Greg Weld (March 4, 1944 – August 4, 2008) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

racecar driver and later a businessman who founded an automotive aftermarkets parts manufacturer that carries his name. Weld won the 1963

Knoxville Nationals The NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals is an annual sprint car event held at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa. An Associated Press writer called winning the event "sprint car racing’s premiere title". It is nicknamed "The Granddaddy of Th ...

, the premiere event in

sprint car racing 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 ...

. Weld raced 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 in the 1965–1972 seasons, with 36 career starts, including the

1970 Indianapolis 500 The 54th 500 Mile International Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Saturday, May 30, 1970. Al Unser, Sr. dominated the race, winning the pole position and leading 190 laps en route to victory. He join ...

. He finished in the top ten 11 times, with his best finish in 4th position in 1970 at Sacramento. He was also the 1967 USAC Sprint Car Series champion. He was the last driver to pilot a car powered by the famous

Novi engine The Novi engine is an American dual overhead cam supercharged V8 engine used in racing cars in the Indianapolis 500 from 1941 to 1966. Designed by Bud Winfield and Leo Goossen, it was built by Fred Offenhauser. Early years The Novi was first used ...

at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway when he crashed during a qualification attempt in 1966. Weld also founded Weld Wheel Industries, a firm manufacturing forged alloy wheels for various vehicles, including race cars, and was an active sponsor of both race cars and series, including the

United States Auto Club The United States Auto Club (USAC) is one of the sanctioning bodies of auto racing in the United States. From 1956 to 1979, USAC sanctioned the List of USAC Championship Car seasons, United States National Championship, and from 1956 to 1997 the ...

series, and ran the firm until its acquisition by American Racing Equipment in 2006, and acquired by

Momo Momo may refer to: Geography * Momo (department), a division of Northwest Province in Cameroon * Momo, Gabon, a town in the Woleu-Ntem province of Gabon * Momo, Piedmont, a town in the province of Novara, in northern Italy * Joffrey Tower, in ...

and later

Grupo Cisneros Grupo Cisneros is a privately held, family owned business headquartered in Coral Gables, Florida, historically based in Venezuela, with a focus on Latin American and Spanish-speaking people worldwide. It is a conglomerate of media entertainment, ...

in 2017. Today, it is part of the MW Company, based in Kansas City, Missouri.

Awards

* He was inducted in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1998.

Indy 500 results

References

External links

Weld Racing
1944 births 2008 deaths American racing drivers Indianapolis 500 drivers National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductees USAC Silver Crown Series drivers {{US-autoracing-bio-stub