IndyCar's Darkest Moment: The 1964 Indy 500

[@stanbounds8129]

I was 16, at home listening to the broadcast on the IMS Radio Network. When Sach's death was announced, Sid Collins immediately gave an on the air eulogy of Eddie Sach's life.

[@BobGeogeo]

Thanks for this well done video. I wish YT wouldn't boost crash stuff into my recommendations after watching.

[@karenkoe7096]

I was there, sitting high up in bleachers on the other side of the track. They did the parade laps and pace lap and then started the race as normal. Then a few cars came by not at speed. Wondering what was going on we turned around and across the track it looked like a bomb had gone off. They stopped the race, eventually got the fire out and announced that Sachs had been killed and McDonald gravely injured. I believe they helicoptered him to the hospital. They cleaned up the mess and restarted the race. After a few laps, my parents decided to leave. Can't say I was sorry to go. On top of all of that I recall it was a pretty cool, kind of gloomy day to boot...Maybe the events of the day made my memory of that day seem that way. btw, I think that might have been the last year they used gas as fuel. If it wasn't it should have been.

[@derklavierspieler7491]

Apologies for not understanding your comment. I have a question. All of the stands face the track so if you were there why would you have to turn around to look at the track? I've tried picturing myself in every section of the stands to figure out where I would be sitting that I had to turn around to see the track but have no luck. Whenever I turn around, I'm either looking at the people sitting behind me or I'm so far up I'm looking at the outside of the raceway. You're right about using gas. He said in the video that it was the last year they used it.

[@barberdoug6930]

I watched this race live on closed circuit TV with my father at the local theater in Detroit. Such a tragic day.

[@61rampy65]

Same here. I was 10. The image of the smoke and fire is burned (no pun intended) into my brain.

[@cjs83172]

An even sadder irony to this was that Dave MacDonald had become close friends with, and was being mentored by Fireball Roberts, who was involved in a fiery crash just six days earlier in the World 600 at Charlotte (back then, the Indianapolis 500 and World 600 were run on different days, and it wasn't uncommon in the 60s and early 70s to see NASCAR drivers at least try to qualify for the Indianapolis 500). Quite a number of the drivers in that year's Indianapolis 500 field had raced against Fireball in the NASCAR races they ran (A.J. Foyt, Johnny Rutherford, Jim McElreath, Parnelli Jones, Dan Gurney, and Bobby Marshman were, like MacDonald, among those that competed in that year's Daytona 500). So there was a pall cast on the 1964 Indianapolis 500 before it even started. Another of the drivers involved in the Sachs-MacDonald crash, Johnny Rutherford, had a wild crash of his own during that year's Daytona 500 when his car turned over on the backstretch in a crash with Ned Jarrett, who was also one of those involved in the crash at Charlotte, and was the driver that helped to get Roberts out of his car.

[@ldhmnh]

Great touch to add the quote on the end. I never knew much about Sachs. Sounds like a guy I’d enjoy hangin’ out with.

[@JakeSimRacing]

Sachs was definitely a character. The clown prince of racing!

[@KristineHrabina]

R.I.P. to our local Lehigh Valley hero Eddie Sachs.

[@bighand1530]

He will be missed.

[@danielvandersall6756]

Born in Allentown myself: I'll pour one out for a great racer.

[@ElliottNest41]

Yes, in terms of social media, Eddie Sachs was 50 years ahead of his time.

[@kennyspaulding796]

I remember this. I was 6 at the time. I live in Anderson Indiana which is around 25 miles northwest of Indy We were watching ether the race or highlights of this on TV. The Speedway in May. Grew up seeing a lot over the years, '73 was a bad year there too. Loved it during the 60's 70's and most of the 80's until all of the millionaires/billionaires came in and took over.

[@butchs6099]

All sports is over rated thanks to these billionaires.

[@noyfub]

Nice video and tribute.

[@JakeSimRacing]

Thank you!

[@johnrountree370]

My dad worked for Borg Warner and always received tickets to Indy. In 1964 I was 15 and for the first (and only) time my dad asked me to go with him to the race. We were sitting on the front straight about 100 yards past the exit of turn four and five rows back from the track. The film shows it all and there is nothing to say other than Dad and I both had singed hair, eyebrows and eyelashes. At the time, Eddie Sachs was my favorite driver and he died less than 50 years in front of me,

[@andyschwarm]

This was my first Indy, my Dad brought me and I was also 15. We were in the Tower Terrace Extension, directly across the track from you and your Dad. I can see it all in my head like it was yesterday.

[@johnrountree370]

@@andyschwarm That is pretty amazing! Like you, those moments are indelibly etched in my memory.

[@andyschwarm]

From where we sat , it looked like you guys were on fire! It looked like a wall of flames covered everything, it was the most horrifying thing I ever saw. Comic relief: During the track shutdown, Johnny Rutherford was interviewed on the track PA, he said, roughly, heavy Texas accent, "I came out of turn four and everything was on fire! I hit something and when I popped out of the mess the front of my car was on fire, so I put the hammer down and blowed it out!"

[@billfunk3168]

Appreciate your video !

