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1942, and 1947. In October 1950, he was involved in a race in Sacramento, |
California, when his car locked wheels with another racer's car, causing a |
crash through the guard rail, resulting in fatal injuries to spectator Peter |
Bernard Stuberak, and injuries to two other spectators. [4] He won the 1959 |
Turkey Night Grand Prix , and the Hut Hundred in 1955 and 1956. Championship |
car career [ edit ] He drove in the AAA and USAC Championship Car series, |
racing in the 1941 and 1946-1961 seasons with 121 starts, including 14 in the |
Indianapolis 500 . He finished in the top ten 74 times, with 21 victories. He |
won the National Championship in 1951 after recording eight victories and two |
second-place finishes in fourteen events. He announced his retirement from all |
racing but the Indianapolis 500 after the season. [2] He decided to return |
full-time for the 1954 season. He was involved in a midget car wreck in |
Chicago, suffering head injuries after striking a concrete wall. He was in |
critical condition for several days. [2] He prearranged to co-drive with |
Chicago Gang friend Paul Russo in the 1955 Indianapolis 500 . They finished |
second. [3] In 1958 he became the first driver to win the national |
championship without a win. [2] He was assured the title with a second-place |
finish at Phoenix. He finished second in the national championship to Rodger |
Ward in 1959. World Drivers' Championship career [ edit ] The AAA / USAC |
-sanctioned Indianapolis 500 was included in the FIA World Drivers' |
Championship from 1950 through 1960. Drivers competing at Indianapolis during |
those years were credited with World Drivers' Championship points and |
participation in addition to those which they received towards the AAA / USAC |
National Championship . Bettenhausen participated in all 11 Indianapolis 500s |
included on the World Drivers' Championship calendar from 1950 through 1960. |
He finished in the top three once, recorded one fastest lap, and accumulated |
11 World Drivers' Championship points. Death [ edit ] Bettenhausen was killed |
in a May 12, 1961 crash at Indianapolis while testing a Stearly Motor Freight |
Special vehicle for Paul Russo . The car smashed into the outside wall of the |
track and then rolled 325 feet (99 m) along the barrier. The car came to rest |
in a grassy plot between the wall and Grandstand A, with the tail of the car |
on fire. Results showed the accident was caused by an anchor bolt which fell |
off the front radius rod support, allowing the front axle to twist and |
misalign the front wheels when the brakes were applied, which drove the car |
into the wall. Bettenhausen died instantly. [5] Personal life and family [ |
edit ] Bettenhausen was the father of Gary Bettenhausen , Tony Bettenhausen |
Jr. and Merle Bettenhausen . Gary Bettenhausen and Tony Bettenhausen Jr. both |
raced in the Indianapolis 500 numerous times. Merle Bettenhausen is his sole |
surviving son as of 2021. Awards and honors [ edit ] Bettenhausen has been |
inducted into the following halls of fame: Auto Racing Hall of Fame (1968) [6] |
National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame (1985) [1] International Motorsports |
Hall of Fame (1991) [7] Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (1997) [8] |
National Sprint Car Hall of Fame (2008) [9] United States Auto Club (USAC) |
Hall of Fame (2013) [10] Motorsports career results [ edit ] AAA/USAC |
Championship Car results [ edit ] Year 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Pos |
Points 1946 INDY 20 LAN DNP ATL ISF 5 MIL 9 GOS 1 14th 340 1947 INDY 18 MIL 15 |
LAN 10 ATL DNQ BAI 4 MIL 11 GOS 1 MIL 4 PIK SPR 1 ARL 10 6th 686.8 1948 ARL |
INDY 14 MIL 15 LAN 15 MIL 6 SPR 6 MIL 20 DUQ 10 ATL PIK SPR DUQ 15th 324 1949 |
ARL INDY DNQ MIL DNQ TRE SPR 18 MIL 15 DUQ 1 PIK SYR 9 DET 1 SPR 9 LAN SAC DNQ |
DMR 16 12th 466 1950 INDY 31 MIL 1 LAN 14 SPR 11 MIL 18 PIK SYR 12 DET 10 SPR |
