Don Edmunds (September 23, 1930 – August 11, 2020) was far more than a talented racing driver. Equally respected as a designer, fabricator and car builder, he left a lasting mark on American motorsport on the track and with the machines he created behind the scenes.
Driver Bio
| Nationality | American |
| Birthplace | Santa Ana, California, USA |
| Born | 23 September 1930 |
| Died | 11 August 2020 |
| First Grand Prix | 1957 Indianapolis 500 |
| Last Grand Prix | 1959 Indianapolis 500 |
| Current/Last Team | Kurtis Kraft |
Edmunds’ engineering talent became clear early in his career when he redesigned the nose of his first Kurtis midget car, replacing the original factory styling with one of his own. His craftsmanship quickly caught the attention of leading Indy car constructor Eddie Kuzma, who hired him to repair Jimmy Bryan‘s race car after the frustrated driver famously kicked a dent into it.
His Indianapolis Motor Speedway debut came in 1957, when he competed in the Indianapolis 500 for the first time. Although he finished 19th, his performance earned him the prestigious Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year award, finishing ahead of fellow newcomers Bill Cheesbourg, Elmer George, Mike Magill and Eddie Sachs. His time as an Indy driver was cut short the following year after a serious practice accident at the Speedway ended his Indianapolis career.
Away from the cockpit, Edmunds enjoyed enormous success as a constructor. He founded Autoresearch, Inc. in Anaheim, California, where he specialised in designing and building midget and sprint cars. He also produced the blueprints and carried out much of the fabrication work for the original Bill Thomas Cheetah prototype sports car. The chassis built by Edmunds went on to capture several National Midget Championships during the late 1960s and early 1970s, while in the 1970s he became one of the most prolific builders of Formula Super Vee cars. Later in life, he devoted much of his time to collecting and restoring historic racing machinery, helping to preserve an important part of motorsport history.
Edmunds’ engineering expertise even extended beyond conventional racing. He was responsible for building Evel Knievel’s ambitious Snake River Canyon Skycycle, one of the most famous stunt vehicles ever constructed.
Career awards
Edmunds’ contributions to American motorsport were recognised with induction into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1991. Three years later, in 1994, he was also inducted into the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame.
Grand Prix Stats
| Race Entries | 2 |
| Race Starts | 1 |
| Did Not Start | 1 |
| Best Race Start | 27th |
| Best Race Finish | 19th |
| Retirements | – |
| First-Lap Retirements | 0 |
| Not Classified | – |
| Disqualified | 0 |
| Did Not Qualify | 2 |
Qualifying
| Qualifying Sessions | – |
| Reached Q3 | – |
| Q2 Eliminations | – |
| Q1 Eliminations | – |
| Did Not Qualify | 1 |
Stats by Season
| Year | Constructor | Entries | Starts | Wins | Podiums | Poles | Fastest Laps | Front Rows | DNF | Best Start | Best Result | Pts Finishes | Points | Championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | Kurtis Kraft | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 27 | 19 | 0 | 0 | NC |
Stats by Constructor
| Constructor | Years | Entries | Starts | Wins | Podiums | Poles | Fastest Laps | Front Rows | DNF | Best Start | Best Result | Pts Finishes | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kurtis Kraft | 1957 | – | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | – | – | 0 | 0 |
