Gene Hartley

Gene Hartley
Born (1926-01-28)January 28, 1926
Died March 13, 1993(1993-03-13) (aged 67)
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality United States American
Active years 1950, 1952–1954, 1956–1957, 1959–1960
Teams Kurtis Kraft, Kuzma, Langley, Lesovsky, Ewing
Entries 10 (8 starts)
Championships 0
Wins 0
Podiums 0
Career points 0
Pole positions 0
Fastest laps 0
First entry 1950 Indianapolis 500
Last entry 1960 Indianapolis 500

Leslie Eugene "Gene" Hartley[1] (January 28, 1926 – March 13, 1993) was an American racecar driver. He was born and died in Roanoke, Indiana.

Hartley was the son of midget car driver Ted Hartley, who competed into his 60s.[2] "Auto racing is all I’ve ever known," Gene once said in an interview at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.[2]

Racing career

He drove in the AAA and USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1950 and 1952-1962 seasons with 33 starts. He raced in ten Indianapolis 500 races, in each year but 1955 and 1958. His best finish at Indy was tenth in 1957, although he finished eleventh three times. He finished in the Top 10 nine times, with his best finish in second position in 1956 at Langhorne Speedway.

Hartley was the 1959 USAC National Midget Series champion.[2] His 33 USAC feature wins were eighth best all-time.[2]

Promoter

Hartley co-promoted with Leroy Warriner at the Kitley Avenue Speedrome in Indianapolis after his retirement. They hosted midget races at the track that was specifically built for the small cars.

Career award

Indy 500 results

Year Car Start Qual Rank Finish Laps Led Retired
1950 75 31 129.213 32 16 128 0 Flagged
1952 67 18 134.343 24 28 65 0 Exhaust pipe
1953 41 13 137.263 9 28 53 0 Crash T4
1954 31 17 139.061 10 23 168 0 Engine
1956 82 22 142.846 15 11 196 0 Flagged
1957 22 14 141.271 16 10 200 0 Running
1959 88 9 143.575 10 11 200 0 Running
1960 48 24 143.896 16 14 196 0 Flagged
1961 28 15 144.817 22 11 198 0 Flagged
1962 67 20 146.969 15 32 17 0 Crash FS
Totals 1421 0

Starts 10
Poles 0
Front Row 0
Wins 0
Top 5 0
Top 10 1
Retired 4

World Championship career summary

The Indianapolis 500 was part of the FIA World Championship from 1950 through 1960. Drivers competing at Indy during those years were credited with World Championship points and participation. Gene Hartley participated in 8 World Championship races, with a best finish of tenth.

References

  1. ↑ The Talk of Gasoline Alley - 1070-AM WIBC/Network Indiana, May 15, 2007
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Biography at the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame


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