Eddie O'Donnell

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

Eddie O'Donnell
O'Donnell at Tacoma Speedway in 1920
Born	Edward Francis O'Donnell (1887-04-30)April 30, 1887 Whitewater, Wisconsin, U.S.
Died	November 26, 1920(1920-11-26) (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)
Wins Podiums Poles 3 14 0

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 Led Retired 1915 15 11 88.930 12 5 200 0 Running 1919 10 5 97.300 13 22 60 0 Piston 1920 29 12 88.200 14 14 149 0 Oil line Totals 409 0

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

^[4]