Don Whittington
Encyclopedia
Reginald "Don" Whittington (born January 23, 1946) is a former American racing driver from Lubbock, Texas
who won the 1979 24 Hours of Le Mans
together with his brother Bill Whittington
and Klaus Ludwig
on a Porsche 935
, although Ludwig, a multiple winner at Le Mans and elsewhere, did most of the driving in the heavy rain. Don's brother Dale
also competed in open wheel racing.
Whittington also raced in five Indianapolis 500
's, with a best finish of sixth. He also made 10 NASCAR
Winston Cup starts in 1980 and 1981. He earned a top-ten in the sport in his debut at Riverside
. He also participated in the 1980 International Race of Champions
.
In 1979 the brothers purchased and operated the Road Atlanta
road-racing circuit (reportedly utilizing the secluded backstretch of the course as a landing strip for aircraft).
In 1984, Whittington co-owned, with Randy Lanier
and Marty Hinze, the Blue Thunder Racing Team.
The Whittington brothers also raced aircraft at the Reno National Championship Air Races, including the highly modified P-51D "Precious Metal", which set a qualifying record of 438.018 mph (195.812 m/s) in 1976. Between 1976 and 1995, they raced four different P-51 Mustangs (including a rare H model, and a Rolls-Royce Griffon powered P-51D), an F8F Bearcat, and a P-63 King Cobra. While they never scored a victory, Don in "Precious Metal" earned three podium finishes, and was top qualifier twice.
The brothers were heavily involved in the 1970s 'warbird' movement, and participated in preservation groups like the Confederate Air Force and Valiant Air Command. They restored numerous aircraft over the years, including an FG-1D Corsair, Spanish-built HA-1112/BF-109 variant, several P-51 Mustangs, and two B-17 Flying Fortresses (including a rare B-17 E model recovered in Bolivia).
In 2009, Whittington sued the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Foundation, over possession of the 1979 24 Hours of LeMans winning Porsche 935. The car was given to the Speedway's museum in the early 1980s. Whittington claimed it was a loan and wanted to reclaim possession. The Speedway maintained it was a donation. On April 13, 2010, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
sided with the museum and found the evidence pointed to the car being a donation.
Currently, Whittington owns World Jet, a charter and maintenance service at the Ft. Lauderdale Executive Airport.
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
who won the 1979 24 Hours of Le Mans
1979 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1979 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 47th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 9 and 10 1979.-Pre-race:Due to the construction of a new public road, the profile of Tetre Rouge had to be changed...
together with his brother Bill Whittington
Bill Whittington
Bill Whittington is an American racing driver from Lubbock, Texas who won the 1979 24 Hours of Le Mans together with his brother Don Whittington and Klaus Ludwig in a Porsche 935. The German professional Klaus Ludwig, multiple winner at Le Mans and elsewhere, did most of the driving in the heavy...
and Klaus Ludwig
Klaus Ludwig
Klaus Ludwig is a German race driver.- Biography :Unlike Hans-Joachim Stuck, Rolf Stommelen, Harald Ertl, Hans Heyer and Jochen Mass, he has never raced in single seaters...
on a Porsche 935
Porsche 935
The Porsche 935 was introduced in 1976, as the factory racing version of the Porsche 911 turbo prepared for FIA-Group 5 rules. It was an evolution of the Porsche Carrera RSR 2.1 turbo prototype which had scored 2nd overall in the 1974 24 Hours of Le Mans....
, although Ludwig, a multiple winner at Le Mans and elsewhere, did most of the driving in the heavy rain. Don's brother Dale
Dale Whittington
Dale Whittington , was an American racecar driver.Born in Orlando, Florida as the youngest of the three Whittington brothers...
also competed in open wheel racing.
Whittington also raced in five Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
's, with a best finish of sixth. He also made 10 NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
Winston Cup starts in 1980 and 1981. He earned a top-ten in the sport in his debut at Riverside
Riverside International Raceway
Riverside International Raceway was a race track or road course in Riverside, California. The track was in operation from September 22, 1957, to July 2, 1989...
. He also participated in the 1980 International Race of Champions
International Race of Champions
International Race of Champions, better known as IROC, was a North American auto racing competition, promoted as an equivalent of an American All-Star Game or The Masters...
.
In 1979 the brothers purchased and operated the Road Atlanta
Road Atlanta
Road Atlanta is a 2.54-mile road course located just north of Braselton, Georgia, USA. The facility is utilized for a wide variety of events, including professional and amateur sports car and motorcycle races, racing and driving schools, corporate programs and testing for motorsports teams...
road-racing circuit (reportedly utilizing the secluded backstretch of the course as a landing strip for aircraft).
