Neil Carter

30/8/1923

Record updated 30-Aug-06

Midget raced from Ohio who made one unsuccessful attempt to qualify for the Indy 500 in 1952.

Neal Carter was born in Wapakoneta, Ohio, USA. He started racing motorcycles but after attending a midget race in Toledo, Ohio at the Ford Miami track, watching such drivers as Perry Grimm and Ronney Householder, he deceided that it looked a whole easier and went out and purchased a Ford V8-60 powered midget right then and there. At 125 lbs he was idealy suited to midget racing and proceeded to make a name for himself.

In 1946 he convinced a car owner that he could cure his motorcycle powered midget’s problem and proceeded to drive the car to a 3rd in the feature that night. In attendance, and highly impressed, was car owner Jim White, who hired the Toledo driver for his Offy.

In 1948 White added Ralph Pratt to his team and together they dominated the Midwest tracks in their cream and red Offys.

Carter wom the Fort Miami track Championship in 1948 and capped off the year with a win in the 100 mile race at Langhorne, Pa. at the record speed of over 96 m.p.h.

He won the Detroit Motor City Speedway title in 1949, ’50 and ’51. He was also the AAA Ohio/Michigan Midget Champion in 1950.

Neal Carter placed 3rd in the National Midget Championship point battle in 1948 and was 9th in ’49 and 3rd again in ’51.

Neal passed his drivers test at Indianapolis in 1951 and raced in 20 National Championship big car races during his career though he never qualified for Indy. He tried in 1952 driving the Auto Shippers Kurtis KK500A-Offenhauser but to no avail.

Carter retired to Florida where he still lives.