Tony Bettenhausen
1916-1961
Motorsports Hall of Fame Biography
Tony
Bettenhausen's Record in the Indianapolis 500
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That (First) Championship Season
Bettenhausen leads Cliff Griffith on the way to victory in the June 10, 1951, hundred-miler at Milwaukee.
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Two Ways to Win a
Championship
Bettenhausen won the national
championship twice.
In 1951, driving the great
Belanger Special No. 99, he totally dominated the season,
winning 8 of 15 championship events.
In 1958, driving three different
cars, he won the championship without winning a single race.
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Goshen, N.Y., Oct. 6, 1946. Bettenhausen
wins his first of 21 championship-race victories
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Tony Bettenhausen 's Record in all championship races
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From "Speedway Photos"
by Bob Sheldon
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Early in his career, Bettenhausen
carried the nickname "Flip." Here's an example of
why. Photo taken at the 124th Field Division Armory in Chicago,
1938.
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From "Speedway
Photos" by Bob Sheldon
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Bettenhausen in a midget, Raceway
Park, Blue Island, Ill., 1941.
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Another midget. Date and location
unknown. Ideas?
Tom Avenego writes: The midget (#64)
was owned by Buck Wheeler. He came from Goshen, NY. Can only
figure that the photo was taken in
either '46 or '47, and had to be at some speedway herein the
northeast.
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Soldier Field, Chicago, 1947. Tuffy's Offy.
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From "That
Magic Mile" by Thomas Nasti
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| Bettenhausen after winning the Ted
Horn Memorial race at DuQuoin, Ill., Sept. 3, 1949. The trophy
was presented by Jane Hayes, whose grandfather, William R.
Hayes, established the DuQuoin fair. |
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From "The
Fabulous Fifties" by Dick Wallen
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Milwaukee, June 10, 1951. On his way
to victory in the 100-miler, the first of eight wins that
season that gave him the national championship. Below, Tony's
son Gary drove the same car at Indianapolis on May 27, 2001
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motorsport.com
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Indianapolis, 1957, in the mighty
Novi. Started 22nd, finished 15th.
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Bettenhausen wins a 100-miler for midgets, Milwaukee, Aug. 23, 1958
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Tony Bettenhausen at Indianapolis, 1959, with mechanic Tiny Worley.
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