Leland Wallard (September 7, 1910 – November 29, 1963) was an American racing driver.[1] After a slow start to his career, the unheralded Wallard scored a "Cinderella" victory, authoring a dominating performance in the 1951 Indianapolis 500. Days later, Wallard's career ended as he suffered severe burns when his car caught fire during a promotional event.
| Lee Wallard | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Wallard's traditional victory photograph, taken the day after the 1951 Indianapolis 500 | |||||||
| Born | Leland Wallard September 7, 1910 Schenectady, New York, U.S. | ||||||
| Died | November 29, 1963 (aged 53) St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S. | ||||||
| Championship titles | |||||||
| Major victories Indianapolis 500 (1951) | |||||||
| Champ Car career | |||||||
| 47+ races run over 7 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 6th (1948) | ||||||
| First race | 1941 Syracuse 100 (Syracuse) | ||||||
| Last race | 1951 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis) | ||||||
| First win | 1946 Rutland Race (Rutland) | ||||||
| Last win | 1951 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis) | ||||||
| |||||||
| Formula One World Championship career | |||||||
| Active years | 1950–1951, 1954 | ||||||
| Teams | Moore, Kurtis Kraft | ||||||
| Entries | 3 (2 starts) | ||||||
| Championships | 0 | ||||||
| Wins | 1 | ||||||
| Podiums | 1 | ||||||
| Career points | 9 | ||||||
| Pole positions | 0 | ||||||
| Fastest laps | 1 | ||||||
| First entry | 1950 Indianapolis 500 | ||||||
| First win | 1951 Indianapolis 500 | ||||||
| Last win | 1951 Indianapolis 500 | ||||||
| Last entry | 1954 Indianapolis 500 | ||||||
Early life and career
editWallard was born in Schenectady, New York. He began competing in 1935, racing at dirt tracks and local fairgrounds. He endured a difficult start to his career, including an accident in which he broke his pelvis. He appeared in his first Championship Car event, Syracuse 100, in 1941.
Wallard enlisted in the U.S. Navy during the Second World War, serving with the U.S. Navy Seabees. He spent part of the conflict in Alaska, operating a bulldozer during the construction of numerous airfields.[2]
Post-war driving career
editChampionship car career
editWallard resumed his racing career following the war, competing more often at the AAA Championship level. He scored one victory in a "big car" event during the anomalous 1946 season. He scored his second, a regular "Championship car" victory, at DuQuoin during 1948.
Indianapolis 500 victory
editIn the 1951 Indianapolis 500 Wallard drove the Number 99 Belanger Special to victory, at age 40. Tony Bettenhausen had passed up the car, because he wanted to drive a newer front-wheel drive vehicle.[3][4]
Starting on the front row, Wallard dominated the event, setting a pace that his competitors and their equipment struggled to match. Wallard led 159 of the 200 laps, and became the first driver to complete the event in less than four hours.[5]
Career-ending injury
editA week after winning the Indianapolis 500, Wallard was injured during an auto race in Reading, PA. He was severely burned when his race car caught fire in the home stretch of that race.[6] He required 27 skin grafts.[7] In 1954 he attempted to compete in Indianapolis again. He retired before qualifications, discovering the loss of muscle tissue he suffered in his accident made it impossible for him to handle his car at a competitive speed.
World Drivers' Championship career
editThe AAA/USAC-sanctioned Indianapolis 500 was included in the FIA World Drivers' Championship from 1950 through 1960. Drivers competing at Indianapolis during those years were credited with World Drivers' Championship participation, and were eligible to score WDC points alongside those which they may have scored towards the AAA/USAC National Championship.
Wallard participated in two World Drivers' Championship races at Indianapolis. He won once, and set one fastest leader lap.[1] He scored nine World Drivers' Championship points.
