McDonald, who worked for Studebaker, built and designed his own car with others, which was the Romthe, for his Indianapolis 500 attempt. MacDonald shouldn't have driven at all, but fellow driver Luther Johnson chose to drove a different car late on. Romthe was made of the initials of William Richards (MacDonald's riding mechanic), George Onishi, MacDonald, Joseph Tate and Ernest Huntley. J.C. is actually John Charles MacDonald, who was born in Canada and moved to the United States in 1926, but was still a Canadian citizen whilst racing. Of Scottish ancestry, he was driving vehicles (cars, trucks etc.) in the South Bend, Indiana region, where he was based for his Indianapolis 500 attempt.

Biography last updated 9 Apr 2024