Salt Walther

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David "Salt" Walther (born November 22, 1947, Dayton, Ohio), is a former driver in the USAC and CART Championship Car series. He raced in the 1970-1981 seasons, with 64 combined career starts, including the 1972-1976 and 1978-1979 Indianapolis 500. He finished in the top ten 16 times, with a best finish, four times, of 7th position.

Walther is best known for his fiery crash at the start of the 1973 Indianapolis 500. Walther first raced at Indianapolis in 1972, finishing 33rd and last due to a broken magneto. The following year he qualified 17th, but again finished last after one of the most spectacular and famous accidents in the history of the race.

Just as the field received the green flag, Steve Krisiloff, on the inside of the third row, developed engine trouble and slowed down, producing a traffic jam on the main straightaway as the rest of the cars accelerated. Walther, forced to his right by drivers taking evasive action in front of him, touched wheels with Jerry Grant and was catapulted over the wall and into the catchfencing above it. The impact tore down the fence and snapped off the nose of Walther's car, exposing the driver's legs and breaking open the fuel tanks, which at that time were located directly alongside the driver. The fuel immediately began spraying out of the car, some of it reaching the front rows of the grandstand where several spectators suffered burns. The car crashed back onto the track and spun down the main straightaway upside-down, still spraying fuel which now ignited into a huge fireball that enveloped the rest of the field. Blinded by the burning methanol, several other drivers crashed into Walther's car and each other, though none of them suffered serious injuries. Walther's car finally stopped at the entrance of turn one, with the driver's legs clearly visible sticking out of the broken nose. Walther was quickly rescued by track safety workers and rushed to the hospital in critical condition. He had suffered burns over most of his body, but had been fortunate to have had all the fuel sprayed out of the car, allowing the fire to burn out quickly. Walther's most severe injuries were to his hands - the fingers on his left hand had to be partially amputated, and those on his crushed right hand eventually healed into unnatural angles.

After a year of recovery, Walther returned to Indianapolis in 1974, finishing 17th. In 1975 he again finished 33rd and last, making him the only driver to finish last three times at Indianapolis. (*Although George Snider finished 33rd in 1971, 1979 and 1987, the two extra cars in the 1979 field meant that Snider finished last only twice.) Walther raced at Indianapolis three more times, scoring a best result of 9th in the rain-shortened 1976 race. In a comeback attempt in 1990, he qualified for the race only to be bumped out on the last day of qualifying.

[edit] Indy 500 results

Year	Chassis	Engine	Start	Finish
1972	Colt	Foyt	27th	33rd
1973	McLaren	Offy	17th	33rd
1974	McLaren	Offy	14th	17th
1975	McLaren	Offy	9th	33rd
1976	McLaren	Offy	22nd	9th
1977	McLaren	DGS	Failed to Qualify
1978	McLaren	Cosworth	22nd	28th
1979	Penske	Cosworth	16th	12th
1980	Penske	Cosworth	Failed to Qualify
1990	Penske	Cosworth	Failed to Qualify
1991	Penske	Cosworth	Failed to Qualify