Lee Wallard
Wallard, following the 1951 Indianapolis 500
BornLeland Wallard
(1910-09-07)September 7, 1910
Schenectady, New York, U.S.
DiedNovember 29, 1963(1963-11-29) (aged 53)
St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S.
Championship titles
Major victories
Indianapolis 500 (1951)
Champ Car career
47+ races run over 7 years
Best finish6th (1948)
First race1941 Syracuse 100 (Syracuse)
Last race1951 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis)
First win1946 Rutland Race (Rutland)
Last win1951 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis)
Wins Podiums Poles
3 10 2
Formula One World Championship career
Active years1950 – 1951, 1954
TeamsMoore, Kurtis Kraft
Entries3 (2 starts)
Championships0
Wins1
Podiums1
Career points9
Pole positions0
Fastest laps1
First entry1950 Indianapolis 500
First win1951 Indianapolis 500
Last win1951 Indianapolis 500
Last entry1954 Indianapolis 500

Leland "Lee" Wallard (September 7, 1910 – November 29, 1963) was an American racing driver. 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 - he suffered severe burns when his car caught fire during a promotional event.

Early life and career

Wallard 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.[1]

Post-war driving career

Championship car career

Wallard 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

Wallard's winning car from the 1951 Indianapolis 500

In 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.[2][3]

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.[4]

Career-ending injury

A 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.[5] He required 27 skin grafts.[6] 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

The 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 points and participation in addition to those which they received towards the AAA/USAC National Championship.

Wallard participated in two World Drivers' Championship races at Indianapolis. He won once, recorded one fastest lap, and accumulated nine World Drivers' Championship points.

Post-driving life

Wallard later moved to Florida, and died of a heart attack related to the injuries he had suffered in 1951.[7]

Awards and honors

Wallard has been inducted into the following halls of fame:

Motorsports career results

AAA Championship Car results

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.[10][11]

Indianapolis 500 results

FIA World Drivers' Championship results

(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

  1. ↑ Triplett, Kevin. "Kevin Triplett's Racing History". Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  2. ↑ "The Cinderella Man | the Official Blog of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway". Archived from the original on 2011-02-02. Retrieved 2011-02-05.
  3. ↑ "Lee Wallard: Altamont's comic-book hero". The Altamont Enterprise. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  4. ↑ "1951 Indy 500: Lee Wallard rides his 'moving wreck' into Victory Lane in record time". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  5. ↑ "Driver was more than a winner; he was a hero". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2023-07-05.
  6. ↑ "Altamont, New York - Local Driver Wins Indianpolis 500". Archived from the original on 2012-03-05. Retrieved 2012-08-31.
  7. 1 2 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.
  8. ↑ "Lee Wallard". IMS Museum. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  9. ↑ "Schenectady City School District". www.schenectadyschools.org. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  10. ↑ "1946 AAA National Championship Trail". www.champcarstats.com. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  11. ↑ Capps, H. Donald (October 2009). "The Curious Case of the 1946 Season: An Inconvenient Championship" (PDF). Rear View Mirror. 7 (2): 1–16.
  12. ↑ "Lee Wallard Indy 500 Race Stats". Archived from the original on 2007-10-07. Retrieved 2007-01-03.
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