Al Loquasto

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Al Loquasto" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (March 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Al Loquasto
Nationality	American
Born	Albert John Loquasto, Jr. (1940-06-21)June 21, 1940 Easton, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	July 31, 1991(1991-07-31) (aged 51) Fogelsville, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Champ Car career
60 races run over 15 years
Years active	1967, 1969–1980, 1982–1983
Best finish	19th – 1975
First race	1969 Rex Mays Classic (Milwaukee)
Last race	1983 Domino's Pizza 500 (Pocono)
Wins Podiums Poles 0 0 0
NASCAR driver
NASCAR Cup Series career
6 races run over 2 years
Best finish	81st (1982)
First race	1981 Mountain Dew 500 (Pocono)
Last race	1982 Busch 500 (Bristol)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 0 0

Albert John (Al) Loquasto (Jr.)^[1] (June 21, 1940 – July 31, 1991), was an American racecar driver.

Born in Easton, Pennsylvania, Loquasto died in a plane crash in Fogelsville, Pennsylvania. He drove in the USAC and CART Championship Car series, racing in the 1969–1980 and 1982–1983 seasons, with 61 combined career starts, including the 1976 and 1977 Indianapolis 500. He finished in the top ten 11 times, with his best finish in 7th position in 1975 at Ontario.

Loquasto raced on a tight budget, fielding his own cars which were often several years old. He qualified for his first Indy 500 after receiving technical assistance from Clint Brawner. ^[2]

He also drove six NASCAR races from 1981 to 1982. Prior to his open-wheel career, Loquasto was a five-time national hillclimbing champion. Loquasto's chief occupation was as the owner of APCO, Inc., an automotive warranty company, and he was a veteran of the Vietnam War. ^[3] Loquasto was a fourth-degree member of the Knights of Columbus. ^[4]

Al Loquasto was the first cousin of Sicilian-American scenic designer and costume designer Santo Loquasto, and a distant cousin of Sicilian-American author Angelo F. Coniglio. All are descendants of Libertino lo Guasto,^[5] a foundling born in Serradifalco, Sicily in 1796. Al Loquasto's survivors include his spouse Sandra Loquasto and son A.J. (III) Loquasto.