Tony Bettenhausen, Jr.
Tony Lee Bettenhausen, Jr.[1] (October 30, 1951, Joliet, Illinois – February 14, 2000) was a Champ Car team owner and driver who died in a 2000 plane crash. He was the son of former 14-time Indianapolis 500 competitor Tony Bettenhausen and the brother of 21-time Indy racer Gary Bettenhausen. The family holds the dubious distinction of the most combined starts in the famous race without a victory. Another brother, Merle Bettenhausen, was maimed in his only Indy Car start.
Career
As a driver, he started 11 Indianapolis 500 races, scoring a best finish of 7th his rookie year in the 1981 race. He took his trademark #16 into team ownership in 1985, initially using March and Lola chassis, then purchasing year-old Penske chassis and then entering and qualifying two new Penskes for the 1993 race. One, number 76, was driven by himself, the other by former Formula One driver Stefan Johansson. A number of successful drivers passed through Bettenhausen's Alumax car, including Johansson for the first few years as well as three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves and former IndyCar rookie of the year Patrick Carpentier.
Bettenhausen also competed in 33 Sprint Cup Series series events in his career, most coming in 1974 when he scored a career best 7th place effort at Richmond International Raceway.
A difficult 1999 plagued by a lack of sponsorship and a series of pay-drivers saw the team take on a new look in 2000 with the hiring of Michel Jourdain, Jr. and his Herdez sponsorship.
Death
Bettenhausen never got to see that happen following a light plane crash en route from Indianapolis to Homestead, Florida that went down on Ann Milton Adams' farm in Harrison County Kentucky. Bettenhausen's wife Shirley, the daughter of former Indianapolis racing star Jim McElreath, as well as business associates Russ Roberts and Larry Rangel were also killed. His legacy of the team lived on under the ownership of former Pacific Racing F1 team owner Keith Wiggins and was renamed Herdez Competition in 2001, with the legendary #16 replaced by Herdez's preference for the #55 early in 2002. The team has subsequently gone through additional changes in ownership, was once Paul Stoddart's Minardi Team USA, and is now Wiggins' HVM Racing competing in the IndyCar Series.
He is buried at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis.[2]
Motorsports career results
NASCAR
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
Winston Cup Series
NASCAR Winston Cup Series results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | NWCC | Pts | Ref | ||||||||
1973 | Buster Davis | 84 | Dodge | RSD | DAY | RCH | CAR | BRI | ATL 40 |
NWS | DAR | MAR | 54th | - | [3] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gordon Van Liew | 38 | Chevy | TAL 30 |
NSV | CLT | DOV | TWS 23 |
RSD | MCH 32 |
DAY | BRI | ATL | TAL | NSV | DAR | RCH | DOV | NWS | MAR | CLT | CAR 16 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
1974 | 9 | RSD 17 |
DAY 33 |
RCH 12 |
CAR 19 |
BRI 29 |
ATL | DAR 18 |
NWS 14 |
MAR 29 |
TAL 30 |
NSV 23 |
DOV 34 |
CLT 21 |
RSD 31 |
MCH 36 |
BRI 26 |
NSV 11 |
ATL 24 |
POC 27 |
TAL 32 |
MCH 25 |
DAR 11 |
RCH 7 |
DOV 15 |
NWS 25 |
MAR 14 |
CLT | 20th | 601.69 | [4] | |||||||||||||
Langley Racing | 64 | Ford | DAY 14 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ulrich Racing | 40 | Chevy | CAR 20 |
ONT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1982 | Gordon Racing | 24 | Buick | DAY | RCH | BRI | ATL | CAR | DAR | NWS | MAR | TAL | NSV | DOV | CLT | POC | RSD | MCH | DAY | NSV | POC | TAL | MCH 24 |
BRI | DAR | RCH | DOV | NWS | CLT | MAR | CAR | ATL | RSD | NA | 0 | [5] |
American Open-Wheel racing results
