Pat Flaherty (racing driver)
| Pat Flaherty | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Image.jpg) | |||||||
| Born | George Francis Flaherty January 6, 1926 Glendale, California, U.S. | ||||||
| Died | April 9, 2002 (aged 76) Oxnard, California, U.S. | ||||||
| Championship titles | |||||||
| Major victories Indianapolis 500 (1956) | |||||||
| Champ Car career | |||||||
| 18 races run over 9 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 2nd (1956) | ||||||
| First race | 1950 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis) | ||||||
| Last race | 1963 Rex Mays Classic (Milwaukee) | ||||||
| First win | 1955 Milwaukee 250 (Milwaukee) | ||||||
| Last win | 1956 Rex Mays Classic (Milwaukee) | ||||||
| |||||||
| NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
| 1 race run over 1 year | |||||||
| First race | 1951 Motor City 250 (Detroit) | ||||||
| |||||||
| Formula One World Championship career | |||||||
| Active years | 1950, 1953 – 1956, 1959 | ||||||
| Teams | Kurtis Kraft, Watson | ||||||
| Entries | 7 (5 starts) | ||||||
| Championships | 0 | ||||||
| Wins | 1 | ||||||
| Podiums | 1 | ||||||
| Career points | 8 | ||||||
| Pole positions | 1 | ||||||
| Fastest laps | 0 | ||||||
| First entry | 1950 Indianapolis 500 | ||||||
| First win | 1956 Indianapolis 500 | ||||||
| Last entry | 1959 Indianapolis 500 | ||||||
George Francis "Pat" Flaherty (January 6, 1926 – April 9, 2002) was an American racing driver who won the Indianapolis 500 in 1956.[1]
Driving career
[edit]Championship car career
[edit]
Flaherty drove in the AAA and USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1950, 1953–1956, 1958–1959, and 1963 seasons with 19 starts, including the Indianapolis 500 races in 1950, 1953, 1955, 1956, and 1959. He finished in the top ten 9 times, with victories in 1955 and 1956 at Milwaukee as well as the 1956 Indianapolis 500. Born in Glendale, California, Flaherty died in Oxnard, California. [2]
World Drivers' Championship career
[edit]The AAA/USAC-sanctioned Indianapolis 500 was included in the FIA World Drivers' Championship from 1950 through 1960. Drivers competing at Indianapolis during those years were credited with World Drivers' Championship points and participation in addition to those which they received towards the AAA/USAC National Championship.
Flaherty participated in five World Drivers' Championship races at Indianapolis. He started on the pole once, won once, and accumulated eight World Drivers' Championship points.
Injury and later life
[edit]After winning the 1956 Indianapolis 500, Flaherty was severely injured in a race car crash less than three months later,[3] which prevented him from racing at the 1957 500. Flaherty successfully raced pigeons for over twenty years after he retired from auto racing.[4] He also built and publicised a portable go-kart track where he would race against all-comers.[2]
Awards and honors
[edit]Flaherty has been inducted into the following halls of fame:
- Auto Racing Hall of Fame (2006)[5]
Motorsports career results
[edit]AAA/USAC Championship Car results
[edit]| Year | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | ARL | INDY DNQ |
MIL | TRE | SPR | MIL | DUQ | PIK | SYR | DET |
SPR |
LAN | SAC | DMR | - | 0 |
| 1950 | INDY 10 |
MIL |
LAN | SPR | MIL | PIK | SYR | DET | SPR | SAC | PHX | BAY |
DAR | 33rd | 103.5 | |
| 1953 | INDY 22 |
MIL |
SPR |
DET |
SPR |
MIL |
DUQ |
PIK | SYR |
ISF |
SAC |
PHX |
- | 0 | ||
| 1954 | INDY DNS |
MIL |
LAN | DAR |
SPR |
MIL 12 |
DUQ DNQ |
PIK | SYR |
ISF DNQ |
SAC |
PHX |
LVG |
51st | 20 | |
| 1955 | INDY 10 |
MIL 3 |
LAN |
SPR |
MIL 1 |
DUQ |
PIK | SYR |
ISF DNQ |
SAC |
PHX |
8th | 790 | |||
| 1956 | INDY 1 |
MIL 1 |
LAN 14 |
DAR 5 |
ATL 5 |
SPR 18 |
MIL |
DUQ |
SYR |
ISF |
SAC |
PHX |
2nd | 1,500 | ||
| 1958 | TRE | INDY DNQ |
MIL | LAN | ATL | SPR | MIL 16 |
DUQ | SYR | ISF | TRE | SAC |
PHX |
- | 0 | |
| 1959 | DAY 9 |
TRE 17 |
INDY 19 |
MIL 19 |
LAN |
SPR |
MIL |
DUQ |
SYR |
ISF |
TRE |
SAC |
PHX |
43rd | 40 | |
| 1963 | TRE | INDY |
MIL 21 |
LAN | TRE DNQ |
SPR | MIL | DUQ | ISF | TRE DNQ |
SAC | PHX | - | 0 | ||
Indianapolis 500 results
[edit]
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* Shared drive with Jim Rathmann
References
[edit]- ^ Cyprus Riots, 1956/05/31 (1956). Universal Newsreel. 1956. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
- ^ a b Brown, Allen. "Pat Flaherty". oldracingcars.com. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
- ^ "The Tuscaloosa News - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
- ^ Among the toasts made at the wedding reception Saturday..., chicagotribune.com; accessed May 13, 2014.
- ^ "Pat Flaherty". IMS Museum. Retrieved 2023-10-08.
External links
[edit]- Pat Flaherty - ChampCarStats.com
- Pat Flaherty at Find a Grave
- Pat Flaherty driver statistics at Racing-Reference