# Pat O'Connor (racing driver)

Patrick James O'Connor (October 9, 1928 – May 30, 1958) 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. 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.
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. 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.

## 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. The 2020 event was part of the USAC Silvercrown series.

## Complete AAA/USAC Championship Car results

| Year | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | Pos | Points |
| 1952 | INDY | MIL | RAL | SPR | MIL | DET | DUQ DNQ | PIK | SYR | DNC | SJS | PHX | | - | 0 |
| 1953 | INDY DNQ | MIL DNQ | SPR | DET | SPR | MIL | DUQ DNQ | PIK | SYR | ISF 7 | SAC | PHX 8 | | 32nd | 110 |
| 1954 | INDY 21 | MIL 5 | LAN DNQ | DAR 10 | SPR DNQ | MIL 19 | DUQ DNQ | PIK | SYR DNQ | ISF DNQ | SAC DNQ | PHX DNQ | LVG 9 | 25th | 200 |
| 1955 | INDY 8 | MIL 18 | LAN 5 | SPR DNQ | MIL 26 | DUQ 9 | PIK | SYR 4 | ISF 5 | SAC 5 | PHX 5 | | | 7th | 800 |
| 1956 | INDY 18 | MIL 11 | LAN DNQ | DAR 1 | ATL 17 | SPR 5 | MIL 21 | DUQ DNQ | SYR 13 | ISF 2 | SAC 15 | PHX DNQ | | 11th | 680 |
| 1957 | INDY 8 | LAN DNQ | MIL 4 | DET | ATL | SPR DNQ | MIL 3 | DUQ 8 | SYR 2 | ISF 10 | TRE 1 | SAC 15 | PHX 2 | 4th | 1,250 |
| 1958 | TRE 13 | INDY 29 | MIL | LAN | ATL | SPR | MIL | DUQ | SYR | ISF | TRE | SAC | PHX | - | 0 |

## Indianapolis 500 results

| Year | Car | Start | Qual | Rank | Finish | Laps | Led | Retired |
| 1953 | 28 | | | | | | | Failed to Qualify |
| 1953 | 64 | | | | | | | Failed to Qualify |
| 1953 | 74 | | | | | | | Failed to Qualify |
| 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) |
| Totals | Totals | Totals | Totals | Totals | Totals | 768 | 46 | |
| Starts | 5 |
| Poles | 1 |
| Front Row | 2 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Top 5 | 0 |
| Top 10 | 2 |
| Retired | 2 |

## Complete Formula One World Championship results

(key)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | WDC | Points |
| 1953 | Slick Racers | Diedt | Offenhauser L4 | ARG | 500 DNQ | NED | BEL | FRA | GBR | GER | SUI | ITA | | | NC | 0 |
| 1953 | Engle-Stanko | Kurtis Kraft 4000 | Offenhauser L4 | | 500 DNQ | | | | | | | | | | NC | 0 |
| 1953 | Brown Motors | Schroeder | Offenhauser L4 | | 500 DNQ | | | | | | | | | | NC | 0 |
| 1954 | Hopkins / Motor Racers | Kurtis Kraft 500C | Offenhauser L4 | ARG | 500 21 | BEL | FRA | GBR | GER | SUI | ITA | ESP | | | NC | 0 |
| 1955 | Ansted Rotary | Kurtis Kraft 500D | Offenhauser L4 | ARG | MON | 500 8 | BEL | NED | GBR | ITA | | | | | NC | 0 |
| 1956 | Ansted Rotary | Kurtis Kraft 500D | Offenhauser L4 | ARG | MON | 500 18 | BEL | FRA | GBR | GER | ITA | | | | NC | 0 |
| 1957 | Ansted Rotary | Kurtis Kraft 500G | Offenhauser L4 | ARG | MON | 500 30 | FRA | GBR | GER | PES | ITA | | | | NC | 0 |
| 1958 | Sumar / Chapman Root | Kurtis Kraft 500G | Offenhauser L4 | ARG | MON | NED | 500 29 | 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).