Wally Dallenbach Sr.
One of the most popular of the early 1960s Modified driversin the Northeast, Wally Dallenbach of East Brunswick, New Jersey, went from the short tracks of his home state to compete in the Indianapolis 500 13 times. He also won five USAC National Championship events and then served the sport that he loved so well as the Chief Steward for Championship Auto Racing Teams and as a high-profile advocate for increased safety measures.
Dallenbach (born December12, 1936) first got involved with racing as a 15-year-old Modified stock-car owner. Ed Farley drove the yellow No. 15 1938 Ford coupe and to get it to the old Hightstown (N.J.) Speedway or Philadelphia ’sold Yellow Jacket Speedway his cousin Mike towed it behind his 1950 Plymouth.
After Dallenbach got his driver’s license, he drag raced Buick-powered cars; including a blown rear-engined Dragster that he built himself. Then,when he became 21 and was now old enough to drive a Modified, he began his quest to race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
While driving his own whiteBuick-powered No. 35a 1936 Chevrolet coupe “Candy Cane Special,” Dallenbachshowed his talents at the old asphalt half-mile Vineland and Old Bridge Speedways in New Jersey. And those efforts got him rides in Don House’s pink and white fuel-injected Lincoln-powered No. XL-1 1937 Ford coupe(1961) and Dick Barney’s fuel-injected Oldsmobile-powered pink (1962) and red(1963-1964) No. 14 1936 Chevrolet coupes.
A two-time (1963 & 1964) champion at Vineland where he won 26 features to hold third place on the track’s all-time victory list, Dallenbach also raced in SpeedweeksModified-Sportsman events at Daytona International Speedway. And he won a major race in House’s No.63 Lincoln-powered 1953 Studebaker at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1962.
Although primarily an asphalt Modified driver, “Wally D.” finished third in the 1963 Langhorne National Openon the old one-mile Pennsylvania dirt circle in Barney’sNo. 14 coupe which had been converted to a dirt-track setup. And he competed on an infrequent basis at such dirt-track Modified hot spots as the Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, New York,and at the old Reading Fairgrounds and the old Nazareth Raceway in Pennsylvania.
Dallenbach left the Modifieds inthe mid-1960s and raced ARDC Midgets and URC Sprint Cars for fellow EMPA Hallof Fame member Ken Brenn Sr. Thenin 1965 he got his first USAC Championship Car ride at Langhorne in the Offy-powered No. 58 Kurtis-Kraft 500J Roadster owned by ex-racer Joe Barzda and that began his 180-race National Championship career (1965-1979).
At Indianapolis,Dallenbach quickly showed his abilities and he was always fast there. In 1974, he qualified in the middle ofthe front row (189.683 mph) with his red No. 40 Patrick Racing STP Oil Treat ment entry. And in 1975 he andfellow EMPA Hall of Famer A.J. Foyt dueled for the lead for many laps but his race ended on lap 162 when the turbo-charged 4-cylinder Drake-Goossen-Sparks engine in his red No. 40 Patrick Racing Sinmast Wildcat blew a piston after he paced the field for 96 circuits.
In all, Dallenbach had three Top-5 finishes at Indianapolis (4th in 1976 & 1977; 5th in 1978) andled 108 laps at the Speedway. And he triumphed in the 1973 Milwaukee 200, the 1973 Ontario 100, the 1973 Ontario 500, the 1975 Ontario 100 and the 1977 Trentonian 200.
Dallenbach also competed in several major USAC and NASCAR Stock Car races and was sixth in the 1962 Daytona 500while driving House’s 1961 Ford.
In 1980, Dallenbach was named theCompetition Director for Championship Auto Racing Teams and then in 1981 hebecame CART’s Chief Steward and held that post until he retired in 2004. And in addition to making greatstrides in racing safety while handling these jobs, the well-respected racing official also established non-denominational church services for drivers andtheir families.
Since 1974, Dallenbach and his wife“Peppy” (Annette) have made their home in Basalt, Colorado. And as active members of their community they annually host two Colorado 500 Motorcycle Charity Rides.
These events (a Dirt Ride that began in 1975 and a Road Ride that began in 1987) start from the 175-acre Dallenbach ranch that straddles the Frying Pan River and they feature 300 men and women –including some well-known racing personalities – who explore Rocky Mountain trails and highways. And through 2016, these rides have raised more than $2 million for civic and youth-scholarship programs.
One of the most popular of the early 1960s Modified driversin the Northeast, Wally Dallenbach of East Brunswick, New Jersey, went from the short tracks of his home state to compete in the Indianapolis 500 13 times. He also won five USAC National Championship events and then served the sport that he loved so well as the Chief Steward for Championship Auto Racing Teams and as a high-profile advocate for increased safety measures.
Dallenbach (born December12, 1936) first got involved with racing as a 15-year-old Modified stock-car owner. Ed Farley drove the yellow No. 15 1938 Ford coupe and to get it to the old Hightstown (N.J.) Speedway or Philadelphia ’sold Yellow Jacket Speedway his cousin Mike towed it behind his 1950 Plymouth.
After Dallenbach got his driver’s license, he drag raced Buick-powered cars; including a blown rear-engined Dragster that he built himself. Then,when he became 21 and was now old enough to drive a Modified, he began his quest to race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
While driving his own whiteBuick-powered No. 35a 1936 Chevrolet coupe “Candy Cane Special,” Dallenbachshowed his talents at the old asphalt half-mile Vineland and Old Bridge Speedways in New Jersey. And those efforts got him rides in Don House’s pink and white fuel-injected Lincoln-powered No. XL-1 1937 Ford coupe(1961) and Dick Barney’s fuel-injected Oldsmobile-powered pink (1962) and red(1963-1964) No. 14 1936 Chevrolet coupes.
A two-time (1963 & 1964) champion at Vineland where he won 26 features to hold third place on the track’s all-time victory list, Dallenbach also raced in SpeedweeksModified-Sportsman events at Daytona International Speedway. And he won a major race in House’s No.63 Lincoln-powered 1953 Studebaker at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1962.
Although primarily an asphalt Modified driver, “Wally D.” finished third in the 1963 Langhorne National Openon the old one-mile Pennsylvania dirt circle in Barney’sNo. 14 coupe which had been converted to a dirt-track setup. And he competed on an infrequent basis at such dirt-track Modified hot spots as the Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, New York,and at the old Reading Fairgrounds and the old Nazareth Raceway in Pennsylvania.
Dallenbach left the Modifieds inthe mid-1960s and raced ARDC Midgets and URC Sprint Cars for fellow EMPA Hallof Fame member Ken Brenn Sr. Thenin 1965 he got his first USAC Championship Car ride at Langhorne in the Offy-powered No. 58 Kurtis-Kraft 500J Roadster owned by ex-racer Joe Barzda and that began his 180-race National Championship career (1965-1979).
At Indianapolis,Dallenbach quickly showed his abilities and he was always fast there. In 1974, he qualified in the middle ofthe front row (189.683 mph) with his red No. 40 Patrick Racing STP Oil Treat ment entry. And in 1975 he andfellow EMPA Hall of Famer A.J. Foyt dueled for the lead for many laps but his race ended on lap 162 when the turbo-charged 4-cylinder Drake-Goossen-Sparks engine in his red No. 40 Patrick Racing Sinmast Wildcat blew a piston after he paced the field for 96 circuits.
In all, Dallenbach had three Top-5 finishes at Indianapolis (4th in 1976 & 1977; 5th in 1978) andled 108 laps at the Speedway. And he triumphed in the 1973 Milwaukee 200, the 1973 Ontario 100, the 1973 Ontario 500, the 1975 Ontario 100 and the 1977 Trentonian 200.
Dallenbach also competed in several major USAC and NASCAR Stock Car races and was sixth in the 1962 Daytona 500while driving House’s 1961 Ford.
In 1980, Dallenbach was named theCompetition Director for Championship Auto Racing Teams and then in 1981 hebecame CART’s Chief Steward and held that post until he retired in 2004. And in addition to making greatstrides in racing safety while handling these jobs, the well-respected racing official also established non-denominational church services for drivers andtheir families.
Since 1974, Dallenbach and his wife“Peppy” (Annette) have made their home in Basalt, Colorado. And as active members of their community they annually host two Colorado 500 Motorcycle Charity Rides.
These events (a Dirt Ride that began in 1975 and a Road Ride that began in 1987) start from the 175-acre Dallenbach ranch that straddles the Frying Pan River and they feature 300 men and women –including some well-known racing personalities – who explore Rocky Mountain trails and highways. And through 2016, these rides have raised more than $2 million for civic and youth-scholarship programs.