Bentley Warren (born December 10, 1940, in

Kennebunkport, Maine Kennebunkport is a resort town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,629 people at the 2020 census. It is part of the Portland– South Portland– Biddeford metropolitan statistical area. The town center, the are ...

), is an American racecar driver. He is best known for racing 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 event ...

series, and for some New Englanders, even more so for his racing in the Supermodified winged cars, now called ISMA. During the 1970s, he twice raced in the

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 ...

Biography

Warren had his first win 1957 at

West Peabody, Massachusetts Peabody () is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 54,481 at the time of the 2020 United States Census. Peabody is located in the North Shore region of Massachusetts, and is known for its rich industrial hist ...

.Biography
at the

New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame The New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame is a hall of fame for racing-related people in the New England region of the United States. NEAR was established in 1981. The New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame was established in 1998 by the New Englan ...

, 2007, Retrieved October 2, 2007 As of 2007, he had won races at 34 tracks in the United States and Canada. His first championship came in 1962 in the B-class at Hudson and the Pines. Since then, he has won championships at

Oswego Speedway The Oswego Speedway is a 5/8 mile race track in Oswego, New York. It was built in 1951 and was paved with asphalt since the 1952. The track has held dates on several national tours - the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, ASA National Tour, and USAC ...

, Star Speedway, New England Super Modified Racing Association and ISMA. Warren raced in the 1970–1975 seasons, with 37 career starts, including the

races of 1971 and

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

. He finished in the top ten 14 times, with his best finish in fourth position in 1970 at

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...

. After he stopped racing in the Indy cars, Warren's career was revitalized at Oswego Speedway, driving for Tom Heveron in a wingless supermodified. While subbing for injured driver Doug Heveron, Bentley racked up 5 wins in his first 6 starts which led to a series of great rides including the Flying 5 and one of Paul Dunigan's fleet. Bentley has won the International Classic at Oswego 6 times. Other notable wins include the

Little 500 The Little 500 (also known popularly as the "Little Five"), is a track cycling race held annually during the third weekend of April at Bill Armstrong Stadium on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. It is attended by more tha ...

twice, the Copper World Classic, the Star Classic, The Thompson World Series, and an east–west showdown between the best of the supermodified drivers. He continues to drive on occasion in the ISMA supermodified series and recorded a win in 2006 driving for car owner Vic Miller. In the early 2000s, Bentley worked with actor Paul Newman in a

midget car Midget cars, also speedcars in Australia, is a class of racing cars. The cars are very small with a very high power-to-weight ratio and typically use four cylinder engines. They originated in the United States in the 1930s and are raced on m ...

and supermodified at Star Speedway in

Epping, New Hampshire Epping is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 7,125 at the 2020 census, up from 6,411 at the 2010 census.United States Census BureauU.S. Census website 2010 Census figures. Retrieved March 23, 2011. The ...

. In the late 1990s and in the 2000s, Bentley dabbled back in the USAC open-wheel division, and continued to make appearances in supermodifieds. Later on, sometime around 2007, Bentley's Campground and Biker Saloon were constructed in Arundel, Maine, serving as a tourism sight and recreational haven.

Career awards

*He was inducted in the

in 2007.

Indy 500 results

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Warren, Bentley 1940 births Living people Indianapolis 500 drivers People from Kennebunkport, Maine Racing drivers from Maine USAC Silver Crown Series drivers World of Outlaws drivers