Dale Whittington was an American racecar driver.

Born in Orlando, Florida

Orlando, Florida

Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...

 as the youngest of the three Whittington brothers. All three are sons of Dick Whittington, '50's race car owner.

Despite having little oval experience, Whittington raced in the 1982 Indianapolis 500

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...

, joining his brothers Bill

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 Don

Don Whittington

Reginald "Don" Whittington 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...

 to become the only trio of siblings to qualify for the same race at Indy where he qualified 23rd, on the eighth row. During the final pace lap, just before the green flag dropped , Kevin Cogan

Kevin Cogan

Kevin Cogan is a former racecar driver who drove in Formula One from to . Driving a RAM Williams in the 1980 Canadian Grand Prix, he failed to qualify, suffering the same result driving for Tyrrell at the 1981 US GP West...

 struck Mario Andretti

Mario Andretti

Mario Gabriele Andretti is a retired Italian American world champion racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport. He is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR...

. As the field slowed to avoid the carnage, Whittington locked his brakes and spun into Roger Mears

Roger Mears

Roger Mears , is a former off-road driver who also drove in the USAC and CART Championship Car series. He raced in the 1978-1984 seasons, with 31 combined career starts, and started in the 1982 and 1983 Indianapolis 500...

, a sixth row starter. All four drivers were eliminated from the race. driverID=2036&AlphaIndex=W HistoricRacing.com: Bill Whittington profile]. After that, Whittington transitioned to endurance racing, competing in the ALMS

American Le Mans Series

The American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón is a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada. It consists of a series of endurance and sprint races, and was created in the spirit of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Teams compete in one of five classes: LMP1, LMP2 and LMPC...

 series, as well as competing at the 24 Hours of Daytona

24 Hours of Daytona

The 24 Hours of Daytona, currently known as the Rolex 24 Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is run on a combined road course, utilizing portions of the NASCAR tri-oval and an infield...

 in 1999 and 2000 and in Grand-Am in 2001 often racing with his brother, Don.

During his final years Dale was working at World Jet owned by his brother Don Whittington at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport

Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport

Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport is a general aviation airport located within the city limits of Fort Lauderdale, in Broward County, Florida, United States, five miles north of downtown Fort Lauderdale...

(FXE). His death came on June 14, 2003.