When Gary Bettenhausen died suddenly on the 18th of March 2014, it saw the passing of a endearing Hoosier figure that came to represent much of what we as motor racing fans look for when it comes to this sport; an easy-going and likable figure who made up for his lack of natural talent on the track with sheer grit and determination away from it, and whilst he was never able to win at Indianapolis throughout his 21 appearances at the Brickyard his battling qualities through adversity and family tragedy made him a devout fan favourite come Memorial Day weekend.

Born on the 18th of November 1941, Gary Bettenhausen was almost destined for a career in motor racing. His father Tony Bettenhausen had been a dominant star in the world of Indy car racing throughout the 1950’s, and along with Gary and his younger siblings Merle and Tony Jr would combine to give the Bettehausen family 46 500 appearances between 1946 and 1993. After running stock car races to little fanfare during the early 1960s, Bettenhausen first broke into the racing spotlight when he competed in USAC midget cars in 1968, instantly becoming a force in the series at the wheel of a machine owned by veteran Willie Davis. During the next four years Bettenhausen enjoyed a series of hard-fought duels between himself and fellow racer Larry Dickson, with the two swapping a pair of championships between them in a pulsating rivalry that came to be known by local racing aficionados as the Larry and Gary show. These high profile battles, combined with encouraging early results in Champcar racing driving for Frank Gerhart, lead to Bettenhausen being approached by Roger Pesnke to drive for his team for the 1972 Indycar season.

Finally in the hands of a competitive chassis in the series, Bettenhausen was quick to prove his worth to his new employers, picking up his first USAC win at the second race of the season in Trenton and entering that year’s Indianapolis 500 as one of the leading contenders for victory. During the race itself Bettenhausen led 138 laps of the race, and held a comfortable lead over the rest of the field before ignition trouble forced him out of the race with just 18 laps remaining, allowing team-mate Mark Donohue to pick up the win in what would go on to be the first of 16 victories for Roger Penske at Indianapolis. Despite the disappointment of missing out on the victory, many critics came to the praise of Bettenhausen for his performance during the race, with most believing that the Hoosier native’s aggressive style combined with Penske’s race-craft would see them as a dominant force in the sport for the next decade.

The budding partnership however came to an abrupt end in the summer of 1974, when Bettenhausen was severely injured during an accident in a sprint car race at Syracuse, New York, damaging multiple nerves in his left arm in the process. Although Penske had pleaded with Bettenhausen before and after the accident to stop racing sprint cars to focus on his Indy career, Gary refused, citing his popular phrase: “If it was good enough for my old man, it’s good enough for me” in response to the increasingly frustrated captain. A few days later Bettenhausen was sacked from the team, to be replaced by youngster Tom Sneva for the 1975 season.

Although Bettenhausen was able to return to competitive action in 1975 the injuries sustained in the Syracuse crash had a profound effect in the mobility in his left arm, effectively making the 34 year old a one armed driver and in the process limiting the amount of team owners willing to take a chance on the Hoosier native come Memorial Day weekend. Despite this however Bettenhausen continued to remain defiant, adapting his previously aggressive racing style to one that was smoother and more understated in a bid to cater to his arm injuries. After a series of uncompetitive rides at the speedway Bettenhausen returned to the limelight in 1980, when he took advantage of a rain delay during Bump Day to squeak his year old Wildcat chassis into the field for the 500, before driving an intelligent and determined race to finish third behind Tom Sneva and race winner Johnny Rutherford. A fifth place finish would follow for Bettenhausen in 1987, before being appointed as the lead driver for the Buick V6 Indycar project, securing the fastest time in qualifying in the project’s first works season in 1991 (although he was forced to start 12th due to his time coming on the second day of qualifying). Bettenhausen would go on to finish 22nd after the Buick’s notorious reliability issues brought an end to his race on lap 89.

Following the 1991 race Bettenhausen would compete in two further Indianapolis 500s before ending his career after contesting the 1996 Indy 500 at the age of 54, going out as one of the most well regarded figures ever to grace the Brickyard. Some may look at Bettenhausen’s career as one of missed opportunities, his injuries putting paid to a career with Penske that may have seen championships and 500 victories in the process, but it doesn’t take anything away from a driver whose dedication turned him into one of the speedway’s most popular figures both on and off the track, and one that remains sorely missed from the entire Indycar community.

For today’s video we feature a video of the television documentary series ‘Hoosier Legends’ focusing on Bettenhausen’s life and achievements: