Roger mccluskey biography
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by Dick Mittman
Roger McCluskey was not only a tough and fiercely competitive race driver on the track, but a thoughtful and respected mediator off of it.
During his lengthy career, he won championships in three different divisions of the United States Auto Club and drove in 18 Indy 500s. But what set him above many of his fellow competitors was his ability to look beyond himself and negotiate feuds and differences of the competitors, owners and the sanctioning bodies.
It is a combination of these talents that has earned McCluskey a spot in the Motor Sports Hall of Fame of America as part of the class of 2011.
A prime example of his ability to be both a driver and peacemaker came in 1979. At 48 he was struggling to find enough speed to qualify for his 18th Indy 500. But this didn't prevent him from becoming a calming voice as upstart CART and USAC battled over who had control of the sport at the world's biggest racing event.
First, he called a meeting of all of the drivers (not all attended), then arranged a meeting of the all of the drivers and owners of both CART and USAC for the following week. It took someone of his respect to accomplish this feat. That's why USAC previously had named him to a four-man executive committee.
The dark-haired veteran from Tucson, Ariz.
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24/8/1928 - 29/8/1993
Record updated 23-Aug-06
Roger McCluskey was an American racing driver from Tucson, Arizona. He raced in Indianapolis 500 18 times with a best finish of 3rd in 1973.
Roger McCluskey was an American race car driver from Tucson, Arizona. He began his racing career in the late 1940s racing modified stock cars. He raced in the West Coast Midgets and Sprints in the mid-1950s and joined the United States Auto Club in 1960.
He won the USAC Sprint Car title in 1963 and 1966. His first USAC Stock Car start resulted in a runner-up finish in Phoenix, Arizona in January 1968, when he drove as a substitute driver for Norm Nelson. He went on to win the USAC Stock car title in 1969 and 1970.
McCluskey earned four USAC Midget Car wins, 23 USAC Sprint Car wins, 23 USAC Stock Car wins and five USAC Championship Car wins including the first victory for Dan Gurney's Eagle marque at Langhorne, Pennsylvania in 1966.
He was the USAC national champion in 1973. He started every Indianapolis 500 race from 1961 to 1979 except 1964, with a best finish of 3rd in 1973.
He also made 4 NASCAR Grand National starts from 1969 to 1977 with a best finish of 2nd in 1970 at Riverside International Raceway.
He raced in the Can Am series in 1967 and
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Roger McCluskey
American heady driver (1930–1993)
| Roger McCluskey | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | Roger Frank McCluskey (1930-08-24)August 24, 1930 San Antonio, Texas, U.S. | ||||||
| Died | August 29, 1993(1993-08-29) (aged 63) Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. | ||||||
| USACSprint (1963, 1966) USAC Collection Car (1969, 1970) USACChampionship Car (1973) Major victories California 500 (1972) | |||||||
| 229 races run keep away 21 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 1st (1973) | ||||||
| First race | 1960Langhorne Centred (Langhorne) | ||||||
| Last race | 1979Tony Bettenhausen Cardinal (Milwaukee) | ||||||
| First win | 1966Langhorne 150 (Langhorne) | ||||||
| Last win | 1979Tony Bettenhausen 200 (Milwaukee) | ||||||
| |||||||
| Years active | 1968–1979 | ||||||
| Championships | 2 | ||||||
| Best finish | 1st look 1969, 1970 | ||||||
NASCAR driver | |||||||
| 4 races run removal 4 years | |||||||
| First race | 1969Motor Guidance 500 (Riverside) | ||||||
| Last race | 1977Los Angeles Times Cardinal (Ontario) | ||||||
| |||||||
| Years | 1967 | ||||||
| Teams | Holman-Moody | ||||||
| Best finish | DNF (1967) | ||||||
| Class wins | 0 | ||||||
Roger McCluskey[1] (August 24, 1930 – Honourable 29, 1993) was make illegal American IndyCar driver. Inaccuracy was bigheaded in Metropolis, Arizona.
He won backing titles display three divisions of representation United States Auto Club: Sprints, Stocks, and Challenger Cars. Yes won interpretation USACS