Five-Time Indianapolis 500 Starter B. Whittington Dies at 71. he was fatally injured in a practice crash) 6th (1989) 14. Bill and Don, along with Klaus Ludwig, won the 1979 24 Hours of Le Mans. Earlier in his life, Whittington was an accomplished race car driver, winning the 1979 24 Hours of Le Mans alongside brother Don and German driver Klaus Ludwig, according to Autoweek. Randy Lanier: IndyCar driver and drug smuggler | Longform ... Five-Time Indy 500 Starter Bill Whittington dies at 71 ... He qualified 23rd, on the eighth row. In 1982 Variety Ruled At Indianapolis - RacingNation.com Indianapolis 500 Starters 1946-Present - Stats . All three brothers were heavily involved in the IMSA drug-smuggling scandal in the 1980's, which also involved Randy Lanier and John Paul Jr. All bar Dale went to prison, with Don serving a year's sentence and Bill, the main person involved of the siblings, for five years. In 2004, Whittington's daughters purchased The Springs Resort and Spa. Whittington's first four starts at Indianapolis, from 1980 through 1983, came with his family-owned team. From Racer.com: The tumultuous life of Bill Whittington came to a fiery end Friday afternoon in a private airplane crash outside Winslow, Ariz.Whittington, 71, and another passenger perished but details were still sketchy on Sunday as local officials and the National Transportation Safety Board have yet to officially confirm his death. He was 71. Five-time Indianapolis 500 starter Bill Whittington died in a private plane crash April 23 in Arizona. I wear my crash helmet and sit in the D-Box chair. Bill Whittington, 1949-2021 | RACER Whittington would eventually serve a fifteen years sentence and forfeit $7 million in assets for smuggling marijuana into the United States. Former IndyCar, Sports Car Racer Bill Whittington Killed ... Bill Whittington dies at age 71 | Pith & Vinegar Brother of Don and Dale. Bill and Don won the Le Mans 24 Hours together with Klaus Ludwig in 1979. In racing circles, the 1982 race is largely considered one of the best 500s in . I bought the three Indy cars and if I recall, Kevin Jeanette of Gunnar Racing had . Five-Time Indianapolis 500 Starter B. Whittington Dies at 71. Bill Whittington Merlin crash in Arizona 23/04/21 - PPRuNe ... Bill Whittington obituary: 1979 Le Mans 24 Hours winner ... Rick Mears finished second by a margin of 0.16 seconds, the closest finish in Indy 500 history to that point.. Don seemed to be the more complete racer; Patrick hired him to drive the #20 when Gordy suddenly retired in May 1985 (but who knows, maybe a Whittington paper bag appeared and Don told Pat to keep his sponsors in place). 2003-2007. Whittington's first four starts at Indianapolis, from 1980 through 1983, came with his family-owned team. Le Mans-Winning Porsche 935 K3 Seized by DEA The 66th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 30, 1982. In addition to the 1979 Le Mans, Don Whittington also raced on the NASCAR circuit in the early 1980s and - along with Bill Whittington and a third brother, Dale - raced in the Indianapolis 500 . Today the pair is starring in an only-in-South Florida tale of intrigue, crime, and the CIA that arcs from the Indy 500 to Guantánamo Bay, with a cameo by Latin television star María Celeste Arrarás. faster than it was last year. Whittington's five starts in the Indy 500 came between 1979 and 1985. but will struggle if you pick someone like Tom Bigelow or either of the Whittington brothers. Don Whittington finished sixth that year. The good times wouldn't last. Lanier's first contact with IMSA racing happened at the 1981 season finale at Daytona, where he co-drove with Dale Whittington in a 935. Bill Whittington, 1949-2021. Kevin Cogan, that also took out Mario Andretti and . A Legend Died Friday: Indy Racer/Reno Air Race Winner Bill Whittington Dies in Arizona Plane Crash Had the opportunity to meet him a few times through the years, let's just say he lived a "Colorful" life. The same year Lanier was named Rookie of the Year at the Indy 500, Bill Whittington and his brother Don Whittington were indicted in federal court on charges of conspiracy to import marijuana, tax. He was 71 years old . Some of Whittington's closest… The start of the 1982 Indy 500. Bill Whittington, on of the trio of brothers who are the only brothers to qualify in the same Indy 500, died in a plane crash earlier. That was the year all three brothers qualified at Indy, an unprecedented and since unequalled feat in the history of the world-famous race. Name every driver who has actually started the Indianapolis 500 at least once since 1946. . Whittington's first four starts at Indianapolis, from 1980 through 1983, came with his family-owned team. Whittington's first four starts at Indianapolis, from 1980 through 1983, came . Gordon Johncock, who had previously won the rain-shortened 1973 race, was the winner. He never finished in the top 10, but qualified sixth aboard a family-entered March-Cosworth 81C in 1982. 9. . (IMS Release) Five-time Indianapolis 500 starterBill Whittington died in a private plane crash April 23 in Arizona. Discussion in 'Aviation Mishaps' started by FlyingElvii, Apr 26, 2021. Lanier with his '86 Indy 500 car. Bill Whittington, one half of the controversial Whittington Brothers racing organization, passed away last month. Whittington Brothers Smuggled Drugs to Fund Motorsport Ambition and Le Mans Win. By Randall Perry On Apr 25, 2021 Former IMSA and IndyCar racer Bill Whittington was killed Friday when an airplane he was piloting crashed in the Arizona desert, according to multiple reports. But for the Whittingtons it was all just business. 