Pat O'Connor (racing driver)
{{short description|American racing driver (1928–1958)}}
{{other people||Pat O'Connor (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox racing driver
| name = Pat O'Connor
| image =
| caption =
| nationality =
| birth_name = Patrick James O'Connor
| birth_date = {{birth date|1928|10|09}}
| birth_place = North Vernon, Indiana, U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|1958|05|30|1928|10|09}}
| death_place = Speedway, Indiana, U.S.
| titles =
| awards =
| module1 = {{Infobox Champ Car driver|child=yes
| years = 1952–1958
| Total_Champ_Races = 36
| Years_In_Champ = 7
| Champ_Car_Team =
| Best_Champ_Pos = 4th – 1957
| First_Champ_Race = 1953 Hoosier Hundred
(Indiana State Fairgrounds)
| Last_Champ_Race = 1958 Indianapolis 500
(Indianapolis Motor Speedway)
| First_Champ_Win = 1956 Pee Dee 200 (Darlington)
| Last_Champ_Win = 1957 Trenton 100 (Trenton)
| Champ_Wins = 2
| Champ_Podiums = 6
| Champ_Poles = 1
}}
| module2 = {{Infobox F1 driver
| child = yes
| Years = {{F1|1953}}–{{F1|1958}}
| Team(s) = Diedt, Kurtis Kraft, Schroeder
| Races = 6 (5 starts)
| Championships = 0
| Wins = 0
| Podiums = 0
| Points = 0
| Poles = 1
| Fastest laps = 0
| First race = 1953 Indianapolis 500
| First win =
| Last win =
| Last race = 1958 Indianapolis 500
}}}}
Patrick James O'Connor{{Cite web |title=Pat O'Connor |url=http://www.champcarstats.com/drivers/OConnorPat.htm |access-date=2023-06-10 |website=www.champcarstats.com}} (October 9, 1928 – May 30, 1958){{Cite web |title=Motorsport Memorial - Pat O'Connor |url=http://www.motorsportmemorial.org/focus.php?db=ct&n=180 |access-date=21 March 2023 |website=Motorsport Memorial}} was an American racecar driver. He was killed in a 15-car pileup, after sustaining a fatal head injury after rolling his car and catching fire on the first lap of the 1958 Indianapolis 500.
Champ Car
O'Connor competed in 36 races in his champ car career.{{cite web |title=Driver Pat O'Connor Career Statistics |url=https://www.racing-reference.info/driver/Pat_OConnor |website=www.racing-reference.info |accessdate=August 16, 2020}} He took his first win in 1956 at Darlington Raceway. In 1957, he won the pole position for the Indianapolis 500 and he finished eighth. Later in the year, he won at Trenton Speedway.
He was on the cover of Sports Illustrated in May 1958 (one week before the race), adding to the legend of the Sports Illustrated Cover Jinx.
Death
For the 1958 Indianapolis 500, Dick Rathmann and Ed Elisian started the race on the front row, with Jimmy Reece on the outside of the front row. Elisian spun in turn 3 of the first lap and collided with Rathmann's car, sending them both into the wall, and starting a 15-car pileup.{{cite news |last1=Ayello |first1=Jim |title=A.J. Foyt: Scar never healed after seeing friend die in horrific crash at 1958 Indy 500 |url=https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/motor/2018/05/21/indy-500-j-foyt-never-recovered-1958-crash/620842002/ |accessdate=August 16, 2020 |work=The Indianapolis Star |date=May 21, 2018}}
According to A. J. Foyt, O'Connor's car hit Reece's car, sailed fifty feet in the air, landed upside down, and burst into flames. Although O'Connor was incinerated in the accident, medical officials said that he was probably killed instantly from a fractured skull.[http://indymotorspeedway.com/500d-58.htm Indy 500 deadly accidents, 1958] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110002233/http://indymotorspeedway.com/500d-58.htm |date=2013-11-10 }} In an interview after the race, winner Jimmy Bryan was quoted for saying "It was a nightmare. I lived with it for 200 laps."
