Eddie O'Donnell

Eddie O'Donnell
Eddie O'Donnell
	O'Donnell at Tacoma Speedway in 1920
Born	Edward Francis O'Donnell; April 30, 1887; Whitewater, Wisconsin, U.S.
Died	November 26, 1920 (aged 33); Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Champ Car career
	36 races run over 5 years
Best finish	12th (1920)
First race	1914 Kalamazoo 100 (Kalamazoo)
Last race	1920 Beverly Hills 250 #2 ; (Beverly Hills)
First win	1915 Tropico Road Race (Tropico)
Last win	1915 Galesburg 100 (Galesburg)

Edward Francis O'Donnell (April 30, 1887 – November 26, 1920)^[1] was an American racing driver. He gained fame competing for the Duesenberg team.

Racing career

O'Donnell started his career as a riding mechanic for Duesenberg racing driver Eddie Rickenbacker. When Rickenbacker left the Duesenberg team to join the Peugeot team, O'Donnell took over as driver. He served as Captain of the Duesenberg team and was highly successful on the dirt tracks and board tracks around the United States, also having raced on the road circuits. He recorded three victories during the 1915 season. In 1916 he recorded two non-Championship victories, during only the second points championship season conducted in American history.

Death

O'Donnell was fatally injured when he and Gaston Chevrolet collided during the Beverly Hills Speedway Classic race on Thanksgiving Day 1920.^[2] Chevrolet was killed as well as O'Donnell's mechanic Lyall Jolls. O'Donnell died the next morning.^[3]

Motorsports career results

Indianapolis 500 results

Year	Car	Start	Qual	Rank	Finish	Laps	Retired
1915	15	11	88.930	12	5	200	Running
1919	10	5	97.300	13	22	60	Piston
1920	29	12	88.200	14	14	149	Oil line
Totals						409

Starts	3
Poles	0
Front Row	0
Wins	0
Top 5	1
Top 10	1
Retired	2

^[4]

References

^ "California, County Birth and Death Records, 1800–1994". FamilySearch.
^ "Gaston Chevrolet killed in race". The New York Times. November 26, 1920. Archived from the original on October 15, 2017 – via The Crittenden Automotive Library.
^ "Death crowns winning auto racing king". The Deseret News. Salt Lake City, Utah. Associated Press. November 26, 1920.
^ "Eddie O'Donnell Indianapolis 500 stats". IndianapolisMotorSpeedway.com. Archived from the original on 2019-08-03.

External links

Eddie O'Donnell at Find a Grave

[1] "California, County Birth and Death Records, 1800–1994". FamilySearch.

[2] "Gaston Chevrolet killed in race". The New York Times. November 26, 1920. Archived from the original on October 15, 2017 – via The Crittenden Automotive Library.

[3] "Death crowns winning auto racing king". The Deseret News. Salt Lake City, Utah. Associated Press. November 26, 1920.

[4] "Eddie O'Donnell Indianapolis 500 stats". IndianapolisMotorSpeedway.com. Archived from the original on 2019-08-03.

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