Dave Mac Donald - Noteworthy

Noteworthy

• In 1962 Zora Arkus-Duntov selected Dave MacDonald and Dick Thompson to test-drive the new 1963 Corvette Stingray at the General Motors Proving Grounds in Milford Michigan. GM used footage of the two drivers performing an all out assault on the Milford road course, and speaking with Mr Duntov afterward, to create a promotional film entitled “Biography of a Sports Car”. The film was distributed around the globe as part of a marketing campaign promoting the new coupe.
• In 1963, the Helms Athletic Foundation named MacDonald "Athlete of the Month" for October. The award was first issued in 1936 and was given to the athlete who dominated his or her sport through outstanding performance. MacDonald was only the ninth auto racer to receive the prestigious honor and the first to receive it during the US football season.
• In 1964, MacDonald made a cameo appearance in Universal Pictures', The Lively Set. The movie starred James Darren, Pamela Tiffin and Doug McClure. MacDonald also performed racing scenes in the movie.
• In 2005, the Augusta International Raceway Preservation Society (AIRPS) posthumously honored MacDonald for his successes at the old track by naming a street after him. In conjunction with city officials and homebuilders, AIRPS dedicated the main road running through the new Diamond Lakes housing development as Dave MacDonald Drive. A portion of the community is built on land that was once the pit area and sections of the track. The speedway was constructed in 1963 but only three races were ever run — two USRRC events and one NASCAR. MacDonald competed in all three; finishing 1st in a King Cobra, 2nd in a Cobra Roadster and 2nd to teammate Fireball Roberts in NASCAR's Augusta 510.
• In 2010, the Riverside International Automotive Museum posthumously honored MacDonald as one of the "Legends of Riverside". Carroll Shelby, Richie Ginther and Phil Hill were also honored at this event.
• MacDonald distinguished himself as the man who drove each of the legendary Shelby Cobras — Cobra Roadster 260ci, Cobra Roadster 289ci, King Cobra, King Cobra-Lang Cooper and Daytona Cobra Coupe — to their first-ever victories.
• The MacDonald family actively participate in tributes to Dave, Carroll Shelby, and other motorsport-related activity.