Roger McCluskey
BornRoger Frank McCluskey
(1930-08-24)August 24, 1930
San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
DiedAugust 29, 1993(1993-08-29) (aged 63)
Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
Championship titles
USAC Sprint Car (1963, 1966)
USAC Stock Car (1969, 1970)
USAC Championship Car (1973)
Major victories
California 500 (1972)
Champ Car career
229 races run over 21 years
Best finish1st (1973)
First race1960 Langhorne 100 (Langhorne)
Last race1979 Tony Bettenhausen 200 (Milwaukee)
First win1966 Langhorne 150 (Langhorne)
Last win1979 Tony Bettenhausen 200 (Milwaukee)
Wins Podiums Poles
5 30 3
AAA/USAC Stock Car career
Years active1968–1979
Championships2
Best finish1st in 1969, 1970
NASCAR Cup Series career
4 races run over 4 years
First race1969 Motor Trend 500 (Riverside)
Last race1977 Los Angeles Times 500 (Ontario)
Wins Top tens Poles
0 1 0
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Years1967
TeamsHolman-Moody
Best finishDNF (1967)
Class wins0

Roger McCluskey[1] (August 24, 1930 – August 29, 1993) was an American IndyCar driver. He was raised in Tucson, Arizona.

He won championship titles in three divisions of the United States Auto Club: Sprints, Stocks, and Champ Cars. He won the USAC Sprint Car title in 1963 and 1966, the USAC Stock Car title in 1969 and 1970. The Champ Car title in 1973. 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.

Plymouth Superbird driven by McCluskey in 1970

McCluskey earned four USAC Midget Car wins, 23 USAC Sprint Car wins, 23 USAC Stock Car wins and five USAC Championship Car (national championship) wins (including his last start at Milwaukee in 1979, which is a rarity since most drivers don't win their last race in their career). 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 four NASCAR Grand National Series starts from 1969 to 1977 with a best finish of second in 1970 at Riverside International Raceway.

He represented the USAC series in the 1974 International Race of Champions.

McCluskey raced for the Holman and Moody team in a Ford GT40 Mk.IIB at the 1967 LeMans 24hrs of Endurance, France. During this event, McCluskey is credited with pulling Mario Andretti to safety-and thus saving his life-after Andretti had seriously crashed his Ford GT40 Mk.IV when a front brake locked.

McCluskey died of cancer on August 29, 1993, just five days after his 63rd birthday. In 2004 the local United Sports Arizona Race Park hosted the Roger McCluskey Sprint Car Classic in his honor.

Award

He was inducted in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1993.

He was also inducted into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame in 2002.

He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2011.[2]

Racing record

Complete USAC Championship Car results

Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Pos Points
1956 Harry Allen Chapman INDY MIL LAN DAR ATL SPR MIL DUQ SYR ISF SAC
DNQ 		PHX - 0
1960 Art Koopman TRE INDY MIL
DNQ 		LAN
5 		SPR
13 		MIL
DNQ 		DUQ
15 		19th 320
Harlan Fike SYR
DNQ 		ISF
6 		TRE
11 		SAC
4 		PHX
DNQ
1961 Harlan Fike TRE
6 		LAN
5 		15th 370
Racing Associates INDY
27 		MIL
17 		MIL
DNQ 		SPR TRE
7
John R. Willis DUQ
15 		SYR
8 		ISF
14
Fred Sclavi SAC
11 		PHX
7
1962 Fred Sclavi TRE
8 		INDY
16 		MIL
5 		LAN
14 		TRE
DNQ 		12th 690
Bruce Homeyer SPR
15 		MIL
6 		LAN
5 		SYR
6 		ISF
4 		TRE
21 		SAC
18 		PHX
6
1963 Bruce Homeyer TRE
8 		INDY
15 		MIL
18 		LAN
10 		TRE
7 		SPR
4 		MIL
6 		DUQ
11 		8th 750
Gordon Van Liew ISF
6 		TRE
18 		SAC
5 		PHX
5
1964 Gordon Van Liew PHX
2 		TRE INDY MIL LAN TRE
DNS 		SPR MIL DUQ ISF TRE
8 		SAC
7 		PHX
DNS 		22nd 238
1965 All American Racers PHX
21 		TRE INDY
30 		MIL
6 		LAN
13 		PIP TRE
17 		IRP
3 		ATL
9 		LAN
DNQ 		MIL
5 		SPR MIL
4 		DUQ TRE
4 		PHX
26 		8th 1.060
Bursac-Pusilo ISF
DNS
W & W Enterprises SAC
9
1966 Lindsey Hopkins PHX TRE
20 		INDY
13 		MIL
2 		LAN
6 		ATL
27 		PIP IRP
22 		LAN
1 		SPR
14 		MIL
18 		DUQ
18 		ISF
14 		TRE
5 		SAC
DNS 		PHX
11 		12th 780
1967 Lindsey Hopkins PHX
2 		TRE
2 		INDY
19 		MIL
3 		LAN
17 		PIP MOS
2 		MOS
2 		IRP
19 		LAN
21 		MTR
24 		MTR SPR
13 		MIL
3 		DUQ
3 		ISF
8 		TRE
14 		SAC
DNQ 		HAN
21 		PHX
21 		RIV
5 		8th 1.620
1968 Lindsey Hopkins HAN
6 		LVG
12 		PHX
14 		TRE
16 		INDY
29 		MIL
20 		MOS
3 		MOS
14 		LAN
9 		PIP CDR
17 		NAZ IRP
19 		IRP
7 		LAN
22 		LAN MTR MTR SPR
1 		MIL
23 		DUQ
5 		ISF
12 		TRE
2 		SAC
12 		MCH
25 		HAN
10 		PHX
11 		RIV
12 		13th 1.228
1969 A. J. Foyt Enterprises PHX
14 		HAN
17 		INDY
14 		MIL
9 		LAN PIP CDR
5 		NAZ TRE
21 		IRP
4 		IRP
18 		MIL
14 		SPR
15 		DOV
3 		DUQ
16 		ISF
15 		BRN
15 		BRN TRE
2 		SAC
DNQ 		KEN KEN PHX
DNQ 		RIV
22 		13th 1.090
1970 Hayhoe Racing PHX
DNQ 		SON TRE
DNQ 		INDY
25 		MIL
2 		LAN
Wth 		CDR MCH
7 		IRP
9 		SPR
DNP 		MIL
2 		ONT
25 		DUQ ISF TRE
5 		PHX
3 		6th 1.380
Maxson SED
10 		SAC
5
1971 Grant King Racers RAF
5 		RAF
4 		13th 1.050
Lindsey Hopkins PHX
22 		TRE
22 		INDY
9 		MIL
23 		POC
25 		MCH
3 		MIL
18 		ONT
28 		TRE
22 		PHX
2
1972 Lindsey Hopkins PHX
7 		TRE
2 		INDY
24 		MIL
7 		MCH
8 		POC
11 		MIL
19 		ONT
1 		TRE
8 		PHX
6 		3rd 1.970
1973 Lindsey Hopkins TWS
7 		TRE
8 		TRE
6 		INDY
3 		MIL
2 		POC
2 		MCH
1 		MIL
6 		ONT
2 		ONT ONT
4 		MCH
4 		MCH TRE
13 		TWS
18 		PHX
4 		1st 3.075
1974 Lindsey Hopkins ONT
5 		ONT ONT
8 		PHX
16 		TRE INDY
16 		MIL
18 		POC
28 		MCH
16 		MIL
6 		MCH
13 		TRE
10 		TRE
16 		PHX
19 		16th 555
1975 Lindsey Hopkins ONT
8 		ONT ONT
13 		PHX
DNQ 		TRE
7 		INDY
5 		MIL
8 		POC
4 		MCH
12 		MIL
19 		MCH
5 		TRE
6 		PHX
18 		7th 1.675
1976 Lindsey Hopkins PHX TRE
DNQ 		INDY
30 		MIL MCH
5 		TWS
DNQ 		TRE
22 		MIL
6 		ONT
21 		MCH
10 		TWS
19 		PHX
5 		11th 955
James Bidwell POC
6
1977 Lindsey Hopkins ONT
22 		PHX
3 		TWS
17 		TRE
5 		INDY
8 		MIL
19 		POC
26 		MOS
11 		MCH
20 		TWS
DNQ 		MIL
20 		ONT
22 		MCH
7 		PHX
5 		11th 940
1978 Hodgdon Racing PHX
19 		ONT
20 		TWS
20 		INDY
25 		MOS MIL POC MCH ATL TWS MIL PHX
13 		35th 61
Patrick Racing TRE
21 		ONT
24 		MCH TRE SIL BRH
1979 Hodgdon Racing ONT
12 		TWS INDY
13 		9th 716
AMI Racing MIL
17 		POC
14 		TWS
4 		MIL
1