Widely blamed for the accident, Elisian was suspended by USAC for the accident (reinstated a few days later), and was shunned by many in the racing community.
Following the accident, race officials announced that they would change the starting procedure, abandoning the single-file trip down pit lane that was used in 1957 and 1958. Also, for the 1959 Indy 500, metal roll bars welded to the frame behind the driver's head were mandated, and helmets were required to pass safety certification by Speedway medical officials.[http://www.bjwor.com/031112.html we feel the blues when we lose] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070202224048/http://www.bjwor.com/031112.html |date=2007-02-02 }}
Awards
He was inducted in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1995.
Legacy
Salem Speedway honored him along with Joe James with an annual title event.{{Cite episode |title=USAC Joe James/PatO'Conner Memorial |episode-link= |url= |access-date= |series=USAC Silvercrown |series-link= |first= |last= |network=FloRacing |station= |date=August 15, 2020 |season= |series-no= |number= |minutes= |time=20:47 |transcript= |transcript-url= |quote= |language=}} The 2020 event was part of the USAC Silvercrown series.
Complete AAA/USAC Championship Car results
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%"
! Year ! 1 ! 2 ! 3 ! 4 ! 5 ! 6 ! 7 ! 8 ! 9 ! 10 ! 11 ! 12 ! 13 ! Pos ! Points |
| rowspan=1| 1952
| INDY | MIL | RAL | SPR | MIL | DET |style="background:#FFCFCF;" | DUQ | PIK | SYR | DNC | SJS | PHX |colspan=1| !- !0 |
|---|
| rowspan=1| 1953
|style="background:#FFCFCF;" | INDY |style="background:#FFCFCF;" | MIL | SPR | DET | SPR | MIL |style="background:#FFCFCF;" | DUQ | PIK | SYR |style="background:#CFEAFF;"| ISF | SAC |style="background:#CFEAFF;"| PHX |colspan=1| !style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 32nd !style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 110 |
| rowspan=1| 1954
|style="background:#EFCFFF;" | INDY |style="background:#DFFFDF;" | MIL |style="background:#FFCFCF;" | LAN |style="background:#CFEAFF;" | DAR |style="background:#FFCFCF;" | SPR |style="background:#CFCFFF;" | MIL |style="background:#FFCFCF;" | DUQ | PIK |style="background:#FFCFCF;" | SYR |style="background:#FFCFCF;" | ISF |style="background:#FFCFCF;" | SAC |style="background:#FFCFCF;" | PHX |style="background:#CFEAFF;" | LVG !style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 25th !style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 200 |
| rowspan=1| 1955
|style="background:#CFEAFF;" | INDY |style="background:#EFCFFF;" | MIL |style="background:#DFFFDF;" | LAN |style="background:#FFCFCF;" | SPR |style="background:#EFCFFF;" | MIL |style="background:#CFEAFF;" | DUQ | PIK |style="background:#DFFFDF;" | SYR |style="background:#DFFFDF;" | ISF |style="background:#DFFFDF;" | SAC |style="background:#DFFFDF;" | PHX |colspan=2| !style="background:#CFEAFF;"| 7th !style="background:#CFEAFF;"| 800 |
| rowspan=1| 1956
|style="background:#EFCFFF;" | INDY |style="background:#CFCFFF;" | MIL |style="background:#FFCFCF;" | LAN |style="background:#FFFFBF;" | DAR |style="background:#EFCFFF;" | ATL |style="background:#DFFFDF;" | SPR |style="background:#EFCFFF;" | MIL |style="background:#FFCFCF;" | DUQ |style="background:#CFCFFF;" | SYR |style="background:#DFDFDF;" | ISF |style="background:#EFCFFF;" | SAC |style="background:#FFCFCF;" | PHX |colspan=1| !style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 11th !style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 680 |
