One of the most popular of the early 1960s Modified drivers in the Northeast, Wally Dallenbach (December 12, 1936 – April 29, 20240 of East Brunswick, New Jersey, went from the short tracks of his home state to compete in the Indianapolis 500 13 times. He also won five USAC National Championship events and then served the sport that he loved so well as the Chief Steward for Championship Auto Racing Teams and as a high-profile advocate for increased safety measures.
Dallenbach first got involved with racing as a 15-year-old Modified Stock Car owner. Ed Farley drove the yellow No. 15 1938 Ford 5-window Coupe and to get it to the old Hightstown (NJ) Speedway or Philadelphia’s old Yellow Jacket Speedway his cousin Mike towed it behind his 1950 Plymouth.
After Dallenbach got his driver’s license, he participated in Drag Racing with Buick-powered cars; including a blown rear-engined Dragster that he built himself. Then, when he became 21 and was now old enough to drive a Modified in New Jersey, he began his quest to race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
While driving his own white Buick-powered No. 35a 1936 Chevrolet 5-window Coupe “Candy Cane Special,” Dallenbach showed his talents in the Graden State at the old asphalt half-mile-asphalt Vineland and Old Bridge Speedways. And those efforts got him rides in Don House’s pink and white fuel-injected Lincoln-powered No. XL-1 1937 Ford 5-window Coupe (1961) and Dick Barney’s fuel-injected Oldsmobile-powered pink (1962) and red (1963-1964) No. 14 1936 Chevrolet 5-window Coupes.
A two-time (1963 and 1964) champion at Vineland where he won 26 features to hold third place on the track’s all-time victory list, Dallenbach also raced in Speedweeks Modified-Sportsman events at Daytona International Speedway. And he won a major race in House’s No. 63 Lincoln-powered 1953 Studebaker at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1962.
Although primarily an asphalt Modified driver, “Wally D.” finished third in the 1963 Langhorne National Open on the old 1-mile Pennsylvania dirt circle in Barney’s No. 14 which had been converted to a dirt-track setup. And he competed on an infrequent basis at such dirt-track Modified hot spots as the Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, New York, and at the old Reading Fairgrounds and the old Nazareth Raceway in Pennsylvania.
Dallenbach left the Modifieds in the mid-1960s and raced ARDC Midgets and URC Sprint Cars for fellow EMPA Hall of Fame member Ken Brenn Sr. Then in 1965 he got his first USAC Championship Car ride at Langhorne in the Offy-powered No. 58 Kurtis-Kraft 500J Roadster owned by ex-racer Joe Barzda and that began his 180-race National Championship career (1965-1979).
At Indianapolis, Dallenbach quickly showed his abilities and he was always fast there. In 1974, he qualified in the middle of the front row (189.683 mph) with his red No. 40 Patrick Racing STP Oil Treatment entry. And in 1975 he and fellow EMPA Hall of Famer A.J. Foyt dueled for the lead for many laps but his race ended on lap 162 when the turbo-charged 4-cylinder Drake-Goossen-Sparks engine in his red No. 40 Patrick Racing Sinmast Wildcat blew a piston after he paced the field for 96 circuits.
In all, Dallenbach had three Top-5 finishes at Indianapolis (4th in 1976 and 1977; 5th in 1978) and led 108 laps at the Speedway. And he triumphed in the 1973 Milwaukee 200, the 1973 Ontario 100, the 1973 Ontario 500, the 1975 Ontario 100 and the 1977 Trentonian 200.
Dallenbach also competed in several major USAC and NASCAR Stock Car races and was sixth in the 1962 Daytona 500 while driving House’s 1961 Ford.
In 1980, Dallenbach was named the Competition Director for Championship Auto Racing Teams and then in 1981 he became CART’s Chief Steward and held that post until he retired in 2004. And in addition to making great strides in racing safety while handling these jobs, the well-respected racing official also established nondenominational church services for drivers and their families.
In 1974, Dallenbach and his wife “Peppy” (Annette, who passed away in July 2023) made their home in Basalt, Colorado, where, as active members of their community, they annually hosted two Colorado 500 Motorcycle Charity Rides.
These events – which are still held today – include a Dirt Ride that began in 1975 and a Road Ride that began in 1987. And in their original format, they started from what was then the 175-acre Dallenbach ranch which straddles the Frying Pan River.
A well-run activity that features 300 men and women motorcyclist, including some well-known racing personalities, the Colorado 500 Motorcycle Charity Ride explores Rocky Mountain trails and highways. And it has raised more than $1.2 million for scholarship funds, medical centers, teen services, scouting and other charities, including groups that preserve trail-riding areas.
Soon after “Peppy’s” death, however, Wally moved back to New Jersey, where he passed away peacefully in his cabin on Mirror Lake in Browns Mills. And upon this event, he was remembered with the following tribute from INDYCAR and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway:
“Wally Dallenbach made a huge contribution to our sport for five decades as a driver and official.
“He was a talented competitor behind the wheel, who always raced hard but clean. That sense of fairness and decency extended to his legendary tenure as chief steward of CART, where he was respected and liked by all for his steady, sensible officiating.
“Wally’s many contributions to racing safety, especially a traveling medical team, will resonate long into the future.
“He was one of the true good guys of open-wheel racing, and our thoughts and sympathies are with his family.” |
