Indy legend Gary Bettenhausen dies at 72

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Sad new : http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2014 ... -dirt-cars

I was nearly 10 when I read my first race reports about the 500 mile races in 1971 in French, German and Italian. One of my favorite driver was Gary Bettenhausen as he almost won the race in 1972 with the #7 Sunoco McLaren M-16B here seen at Milwaukee. Great remembering.



My father, born in 1931 saw the fastest race in the world at the time in Monza in 1957. Gary's father Tony Bettenhausen was the fastest with the Novi but Jimmy Bryan won that race impressively witch the Belong Special.



So the Bettenhausen Family spun 60 years of racing and were familiar both to my father and me. Thank You Merle and R.I.P. Tony Sr, Tony Jr and now Gary...

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMuwi7r1Gn4

Robin's tribute to Gary B.

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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPonDdJ3pmM[/youtube]


One of the most successful Wildcats of them all was this 1976-type Wildcat II. Wally Dallenbach finished 4th with it in both 1976 and 1977. From 1978 on it was a Sherman Armstrong entry. Tom Bigalow finished 21st in 1978, Howdy Holmes 7th in 1979. Finally in 1980, Gary Bettenhausen was the slowest qualifier in 1980, yet finished third on the last-ever occasion that an Offy completed the full 500 miles. Definitely one of the most illustrious of all Wildcats ever built.

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Bummer...I had met Gary a few times and he was a very obliging wonderful guy. so sorry RIP