RACER: Robin Miller on Pancho Carter

A few months after nearly losing his life in an Indy car, Duane "Pancho" Carter hobbled out to his sprint car and drove right back into the winner's circle to begin one of the great comeback stories in open-wheel racing.

Already a two-time USAC sprint car champion and rookie of the year at Indianapolis, Carter was testing at Phoenix in November of 1977 when he crashed into the steel guardrail on the inside of the front straightaway. The impact crushed his pelvis and sciatic nerve in his right leg, in addition to rupturing his bladder and losing a huge amount of blood. Doctors said he probably wouldn't walk again, let alone drive a racecar, but the second generation star was back in a sprinter at Indianapolis Raceway Park in April.

Using a special throttle device that allowed his leg muscles to operate the throttle, Carter captured the 40-lap feature and win on to claim the 1978 USAC dirt car title.

Although road racing was almost out of the question due to his injury, Carter was still a force on ovals in Indy cars – winning the 1981 Michigan 500 and pole position at Indy in 1985.

He scored 42 sprint wins, 23 in midgets, five in dirt cars and the one Indy car triumph to rank ninth all-time in USAC's overall list.