Walter Dallenbach (born December 12, 1936) is an American retired open-wheel racing driver, known for competing in Championship cars.[1][2] He was the winner of the California 500 in 1973. After his retirement from driving, he served for more than 20 years as CART's chief steward of competition.
| Wally Dallenbach | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | Walter F. Dallenbach December 12, 1936 East Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S. | ||||||
| Championship titles | |||||||
| Major victories California 500 (1973) | |||||||
| Champ Car career | |||||||
| 180 races run over 15 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 2nd (1973) | ||||||
| First race | 1965 Langhorne 125 (Langhorne) | ||||||
| Last race | 1979 Miller High Life 150 (Phoenix) | ||||||
| First win | 1973 Tony Bettenhausen 200 (Milwaukee) | ||||||
| Last win | 1977 Trenton 200 (Trenton) | ||||||
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| NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
| 4 races run over 3 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 81st (1962) | ||||||
| First race | 1962 Daytona Qualifier #2 (Daytona) | ||||||
| Last race | 1974 National 500 (Charlotte) | ||||||
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Dallenbach is the father of NASCAR driver and commentator, Wally Dallenbach Jr. After his son began his professional racing career in the middle 1980s, Dallenbach came to often be known by the retronym Wally Dallenbach Sr.
Biography edit
Dallenbach nearly won the 1975 Indianapolis 500, dueling with A. J. Foyt for many laps. He led for half of the race, but burned a piston on lap 162, twelve laps before the race was called due to rain. Bobby Unser won the race, which was halted at lap 174 (435 miles).
He joined CART as competition director in 1980 and became chief steward of the sport in 1981, a position he held until 2004. Under his tenure, he improved the safety program in CART. He also established nondenominational church services for drivers and their families.
Current life edit
Dallenbach maintains his interest in motorsports as the president of the Colorado 500 motorcycle race. This event has raised over a million dollars in community support[3] for the town of Basalt, Colorado, located in the Roaring Fork Valley region of western Colorado.
He owns a ranch, fairground, cabins and a private automotive restoration garage near the Fryingpan River in upper Basalt.
Awards and honors edit
Dallenbach has been inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame, due to his exploits at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, the Colorado Motorsports Hall of Fame, as well as the New Jersey Sports Hall of Fame. Dallenbach was also voted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2006, for his work as founder and president of the Colorado 500 Invitational charity motorcycle rides.[4]
In 2020, he was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America.[5] In 2022, he was inducted into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame.[6]
- Pikes Peak Hill Climb Museum Hall of Fame (2022)[7]
Racing results edit
Indy 500 results edit
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- In 1972, Dallenbach was bumped on the final day of time trials. Art Pollard crashed his qualified car on May 16, and was too injured to drive on race day. Dallenbach was hired to fill the seat, and the car was moved to 33rd starting position.
USAC Champ Car results edit
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)
CART IndyCar Series results edit
(key)
| Year | Team | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Rank | Points | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Patrick Racing | Wildcat | Offenhauser | PHX 12 |
9th | 1149 | [8] | |||||||||||||
| Cosworth | PHX 7 |
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| Lightning | ATL 11 |
ATL 8 |
||||||||||||||||||
| Penske | INDY 27 |
TRE 4 |
TRE 2 |
MCH 5 |
MCH 10 |
WGL 14 |
TRE 4 |
ONT 24 |
MCH 6 |
ATL 4 |
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References edit
- ^ via Associated Press. "Second Time Around", St. Petersburg Times, May 24, 1972. Accessed February 13, 2011. "Wally Dallenbach, a 36-year old veteran driver from East Brunswick, N.J., will get a chance to compete in the 56th running of the Indianapolis 500-mile race after all."
- ^ "Wally Dallenbach". www.champcarstats.com.
- ^ The Colorado 500 Online
- ^ "AMA Motorcycle Museum Hall of Fame | Wally Dallenbach, Sr". hof.motorcyclemuseum.org. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
- ^ 2020 Inductees at the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
- ^ "Wally Dallenbach". IMS Museum.
- ^ "Hall of Fame". Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Retrieved 2023-09-23.
- ^ "Wally Dallenbach – 1979 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 17, 2023.