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Patrick James O'Connor [1] (October 9, 1928 – May 30, 1958) [2] 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 .
Pat O'Connor had appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated in the week leading up to the race. His subsequent death is considered an early example of the perceived "Sports Illustrated cover jinx." Only Appearance: George Amick (killed in 1959 USAC 100-mile race at Daytona) First Appearance: A. J. Foyt (First 4-time Indianapolis 500 winner.)
The Indianapolis 500 was included in the FIA World Championship of Drivers from 1950 through 1960. The race was sanctioned by AAA through 1955 , and then by USAC beginning in 1956 . At the time the new world championship was announced and first organized by the CSI , the United States did not yet have a Grand Prix .
Pat O'Connor: Driver May 30, 1958 USAC: Indianapolis 500: Race On the opening lap, a 15-car pileup occurred in turn three. According to A. J. Foyt, Pat O'Connor's car hit that of Jimmy Reece, sailed 50 feet (15 m) in the air, landed upside down, and burst into flames.
Pat O'Connor led, with Pat Flaherty close behind. The two drivers swapped the lead multiple times over the next several laps. At the 40-lap mark (100 miles), the top five was Flaherty, O'Connor, Johnnie Parsons, Tony Bettenhausen, and Jim Rathmann. The second yellow came out when Ray Crawford spun at the north end of the mainstretch.
Pat O'Connor Sumar Special Chapman Root Kurtis 500G, Offenhauser 143.948 mph (231.662 km/h) 88: ... 1956 Indianapolis 500 Pat Flaherty: 1957 Indianapolis 500 Sam Hanks:
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There were also five non-championship events. The USAC National Champion was Tony Bettenhausen and the Indianapolis 500 winner was Jimmy Bryan. The victory was Bryan's final victory in IndyCar racing. There were three fatalities during the season. Pat O'Connor lost his life in a first lap accident during the Indy 500.