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Penske Entertainment/Indianapolis Motor Speedway Wally Dallenbach started 20th and finished 24th in the 1973 Indianapolis 500. |
Welcome to our monthlong countdown celebrating notable drivers and cars from the Indianapolis 500!
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.
#Indy500 @IMS @IMSMuseum @IndyCar #ThisIsMay
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