John James McGrath (October 8, 1919 – November 6, 1955) was an American racecar driver. McGrath died in an accident at Bobby Ball Memorial; he lost control of his car at Turn 3, crashed and flipped, dying instantly.

Biography McGrath was born in Los Angeles, California, and grew up in South Pasadena, California.

A major player in the "mighty midgets" at Los Angeles's Gilmore Speedway in the late 1940s, McGrath won the first CRA (California Roadster Association) championship in 1946 and was dubbed "King of the Hot Rods". His efforts, along with those of friend and teammate Manuel Ayulo, helped establish track roadsters as viable race cars. The west coast roadsters evolved into sprint cars in the early 1950s.

Major wins at the AAA national level included the 1951 Syracuse and Langhorne 100 mile races, the 1952 Syracuse 100, and the 1953 Milwaukee 200. He finished the 1952 and 1953 AAA championship seasons in second place, and led the first 44 laps of the 1954 Indianapolis 500.

McGrath's storied 26-lap duel with Bill Vukovich in the ill-fated 1955 Indianapolis 500 ended when the magneto on his Hinckle Special Kurtis 500C's Offenhauser (Meyer-Drake) engine failed on lap 54. Fellow Californian and two-time Indy winner Vukovich died three laps later in a chain-reaction crash while in the lead.

The "Splendid Splinter" himself was killed in the final AAA dirt-track race of the 1955 season, the Bobby Ball Memorial at the one-mile dirt oval at the Arizona State Fairgrounds in Phoenix, Arizona.

Complete AAA Championship Car results Year 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Pos Points 1948 ARL9 INDY MIL LAN MIL SPR MIL DUQ ATL PIK SPR DUQ 54th 5.2 1949 ARL INDY26 MIL8 TRE SPR MIL DUQ PIK SYR DET SPR LAN SAC DMR 44th 50 1950 INDY14 MIL9 LAN1 SPR14 MILDNS PIK SYR1 DET17 SPR14 SAC14 PHX9 BAY5 DAR9 9th 736.5 1951 INDY3 MIL18 LAN7 DAR5 SPR2 MIL2 DUQ16 DUQ11 PIK SYR7 DET DNC3 SJS4 PHX14 BAY18 4th 1.460,4 1952 INDY11 MIL13 RAL2 SPR2 MIL15 DET4 DUQ5 PIK SYR1 DNC6 SJS4 PHX16 5th 1.200 1953 INDY5 MIL1 SPR4 DET16 SPR13 MIL4 DUQ4 PIK SYR9 ISFDNQ SAC10 PHX13 2nd 1.250 1954 INDY3 MIL4 LANDNQ DAR21 SPR8 MILDNQ DUQ9 PIK SYR10 ISF4 SAC2 PHXDNQ LVG 3rd 1.220 1955 INDY26 MIL8 LAN SPR10 MIL21 DUQ2 PIK SYR17 ISF15 SAC18 PHX13 18th 240

Indy 500 results YearCarStartQualRankFinishLapsLedRetired194852 13 124.580 16 21 70 0 Stalled194933 3 128.884 8 26 39 0 Oil pump195049 6 131.868 10 14 131 0 Spun T219519 3 134.303 8 3rd 200 11 Running19524 3 136.664 5 11 200 6 Running19535 3 136.602 13 5 200 0 Running195421141.0331 3rd 200 47 Running19553 3 142.580126 54 6 MagnetoTotals 1094 70 Starts8Poles1Front Row6Wins0Top 53Top 103Retired4 McGrath's starting positions from 1951 to 1955 represent the best 5-year starting position streak in the Roadster Era. McGrath was the fastest overall qualifier of the Roadster Era. Although McGrath twice posted the fastest qualifying speed, he started from the pole only once when he was the first driver ever to crack the 140-mile-per-hour mark. That was in 1954, with Jimmy Daywalt and 1958 Indy 500 winner Jimmy Bryan to his right. In 1955, he started on the outside of the first row behind pole-day qualifiers Jerry Hoyt and Tony Bettenhausen.

World Championship career summary The Indianapolis 500 was part of the FIA World Championship from 1950 through 1960. Drivers competing at Indy during those years were credited with World Championship points and participation. McGrath participated in six World Championship races. He started on the pole once, set one fastest lap, and finished on the podium twice. He accumulated a total of nine championship points.

Sources Ludvigsen, K.: Indy Cars of the 1950s; Hudson, Wisconsin: Iconografix, 2000. Popely, R.; Riggs, L. S.: Indianapolis 500 Chronicles; Lincolnwood, Illinois: Publications International, 1998. Scalzo, J.: City of Speed: Los Angeles and the Rise of American Racing; St. Paul, Minnesota: MBI Publishing, 2007. Vintage section of the Open Wheel Racers 3 website.

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