He’s known as “The Iron Duke,”
the man who tamed the famous Novi at Indianapolis and one of
auto racing’s most popular drivers. He began his career as a
race driver helping Wally Zale in the pits. Zale allowed Duke
to warm-up the car on occasion and when Walter Galven needed a
driver at Roby Speedway, Zale talked him into giving Nalon the
ride. Duke won the feature and a great career was started.
The Chicago native became a big
winner on the East Coast in midgets in the mid-thirties and
also drove the big cars. In 1938 he captured the East Coast
AAA Sprint Car Championship and also drove in his first
Indianapolis 500
Nalon was a part of the famous “Chicago Gang” and
teamed with a youthful Tony Bettenhausen when he was starting
his career. Duke raced for a living and took care of his
equipment while running up front. He competed in the midgets
throughout his career.
In 1954 he drove Johnny Pawl’s famous midget to victory
in the only 100 mile midget race ever run at Terre Haute. It
was a fitting end to a great career, having won his first and
last start.
