Born in Stamford, CT, Chuck Arnold was one of the nation’s top Midget drivers through the 1950s and 1960s, scoring wins in the NASCAR, NEMA, ARDC and USAC Midgets as well as the URC Sprint Cars and the Three Quarter Midgets. Starting with the United Stock Car Club, he moved to the Midgets winning the ARDC Most Improved award in 1952. He was a dominant figure with NASCAR for four years, winning the championship in 1954 and finishing second in 1955 to Freddie Meeker. In 1956 he was a winner in URC teaming with fellow Hall of Famer Bert Brooks.
A victory at Eastern States in 1958 driving for Ken Brenn was among the highlights of a run with ARDC that resulted in 14 victories. Arnold, fourth in ARDC points in ’58, was especially apt on the New England soil, scoring major extra-distance wins at Danbury and West Haven. The Nagy Offy, Frankenfield Offy, Barclay Offy and Nelson Offy were among his ARDC rides.
Moving on to the tough USAC circuits by the mid 1960s, he grabbed another 14 victories before retiring in the early 1970s. He was seventh in 1967 and fourth in ’68 driving for the likes of Lee Elkins and Joe Kleinbauer. He later found success with Harry Turner. An infrequent Champ Car competitor, Arnold finished 15th in the 1959 Indianapolis 500.
Arnold, who served as a USAC official, died on September 4, 1997 in Santa Ana, CA. He was 71. |
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Photo From The Val LeSieur Archives
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