Prolific crew chief Jack French passed away Wednesday, March 20, 2019, at home following a lengthy illness.  He was 75 years old.

French, of Waynetown, Ind., was a 1961 graduate of Hillsboro High School.  After working for 39 years as a journeyman at RR Donnelly & Sons, he retired to pursue his interest in racing where he thrived.

He was active in USAC racing for many years, winning several feature events with some of the best drivers in the business.  As a car owner, he won the “Little 500” Sprint Car race at Anderson (Ind.) Speedway six times with driver Eric Gordon, first in 1998, before reeling off five-straight victories in the 500-lap race between 2001 and 2005.  He was inducted into the Little 500 Hall of Fame in 2004.

French worked with a vast number of racers as a chief mechanic, and his technical knowledge ranked him among the most accomplished people in sprint car racing.  Among the drivers he worked with over the years include Gordon, Dave Steele, Jacob Wilson, Troy DeCaire, Ryan Litt, A.J. Fike, Aaron Fike, Sondi Eden, Butch Wilkerson, Jonathan Vennard, Jarett Andretti, Donny Schatz and Chris Windom, just to name a few.