[@tsf5-productions]

In my humble opinion of over 60 years of following the Indianapolis Championship Car racing in my 74 years of life…I still think that Eddie Sachs was one who should have won the Indianapolis “500”. Most old time fans like me think now and then the “what if…” on Sachs. I’d say this though: If Eddie had won Indy, the Victory Dinner the following day would be one for the record books! Lots of people at that event would have to have a box of tissues to wipe the tears away. So would have the MC of the event: the late Sid Collins who did the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network “500” broadcast. Oh…another historic sad event in Indy Champ Car losses of 60 years ago this early December 2024 was: upcoming good race driver, Bobby Marshman’s passing away from a crash in tire testing at the Phoenix one mile track in late November of 1964. Marshman, in my opinion, was destined to be a winner at Indianapolis within a few years.

[@ElliottNest41]

Yes, Marshman and MacDonald were both on track to be big stars. It was an incredibly dangerous era for racing, unfortunately.

[@derklavierspieler7491]

I'm confused. How could Eddie have won the race when he was immediately killed in the wreck? Either someone would have had to push his wrecked burned up race car with his burned-up body in it around the track for the remainder of the race while no one passed them, or they loaded it on a flatbed wrecker, continued the race and the flatbed outran everyone to win the race. In that case though they would have had to sit Eddie in the driver's seat of the flatbed or else whoever was driving would have won the race. I do understand everyone being in tears at the victory dinner if he'd won. Do you think they would have sat his corpse in the victor's chair or had him in a coffin? Thanks.

[@tsf5-productions]

@derklavierspieler7491 - Opps! My mistake for not making a correction on that sentence. I should have stated: "If Eddie, would have won an Indy "500"..." I need to "check my wordings", I know and literally all the time I do. (I wish all comment writers would reread what they typed. Most of any comments I read on all kinds of topics are careless, sloppy, don't care about anything but getting "emotions" spued.

[@61rampy65]

I think there is a minor mistake in your presentation. You said that the fuel cell burst open in MacDonald's car. I believe they were merely fuel tanks, and fuel cells were created just because of this crash. It was one of the earlier attempts at improving safety in racing. Otherwise, the video was fantastic.

[@JakeSimRacing]

Thanks for pointing that out! Thank you for watching!

[@davewallace8219]

I listened to this on the radio!

[@wmw3629]

We were sitting on the main straightaway not far from where this tragedy unfolded.

[@JakeSimRacing]

Wow! It’s cool to hear from someone who was there.

[@ronaldclark7055]

Verry well done!! Thank you!

[@JakeSimRacing]

Thank you, I appreciate it.

[@joboots007]

U thought USAC made a mistake on the wheelbase requirement….wonder had they made a exception,maybe this disaster wouldn’t had happened????

[@JakeSimRacing]

Maybe. It was weird time with lots of things being tried on these race cars

[@andyhamilton8940]

MacDonalds car looked like it was a sports car, not an open wheel Indy car.

[@saragrant9749]

It was an era of huge innovation and experimentation… not always to the advantage of the driver unfortunately.

[@sct913]

@@saragrant9749 And but for modifying the car to conform to an arbitrary "rule" regarding tire width, it probably would have performed just fine.

[@saragrant9749]

@@sct913 very likely, very possible. It’s sad that MacDonald had to pay the ultimate price to show how bad the car design actually was- and Eddie Sachs too.

[@sct913]

@@saragrant9749 Agreed.

[@Filboid2000]

It's odd because I always was under the impression that Indy racing was always open wheel racing; I'm surprised they let that car on the track.

[@thomastaylor6699]

They shouldn't have let an experimental car that was too squarely to drive onto that track. Everyone knew it was a dangerous car to drive!

[@kokomokid4006]

My parents & their friends were in the infield backstretch...i was 13 at the time...looked like a B-58 CRASH!!! Saw one of those to!!!

[@samuelmoulds1016]

aaah.... actually.... the 1974 Indianapolis 500 was worse.

[@pacosandoval4090]

Amazing

[@BCanterbury42]

I’ve always wondered was Eddie Sacks related to NASCAR driver Greg Sacks?

[@JakeSimRacing]

He was not.

[@ldhmnh]

k & h man…

[@ElliottNest41]

Eddie Sachs is not related to Greg Sacks. Last names are spelled differently.

[@carypyke935]

Thank you Sir

[@JakeSimRacing]

You are welcome! Enjoy

[@NoHacksTSR]

What a thumbnail…looks like a war zone

[@ashleymartin4512]

you car'nt ever learn from a motor-sport accident in which a driver is killed its something you car'nt forsee thats why its called an accident............

[@neildoppelhammer]

Don't forget about '73. I feel it was every bit as bad.

[@dougmorley2850]

The Ford scammers were designed to run on gasoline , big mistake ! Some team's switched to methanol the night before .

[@herschelmayo2727]

Sachs had fuel tanks in front, back, underneath and on both sides, intending to do the whole race without a pit stop. This accident resulted in a mandatory pit stop for all cars thereafter.

[@ScottYork-ki4di]

I saw it happen.

[@JakeSimRacing]

Must have been quite the experience

[@ScottYork-ki4di]

@JakeSimRacing I was 5. My dad took me and my sisters . One of the drivers was climbing the fence on fire. The explosion was scary. Dad took us back to my aunts home in speedway