CART
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)
Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Rank | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1979 | McElreath | PHX |
ATL1 |
ATL2 |
INDY DNQ |
TRE1 |
TRE2 |
MIS1 |
MIS2 |
WGL |
TRE3 |
ONT |
MIS3 |
ATL3 |
PHX2 |
NC | 0 | |||
1980 | Medlin Racing | ONT |
INDY DNS |
MIL DNQ |
POC 32 |
MDO DNS |
MIS1 |
WGL DNQ |
MIL |
ONT2 |
MIS2 |
MEX |
PHX |
63rd | 5 | |||||
1981 | Provimi Veal | PHX1 12 |
MIL1 7 |
ATL1 11 |
ATL2 2 |
MIS DNS |
RIV 14 |
MIL2 10 |
MIS2 8 |
WGL 8 |
MEX 11 |
PHX2 19 |
6th | 107 | ||||||
1982 | Provimi Veal | PHX1 12 |
ATL 19 |
MIL1 12 |
CLE |
MIS1 10 |
MIL2 20 |
POC 5 |
RIV 18 |
ROA 7 |
MIS2 4 |
PHX2 6 |
10th | 80 | ||||||
1983 | Provimi Veal | ATL 10 |
INDY 17 |
MIL 10 |
CLE 18 |
MIS1 18 |
ROA 12 |
POC 10 |
RIV 8 |
MDO 14 |
MIS2 9 |
CEA 21 |
LAG 14 |
PHX 18 |
17th | 19 | ||||
1984 | Provimi Veal | LBH DNQ |
PHX1 22 |
INDY 26 |
MIL |
POR |
MEA |
CLE |
MIS1 15 |
ROA |
POC 16 |
MDO |
SAN |
MIS2 |
PHX2 |
LS |
LVG |
NC | 0 | |
1985 | Skoal Bandit | LBG |
INDY 29 |
MIL |
POR |
MEA |
CLE |
MCH |
ROA |
POC |
MDO |
SAN |
MCH |
LAG |
PHX |
MIA |
NC | 0 | ||
1986 | Bettenhausen Racing | PHX |
LBG |
INDY 28 |
MIL |
POR |
MEA |
CLE |
TOR |
MCH |
POC |
MDO |
SAN |
MCH |
ROA |
LAG |
PHX |
MIA |
NC | 0 |
1987 | Bettenhausen Motorsports | LBG 11 |
PHX 15 |
INDY 10 |
MIL DNQ |
POR |
MEA 13 |
CLE 20 |
TOR DNQ |
MCH 11 |
POC 22 |
ROA 15 |
MDO 25 |
NAZ |
LAG |
MIA |
29th | 7 | ||
1988 | Bettenhausen Motorsports | PHX 6 |
LBH DNQ |
INDY 33 |
MIL 19 |
POR |
CLE 15 |
TOR 17 |
MEA 8 |
MIS 4 |
POC 15 |
MDO 16 |
ROA 16 |
NAZ 13 |
LS 26 |
MIA |
17th | 25 | ||
1989 | Bettenhausen Motorsports | PHX |
LBH |
INDY DNQ |
MIL DNQ |
DET |
POR |
CLE |
MEA |
TOR |
MIS |
POC 26 |
MDO |
ROA |
NAZ |
LS |
NC | 0 | ||
1990 | Bettenhausen Motorsports | PHX |
LBH DNQ |
INDY 26 |
MIL 13 |
DET 16 |
POR 17 |
CLE 12 |
MEA 10 |
TOR 26 |
MIS 22 |
DEN 24 |
VAN |
MDO 20 |
ROA DNS |
NAZ 22 |
LS |
24th | 4 | |
1991 | Bettenhausen Motorsports | SRF 10 |
LBH 12 |
PHX 18 |
INDY 9 |
MIL 12 |
DET 13 |
POR 13 |
CLE 13 |
MEA 21 |
TOR 11 |
MIS 5 |
DEN 10 |
VAN 18 |
MDO 18 |
ROA 13 |
NAZ 10 |
LS 16 |
14th | 27 |
1992 | Bettenhausen Racing | SRF 13 |
PHX 11 |
LBH 15 |
INDY DNQ |
DET |
POR 21 |
MIL 18 |
NHA |
TOR |
MIS 9 |
CLE |
ROA |
VAN |
MDO |
NAZ |
LS |
24th | 6 | |
1993 | Bettenhausen Racing | SRF |
PHX |
LBH |
INDY 20 |
MIL |
DET |
POR |
CLE |
TOR |
MIS |
NHM |
ROA |
VAN |
MDO |
NZR |
LS |
47th | 0 | |
1994 | Bettenhausen Motorsports | SRF |
PHX |
LGH |
INDY Wth |
MIL |
DET |
POR |
CLE |
TOR |
MIS |
MDO |
NHM |
VAN |
ROA |
NZR |
LS |
NC | 0 |
Indianapolis 500
Year | Chassis | Engine | Start | Finish |
---|---|---|---|---|
1979 | Eagle | Offy | Failed to Qualify | |
1980 | ||||
1981 | McLaren | Cosworth | 16th | 7th |
1982 | March | 27th | 26th | |
1983 | 9th | 17th | ||
1984 | 17th | 26th | ||
1985 | Lola | 29th | 29th | |
1986 | March | 18th | 28th | |
1987 | 27th | 10th | ||
1988 | Lola | 24th | 33rd | |
1989 | Failed to Qualify | |||
1990 | Buick | 13th | 26th | |
1991 | Penske | Chevrolet | 20th | 9th |
1992 | Failed to Qualify | |||
1993 | 22nd | 20th |
References
- ↑ 1980 Indianapolis 500 Daily track Report
- ↑ "Indianapolis Auto greats" (PDF). Celebrating Automotive Heritage at Crown Hill Cemetery (Crown Hill Cemetery). 2011. Retrieved 2012-09-10.
- ↑ "Tony Bettenhausen Jr – 1973 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
- ↑ "Tony Bettenhausen Jr – 1974 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
- ↑ "Tony Bettenhausen Jr – 1982 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
External links
- Tony Bettenhausen, Jr. driver statistics at Racing-Reference