Complete USAC Mini-Indy Series results

Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Pos Points
1977 TRE MIL MOS
DNS 		PIR - -
1979 TEX1 IRP MIL1
22 		POC TEX2 MIL2 MIN1 MIN2 52nd 3

Complete PPG Indy Car World Series results

Year Team Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Pos. Pts
1979 Hodgdon Racing McLaren Cosworth PHX ATL ATL INDY
13 		TRE TRE MCH MCH WGL TRE ONT MCH ATL PHX - 0

Indy 500 results

NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Grand National Series

NASCAR Grand National Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 NGNC Pts Ref
1969 Norm Nelson Racing 12 Plymouth MGR MGY RSD
22 		DAY DAY DAY CAR AUG BRI ATL CLB HCY GPS RCH NWS MAR AWS DAR BLV LGY CLT MGR SMR MCH KPT GPS NCF DAY DOV TPN TRN BLV BRI NSV SMR ATL MCH SBO BGS AWS DAR HCY RCH TAL CLB MAR NWS CLT SVH AUG CAR JFC MGR TWS NA - [4]
1970 1 RSD
2 		DAY DAY DAY RCH CAR SVH ATL BRI TAL NWS CLB DAR BLV LGY CLT SMR MAR MCH RSD HCY KPT GPS DAY AST TPN TRN BRI SMR NSV ATL CLB ONA MCH TAL BGS SBO DAR HCY RCH DOV NCF NWS CLT MAR MGR CAR LGY NA - [5]

Winston Cup Series

NASCAR Winston Cup Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 NWCC Pts Ref
1972 Marcis Auto Racing 2 Dodge RSD DAY RCH ONT CAR ATL BRI DAR NWS MAR TAL CLT DOV MCH RSD TWS DAY BRI TRN ATL TAL MCH NSV DAR RCH DOV MAR NWS CLT
27 		CAR TWS NA - [6]
1977 74 Chevy RSD DAY RCH CAR ATL NWS DAR BRI MAR TAL NSV DOV CLT RSD MCH DAY NSV POC TAL MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV MAR NWS CLT CAR ATL ONT
40 		NA - [7]

International Race of Champions

(key) (Bold – Pole position. * – Most laps led.)

International Race of Champions results
Season Make 1 2 3 4 Pos. Pts Ref
1973–74 Porsche RSD
8 		RSD
11 		RSD
12 		DAY 12th - [8]

References

  1. ^ "Roger McCluskey". www.champcarstats.com. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  2. ^ Roger McCluskey at the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
  3. ^ Roger McCluskey Indy 500 Race Stats
  4. ^ "Roger McCluskey – 1969 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  5. ^ "Roger McCluskey – 1970 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  6. ^ "Roger McCluskey – 1972 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  7. ^ "Roger McCluskey – 1977 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  8. ^ "Roger McCluskey – 1974 IROC Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved January 21, 2020.

Other references

Sporting positions Preceded byA. J. Foyt USAC Stock Car Champion 1969–1970 Succeeded byButch Hartman
Categories