Tony Lee Bettenhausen Jr.1980 Indianapolis 500 Daily track Report (October 30, 1951 – February 14, 2000) was an American Champ Car team owner and driver who died in a 2000 plane crash. He was the son of former 14-time Indianapolis 500 competitor Tony Bettenhausen and the brother of 21-time Indy 500 racer Gary Bettenhausen. Another brother, Merle Bettenhausen, was critically injured in his only Indy Car start.

Career As a driver, Bettenhausen started 11 Indianapolis 500 races, scoring a best finish of 7th his rookie year in the 1981 race. He took his trademark No. 16 into team ownership in 1985, initially using March and Lola chassis, then purchasing year-old Penske chassis and then entering and qualifying two new Penskes for the 1993 race. One, number 76, was driven by himself, the other by former Formula One driver Stefan Johansson. A number of successful drivers passed through Bettenhausen's Alumax car, including Johansson for the first few years as well as four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Hélio Castroneves and former IndyCar rookie of the year Patrick Carpentier.

Bettenhausen also competed in 33 NASCAR Winston Cup Series events in his career, most coming in 1974 when he scored a career best 7th-place effort at Richmond International Raceway.

A difficult 1999 plagued by a lack of sponsorship and a series of pay-drivers saw the team take on a new look in 2000 with the hiring of Michel Jourdain Jr. and his Herdez sponsorship.

The family holds the dubious distinction of the most combined starts in the famous race without a victory.

Death Bettenhausen died in a light plane crash en route from Homestead, Florida to Indianapolis, Indiana that went down in Harrison County, Kentucky. Bettenhausen's wife Shirley, the daughter of former Indianapolis racing star Jim McElreath, as well as business associates Russ Roberts and Larry Rangel were also killed. His legacy of the team lived on under the ownership of former Pacific Racing F1 team owner Keith Wiggins and was renamed Herdez Competition in 2001, with the No. 16 replaced by Herdez's preference for the No. 55 early in 2002. The team has subsequently gone through further changes in ownership, was once Paul Stoddart's Minardi Team USA, and became Wiggins' HVM Racing competing in the IndyCar Series until the end of the 2012 season. On 11 November, 2015 the team was listed as up for auction officially listing the team as defunct.

Bettenhausen is buried at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis.

Motorsports career results

NASCAR (key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Winston Cup Series NASCAR Winston Cup Series results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Pts Ref 1973 Buster Davis 84 Dodge RSD DAY RCH CAR BRI ATL40 NWS DAR MAR 54th - Gordon Van Liew 38 Chevy TAL30 NSV CLT DOV TWS23 RSD MCH32 DAY BRI ATL TAL NSV DAR RCH DOV NWS MAR CLT CAR16 1974 9 RSD17 DAY33 RCH12 CAR19 BRI29 ATL DAR18 NWS14 MAR29 TAL30 NSV23 DOV34 CLT21 RSD31 MCH36 BRI26 NSV11 ATL24 POC27 TAL32 MCH25 DAR11 RCH7 DOV15 NWS25 MAR14 CLT 20th 601.69 Langley Racing 64 Ford DAY14 Ulrich Racing 40 Chevy CAR20 ONT 1982 Gordon Racing 24 Buick DAY RCH BRI ATL CAR DAR NWS MAR TAL NSV DOV CLT POC RSD MCH DAY NSV POC TAL MCH24 BRI DAR RCH DOV NWS CLT MAR CAR ATL RSD NA 0

Daytona 500 Year Team Manufacturer Start Finish 1974 Gordon Van Liew Chevrolet 26 33

American Open-Wheel racing results

USAC Championship Car (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Rank Points 1979 Gilmore Racing ONT TWS9 INDY MIL9 POC13 TWS13 MIL15 17th 185

