Pat O’Connor, of North Vernon, Ind., earned the respect of everyone with his demeanor on and off the racetrack and, in 1958, graced the cover of Sports Illustrated in a build-up to that year’s Indianapolis 500. He unfortunately perished in a first-lap crash in that year’s race, but his career in the sport is legendary.

Despite his somewhat brief career (10 years), he captured USAC’s inaugural Midwest Sprint Car championship in 1956 and earlier, had won 1953 and 1954 Midwest titles under AAA sanction.

He scored eight wins in USAC’s Sprint car campaign and was generally regarded as one of the “Kings of the Hills,” extremely proficient at the high-banked Salem and Winchester, Ind. and Dayton, Ohio ovals. In 1956, he scored a popular victory in the “Pee Dee 200” National Championship race at the Darlington, S.C. Raceway.  In 1957, he led the American contingent as they tested at the spectacular Monza, Italy Autodrome, then competed in the famed “Race of Two Worlds.”

His best Indianapolis 500 finishes in five starts were eighth places in 1955 and 1957. In 1995, he was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame.

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