Johnny White

For the american football player, see Johnny White (American football).
Johnny White
Born(1932-01-18)January 18, 1932
Warren, Michigan, United States
DiedDecember 24, 1977(1977-12-24) (aged 45)
Indianapolis, Indiana, United States

John Bedford White (January 18, 1932 – December 24, 1977) was an American race car driver.

Born in Warren, Michigan, White died in Indianapolis, Indiana.[1][2] He drove in the USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1963 and 1964 seasons, with 11 career starts, including the 1964 Indianapolis 500.[2] He finished in the top ten 7 times, with his best finish in 4th position at the 1964 Indianapolis 500, which earned him Rookie of the Year.[3]

The career of Johnny White came to an end on June 14, 1964, when he was paralyzed from the neck down after flipping his sprint car and rolling along the top of the guard rail at the Terre Haute Action Track.[1][4] Over the years the injuries that Johnny received eventually took a toll on his overall health, resulting in his death on Christmas Eve, 1977.[1][5]

  1. ^ a b c "White, Johnny 1985". Michigan Motor Sports Hall of Fame.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference sprint was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Johnny White Named Indy Rookie Of Year". Battle Creek Enquirer. United Press International. June 2, 1964. p. 12. Retrieved December 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  4. ^ Hughes, David (July 5, 2005). "Safety First: Action Track hasn't had driving fatality since 1967". Terre Haute Tribune-Star.
  5. ^ "Heart Attack Fatal To Johnny White". The Indianapolis Star. December 25, 1977. p. 2.