Dennis Clayton "Duke" Nalon (March 2, 1913 – February 26, 2001) was an American

racing driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non ...

. He competed in midget car, sprint car, and

Indy car IndyCar, LLC (stylized as INDYCAR), is an auto racing sanctioning body for American open-wheel car racing headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The organization sanctions two racing series: the premier IndyCar Series with the Indianapolis 5 ...

races. Nicknamed "The Iron Duke," Nalon was part of the "Chicago Gang" along with Tony Bettenhausen and others. These racers toured tracks in the Midwest and East Coast of the United States.

Racing career

Nalon began as a pit crew member for Wally Zale. Nalon occasionally warmed up the car. When Walter Galven needed a driver, Zale convinced Galven to allow Nalon to race. Nalon won the feature event.Biography at the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame

Midget cars

Nalon won races on the United States' East Coast in the 1930s. Nalon competed in midget cars throughout his career. He ran his final career race at the only midget race ever run at Terre Haute. He raced Johnny Pawl’s famous midget to victory. He ended his career the way he started it: with a win.

Sprint cars

Nalon won the 1938 East Coast AAA Sprint car championship; he won the Midwestern championship in 1941.

Indy cars

Nalon started ten Indianapolis races, finishing only three. He started from the pole twice, and was twice the fastest qualifier. In 1947, he competed in a Mercedes-Benz W154. He also competed in numerous other events on what was them termed the Championship car circuit. In 1949, Nalon was involved in a massive, fiery crash in Turn 3 of the

Indianapolis Motor Speedway The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a motor racing circuit located in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana. It is the home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400, and and formerly the home of the U ...

. He backed into the wall and the car burst into flames. He survived only because he held his breath (to prevent asphyxiation), and he jumped out of the car while it was still moving. He had severe burns to his legs which gave him trouble until his death in 2001.

World Drivers' Championship career

The AAA/ USAC-sanctioned Indianapolis 500 was included in the FIA

World Drivers' Championship Formula One, abbreviated to F1, is the highest class of open-wheeled auto racing defined by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), motorsport's world governing body. The "formula" in the name refers to a set of rules to which a ...

from 1950 through 1960. Drivers competing at Indianapolis during those years were credited with World Drivers' Championship participation, and were eligible to score WDC points alongside those which they may have scored towards the AAA/ USAC

National Championship A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or competition, contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the be ...

. Nalon participated in three World Drivers' Championship races at Indianapolis. His best finish was tenth place, and he qualified on the pole once. He scored no World Drivers' Championship points.

Awards and honors

* He was inducted in the

National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame The National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame is an American Hall of Fame and museum for midget cars. The Hall of Fame is located at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, and can be accessed during weekly Sunday races during the summe ...

in 1987. * He was named to the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1991. * In 2015, he was inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America.Duke Nalon
at the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America

Motorsports career results

Indianapolis 500 results

FIA World Drivers' Championship results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nalon, Duke 1913 births 2001 deaths Indianapolis 500 drivers Indianapolis 500 polesitters National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductees Racing drivers from Chicago AAA Championship Car drivers 20th-century American sportsmen