Duke Nalon

Dennis "Duke" Nalon (March 2, 1913 – February 26, 2001) was a midget car, sprint car, and Indy 500 driver from Chicago, Illinois, 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.

Nalon was nicknamed "The Iron Duke." Nalon was part of the "Chicago Gang" with Tony Bettenhausen. They toured tracks in the Midwest and East Coast of the United States.

Midget cars

Nalon won races on the United State's 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

He won the 1938 East Coast AAA Sprint car championship.

Indy cars

Nalon started ten Indianapolis races, finishing only 3. He started from the pole twice, and was twice the fastest qualifier.

Indy 500 results

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World Championship career summary

The Indianapolis 500 was idered part of the FIA World Championship from 1950 through 1960....
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