Jack McGrath (racing driver)

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Jack McGrath
Jack McGrath 1951.jpg
McGrath, circa 1951
BornJohn James McGrath
(1919-10-08)October 8, 1919
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
DiedNovember 6, 1955(1955-11-06) (aged 36)
Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
Awards
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame (1987)
Champ Car career
67 races run over 8 years
Years active1948–1955
Best finish2nd – 1953
First race 1948 H. H. Wheler Memorial Cup (Arlington)
Last race 1955 Bobby Ball Memorial (Phoenix)
First win 1950 Langhorne 100 (Langhorne)
Last win 1953 Rex Mays Classic (Milwaukee)
WinsPodiums Poles
4139
Formula One World Championship career
Active years 19501955
Teams Kurtis Kraft
Entries6
Championships 0
Wins 0
Podiums2
Career points9
Pole positions 1
Fastest laps 1
First entry 1950 Indianapolis 500
Last entry 1955 Indianapolis 500

John James McGrath [1] (October 8, 1919 – November 6, 1955) was an American racecar driver. [2] McGrath died in an accident at Bobby Ball Memorial, he lost control of his car at Turn 3, crashed and flipped, dying instantly.

Contents

Biography

McGrath was born in Los Angeles, California, and grew up in South Pasadena, California.

A major player in the "mighty midgets" at Los Angeles's Gilmore Speedway in the late 1940s, McGrath won the first CRA (California Roadster Association) championship in 1946 and was dubbed "King of the Hot Rods". His efforts, along with those of friend and teammate Manuel Ayulo, helped establish track roadsters as viable race cars. The west coast roadsters evolved into sprint cars in the early 1950s.

Major wins at the AAA national level included the 1951 Syracuse and Langhorne 100 mile races, the 1952 Syracuse 100, and the 1953 Milwaukee 200. He finished the 1952 and 1953 AAA championship seasons in second place, and led the first 44 laps of the 1954 Indianapolis 500.

McGrath's storied 26-lap duel with Bill Vukovich in the ill-fated 1955 Indianapolis 500 ended when the magneto on his Hinckle Special Kurtis 500C's Offenhauser (Meyer-Drake) engine failed on lap 54. Fellow Californian and two-time Indy winner Vukovich died three laps later in a chain-reaction crash while in the lead.

The "Splendid Splinter" himself was killed in the final AAA dirt-track race of the 1955 season, the Bobby Ball Memorial at the one-mile dirt oval at the Arizona State Fairgrounds in Phoenix, Arizona. [3] [4]

Complete AAA Championship Car results

Year123456789101112131415PosPoints
1948 ARL
9
INDY
21
MIL LAN
DNQ
MIL SPR MIL DUQ ATL PIK SPR DUQ 54th5.2
1949 ARL INDY
26
MIL
8
TRE
14
SPR MIL
DUQ
PIK SYR DET SPR LAN SAC
DMR
44th50
1950 INDY
14
MIL
9
LAN
1
SPR
14
MIL
DNS
PIK SYR
1
DET
17
SPR
14
SAC
14
PHX
9
BAY
5
DAR
9
9th736.5
1951 INDY
3
MIL
18
LAN
7
DAR
5
SPR
2
MIL
2
DUQ
16
DUQ
11
PIK SYR
7
DET
DNC
3
SJS
4
PHX
14
BAY
18
4th1.460,4
1952 INDY
11
MIL
13
RAL
2
SPR
2
MIL
15
DET
4
DUQ
5
PIK SYR
1
DNC
6
SJS
4
PHX
16
5th1.200
1953 INDY
5
MIL
1
SPR
4
DET
16
SPR
13
MIL
4
DUQ
4
PIK SYR
9
ISF
DNQ
SAC
10
PHX
13
2nd1.250
1954 INDY
3
MIL
4
LAN
DNQ
DAR
21
SPR
8
MIL
DNQ
DUQ
9
PIK SYR
10
ISF
4
SAC
2
PHX
DNQ
LVG
3rd1.220
1955 INDY
26
MIL
8
LAN SPR
10
MIL
21
DUQ
2
PIK SYR
17
ISF
15
SAC
18
PHX
13
18th240

Indy 500 results

Year [5] CarStartQualRankFinishLapsLedRetired
1948 5213124.5801621700Stalled
1949 333128.884826390Oil pump
1950 496131.86810141310Spun T2
1951 93134.30383rd20011Running
1952 43136.6645112006Running
1953 53136.6021352000Running
1954 21141.03313rd20047Running
1955 33142.580126546Magneto
Totals109470
Starts8
Poles1
Front Row6
Wins0
Top 53
Top 103
Retired4

World Championship career summary

The Indianapolis 500 was part of the FIA World Championship from 1950 through 1960. Drivers competing at Indy during those years were credited with World Championship points and participation. Jack McGrath participated in 6 World Championship races. He started on the pole once, set 1 fastest lap, and finished on the podium twice. He accumulated a total of 9 championship points.

Sources

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References

  1. "Jack McGrath". www.champcarstats.com. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
  2. "Jack McGrath". www.oldracingcars.com. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  3. "Phoenix Race Finale For AAA". The Arizona Republic . Phoenix, Arizona. October 10, 1955. p. 4. Retrieved May 30, 2021 via newspapers.com.
  4. "Many Greats Gone Since Last '500'". Indianapolis News . May 29, 1956. p. 43. Retrieved May 30, 2021 via newspapers.com.
  5. "Jack McGrath Indy 500 Race Stats". Archived from the original on 2012-02-05. Retrieved 2007-01-04.