR-AM in Providence, Rhode Island, for the first time, the broadcast was carried by at least one affiliate originating in all 50 states (listeners in that state would otherwise rely on the network's affiliates in Boston and Hartford). The broadcast featured a 30-minute pre-race.

Bernie Herman departed the crew, and newcomer Chuck Marlowe was stationed at the backstretch location. During the broadcast, a young Donald Davidson visited the booth, and made a brief appearance for an interview. Charlie Brockman left the radio crew permanently in 1964 to take over anchoring the MCA closed-circuit television broadcast. John DeCamp joined the booth to serve as statistician. Other guests in the booth included Pete DePaolo, and Indiana Governor Matthew E. Welsh.

Eddie Sachs eulogy

During the live radio broadcast of the race, IMS Radio Network anchor Sid Collins drew critical praise for an impromptu on-air eulogy for Eddie Sachs. During the red flag, track public address announcer Tom Carnegie made the official announcement of the death of Sachs (MacDonald had not yet expired, and his death was not announced until later). The announcement was simulcast on the radio feed. ** Silence was heard on-air for about five seconds, and at that point, Collins chimed in with a solemn, unprepared eulogy:

...Byron said 'who the gods love, die young'. Eddie was 37. To his widow Nance we extend our extreme sympathy and regret. And to his two children. This boy won the pole here in 1961 and 1962 [sic], and was a proud race driver. Well, as we do at Indianapolis and in racing: as the World Champion Jimmy Clark I'm sure would agree, as he's raced all over the world: the race continues. Unfortunately today, without Eddie Sachs. And we'll be restarting it in just a few moments.}}

Collins received over 30,000 letters requesting a transcript of the eulogy. Rebroadcasts of the speech in subsequent years have generally omitted Collins's reference to Sachs's consecutive pole positions, due to his accidental misattribution of their being won a year later than they actually were, in 1960 and 1961.

Notes

References

Works cited

• Indianapolis 500 History: Race & All-Time Stats - Official Site
• 1964 Indianapolis 500 Radio Broadcast, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network

(1963 Indianapolis 500) (1965 Indianapolis 500)

References

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4. Setright, p.1232.
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