Roger McCluskey (August 24, 1930 – August 29, 1993) was an American IndyCar driver. He was raised in Tucson, Arizona.
McCluskey 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.
McCluskey also made four NASCAR Grand National Series starts from 1969 to 1977 with a best finish of second in 1970 at Riverside International Raceway.
McCluskey 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.
Award McCluskey was inducted in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1993.
McCluskey was also inducted into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame in 2002.
McCluskey was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2011.Roger McCluskey at the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
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 1956Harry Allen Chapman INDY MIL LAN DAR ATL SPR MIL DUQ SYR ISF SACDNQ PHX-0 1960 Art Koopman TRE INDY MILDNQ LAN5 SPR13 MILDNQ DUQ15 19th 320 Harlan Fike SYRDNQ ISF6 TRE11 SAC4 PHXDNQ 1961 Harlan Fike TRE6 LAN5 15th 370 Racing Associates INDY27 MIL17 MILDNQ SPR TRE7 John R. Willis DUQ15 SYR8 ISF14 Fred Sclavi SAC11 PHX7 1962 Fred Sclavi TRE8 INDY16 MIL5 LAN14 TREDNQ 12th 690 Bruce Homeyer SPR15 MIL6 LAN5 SYR6 ISF4 TRE21 SAC18 PHX6 1963 Bruce Homeyer TRE8 INDY15 MIL18 LAN10 TRE7 SPR4 MIL6 DUQ11 8th 750 Gordon Van Liew ISF6 TRE18 SAC5 PHX5 1964 Gordon Van Liew PHX2 TRE INDY MIL LAN TREDNS SPR MIL DUQ ISF TRE8 SAC7 PHXDNS 22nd 238 1965 All American Racers PHX21 TRE INDY30 MIL6 LAN13 PIP TRE17 IRP3 ATL9 LANDNQ MIL5 SPR MIL4 DUQ TRE4 PHX26 8th 1.060 Bursac-Pusilo ISFDNS W & W Enterprises SAC9 1966Lindsey Hopkins PHX TRE20 INDY13 MIL2 LAN6 ATL27 PIP IRP22 LAN1 SPR14 MIL18 DUQ18 ISF14 TRE5 SACDNS PHX11 12th 780 1967Lindsey Hopkins PHX2 TRE2 INDY19 MIL3 LAN17 PIP MOS2 MOS2 IRP19 LAN21 MTR24 MTR SPR13 MIL3 DUQ3 ISF8 TRE14 SACDNQ HAN21 PHX21 RIV5 8th 1.620 1968Lindsey Hopkins HAN6 LVG12 PHX14 TRE16 INDY29 MIL20 MOS3 MOS14 LAN9 PIP CDR17 NAZ IRP19 IRP7 LAN22 LAN MTR MTR SPR1 MIL23 DUQ5 ISF12 TRE2 SAC12 MCH25 HAN10 PHX11 RIV12 13th 1.228 1969A. J. Foyt Enterprises PHX14 HAN17 INDY14 MIL9 LAN PIP CDR5 NAZ TRE21 IRP4 IRP18 MIL14 SPR15 DOV3 DUQ16 ISF15 BRN15 BRN TRE2 SACDNQ KEN KEN PHXDNQ RIV22 13th 1.090 1970 Hayhoe Racing PHXDNQ SON TREDNQ INDY25 MIL2 LANWth CDR MCH7 IRP9 SPRDNP MIL2 ONT25 DUQ ISF TRE5 PHX3 6th 1.380 Maxson SED10 SAC5 1971 Grant King Racers RAF5 RAF4 13th 1.050Lindsey Hopkins PHX22 TRE22 INDY9 MIL23 POC25 MCH3 MIL18 ONT28 TRE22 PHX2 1972Lindsey Hopkins PHX7 TRE2 INDY24 MIL7 MCH8 POC11 MIL19 ONT1 TRE8 PHX6 3rd 1.970 1973Lindsey Hopkins TWS7 TRE8 TRE6 INDY3 MIL2 POC2 MCH1 MIL6 ONT2 ONT ONT4 MCH4 MCH TRE13 TWS18 PHX4 1st 3.075 1974Lindsey Hopkins ONT5 ONT ONT8 PHX16 TRE INDY16 MIL18 POC28 MCH16 MIL6 MCH13 TRE10 TRE16 PHX19 16th 555 1975Lindsey Hopkins ONT8 ONT ONT13 PHXDNQ TRE7 INDY5 MIL8 POC4 MCH12 MIL19 MCH5 TRE6 PHX18 7th 1.675 1976 Lindsey Hopkins PHX TREDNQ INDY30 MIL MCH5 TWSDNQ TRE22 MIL6 ONT21 MCH10 TWS19 PHX5 11th 955 James Bidwell POC6 1977Lindsey Hopkins ONT22 PHX3 TWS17 TRE5 INDY8 MIL19 POC26 MOS11 MCH20 TWSDNQ MIL20 ONT22 MCH7 PHX5 11th 940 1978 Hodgdon Racing PHX19 ONT20 TWS20 INDY25 MOS MIL POC MCH ATL TWS MIL PHX13 35th 61 Patrick Racing TRE21 ONT24 MCH TRE SIL BRH 1979 Hodgdon Racing ONT12 TWS INDY13 9th 716 AMI Racing MIL17 POC14 TWS4 MIL1
Complete USAC Mini-Indy Series results Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Pos Points 1977 TRE MIL MOSDNS PIR - - 1979 TEX1 IRP MIL122 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 Pts 1979 Hodgdon Racing McLaren Cosworth PHX ATL ATL INDY13 TRE TRE MCH MCH WGL TRE ONT MCH ATL PHX-0
Indy 500 results
YearCarStartQualRankFinishLapsLedRetired19612229145.0681827510Crash FS1962179147.7599161683Spun T219631414148.68020151984Spun T319652523155.1861830180Clutch1966821159.27122131290Oil Leak19671222165.5637191650Engine196887166.976729160Oil Filter1969826168.3506141570Split Header1970114169.213425620Suspension1971622171.2411591880Flagged19721420182.6861524920Valve1973314191.9291731310Flagged1974127181.00423161410Rear End19751522183.9641751670Flagged1976713186.49963080Crash T319771118190.9921081910Flagged19781111192.2561725820Clutch19797225183.90835131910FlaggedTotals21557
Starts18Poles0Front Row0Wins0Top 52Top 104Retired13
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 Pts Ref 1969 Norm Nelson Racing 12 Plymouth MGR MGY RSD22 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 - 1970 1 RSD2 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 -
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 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 CLT27 CAR TWS NA - 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 ONT40 NA -
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 RSD8 RSD11 RSD12 DAY 12th -
References
Other references Patrick Finley; "McCluskey memorial race at local dirt track gaining momentum each year"; December 30, 2006; Arizona Daily Star; Retrieved January 15, 2007 NASCAR and IROC statistics