Tony Bettenhausen Fatal Crash

Tony Bettenhausen is killed during a practice session for the 1961 Indy 500.

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• tony
• bettenhausen
• fatal
• crash
• indy
• 500
• 1961

[TheAntihero6212]

Can Anybody Please Tell Me What That Alice In Chains Song Is? Thank You.

[RacingAccidents]

It's Nutshell.

[BakerDR1]

I was a kid, 4 years old at the track with my grandfather that day watching practice laps. I remember this like it was yesterday. We were sitting in the pit area and watched this whole thing unfold, from Paul Russo complaining about his car to Tony taking it out on the track. Hank - this is very painful for me to watch as well.

[HankJMH]

Seeing this short video feels weird. I was sitting inside the track on the front stretch and saw Bettenhausen crash. The car (Paul Russo's) suddenly jerked to the right, hit the wall, and wrapped itself in the fence on the outside of the track. I had gotten his autograph only about 15 minutes before the crash. I remember he was talking to someone else (possibly Russo) while he put the paper against his leg and signed his autograph for me. He didn't even look at it while writing it.

[Aelexsch]

Nutshell



[1957thack]

Tony was one of the premier drivers back then! He took his good friends car out Paul Russo that had struggled to get that car up to speed! It cost him his life!

[tommykl]

@mohawkman251988 It's possible. He hit the wall, the car turned upside down and span across the top of the wall, taking the safety net with him and bursting into flames. There was no way he could have survived that.

[mohawkman251988]

Wasn't Tony actually killed from a basular skull fracture?