Bettenhausen was born in Blue Island, Illinois, and raised in Tinley Park, graduating from Bremen High School in Midlothian in 1962. His father, Tony Bettenhausen, was one of the most celebrated American oval racing drivers of his era. Gary's brother Tony also competed in CART as a driver and team owner, while another brother, Merle, lost an arm in a fiery racing crash.
Bettenhausen began his open-wheel career in midget cars. He finished third in the national midget car points in 1967, the same year he first won the Turkey Night Grand Prix, one of the most prestigious midget events on the USAC calendar. He won the event again in 1970 and captured the Astro Grand Prix in 1972 — an event held inside the Houston Astrodome — and the Hut Hundred in 1976. His total of 27 USAC midget victories reflects a sustained level of short-oval excellence across more than a decade.
Bettenhausen won the USAC sprint car championship in both 1969 and 1971. He also competed in USAC Silver Crown (Championship Dirt Car) competition, winning the dirt track championship in 1980 and again in 1983. A severe crash at a Silver Crown race in Syracuse, New York on July 4, 1974 crushed his left arm and left it permanently partially paralyzed; he regained enough mobility to continue racing but never fully recovered from the injury.
Bettenhausen competed in Champ and Indy-style cars from the mid-1960s through 1996, winning six USAC Indy Car races over that span. He made 21 starts at the Indianapolis 500, contesting the event every year from 1968 to 1982 with the exception of 1979 when he failed to qualify, and then again from 1986 to 1993. His best result at Indianapolis came in 1980 when he finished third after starting 32nd in the 33-car field.
The 1972 Indianapolis 500 offered his best opportunity for victory. Bettenhausen led 138 of the 200 laps and appeared set to win the race until a blown engine with only 24 laps remaining dropped him to a fourteenth-place finish. In qualifying for the 1991 Indianapolis 500, he posted the fastest time of the session at 224.468 mph; however, because his run was recorded on the second day of qualifying, Rick Mears — whose slower 224.113 mph had been set on the first day — retained the pole position.
Bettenhausen competed in eight NASCAR Winston Cup events, recording four top-ten finishes. His best result was a fourth-place finish at the 1974 Motor State 360 at Michigan International Speedway.
Bettenhausen was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1993 and into the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1998. He died on March 16, 2014, in Monrovia, Indiana.
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