Gene Haustein

10/4/1907 - 6/7/1984

Record updated 10-Apr-07

Gene Haustein started racing in 1930. He drove in thre Indy 500 on four occasions, once in relief for Ralph Hepburn. He became the last person to qualify a Hudson powered car at Indy in 1934.

Gene Haustein was born in Detroit, Michigan. He started racing with a Fronty Ford Model T in 1930 on board tracks. In 1931 he qualified for the Indy 500 but lost a wheel on lap 117. His best result that year was fourth on the dirt oval at Syracuse.

In 1932 he took at Model A Fronty Ford to Indy but failed to make the grid. The rest of the year was also without any major success and a ninth at Syracuse his only points finish of the year.

A switch to Hudson in 1933 saw him in 28th spot on the grid at the Brickyard with  a qualifying speed of 107.600 mph and, after a steady race, he was flagged on lap 197 to end his day in 15th place.

He was back at Indy in 1934 with the Lawrence Martz Hudson. He qualified at at 109.420 mph, the last time a Hudson-powered car made the grid. Unfortunately he was hit by Doc MacKenzie on the 13th lap putting both of them out of the race. In December he qualified the Hudson in third spot for the road race at Mines Field but in the race dropped back to finish eleventh.

In 1935 he failed to qualify for Indy but drove relief for Ralph Hepburn. A sixth at Langhorne after qualifying in third place saw the end of Haustein's career.

He died in Sacramento, California in 1984.



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