Jerry Grant: Jan. 23, 1935-Aug. 12, 2012
As a young man in the Pacific Northwest, Jerry Grant started his driving adventures as a drag racer, before graduating to sports cars, achieving success with a three-liter Ferrari and a Lotus-Chevy. By the mid-1960s he was racing Cobras and Ford GT40s, often partnering Dan Gurney. A regular on the Indy Car circuit, he was leading the 1972 Indy 500 when a puncture forced him to pit. Overshooting his pit, his car was serviced and fueled in teammate Bobby Unser’s pit. He returned to the race and finished second to Mark Donohue, but was subsequently reclassified in 12th place due to the refueling incident. Grant was also the first person to lap an Indy car at more than 200 miles in 1972. When he retired from the cockpit, he continued his work in racing for Champion Sparkplugs, Cooper Industries and, later, his own consulting company.