1 SAC 17 PHX 2 BAY 1 DAR 20 5th 1,027.5 1951 INDY 9 MIL 1 LAN 1 DAR 2 SPR 1 |
MIL 10 DUQ 1 DUQ 1 PIK SYR 1 DET 4 DNC 1 SJS 1 PHX 13 BAY 2 1st 2,556 1952 |
INDY 24 MIL DNQ RAL SPR MIL DET DUQ PIK SYR DNC SJS PHX \- 0 1953 INDY 9 MIL |
SPR DET SPR MIL DNS DUQ 18 PIK SYR 1 ISF 6 SAC PHX 1 10th 596 1954 INDY 29 MIL |
DNQ LAN DAR SPR MIL DUQ PIK SYR ISF SAC PHX 16 LVG 17 \- 0 1955 INDY 2 MIL DNQ |
LAN SPR DNQ MIL 2 DUQ DNQ PIK SYR Wth ISF 4 SAC PHX 9 4th 1,060 1956 INDY 22 |
MIL LAN DAR ATL SPR DNS MIL DNS DUQ 8 SYR 1 ISF 18 SAC 14 PHX 9 24th 290 1957 |
INDY 15 LAN MIL DNQ DET ATL SPR MIL 21 DUQ 15 SYR DNQ ISF 11 TRE 7 SAC 18 PHX |
29th 80 1958 TRE 2 INDY 4 MIL 2 LAN 5 ATL 18 SPR 12 MIL 25 DUQ 2 SYR 3 ISF 5 |
TRE 3 SAC 5 PHX 2 1st 1,830 1959 DAY 18 TRE 1 INDY 4 MIL 17 LAN 17 SPR 17 MIL |
16 DUQ 3 SYR 6 ISF 15 TRE 2 SAC 1 PHX 8 2nd 1,430 1960 TRE 2 INDY 23 MIL 4 LAN |
DNQ SPR 15 MIL 14 DUQ 2 SYR 2 ISF 2 TRE 6 SAC 5 PHX 16 5th 940 1961 TRE 19 |
INDY DNQ MIL LAN MIL SPR DUQ SYR ISF TRE SAC PHX \- 0 1946 table only includes |
results of the six races run to "championship car" specifications. Points |
total includes the 71 races run to "big car" specifications. [11] [12] |
Indianapolis 500 results [ edit ] Year Car Start Qual Rank Finish Laps Led |
Retired 1946 42 26 123.094 13 20 47 0 Rod 1947 29 25 120.980 17 18 79 0 Timing |
gear 1948 6 22 126.396 10 14 167 0 Clutch 1950 14 8 130.947 16 31 30 0 Wheel |
bearing 1951 5 9 131.950 30 9 178 0 Spun T4 1952 27 30 135.384 17 24 93 0 |
Stalled 1953 98 6 136.024 20 9 196 0 Crash T3 1954 10 21 138.275 19 29 105 0 |
Bearing 1955 10 2 139.985 13 2nd 200 0 Running 1956 99 5 144.602 5 22 160 0 |
Crash T1 1957 27 22 142.439 9 15 195 0 Flagged 1958 33 9 143.919 10 4 200 24 |
Running 1959 1 15 142.721 18 4 200 0 Running 1960 2 18 145.214 9 23 125 0 Rod |
Totals 1975 24 Starts 14 Poles 0 Front Row 1 Wins 0 Top 5 3 Top 10 5 Retired |
10 FIA World Drivers' Championship results [ edit ] ( key ) (Races in italics |
indicate fastest lap) Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 WDC |
Points 1950 Blue Crown Spark Plug / Moore Kurtis Kraft 2000 Offenhauser L4 GBR |
MON 500 5 † SUI BEL FRA ITA 21st = 1 1951 Mobiloil / Rotary Engineering Deidt |
Tuffanelli Derrico Offenhauser L4 SUI 500 9 BEL FRA GBR GER ITA ESP NC 0 1952 |
Blue Crown Spark Plug / Earl Slick Deidt Tuffanelli Derrico Offenhauser L4 SUI |
500 24 BEL FRA GBR GER NED ITA NC 0 1953 J.C. Agajanian Kuzma Offenhauser L4 |
ARG 500 9 * NED BEL FRA GBR GER SUI ITA NC 0 1954 Automobile Shippers / |
Casaroll Kurtis Kraft 4000 Offenhauser L4 ARG 500 15 ‡ BEL FRA GBR GER SUI ITA |
ESP NC 0 1955 H.A. Chapman Kurtis Kraft 500C Offenhauser L4 ARG MON 500 2 џ |
BEL NED GBR ITA 13th = 3 1956 Belanger Motors Kurtis Kraft 500C Offenhauser L4 |
ARG MON 500 22 BEL FRA GBR GER ITA NC 0 1957 Novi Racing Kurtis Kraft 500F |
Novi V8 ARG MON 500 15 FRA GBR GER PES ITA NC 0 1958 Jones & Maley Cars |
Epperly Indy Roadster Offenhauser L4 ARG MON NED 500 4 BEL FRA GBR GER POR ITA |
MOR 17th 4 1959 Hoover Motor Express Epperly Indy Roadster Offenhauser L4 MON |
500 4 NED FRA GBR GER POR ITA USA 16th 3 1960 Lindsey Hopkins Watson Indy |
Roadster Offenhauser L4 ARG MON 500 23 NED BEL FRA GBR POR ITA USA NC 0 † |
Indicates shared drive with Joie Chitwood after retiring his own car. * |
Indicates shared drive with Chuck Stevenson and Gene Hartley . ‡ Indicates |
shared drive with Duane Carter , Marshall Teague and Jimmy Jackson after |
retiring his own car. џ Indicates shared drive with Paul Russo . References [ |
edit ] ^ a b "Biography at the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame" . |
Archived from the original on 27 September 2007 . Retrieved 4 March 2016 . ^ a |
b c d "Tony Bettenhausen biography at the International Motorsport Hall of |
Fame" . Archived from the original on 1 May 2012 . Retrieved 4 March 2016 . ^ |
a b "Biography for Paul Russo at the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame" |
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