Charles Van Acker
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March 14, 1912
| Charles Van Acker | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Van Acker in 1947 | |||||||
| Born | Charles Edward Van Acker March 14, 1912 | ||||||
| Died | May 31, 1998 (aged 86) Grand Blanc, Michigan, U.S. | ||||||
| Champ Car career | |||||||
| 25+ races run over 5 years | |||||||
| Years active | 1946–1950 | ||||||
| Best finish | 4th – 1947 | ||||||
| First race | 1946 Winchester Race 3 (Winchester) | ||||||
| Last race | 1949 Springfield 100 (Springfield) | ||||||
| First win | 1946 Winchester Race 4 (Winchester) | ||||||
| Last win | 1947 Milwaukee 100 (Milwaukee) | ||||||
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| Formula One World Championship career | |||||||
| Active years | 1950 | ||||||
| Teams | Stevens | ||||||
| Entries | 1 (0 starts) | ||||||
| Championships | 0 | ||||||
| Wins | 0 | ||||||
| Podiums | 0 | ||||||
| Career points | 0 | ||||||
| Pole positions | 0 | ||||||
| Fastest laps | 0 | ||||||
| First entry | 1950 Indianapolis 500 | ||||||
| Last entry | 1950 Indianapolis 500 | ||||||
Charles Edward "Poncho" Van Acker Sr[1] (14 March 1912 Brussels – 31 May 1998 South Bend, Indiana) was a Belgian-American racing driver. He first attempted to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 in 1946, but was too slow. In 1947, he made the race and finished in 29th after a crash on lap 24. He also competed in seven more races of the national trail that season and finished fourth in points. In 1948, he finished 11th in the Indy 500 and tenth in the National Championship. 1949 saw him crash ten laps into the Indy 500 and struggle to qualify much of the rest of the season. He attempted the 1950 Indianapolis 500 but failed to qualify in what would be his last Championship Car appearance.[2] He owned and operated the South Bend Motor Speedway in South Bend, Indiana and once after a dirt track crash in Dayton, Ohio was declared dead. However, Van Acker claims that the reports were exaggerated and that he was not that seriously injured.[3]