Bob Wente (May 28, 1933 – August 13, 2000) was an American racing driver.

Midget car

He started racing

midget cars Midget (from ''midge'', a tiny biting insect) is a term for a person of unusually short stature that is considered by some to be pejorative due to its etymology. While not a medical term like "dwarfism", a medical condition with a number of ca ...

in 1953 at the St. Louis Auto Racing Association. He won the Midwest region of the USAC National

Midget Midget (from ''midge'', a tiny biting insect) is a term for a person of unusually short stature that is considered by some to be pejorative due to its etymology. While not a medical term like "dwarfism", a medical condition with a number of ca ...

championship in 1960, and finished second by 9.75 points to

Jimmy Davies James Richard Davies (August 8, 1929 – June 11, 1966) was an American racecar driver in Champ cars and midgets. He was the second man to win three USAC National Midget Championships.Mel Kenyon Mel Kenyon (born April 15, 1933 in DeKalb, Illinois) is a former midget car driver. He is known as the "King of the Midgets", "Miraculous Mel"< ...

.Biography
at 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 Angell Park Speedway has a 1/3 mile () dirt racetrack located in Sun Prairie, Wiscons ...

, Retrieved January 16, 2007 Notable races that he won include the

Hut Hundred Terre Haute Action Track (also The Action Track) is a half-mile dirt track racing, dirt racetrack located at the Vigo County, Indiana, fairgrounds on U.S. Route 41 in Indiana, U.S. Route 41 along the south side of Terre Haute, Indiana. The track ...

in 1963, and the

Night Before the 500 The Dave Steele Carb Night Classic is a United States Auto Club dirt track car race held near Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, which takes place in late May before the Indianapolis 500 at the nearby Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Over its his ...

in 1969 and 1976.

Championship Car

Wente used his midget car experiences to earn a ride in the USAC

Championship Car American open-wheel car racing, also known as Indy car racing, is a category of professional automobile racing in the United States. As of 2022, the top-level American open-wheel racing championship is sanctioned by IndyCar. Competitive events ...

series. He raced in the 1963-1965 and 1967 seasons, with 11 career starts, including the 1964

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...

. He finished in the top ten 5 times, with his best finish in 3rd position in 1965 at Trenton. Despite witnessing the tragic events in front of him on the opening lap of the

1964 Indianapolis 500 The 48th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Saturday, May 30, 1964. The race was won by A. J. Foyt, but is primarily remembered for a fiery seven-car accident which resulted in th ...

that claimed the lives of

Eddie Sachs Edward Julius Sachs Jr, (May 28, 1927 – May 30, 1964) was a United States Auto Club driver who was known as the "Clown Prince of Auto Racing". He coined the phrase "If you can't win, be spectacular". Early life Sachs was born May 28, 1927 in A ...

and

Dave MacDonald David George MacDonald (July 23, 1936 – May 30, 1964) was an American road racing champion noted for his successes driving Corvettes and Shelby Cobras in the early 1960s. At the age of 27, he was killed in the 1964 Indianapolis 500, alon ...

, Wente charged from his 32nd starting spot to take ninth place at the checkers in his number 68, Trevis/Offenhauser. Wente attempted to qualify the next two seasons in 1965 and 1966, but failed to make the field. Wente also won a single USAC

Sprint car Sprint cars are high-powered open-wheel race cars, designed primarily for the purpose of running on short oval or circular dirt or paved tracks. Sprint car racing is popular primarily in the United States and Canada, as well as in Australia, New ...

race. Wente remained in the racing business long after his driving career ended. He stayed busy by owning and operating a restaurant named Wente's O & W (Open Wheel) in

Chesterfield, Missouri Chesterfield is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. It is a western suburb of St. Louis. As of the 2020 census, the population was 49,999, . The broader valley of Chesterfield was originally referred to as "Gumbo Flats", derived ...

up until his death.

Award

*He was inducted in the

in its first class in 1984.

References

1933 births 2000 deaths Champ Car drivers Indianapolis 500 drivers Racing drivers from Missouri Racing drivers from St. Louis {{US-autoracing-bio-stub