Jack McGrath (racing driver)

John James "Jack" McGrath (October 8, 1919 – November 6, 1955[1]) was an American racecar driver.

Jack McGrath
Born(1919-10-08)October 8, 1919
Los Angeles, California
DiedNovember 6, 1955(1955-11-06) (aged 36)
Phoenix, Arizona
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality American
Active years1950–1955
TeamsKurtis Kraft
Entries6
Championships0
Wins0
Podiums2
Career points9
Pole positions1
Fastest laps1
First entry1950 Indianapolis 500
Last entry1955 Indianapolis 500

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 at the one-mile dirt oval at the Arizona State Fairgrounds in Phoenix, Arizona.

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

Complete AAA Championship Car results
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
Year[2] Car Start Qual Rank Finish Laps Led Retired
1948 5213124.5801621700Stalled
1949 333128.884826390Oil pump
1950 496131.86810141310Spun T2
1951 93134.30383rd20011Running
1952 43136.6645112006Running
1953 53136.6021352000Running
1954 2 1 141.033 1 3rd20047Running
1955 33142.580 1 26546Magneto
Totals109470
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

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.

References
  1. "Jack McGrath". www.oldracingcars.com. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  2. Jack McGrath Indy 500 Race Stats
  • 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.
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