Jack McGrath (racing driver)

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Jack McGrath
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 race1948 H. H. Wheler Memorial Cup (Arlington)
Last race1955 Bobby Ball Memorial (Phoenix)
First win1950 Langhorne 100 (Langhorne)
Last win1953 Rex Mays Classic (Milwaukee)
Wins Podiums Poles
4 13 9
Formula One World Championship career
Active years19501955
TeamsKurtis Kraft
Entries6
Championships0
Wins0
Podiums2
Career points9
Pole positions1
Fastest laps1
First entry1950 Indianapolis 500
Last entry1955 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.

Biography[edit]

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[edit]

Year 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Pos Points
1948 ARL
9
INDY
21
MIL LAN
DNQ
MIL SPR MIL DUQ ATL PIK SPR DUQ 54th 5.2
1949 ARL INDY
26
MIL
8
TRE
14
SPR MIL
DUQ
PIK SYR DET SPR LAN SAC
DMR
44th 50
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
9th 736.5
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
4th 1.460,4
1952 INDY
11
MIL
13
RAL
2
SPR
2
MIL
15
DET
4
DUQ
5
PIK SYR
1
DNC
6
SJS
4
PHX
16
5th 1.200
1953 INDY
5
MIL
1
SPR
4
DET
16
SPR
13
MIL
4
DUQ
4
PIK SYR
9
ISF
DNQ
SAC
10
PHX
13
2nd 1.250
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
3rd 1.220
1955 INDY
26
MIL
8
LAN SPR
10
MIL
21
DUQ
2
PIK SYR
17
ISF
15
SAC
18
PHX
13
18th 240

Indy 500 results[edit]

Year[5] Car Start Qual Rank Finish Laps Led Retired
1948 52 13 124.580 16 21 70 0 Stalled
1949 33 3 128.884 8 26 39 0 Oil pump
1950 49 6 131.868 10 14 131 0 Spun T2
1951 9 3 134.303 8 3rd 200 11 Running
1952 4 3 136.664 5 11 200 6 Running
1953 5 3 136.602 13 5 200 0 Running
1954 2 1 141.033 1 3rd 200 47 Running
1955 3 3 142.580 1 26 54 6 Magneto
Totals 1094 70
Starts 8
Poles 1
Front Row 6
Wins 0
Top 5 3
Top 10 3
Retired 4
  • McGrath's starting positions from 1951 to 1955 represent the best 5-year starting position streak in the Roadster Era.
  • McGrath was the fastest overall qualifier of the Roadster Era.
  • Although McGrath twice posted the fastest qualifying speed, he started from the pole only once when he was the first driver ever to crack the 140-mile-per-hour mark. That was in 1954, with Jimmy Daywalt and 1958 Indy 500 winner Jimmy Bryan to his right. In 1955, he started on the outside of the first row behind pole-day qualifiers Jerry Hoyt and Tony Bettenhausen.

World Championship career summary[edit]

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[edit]

  • Ludvigsen, K.: Indy Cars of the 1950s; Hudson, Wisconsin: Iconografix, 2000.
  • Popely, R.; Riggs, L. S.: Indianapolis 500 Chronicles; Lincolnwood, Illinois: Publications International, 1998.
  • Scalzo, J.: City of Speed: Los Angeles and the Rise of American Racing; St. Paul, Minnesota: MBI Publishing, 2007.
  • Vintage section of the Open Wheel Racers 3 website.

References[edit]

  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.

External links[edit]