PPG Indycar Series PPG Indycar Series results Year Team Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Pts Ref 1980 Medlin Racing Eagle Offenhauser t ONT INDYDNQ MILDNQ POC32 63rd 5 Agajanian Grant King Racers Kingfish 73 Chevrolet V8 MDODNQ MCH WGLDNS MIL ONT MCH MEX PHX 1981 Bettenhausen Racing McLaren Cosworth DFX V8t PHX MIL12 ATL7 ATL11 MCH2 RIVDNS MEX11 PHX19 6th 107 Longhorn LR-1 MIL14 Phoenix MCH10 WGL8 1982 Bettenhausen Racing March 82C Cosworth DFX V8t PHX12 ATL19 MIL12 CLE MCH10 POC5 RIV18 ROA7 MCH4 PHX6 10th 80 Phoenix MIL20 1983 Bettenhausen Racing March 83C Cosworth DFX V8t ATL10 INDY17 MIL10 MCH18 POC10 RIV8 MCH9 CPL21 PHX18 17th 19 March 83P CLE18 ROA12 MDO14 LAG14 1984 Provimi Veal Racing March 84C Cosworth DFX V8t LBHDNQ PHX22 INDY26 MIL POR MEA CLE MCH15 ROA POC16 MDO SAN MCH PHX LAG CPL NC 0 1985 All American Racers Lola T900 Cosworth DFX V8t LBH INDY29 MIL POR MEA CLE MCH ROA POC MDO SAN MCH LAG PHX MIA 59th 0 1986 Bettenhausen Racing March 86C Cosworth DFX V8t PHX LBH INDY28 MIL POR MEA CLE TOR MCH POC MDO SAN MCH ROA LAG PHX MIA 50th 0 1987 Bettenhausen Racing March 86C Cosworth DFX V8t LBH11 PHX15 INDY10 MILDNQ POR MEA13 CLE20 TORDNQ MCH11 POC22 ROA15 MDO25 NAZ LAG MIA 29th 7 1988 Bettenhausen Racing Lola T8700 Cosworth DFX V8t PHX6 LBHDNQ INDY33 CLE15 MCH4 POC15 MDO16 ROA16 LAG26 MIA 17th 25 March 86C MIL19 POR TOR17 MEA8 Lola T8700 Judd AV NAZ13 1989 Leader Card Racing Lola T8900 Cosworth DFX V8t PHX LBH INDYDNQ MIL DET POR CLE MEA TOR MCH 50th 0 Dale Coyne Racing Lola T8900 POC26 MDO ROA NAZ LAG 1990 Bettenhausen Racing Lola T8700 Cosworth DFX V8t PHX LBHDNQ MDO20 ROADNS NAZ22 LAG 24th 4 Buick 3300 V6t INDY26 MIL13 DET16 POR17 CLE12 MEA10 TOR26 MCH22 DEN24 VAN 1991 Bettenhausen Racing Penske PC-19 Chevrolet 265A V8t SRF10 LBH12 PHX18 INDY9 MIL12 DET13 POR13 CLE13 MEA21 TOR11 MCH5 DEN10 VAN18 MDO18 ROA13 NAZ10 LAG16 14th 27 1992 Bettenhausen Racing Penske PC-20 Chevrolet 265A V8t SRF13 PHX11 LBH15 INDYDNQ DET POR21 MIL18 NHA TOR MCH9 CLE ROA VAN MDO NAZ LAG 24th 6 1993 Bettenhausen Racing Penske PC-22 Chevrolet 265C V8t SRF PHX LBH INDY20 MIL DET POR CLE TOR MCH NHA ROA VAN MDO NAZ LAG 47th 0

Indianapolis 500 Year Chassis Engine Start Finish 1980EagleOffyFailed to Qualify 1981 McLarenCosworth 16th 7th 1982March 27th 26th 1983 9th 17th 1984 17th 26th 1985 Lola 29th 29th 1986March 18th 28th 1987 27th 10th 1988Lola 24th 33rd 1989Failed to Qualify 1990 Buick 13th 26th 1991PenskeChevrolet 20th 9th 1992Failed to Qualify 1993 22nd 20th

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