| rowspan=1| 1957
|style="background:#CFEAFF;" | INDY |style="background:#FFCFCF;" | LAN |style="background:#DFFFDF;" | MIL | DET | ATL |style="background:#FFCFCF;" | SPR |style="background:#FFDF9F;" | MIL |style="background:#CFEAFF;" | DUQ |style="background:#DFDFDF;" | SYR |style="background:#CFEAFF;" | ISF |style="background:#FFFFBF;" | TRE |style="background:#EFCFFF;" | SAC |style="background:#DFDFDF;" | PHX !style="background:#DFFFDF;" | 4th !style="background:#DFFFDF;" | 1,250 |
| rowspan=1| 1958
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| TRE |style="background:#EFCFFF;"| INDY | MIL | LAN | ATL | SPR | MIL | DUQ | SYR | ISF | TRE | SAC | PHX !- !0 |
Indianapolis 500 results
{{col-begin|width=auto}}
{{col-break}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |
| Year
!Car !Start !Qual !Rank !Finish !Laps !Led !Retired |
|---|
| rowspan="3"|1953
|28 |colspan="6" rowspan="3"| |rowspan="3"|Failed to Qualify |
| 64 |
| 74 |
| 1954
|35 |12 |138.084 |24 |21 |181 |0 |Spun T2 |
| 1955
|29 |19 |139.195 |21 |8 |200 |0 |Running |
| 1956
|7 |3 |144.980 |4 |18 |187 |39 |Flagged |
| 1957
|12 |1 |143.948 |2 |8 |200 |7 |Running |
| 1958
|4 |5 |144.823 |5 |29 |0 |0 |Crash T3 (fatal) |
| colspan=6|Totals
|768 |46 | |
{{col-break|gap=1em}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |
| Starts
|5 |
|---|
| Poles
|1 |
| Front Row
|2 |
| Wins
|0 |
| Top 5
|0 |
| Top 10
|2 |
| Retired
|2 |
{{col-end}}
Complete Formula One World Championship results
(key)
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%"
! Year ! Entrant ! Chassis ! Engine ! 1 ! 2 ! 3 ! 4 ! 5 ! 6 ! 7 ! 8 ! 9 ! 10 ! 11 ! WDC ! Points |
| rowspan=3| 1953
! Slick Racers ! Diedt !rowspan=3| Offenhauser L4 | ARG |style="background:#FFCFCF;"| 500 | NED | BEL | FRA | GBR | GER | SUI | ITA | | !rowspan=3| NC !rowspan=3| 0 |
| Engle-Stanko
| |style="background:#FFCFCF;"| 500 | | | | | | | | | |
|---|
| Brown Motors
| |style="background:#FFCFCF;"| 500 | | | | | | | | | |
| 1954
! Hopkins / Motor Racers | ARG |style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 500 | BEL | FRA | GBR | GER | SUI | ITA | ESP | | ! NC ! 0 |
| 1955
! Ansted Rotary | ARG | MON |style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 500 | BEL | NED | GBR | ITA | | | | ! NC ! 0 |
| 1956
! Ansted Rotary | ARG | MON |style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 500 | BEL | FRA | GBR | GER | ITA | | | ! NC ! 0 |
| 1957
! Ansted Rotary | ARG | MON |style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 500 | FRA | GBR | GER | PES | ITA | | | ! NC ! 0 |
| 1958
! Sumar / Chapman Root | ARG | MON | NED |style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 500 | BEL | FRA | GBR | GER | POR | ITA | MOR ! NC ! 0 |
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. Pat O'Connor participated in 5 World Championship races. He started on the pole once but scored no World Championship points, as his best finish was eighth (twice).
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Find a Grave|1998}}
{{s-start}}
{{succession box|title=Formula One fatal accidents |before=Keith Andrews|after=Luigi Musso|years=July 6, 1958}}
{{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oconnor, Pat}}
Category:Indianapolis 500 drivers
Category:Indianapolis 500 polesitters
Category:National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductees
Category:People from North Vernon, Indiana
Category:Racing drivers from Indiana
Category:Racing drivers who died while racing