Roger McCluskey was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 race car driver. He was from Tucson, Arizona

Tucson, Arizona

Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...

.

He won championship titles in three divisions of USAC -Sprints, Stocks, and Champ Cars. He won the USAC

United States Automobile Club

The United States Auto Club is one of the sanctioning bodies of auto racing in the United States. From 1956 to 1979, the USAC sanctioned the United States National Championship, and from 1956 to 1997 the organization sanctioned the Indianapolis 500...

 Sprint Car

Sprint car racing

Sprint cars are high-powered race cars designed primarily for the purpose of running on short oval or circular dirt or paved tracks. Sprint car racing is popular in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa....

 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

Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...

 in January 1968, when he drove as a substitute driver for Norm Nelson

Norm Nelson

Norm Nelson was an American stock car racer. He competed in the United States Auto Club Stock Cars in the 1950s through 1970s. He won the season championship in 1960, 1965, and 1966 as a driver. Nelson also won five owner's championships. He competed in five NASCAR Grand National/Winston Cup ...

.

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. He was the USAC national champion in 1973. He started every Indianapolis 500

Indianapolis 500

The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...

 race from 1961 to 1979 except 1964, with a best finish of 3rd in 1973.

He also made four NASCAR

NASCAR

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...

 Grand National (now Sprint Cup Series) starts from 1969 to 1977 with a best finish of second in 1970 at Riverside International Raceway

Riverside International Raceway

Riverside International Raceway was a race track or road course in Riverside, California. The track was in operation from September 22, 1957, to July 2, 1989...

.

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

International Race of Champions

International Race of Champions, better known as IROC, was a North American auto racing competition, promoted as an equivalent of an American All-Star Game or The Masters...

.

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

Mario Andretti

Mario Gabriele Andretti is a retired Italian American world champion racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport. He is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR...

 to safety-and thus saving his life-after Andretti had seriously crashed his Ford GT 40 when a front brake locked.

McCluskey died on August 29, 1993, just five days after his 63rd birthday after a long battle with cancer

Cancer

Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...

. 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

National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum

The National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum is a Hall of Fame and museum for sprint car drivers, owners, mechanics, builders, manufacturers, promoters, sanctioning officials and media members....

 in 1993.

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

He was also inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2011.

