The eldest son of Tony Bettenhausen was born to be a race
driver. In the tradition of his famous father, he learned his
trade in the midget racing ranks before moving up to sprint
cars and the Indianapolis 500.
Tutored by some of the best in the business, Gary was
not satisfied to be just a driver.
In 1970 he built
a monocoque midget chassis with the aid of Harry Turner. In
1969 he won the first leg of the “Astro Grand Prix” held in
the Houston Astrodome. He won the “Turkey Night Grand Prix” in
1967 and 1970, the “Astro Grand Prix” again in 1972 and the
“Hut Hundred” in 1976. Gary was third in the 1967 midget
division points and has recorded 27 USAC midget wins.
In 1991 he was the fastest qualifier for the
Indianapolis 500. In 1980 and 1983 he won the Dirt Track
Championship (USAC Silver Crown) and captured the Sprint Car
title in both 1969 and 1971.
He competed in the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race for the
twenty-first time in 1993.
