Bettenhausen Dies in Plane Crash

LEESBURG, Ky. —  Tony Bettenhausen, the youngest son in a famous auto racing family, died in a plane crash Monday. He was 48.

Bettenhausen, who drove Indy cars before becoming a CART team owner, his wife, Shirley, and two associates were killed when their small plane crashed about noon on a farm 30 miles from Lexington, Ky., said Brad Stevens, an executive with Bettenhausen Motorsports in Indianapolis.

Shirley Bettenhausen was the daughter of longtime Indy car driver Jim McElreath. The other men killed were identified as Russ Roberts, a partner in Bettenhausen’s racing team, and Larry Rangel, an Indiana businessman.

The plane took off from Tri-City Airport in Blountville, Tenn., for Indianapolis, the Federal Aviation Administration said. They were returning to Indianapolis from team testing in Homestead, Fla.

Bettenhausen’s father, Tony, also a driver, was killed in practice in 1961.