Indy 500 results

Year Car Start Qual Rank Finish Laps Led Retired 1961 1961 Indianapolis 500 Results of the 1961 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Tuesday, May 30, 1961. This was the first Indianapolis 500 not to be included in the Formula One World Championship since 1949.... 22 29 145.068 18 27 51 0 Crash FS 1962 1962 Indianapolis 500 Results of the 1962 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Wednesday, May 30, 1962.-Trivia:Parnelli Jones became the first driver to officially qualify for the race at .... 17 9 147.759 9 16 168 3 Spun T2 1963 1963 Indianapolis 500 Results of the 1963 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Thursday, May 30, 1963.... 14 14 148.680 20 15 198 4 Spun T3 1965 1965 Indianapolis 500 Results of the 1965 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Monday, May 31, 1965.-Trivia:* It was the first time that the Indianapolis 500 was nationally televised on ABC Sports, this race was shown as part of ABC's Wide World of Sports, anchored by Charlie Brockman.... 25 23 155.186 18 30 18 0 Clutch 1966 1966 Indianapolis 500 Results of the 1966 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Monday, May 30, 1966.... 8 21 159.271 22 13 129 0 Oil Leak 1967 1967 Indianapolis 500 -Race schedule:- Race Summary :This unexpected 2 day event began with gray skies but the race was underway as Parnelli Jones in the STP-Paxton Turbocar is in first place before half a lap, with Gurney second and A.J. Foyt in third. Parnelli leads all 18 laps before rain halts the race... 12 22 165.563 7 19 165 0 Engine 1968 1968 Indianapolis 500 -Race schedule:- Time Trials :1968 was the second and eventually the final year the controversial turbine cars were running in the 1968 race classic. Turbine cars were entered by STP and by Carroll Shelby... 8 7 166.976 7 29 16 0 Oil Filter 1969 1969 Indianapolis 500 Results of the 1969 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Friday, May 30, 1969.-Race schedule:-Jigger Sirois:On pole day, Saturday May 17, rain threatened to wash out the afternoon. At the time, the rules did not specifically provide for rain delay extensions during the pole round... 82 6 168.350 6 14 157 0 Split Header 1970 1970 Indianapolis 500 The 1970 Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Saturday, May 30, 1970.Following in the footsteps of his brother, Bobby, Al Unser dominates the 500, leading 190 laps, matching Jim Clark's total in 1965, and the most since 1953, when Bill Vukovich led all but five laps in the race... 11 4 169.213 4 25 62 0 Suspension 1971 1971 Indianapolis 500 The 1971 Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 29, 1971. ABC television broadcast the race for the first time in same-day tape delay.... 6 22 171.241 15 9 188 0 Flagged 1972 1972 Indianapolis 500 The 1972 Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 27, 1972.Gary Bettenhausen leads 138 laps until his engine blows on lap 176. Jerry Grant gets the lead but pits for new tires on lap 188 in team mate Bobby Unser’s pit. Bettenhausen’s Penske team mate Mark Donohue... 14 20 182.686 15 24 92 0 Valve 1973 1973 Indianapolis 500 The 57th Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Wednesday, May 30, 1973. The race was held over three days due to rain and 2 major accidents. After 133 laps , rain halted the race, and Gordon Johncock was declared the winner.... 3 14 191.929 17 3 131 0 Flagged 1974 1974 Indianapolis 500 The 58th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 26, 1974. Johnny Rutherford, in his eleventh attempt, won the race from the 25th starting position, the farthest back since Fred Frame in 1932.... 1 27 181.004 23 16 141 0 Rear End 1975 1975 Indianapolis 500 The 1975 Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Sunday, May 25, 1975.Wally Dallenbach Sr. had a twenty-second lead when he retired on lap 162 with a burned piston. Johnny Rutherford lost the inherited lead to Bobby Unser when he pitted. On lap 171 the yellow came out for rain and the two... 15 22 183.964 17 5 167 0 Flagged 1976 1976 Indianapolis 500 The 1976 Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Sunday, May 30, 1976.Rain stopped the race on lap 102. Two hours later, the race was about to be restarted, but the rain fell again. Officials called the race at that point and Johnny Rutherford was declared the winner... 7 13 186.499 6 30 8 0 Crash T3 1977 1977 Indianapolis 500 The 1977 Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Sunday, May 29, 1977.Gordon Johncock led 129 laps and had a 16 second lead on A.J. Foyt one lap after final pit stops when his crankshaft broke. Foyt became the first driver to win four times. Tom Sneva broke the barrier in qualifying, and... 11 18 190.992 10 8 191 0 Flagged 1978 1978 Indianapolis 500 The 1978 Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Sunday, May 28, 1978. For the first time, Mary Fendrich Hulman, widow of Tony Hulman, delivered the command for drivers to start engines.... 11 11 192.256 17 25 82 0 Clutch 1979 1979 Indianapolis 500 The 1979 Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Sunday, May 27, 1979.The month was filled with controversy on and off the track. A court injunction was issued after USAC denied entries by the start-up CART series. During time trials, several cars were disqualified due to illegal wastegate... 72 25 183.908 35 13 191 0 Flagged Totals 2155 7

Starts 18 Poles 0 Front Row 0 Wins 0 Top 5 2 Top 10 4 Retired 13

Other references

• http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/racing/162561 Patrick Finley; "McCluskey memorial race at local dirt track gaining momentum each year"; December 30, 2006; Arizona Daily Star
  Arizona Daily Star
  The Arizona Daily Star is the major morning daily newspaper that serves Tucson and surrounding districts of southern Arizona in the United States. The paper was purchased by Pulitzer in 1971; Lee Enterprises bought Pulitzer in 2005....
  
  ; Retrieved January 15, 2007
• NASCAR and IROC statistics