Lee Wallard

Interesting facts

The 1951 Indianapolis 500 was won by 40-year-old Wallard driving the No. 99 Belanger Special - a car Tony Bettenhausen had originally turned down in favor of a newer front-wheel-drive machine. Leading 159 of the 200 laps, he became the first driver to complete the race in under four hours. Barely a week after the win, his car caught fire at a race in Reading, Pennsylvania, leaving him with burns so severe that he needed 27 skin grafts. The resulting muscle damage from the burns doomed his 1954 comeback attempt at Indianapolis, where he found he could no longer handle the car at racing speed, and he retired. Lee Wallard made his Formula 1 debut in 1950 and raced until 1951, 2 seasons in total as an American driver. He scored a total of 9 championship points over his career.