He raced Indy cars, stock cars, sport cars and even hydroplane boats.
Salt was the son of George Walther Jr., owner of Dayton Steel Foundry and lived in Dayton until he died in 2012.
While he only competed in four NACAR races during his career, three of those races were at Daytona International Raceway and two of those races were the biggest stock car race of all, the Daytona 500.
Here is a breakdown of his Daytona 500 races from 1976 and 1977.
1976
Until 1975, Salt had never driven in a stock car. Before the season was over, he qualified for Michigan, Daytona and Talladega.
In 1976, the 28-year-old Indianapolis 500 veteran left for Daytona with new sponsorship from one of the nation’s leading Cessna dealers, and an air of optimism.
Salt finished 12th in the Daytona 500 that year, and although he earned $5,800 for the effort, he wasn’t thrilled about it.
“I don’t know how many times they told us in the drivers’ meeting that if someone in front of you blows an engine, you don’t jam on the brakes because it could cause a chain reaction,” Salt said after the race.
“And wouldn’t you know it, some idiot in front of me hits the brakes. So I slam him in the rear. There’s no excuse for that.”
The incident was triggered when David Cisco blew an engine coming down the front straight.
“He locked the brakes, I hit him and he kept on goin’. By then I was in oil, and the next thing I knew I was sliding sideways for about 800 feet.”
Walther, driving a 1976 Chevrolet, went three laps down because of the incident.
Starting in the 26th position, Salt was 21st at the half-way point. He steadily improved his position and by lap 166, he was in 12th, which is where he finished the race.
1977
Salt’s last NASCAR race was the 1977 Daytona 500.
He qualified to start in the 25th spot, on the inside of row 13.
The race was marked with several driver crashes due to high winds that day.
At one point Salt veered in front of leader Buddy Baker, wrecking both cars. Salt’s car rode the guard rail coming out of turn two while Baker’s car hit the fence and spun several times.
Winner Cale Yarborough blamed Salt for the crash.
“I don’t know why people here don’t use their rear view mirror. I was right on Buddy’s (Baker) bumper at the time, and Salt turned right into Buddy. I don’t know what happened after that,” he said.
Salt, who had been running as high as 12th place, blamed the crash on a third party.
“I got hit in the butt,” he said. “It was an orange car and we had been running together for several laps. I was loose, real loose.”
“We could draft together and run four or five miles an hour faster but he clipped me coming out of No. 2 and got me sideways.
Salt finished 24th, earning $1,900.
Legacy
Salt is also remembered for his seven Indianapolis 500 starts including a 9th place finish in 1976. He was the only person to compete in the Daytona 500, the Indianapolis 500 and the unlimited hydroplane circuit.
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