Welcome to our monthlong countdown celebrating notable drivers and cars from the Indianapolis 500!
distinguish it from teammates Bobby Unser and Jerry Grant.
Then calling East Brunswick, New Jersey, home, Wally Dallenbach was about to enter a major career upswing in 1973, though not with Dan Gurney’s All American Racers. Dallenbach’s oddly numbered No. 62 joined AAR holdovers Bobby Unser and Jerry Grant for the 1973 500. In the race, Dallenbach is best remembered for helping rescue Salt Walther from his burning and battered car after his horrendous first-lap accident.
Once the race finally got under way – two days later – Dallenbach made a nice charge from his 20th starting position into the top 10 before a broken connecting rod bolt (a common malady that year) sidelined him after 48 laps, resulting in a 24th-place finish.
Dallenbach joined the STP/Patrick team later in 1973, winning the California 500 at Ontario Motor Speedway. Save for a one-year sabbatical with Jerry O’Connell’s Sugaripe Prune team in 1978, Dallenbach remained with Patrick the rest of his career, retiring after the 1979 season. He returned to the cockpit in 1981 to qualify a Patrick car for Mario Andretti, who was unavailable due to Formula 1 commitments.
Dallenbach then enjoyed a second career as a much-respected official
in CART.
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