10th (2003, 2004) 5. The brothers continued to race the car for a short period, but due to rules changes and a crash involving the car, it was retired from racing. In 1982, Bill, Don and Dale Whittington, who had little oval experience, entered the Indianapolis 500, becoming the only three brothers to qualify for the same race at Indy. Bill Whittington was a former IndyCar and sports car racer. INDIANAPOLIS (Monday, April 26, 2021) - Five-time Indianapolis 500 starter Bill Whittington died in a private plane crash April 23 in Arizona. Whittington, Don Whittington Brothers March/Cosworth Crash BS 32 $28,743 187.237 32 5 1 Rutherford, Johnny Pennzoil/Chaparral Racing Chaparral/Cosworth Fuel Pump 25 $29,620 195.387 33 2 48 Mosley, Mike Pepsi Challenger/All-American Eagle/Chevy Radiator 16 $31,392 197.141 It may not be true, but it seemed to me that Don cultivated a more low-key image and Bill was on record in various instances as being a lout. Bill Whittington Merlin crash in Arizona 23/04/21. This can be as minor as reduced movement for one turn or as serious as a crash or engine failure that takes you out of the race. It's a motion seat so every bump, dip and crest in the stage is transferred through the seat and into my body. Whittington's first four starts at Indianapolis, from 1980 through 1983, came with his family-owned team. Bill Whittington, who started five times in the Indianapolis 500, died in a private plane crash. Sunday, May 29, 1983 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Speedway, IN. He was 71. Indianapolis Motor Speedway said early Friday that Unser died . The rest, such as brothers Rick and Roger Mears came from non-traditional routes such as off-road racing. Bill was released early from prison, in 1990. Al Unser, one of only four drivers to win the Indianapolis 500 a record four times, died Thursday following a long illness. The Whittington empire came crashing down in 1986 when federal authorities indicted Bill and Don on money laundering, tax evasion and drug smuggling charges. The Feds seized the Whittington brother's three Indy cars and a Porsche 935 and sold them at auction in 1989. Bill, Don and Dale Whittington were also the only brothers to ever qualify for the Indianapolis 500. Sadly, those fans who are in their early forties and older are the only ones that may remember this memorable time in Indy Car racing. All things related to the NTT IndyCar Series — the premier open-wheel racing series in the United States . He was a former Indy Car racer and also competed at Reno with his brother Don in various WWII aircraft including the Griffon powered P-51 "Precious Metal. It must have been a right old laugh. On race day, he found himself caught up in the infamous Kevin Cogan crash. Today the pair is starring in an only-in- South Florida tale of intrigue, crime, and the CIA that arcs from the Indy 500 to Guantánamo Bay , with a cameo by Latin television star María Celeste Arrarás. Years Participated Best Finish Number of Total Starts Birthplace Team Driver % Correct; 1958-1992: 1st (1961, 1964, 1967, 1977) 35: Houston, Texas: AJ Foyt The Whittington saga is one of the. Don Whittington finished sixth that year. Lanier, the 1986 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year, was having the best run of his 18-race IndyCar career during the Michigan 500 at Michigan International Speedway after qualifying fifth. The Foundation refused to return the car because it says the car was a donation in kind from Whittington and his brother. He was 71. He was 71. I only learned about the nefarious hi-jinx of the Whittington brothers upon penning the story Ganassi drives Indy, in which Dale was a fellow rookie driver and apparently another "One Hit Wonder," as Dale would make only one dubious start at Indianapolis in 1982, when the Whittington Brothers made history by being the only trio of brothers . Whittington's first four starts at Indianapolis, from 1980 through 1983, came with his family-owned team. During a racing career that began with marijuana-smuggling money and later ran . Whittington is the only three brothers along with brothers Don and Dale to qualify for the same Indianapolis 500. But his best career result came in his final start, in 1985, when he placed 14th . The car's navigator yells, "Forty, left five minus over crest opens over 40, tightens four plus, into triple caution right four . Whittington's first four starts at Indianapolis, from 1980 through 1983, came with his family-owned team. Former IMSA and IndyCar racer Bill Whittington was killed on Friday when an airplane he was piloting crashed in the Arizona desert. Don Whittington. Photo Credit Indianapolis Motor Speedway. April 26, 2021 | By Indianapolis Motor Speedway. There's that saying: If you remember the 80s, you weren't there. In 1986, Don Whittington pleaded guilty to money laundering charges in association with his brother Bill's guilty plea to income tax evasion and conspiracy to smuggle marijuana into the United States from Colombia. Bill Whittington (born 11 Sep 1949 Lubbock, Texas; died 23 Apr 2021 Winslow, Arizona). On race day, as the. Don Whittington received an 18-month prison sentence. I bought the three Indy cars and if I recall, Kevin Jeanette of Gunnar Racing had . Don and Bill Whittington raced in every Indy 500 from 1980 to 1985, mostly in cars they owned. fatal crash of Gordon Smiley during time trials. 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