Gary Bettenhausen remembered by Robin Miller (Update)
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| Gary Bettenhausen qualified the Sunoco McLaren of Roger Penske at the 1972 Indy 500 |
A statement from Indianapolis Motor Speedway President J. Douglas Boles about the death of driver Gary Bettenhausen:
"Gary Bettenhausen was the perfect definition of a race car driver of his time. He raced successfully in many types of cars, on every type of track, and he possessed a work ethic that earned him rides based on his ability and his competitive nature. Gary will best be remembered by Indianapolis Motor Speedway fans for the manner in which he carried the Bettenhausen family's passion for the Indianapolis 500 and how he drove every lap at the limit when he was competing at IMS. Our thoughts and prayers are with Gary's wife, his family, and his friends."
Bettenhausen, 72, competed in twenty-one Indianapolis 500s between 1968 and1993. His best finished was 3rd in 1980. Bettenhausen led 138 laps during the 1972 Indianapolis 500 and was the fastest qualifier for the 1991 Indianapolis 500.
03/17/14 If he hadn't been so hard-headed he might have won the Indianapolis 500 three or four times. But, if he hadn't been so determined, so stubborn, so original, so maddening and so sure of himself, he wouldn't have been such a treasure.
Or such a success.
As it was, Gary Bettenhausen, who died suddenly Sunday evening at the age of 72, made himself a winning race driver, a champion and a pillar of perseverance.
"I didn't always agree with everything he did, but I never doubted he could do it," said Merle Bettenhausen of his older brother. "Nobody ever had more determination than Gary."
It's not an exaggeration to say the oldest of Melvin "Tony" Bettenhausen's three sons made himself a race driver. He didn't have the natural talent of his pal, Bill Vukovich, or a father figure to help chart his course like the Unsers.
All he had was desire and grit, yet he parlayed those into a hell of a career that netted 82 USAC wins and four championships in five divisions.
Not sure what caused his death, but he went to sleep in the basement on Sunday afternoon and never woke up when his wife, Wavelyn, called him for dinner.
We'll all have our favorite memories of this old school original but I'll choose this image: It's 1983 and he's just won the dirt race at Springfield, Ill. – the Tony Bettenhausen Classic. It's 94 degrees and, after 100 laps, Gary is exhausted. Somebody takes off his open-face helmet, his left arm dangles at his side and he immediately stuffs a cigarette in his mouth using his good hand. Then he finally breaks into a smile.
He's done it his way. Again. Full story at Racer.com