Post-driving life
editWallard later moved to Florida, and died of a heart attack related to the injuries he had suffered in 1951.[8]
Awards and honors
editWallard has been inducted into the following halls of fame:
- Auto Racing Hall of Fame (1955)[9]
- Schenectady City School District Athletic Hall of Fame (2013)[10][8]
Motorsports career results
editAAA Championship Car results
edit| Year | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | INDY |
LAN 11 |
ATL |
ISF |
MIL |
GOS |
18th | 291 | |||||||||
| 1948 | ARL |
INDY 7 |
MIL |
LAN 6 |
MIL 5 |
SPR 20 |
MIL 11 |
DUQ 1 |
ATL 8 |
PIK | SPR 6 |
DUQ 9 |
6th | 865 | |||
| 1949 | ARL |
INDY 23 |
MIL |
TRE 15 |
SPR 5 |
MIL 21 |
DUQ 4 |
PIK | SYR 16 |
DET 5 |
SPR 3 |
LAN 6 |
SAC 7 |
DMR 2 |
8th | 760 | |
| 1950 | INDY 6 |
MIL 4 |
LAN DNS |
SPR 2 |
MIL 15 |
PIK | SYR DNQ |
DET DNQ |
SPR |
SAC |
PHX |
BAY |
DAR 10 |
11th | 637 | ||
| 1951 | INDY 1 |
MIL |
LAN |
DAR |
SPR |
MIL |
DUQ |
DUQ |
PIK | SYR |
DET |
DNC |
SJS |
PHX |
BAY |
7th | 1,000 |
| 1954 | INDY DNQ |
MIL |
LAN |
DAR |
SPR |
MIL |
DUQ |
PIK | SYR |
ISF |
SAC |
PHX |
LVG |
- | 0 | ||
- 1946 table only includes results of the six races run to "championship car" specifications. Points total includes the 71 races run to "big car" specifications.[11][12]
Indianapolis 500 results
edit
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FIA World Drivers' Championship results
edit(key) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Blue Crown Spark Plug | Moore | Offenhauser L4 | GBR | MON | 500 6 |
SUI | BEL | FRA | ITA | NC | 0 | ||
| 1951 | Belanger Motors | Kurtis Kraft | Offenhauser L4 | SUI | 500 1 |
BEL | FRA | GBR | GER | ITA | ESP | 7th | 9 | |
| 1954 | Belanger Motors | Kurtis Kraft D | Offenhauser L4 | ARG | 500 DNQ |
BEL | FRA | GBR | GER | SUI | ITA | ESP | NC | 0 |
References
edit- ^ a b "Lee Wallard". www.champcarstats.com. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
- ^ Triplett, Kevin. "Kevin Triplett's Racing History". Retrieved 2023-10-06.
- ^ "The Cinderella Man | the Official Blog of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway". Archived from the original on 2011-02-02. Retrieved 2011-02-05.
- ^ "Lee Wallard: Altamont's comic-book hero". The Altamont Enterprise. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
- ^ "1951 Indy 500: Lee Wallard rides his 'moving wreck' into Victory Lane in record time". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
- ^ "Driver was more than a winner; he was a hero". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2023-07-05.
- ^ "Altamont, New York - Local Driver Wins Indianpolis 500". Archived from the original on 2012-03-05. Retrieved 2012-08-31.
- ^ a b Boggie, Tom (2013-09-06). "SCSD Athletic Hall of Fame: Wallard rose from obscurity to win Indy 500". The Daily Gazette. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
- ^ "Lee Wallard". IMS Museum. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
- ^ "Schenectady City School District". www.schenectadyschools.org. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
- ^ "1946 AAA National Championship Trail". www.champcarstats.com. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
- ^ Capps, H. Donald (October 2009). "The Curious Case of the 1946 Season: An Inconvenient Championship" (PDF). Rear View Mirror. 7 (2): 1–16.
- ^ "Lee Wallard Indy 500 Race Stats". Archived from the original on 2007-10-07. Retrieved 2007-01-03.
External links
edit- Lee Wallard - ChampCarStats.com
- Lee Wallard at Find a Grave
- Lee Wallard driver statistics at Racing-Reference