His
friends called him “Pappy” and he was one of the few
college-educated drivers to come out of the early midget
ranks. Duane began racing midgets at the fifth-of-a-mile dirt
track on the west side of Fresno while attending Fresno State
College.
Duane was one of six drivers to travel
to Auckland, New Zealand in 1937 to compete. In 1939 he was a
consistent winner at the famous Nutley board track and he won
the 1940 Detroit VFW Motor
Speedway title. In 1942 he captured the crown at Sportsman
Park in Cleveland, Ohio and in 1947 he captured the 500-lap
midget race in the L.A. Coliseum in a disputed finish after
Danny Oakes had been flagged the winner.
Duane moved up to sprint cars and captured the Midwest
title in 1950. He began his Indianapolis 500 Mile Race career
in 1948 and started every race until 1956 when he retired to
take the job as the Competition Director for the newly formed
United States Auto Club.
After being replaced by Henry Banks in his USAC post,
Duane returned to driving and competed in the 1959, ’60 and
’63 Indianapolis races as well as a few midget events.
Duane Carter died on March 7, 1993.
