Eddie Sachs: The Fifth Beatle
It was 50 years ago that the Beatles came to America and 50 years ago this May that Eddie Sachs played the “Fifth Beatle” on pit road at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Known as the “Clown Prince of Racing,” Sachs would do just about anything to entertain the fans. If that meant donning a wig and a guitar – so be it. It wasn’t a Beatle wig and Sachs’s attempt at “She Loves You” featured mostly off-key “yeah, yeah, yeahs,” but the crowd loved it.
Sachs’s antics sometimes rubbed other drivers and officials the wrong way. But he was a fan favorite. He was quick with a quip, gregarious and outgoing. His often self-deprecating humor endeared him to fans. He marched with bands performing at the track and once rolled a tire that had come loose from his car more than a mile back to the pits, to the delight of the crowd.
Unlike many of today’s drivers, Sachs went out of his way to spend time with the fans and they loved him for it. When he was killed in an accident during the running of the ’64 Indy 500, there was absolute silence when his death was announced over the track public address system. Many fans openly wept. His son, Eddie Sachs III, who was two at the time of his dad’s death, is often approached by fans who fondly recall meeting his father.
The Beatles themselves finally made it to Indianapolis in September of ’64, playing two sold out shows at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. While in town they stayed at the Speedway Motel and took a ride about the track in a Cadillac.
“It was fantastic,” said George Harrison, who would become a race fan in his later years. “I couldn't believe how long the straightway was. And to be on the banking and see all the grandstands was great.”
Known as the “Clown Prince of Racing,” Sachs would do just about anything to entertain the fans. If that meant donning a wig and a guitar – so be it. It wasn’t a Beatle wig and Sachs’s attempt at “She Loves You” featured mostly off-key “yeah, yeah, yeahs,” but the crowd loved it.
Sachs’s antics sometimes rubbed other drivers and officials the wrong way. But he was a fan favorite. He was quick with a quip, gregarious and outgoing. His often self-deprecating humor endeared him to fans. He marched with bands performing at the track and once rolled a tire that had come loose from his car more than a mile back to the pits, to the delight of the crowd.
Unlike many of today’s drivers, Sachs went out of his way to spend time with the fans and they loved him for it. When he was killed in an accident during the running of the ’64 Indy 500, there was absolute silence when his death was announced over the track public address system. Many fans openly wept. His son, Eddie Sachs III, who was two at the time of his dad’s death, is often approached by fans who fondly recall meeting his father.
The Beatles themselves finally made it to Indianapolis in September of ’64, playing two sold out shows at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. While in town they stayed at the Speedway Motel and took a ride about the track in a Cadillac.
“It was fantastic,” said George Harrison, who would become a race fan in his later years. “I couldn't believe how long the straightway was. And to be on the banking and see all the grandstands was great.”
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