Walt Faulkner
Encyclopedia
Walt Faulkner was an American racing driver from Tell, Texas
Tell, Texas
Tell is an unincorporated community in southwestern Childress County, Texas, United States, to the southwest of the city of Childress, the county seat of Childress County. Its elevation is 1,903 feet...

, who moved to Milledgeville, Georgia
Milledgeville, Georgia
Milledgeville is a city in and the county seat of Baldwin County in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is northeast of Macon, located just before Eatonton on the way to Athens along U.S. Highway 441, and it is located on the Oconee River. The relatively rapid current of the Oconee here made this an...

 at the age of two-and-a-half, and to Lake Wales, Florida
Lake Wales, Florida
Lake Wales is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. The population was 10,194 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 11,802 . It is part of the Lakeland–Winter Haven Metropolitan Statistical Area...

 at the age of eight. He then moved to Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

 in 1936. Faulkner competed mainly in the National Championship
American Championship Car Racing
Since 1916 there has been a recognized United States national automobile racing National Championship for drivers of professional-level, single-seat open wheel race cars. The championship has been under the auspices of several different sanctioning bodies since 1909. Since 1911, the Indianapolis...

 and in stock car races. In 1950 Faulkner became the first rookie to win pole position
Pole position
The term "pole position", as used in motorsports, comes from the horse racing term where the number one starter starts on the inside next to the inside pole. The term made its way, along with several other customs, to auto racing. In circuit motorsports, a driver has pole position when he or she...

 at the Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...

. He died in 1956 after a qualifying crash at a USAC Stock Car
USAC Stock Car
The USAC Stock Car division was the stock car racing class sanctioned by the United States Auto Club . The division raced nationally; drivers from USAC's open wheel classes like IndyCars, Silver Crown, sprint cars, and midgets frequently competed in races and won championships...

 event in Vallejo, California
Vallejo, California
Vallejo is the largest city in Solano County, California, United States. The population was 115,942 at the 2010 census. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area on the northeastern shore of San Pablo Bay...

.

Earlier in his career, Faulkner raced motorcycles and then midget cars for the Edelbrock
Edelbrock
Edelbrock, LLC is a specialty performance automotive and motorcycle aftermarket parts manufacturer based in Torrance, California. The company has five locations, including four in Torrance: its headquarters, a distribution center and museum, the Russell division , and the exhaust plant...

 dirt track racing
Dirt track racing
Dirt track racing is a type of auto racing performed on oval tracks. It began in the United States before World War I and became widespread during the 1920s and 30s. Two different types of racecars predominated—open wheel racers in the Northeast and West and stock cars in the South...

 team. He had great success in midget car racing and was inducted into the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 2007. Faulkner was also inducted into the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame in 2006.

Indy 500 results

EWLINE
Year Car Start Qual Rank Finish Laps Led Retired
1950 98 1 134.343 1 7 135 0 Running
1951 2 14 136.872 1 15 123 0 Crankshaft
1953 23 14 137.117 10 17 176 0 Flagged
1954 98 - - - 12* 199 ? Flagged
1955 77 7 139.762 16 5** 200 0 Running
Totals 634 0
EWLINE
Starts 4
Poles 1
Front Row 1
Wins 0
Top 5 1
Top 10 2
Retired 1

* Shared drive with Chuck Stevenson
Chuck Stevenson
Charles "Chuck" Stevenson was an American racecar driver.- AAA and USAC Championship Car series :...



** Shared drive with Bill Homeier
Bill Homeier
Bill Homeier was an American racecar driver.He drove in the AAA and USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1953–1955 and 1958–1960 seasons with 14 starts, including the 1954 and 1960 Indianapolis 500 races...

. Each driver scored 1 World Championship point

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. Walt Faulkner participated in 5 World Championship races. He started on the pole 1 time, and accumulated a total of 1 championship point.
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