Roger McCluskey

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.

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 in Indianapolis, 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.