Walt Faulkner

Walter Faulkner[1] (February 16, 1918[2] – April 22, 1956)[3] was an American racing driver from Tell, Texas. He moved to Milledgeville, Georgia at the age of two-and-a-half, and to Lake Wales, Florida at the age of eight. He then moved to San Diego, California in 1936. Faulkner competed mainly in the National Championship and in stock car races. In 1950 Faulkner became the first rookie to win pole position at the Indianapolis 500. He died in 1956 after a qualifying crash at a USAC Stock Car event in Vallejo, California.

Walt Faulkner
Faulkner, circa 1942
Born	Walter Faulkner (1918-02-06)February 6, 1918 Tell, Texas, U.S.
Died	April 22, 1956(1956-04-22) (aged 38) Vallejo, California, U.S.
Champ Car career
35 races run over 7 years
Years active	1949-1955
Best finish	2nd – 1950
First race	1950 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis)
Last race	1955 Springfield 100 (Springfield)
First win	1950 Milwaukee 200 (Milwaukee)
Last win	1951 Milwaukee 200 (Milwaukee)
Wins Podiums Poles 3 7 1
Formula One World Championship career
Active years	1950 – 1955
Teams	Kurtis Kraft, Kuzma, Pankratz, Lesovsky, Ferrari
Entries	6 (5 starts)
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	0
Career points	1
Pole positions	1
Fastest laps	0
First entry	1950 Indianapolis 500
Last entry	1955 Indianapolis 500

Earlier in his career, Faulkner raced motorcycles, then switched to midget cars, later driving for the Edelbrock dirt track racing 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.[4]