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Legendary Racing Driver Art Malone Dies at 76

Former drag racing and USAC Championship driver Arthur "Art" Malone died Friday at the age of 76.
Art Malone 1 photo
Photo: Museum of Drag Racing Inc.
Widely known for becoming the first driver to exceed 180 miles pe hour (290 km/h) at Daytona International Speedway and for driving the famous Novi cars in the Indianapolis 500, Malone was also a drag racer.

In 1959, the Tampa Bay, Florida-born driver substituted for the famous Don "Big Daddy" Garlits who was recovering from an accident, and set a Standard 1320 speed record of 183.66 mph. In 1963, Malone won the AHRA Top Fuel championship and was later inducted into the AHRA Hall of Fame.

Art Malone had 10 career starts in the USAC Championship Car series, including to Indy 500 races in 1963 and 1964, was one of the last surviving drivers who raced front-engined cars.

"[Malone was] a man's man, tough, no nonsense, but had a heart of gold," Don Garlits told WIBC.
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About the author: Ciprian Florea
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Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer.
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