Grave Of Racing Legend Bill Mackey | Famous Grave

Bill Mackey was an American racecar driver. His name at birth was William Christopher Gretsinger, Jr. Bill was born in Dayton, Ohio on December 15, 1927.
A dark haired, five foot, 11 inch young man, he was the son of Esther and William Gretsinger, Sr., who had been an amateur stock car and midget driver himself, in the 1930s. In 1946, with his father, he worked for Firestone racing division at Indianapolis, then they cooperated to form a father-son racing team. In 1948 the young Gretsinger decided henceforth to be known on the race tracks as "Bill Mackey", borrowing a surname that he claimed belonged to one of his earlier sponsors. After campaigning with considerable success in Doc Kendrick's midget through Ohio, Indiana and Michigan, in 1949 he moved to Indianapolis with his wife Patricia, née Godsey, whom he had married in 1947, and their one-year-old son, named Bill, Jr.
Driving for different teams, Bill Mackey attempted 9 midget races, 22 sprint programs and 6 championship starts between 1950 and 1951. On 01 October 1950 he obtained an outright win in the sprint car event Dayton-100, and this became the last race he won.
He was one of three big-time drivers, each of whom were veterans of the Indianapolis 500, to lose their lives on the same day in racing accidents. Mackey was killed while attempting to qualify for an AAA sprint car race at Funk's Speedway in Winchester, Indiana on July 29, 1951, a day which became known as "Black Sunday". Bill Mackey was only 23 years old when he passed in the accident.
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