In 1984, Whittington co-owned, with Randy Lanier
Randy Lanier
Randy Thomas Lanier is a former race car driver and convicted drug trafficker from the United States of America.-Personal life:...
and Marty Hinze, the Blue Thunder Racing Team.
The Whittington brothers also raced aircraft at the Reno National Championship Air Races, including the highly modified P-51D "Precious Metal", which set a qualifying record of 438.018 mph (195.812 m/s) in 1976. Between 1976 and 1995, they raced four different P-51 Mustangs (including a rare H model, and a Rolls-Royce Griffon powered P-51D), an F8F Bearcat, and a P-63 King Cobra. While they never scored a victory, Don in "Precious Metal" earned three podium finishes, and was top qualifier twice.
The brothers were heavily involved in the 1970s 'warbird' movement, and participated in preservation groups like the Confederate Air Force and Valiant Air Command. They restored numerous aircraft over the years, including an FG-1D Corsair, Spanish-built HA-1112/BF-109 variant, several P-51 Mustangs, and two B-17 Flying Fortresses (including a rare B-17 E model recovered in Bolivia).
In 2009, Whittington sued the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located in Speedway, Indiana in the United States, is the home of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race and the Brickyard 400....
Foundation, over possession of the 1979 24 Hours of LeMans winning Porsche 935. The car was given to the Speedway's museum in the early 1980s. Whittington claimed it was a loan and wanted to reclaim possession. The Speedway maintained it was a donation. On April 13, 2010, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the courts in the following districts:* Central District of Illinois* Northern District of Illinois...
sided with the museum and found the evidence pointed to the car being a donation.
Currently, Whittington owns World Jet, a charter and maintenance service at the Ft. Lauderdale Executive Airport.
Indy 500 results
| Year | Chassis | Engine | Start | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 1980 Indianapolis 500 Results of the 1980 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Sunday, May 25, 1980.-Recap:After failing in its 1979 debut, Jim Hall's radically new Chaparral chassis is driven to easy victory by Johnny Rutherford. Tom Sneva becomes the first driver to place second after starting last. He also... |
Penske Penske Racing Penske Racing is a racing team that competes in the IndyCar Series and NASCAR. They also previously competed in road racing, and Formula One. Penske Racing is a division of Penske Corporation, and is owned and chaired by Roger Penske... |
Cosworth Cosworth Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries... |
18th | 13th |
| 1981 1981 Indianapolis 500 The 65th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 24, 1981. A hectic month of May was interrupted several times by rain. Bobby Unser took the checkered flag as the winner, with Mario Andretti second... |
March March Engineering March Engineering was a Formula One constructor and manufacturer of customer racing cars from the United Kingdom. Although only moderately successful in Grand Prix competition, March racing cars enjoyed much better achievement in other categories of competition including Formula Two, Formula Three,... |
Cosworth Cosworth Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries... |
26th | 31st |
| 1982 1982 Indianapolis 500 The 66th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 30, 1982. Gordon Johncock, who had previously won the rain-shortened 1973 race, was the winner... |
March March Engineering March Engineering was a Formula One constructor and manufacturer of customer racing cars from the United Kingdom. Although only moderately successful in Grand Prix competition, March racing cars enjoyed much better achievement in other categories of competition including Formula Two, Formula Three,... |
Cosworth Cosworth Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries... |
8th | 6th |
| 1983 1983 Indianapolis 500 Results of the 1983 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Sunday, May 29, 1983.-Recap:Three-time runner up Tom Sneva is stuck behind the lapped car of Al Unser, Jr., who is helping protect the lead of his father Al Unser despite being shown the blue "move-over" flag... |
March March Engineering March Engineering was a Formula One constructor and manufacturer of customer racing cars from the United Kingdom. Although only moderately successful in Grand Prix competition, March racing cars enjoyed much better achievement in other categories of competition including Formula Two, Formula Three,... |
Cosworth Cosworth Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries... |
27th | 27th |
| 1985 1985 Indianapolis 500 The 69th Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis, United States on Sunday, May 26, 1985. Due to a dramatic spin by eventual race winner Danny Sullivan, the race is known in auto racing lore as the "Spin and Win".-Recap:... |
March March Engineering March Engineering was a Formula One constructor and manufacturer of customer racing cars from the United Kingdom. Although only moderately successful in Grand Prix competition, March racing cars enjoyed much better achievement in other categories of competition including Formula Two, Formula Three,... |
Cosworth Cosworth Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries... |
6th | 24th |