Brother of Tony Jr. and Gary. In 1972, he was badly burned and lost an arm in a crash, which largely scuppered his top-line career, but he carried on doing some racing afterwards. Still alive and working in advertising for an Indianapolis based business, but also works closely with a dealership in the state, as well. Merle was named after his father's friend and racing car owner, Murrell Belanger, with whom Bettenhausen Sr. won the 1951 National Championship. Bettenhausen raced midget and sprint cars and also spent a spell racing in Australia and New Zealand in the winter of 1969.

Biography last updated 4 Dec 2016