Notes:
Born in Greenville, Indiana, Bruce Jacobi was the son of Fred and Helen (Smedley) Jacobi. By 1940, the family had moved to Salem, also in Indiana, where the father worked in a limestone quarry. Bruce became interested in racing when he was young, likely due to the presence of Salem Speedway just a few miles away, which opened while he was young. He started racing at age 18, concentrating on open wheelers.

Jacobi was a stalwart in USAC-sanctioned categories for many seasons, racing everything from midgets to Indy cars. He passed his rookie test at Indy in 1962; he scored a good time in qualifying, but was then bumped from the field. Jacobi returned to the Brickyard the following year, but wrecked his car in practice. He continued to compete in the USAC championship car series through 1970, but never qualified for the Indy 500.

Jacobi, who was a carpenter, raced only part-time. He lived in Speedway, IN, with his wife YaDa, who was a one-time sports car driver herself. In 1975 he joined the NASCAR Grand National series and fought for the Rookie-of-the-Year title. He ran in 15 races that year and three in 1976 before stepping away from the series. Somewhat surprisingly, seven years later, in 1983, he decided to have a go at the Grand National once again. Jacobi travelled to Daytona to take part in the Twin 125 races - who were qualifying events for the Daytona 500 to be held a few days later. He arrived to Florida without a ride, but on the eve of the first Twin 125 was able to put together a deal with Bob Maezell and drive a Pontiac Grand Prix.

During that race, on Thursday, 17 February, Jacobi lost control of the Pontiac at the exit of Turn 2 and flipped end-over-end upon entering the backstretch grass infield, eventually coming to a stop near the inside dirt bank. It is speculated that his roll cage failed during the crash, causing Jacobi extensive head injuries. Unconscious, he was transported to Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach, Florida. Jacobi's condition was considered critical and, in a coma, he was transferred to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis to be near his family. Sometime later he was placed in a nursing home.

Jacobi never regained consciousness and required almost 24-hour care. A registered nurse, YaDa took the responsibility of caring for her injured husband. She received a USAC "Woman Behind The Scene" award in January 1985 for her loving work. In spite of her best efforts, Bruce Jacobi passed away at the Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis on 04 February 1987, nearly four years after the accident. He was fifty-one years old.

Jacobi was survived by YaDa and their sons Mark and Alan Rice and daughter, Susan Potter, his parents, his brother Leon Jacobi and four grandchildren. He is interred in Crown Hill Cemetery in Salem, Indiana.

• United States Federal Census Records, Year: 1940; Census Place: Washington, Washington, Indiana; Roll: T627_1107; Page: 6B; Enumeration District: 88-24.
• Indiana, U.S., Birth Certificates, 1907-1944.
• Indiana, U.S., Death Certificates, 1899-2017.
• Book "Forty Years of Stock Car Racing - Volume 4", by Greg Fielden, page 655.
• Magazine Rombo, issue 21 February 1983.
• Magazine Open Wheel, issue of June 1987.
• Newspaper Evening Independent (St. Petersburg, FL, United States), issue of Friday, 18 February 1983, page 4-C, article "The ultimate penalty looms over the qualifying races", by Gary Long [E1].
• Newspaper Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, NC, United States), issue of Saturday, 19 February 1983, page 3D, article "Driver Jacobi is critical", by Associated Press wire story [E1].
• Newspaper Augusta Chronicle (Augusta, GA, United States) issue of Wednesday, 23 February 1983, page 12A, article "Frustration marked career of parttime racer Jacobi", United Press International wire story.
• Newspaper Gainesville Sun (Gainesville, FL, United States), issue of Saturday, 09 April 1983, page 1D, article "Bruce Jacobi, ...", by Norm Froscher [E1].
• Newspaper Daytona Beach Evening News (Daytona Beach, FL, United States), issue of Wednesday, 15 February 1984, page 6D, article "Badly Injured Drivers' Conditions Unchanged. Bruce Jacobi Nearly Dies Of Pneumonia", by Lydia Hinshaw [E1].
• Newspaper Daytona Beach Morning Journal (Daytona Beach, FL, United States), issue of Wednesday, 04 July 1984, page 4B, article "Jacobi Draws Strength From His Wife, YaDa", by Lydia Hinshaw [E1].
• Newspaper Daytona Beach Morning Journal (Daytona Beach, FL, United States), issue of Tuesday, 02 July 1985, page 4C, article "'I Hope God . . . Calls Him To Heaven'" by Lydia Hinshaw [the article title refers to Don Williams, who the article is also about][E1].
• Newspaper The Indianapolis Star (Indianapolis, IN, United States), issue of Wednesday, 04 February 1987, page 42, article "Race car driver Bruce Jacobi succumbs at 52".
• The Wilson Howard Davis Archives.
• Website YouTube, page http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilTj5hITcHE .
• Website Atlas F1, bulletin boards, "The Nostalgia Forum", thread "Speed's Ultimate Price: The Toll", page 36, posting by "Jim Thurman", message http://forums.autosport.com/index.php?showtopic=9705&view=findpost&p=1598961.
• Website AUTOSPORT → Forums → The Nostalgia Forum, thread "Speed's Ultimate Price: The Toll", page 27, posting by "ReWind", message http://forums.autosport.com/index.php?showtopic=9705&view=findpost&p=1472063 .
• Website Find-A-Grave: Bruce Jacobi.
• Website ChampCarStats.com, page http://www.champcarstats.com/drivers/JacobiBruce.htm .
• E-mail by Reinhard Windeler, dated 24 December 2004.
• E-mail by Chris Sampang, dated 19 July 2004.
• E-mail by Jim Michels, dated 16 January 2006.
• E-mail by Rick Patterson, dated 16 October 2006.
• E-mail by Eman, dated 28 January 2014, citing [E1].
• E-mail by Eman, dated 06 June 2014.
• E-mail by Eman, dated 18 June 2014.