John Peter Halsmer (born March 3, 1944, in Lafayette, Indiana), is a former driver in the CART Championship Car series. He raced in 5 seasons (1980, 1982–1985), with 33[1] career starts, and started in the Indianapolis 500 in 1981–1982. He finished in the top five three times in the CART series, with his best finish in 2nd position in 1983 at Cleveland. In 1992, Halsmer raced in the IROC series, representing IMSA. Pete drove for Ford/Roush (NASCAR owner Jack Roush) from 1986 through 1989 and won six Trans Am races and four GTO races winning the 1989 GTO championship. From 1990 through 1992 he drove for Mazda and won another GTO championship in 1991. From 1994 through 1997 he drove BMWs, winning four GT2 races and winning the Manufacturer's Title in 1996. From 1999 to 2004 he drove for and provided technical consulting for Honda America Race Team winning several championships in Motorola Cup and Grand Am Cup series. Halsmer is also a 3 time class winner at the 24 Hours of Daytona and was trained as a helicopter pilot and served in the Vietnam War.[2][3]

Halsmer at the 2014 Indianapolis 500.

Early life and education

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Halsmer graduated from Purdue University with degrees in industrial supervision and aviation electronics. He was drafted into the army and became a helicopter pilot. He served in Vietnam during the Vietnam War in 1970.[4]

Racing record

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CART PPG IndyCar World Series

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

Year Team Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Rank Points Ref
1980 Wysard Racing Wildcat Offenhauser ONT
20
INDY
DNQ
36th 128 [5]
McLaren Cosworth MIL POC MDO MCH WGL MIL ONT MCH MEX PHX
6
1982 Arciero Racing Eagle Chevrolet PHX ATL MIL CLE MCH MIL POC RIV
24
ROA
19
MCH PHX
24
43rd 2 [6]
1983 Arciero Racing Penske Cosworth ATL
4
INDY
DNQ
MIL
9
CLE
2
MCH
33
ROA
14
POC
14
RIV
27
MDO
24
MCH
14
CPL
5
LAG
20
PHX
7
11th 48 [7]
1984 Arciero Racing Penske Cosworth LBH
8
PHX
14
INDY
DNQ
MIL
DNQ
29th 9 [8]
March POR
22
MEA
26
CLE POC
18
MDO
13
SAN
24
MCH
18
PHX
18
LAG
26
Arciero CPL
9
Curb-All American Racers Eagle Pontiac MCH
14
ROA
1985 Machinists Union Racing March Cosworth LBH INDY
DNQ
MIL
15
POR
8
MEA
19
CLE MCH ROA POC MDO SAN MCH
11
LAG PHX MIA 32nd 7 [9]

Indianapolis 500

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Year Chassis Engine Start Finish Team
1981 Penske Cosworth 24 24 Arciero Racing
1982 Eagle Chevrolet 32 25 Arciero Racing

SCCA National Championship Runoffs

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Year Track Car Engine Class Finish Start Status
1974 Road Atlanta Brabham BT29 Cosworth Formula B 15 9 Retired

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest race lap)

Complete USAC Mini-Indy Series results

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Pete Halsmer at the 2016 Brickyard SVRA Pro-Am race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Pos Points
1977 Race Research Inc. TRE MIL MOS PIR
3
12th 140
1978 Simpson Racers PIR1
4
TRE1
9
MOS
6
MIL1
21
TEX
24
MIL2
15
OMS1
10
OMS2
10
TRE2
19
PIR2
23
12th 318
1979 TEX1
4
IRP
9
MIL1
8
POC
8
TEX2
12
MIL2
5
MIN1
4
MIN2
2
4th 650
1980 Frank Arciero MIL
3
POC
2
MDO
23
MIN1
4
MIN2
14
ONT
1
2nd 628

References

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  1. ^ 33 starts do not include the 1981 or 1982 Indy 500, as it was not a CART race either year.
  2. ^ Pete Halsmer « Where are they now? « OldRacingCars.com
  3. ^ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Archived 2006-10-17 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Flying. "Pete Halsmer, Race Car Driver, Flying Reader", volume 117, number 12, December 1990, p. 127.
  5. ^ "Pete Halsmer – 1980 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
  6. ^ "Pete Halsmer – 1982 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
  7. ^ "Pete Halsmer – 1983 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
  8. ^ "Pete Halsmer – 1984 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
  9. ^ "Pete Halsmer – 1985 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 17, 2023.