A dominant day at Indianapolis

Lee Wallard waited years for his chance, led most of the 1951 Indianapolis 500 to win it, and saw his career ended by burns a week later.

Lee Wallard was born in Schenectady, New York, in the United States; sources disagree on his exact date of birth, and our record gives 1910. He started racing in 1935 on dirt tracks and at county fairgrounds, and his early years were hard, including an accident in which he broke his pelvis. He made his first championship car start at the Syracuse 100 in 1941, then served with the Navy Seabees during the Second World War, building airfields in Alaska.

After the war he raced more often at the AAA championship level, winning a big car event in 1946 and a championship car race at DuQuoin in 1948. Because the Indianapolis 500 was part of the World Championship from 1950, his starts there count in our record, beginning with sixth place at the 1950 Indianapolis 500.

In 1951 he drove the Belanger Special, a car Tony Bettenhausen had turned down. Starting from the front row, Wallard controlled the 1951 Indianapolis 500, leading 159 of the 200 laps, setting the race's fastest lap in our record, and becoming the first driver to finish the race in under four hours.

About a week later he was badly burned when his car caught fire during a race in Reading, Pennsylvania, and needed many skin grafts. He tried to return at Indianapolis in 1954 but withdrew before qualifying. Our record shows 2 starts, 1 win, 1 fastest lap and 1 podium. He was inducted into the Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1955 and died in 1963.

0 world titles, 1 wins, 0 pole positions, 2 starts.

Teams

Victories

• Indianapolis 500 1951