David Earl "Swede" Savage Jr. (August 26, 1946 - July 2, 1973) was a driver from the United States. Most of his career was spent driving in USAC and TransAm events in North America, but he did enter the non-championship 1971 Questor Grand Prix in a Formula 5000 McLaren. In that race, his throttle stuck open, causing a hard impact with a concrete wall. Savage suffered a severe head injury, but returned to racing the following season.
Savage was driving in the 1973 Indianapolis 500 when he lost control on a patch of oil, and had a huge accident when the car hit the wall almost head-on. Despite being engulfed in flames for a few seconds, Savage was conscious and joking with medical personnel on the way to the hospital. But 41⁄2 weeks later, Savage succumbed to complications of Hepatitis B (from a tainted transfusion) and lung failure (from breathing methanol fumes after the accident).
Formula One Statistical Overview[]
Formula One Records[]
Year | Entreat | Team | WDC Points | WDC Pos. | Report |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1971 | Junor-Tarozzi Engineering | Eagle-Plymouth | Non-championship entry |
- Italics only donate non-championship entreats.