The motorsport world is mourning the loss of Merle Bettenhausen, an inspirational figure in the history of American open-wheel racing. He passed away on April 29, aged 82, following complications from a stroke earlier this month.

Born on June 9, 1943, Merle grew up in a family that always had racing action in the middle of it. He was the middle son of the two-time USAC National Champion, Tony Bettenhausen, who tragically lost his life in a practice crash at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway when Merle was just 17 years old.

He and his brothers, Gary and Tony Jr., also followed in their father’s footsteps and took up racing. Gary was a four-time USAC national champion in Sprint and Silver Crown cars, and also participated in 21 Indianapolis 500 races. Tony Jr. achieved 11 starts at the Indy 500 and later transitioned into a team owner in IndyCar racing.

By 1968, Merle was climbing up the ranks in the USAC series, and also scored additional wins in 1969 and ‘70. However, his life would change completely at Michigan International Speedway on July 16, 1972.

The IndyCar debut that took away his arm

It was Merle’s first time in a Champ Car race on a paved track. Just four laps into the race, he clashed with Mike Hiss and crashed into the outer wall. The vehicle burst into flames as Merle attempted to escape while it was still in motion. His right arm got caught between the car and the wall, resulting in its amputation.

Despite spending two months in a hospital, Merle was not one to give up. He came back eleven months later, behind the wheel of a midget car, using a prosthetic arm with a hook to grip the steering wheel.

However, his return to racing was truly noted when he won the USAC National Midget feature at the Sportsman Speedway by a matter of inches. What makes this even more remarkable is the fact that he drove 37 laps of the race without power steering.

You can read more on the Daytona Racing Digest!

Written by

Aaradhya Singh

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar