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| Samuel "Sam" McQuagg | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (1937-11-11)November 11, 1937 Columbus,Georgia, U.S. | ||||||
| Died | January 3, 2009(2009-01-03) (aged 71) | ||||||
| Cause of death | Cancer | ||||||
| Awards | 1965NASCAR Rookie of the Year Inducted in theGeorgia Automobile Racing Hall of Fame | ||||||
| NASCARCup Series career | |||||||
| 62 races run over 8 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 15th (1966) | ||||||
| First race | 1962 untitled race(Valdosta Speedway) | ||||||
| Last race | 1974 World 600(Charlotte) | ||||||
| First win | 1966 Firecracker 400(Daytona) | ||||||
| |||||||
Samuel McQuagg (November 11, 1937 – January 3, 2009[1]) was an American formerNASCAR Rookie of the Year driver. He died of cancer on January 3, 2009, at the age of 71. He and his wife Joy had recently celebrated their 54thwedding anniversary.[2]
Born inColumbus, Georgia, McQuagg was namedNASCAR Rookie of the Year in 1965 after achieving 5 top-10 finishes in 16 races. McQuagg was a major player in an incident in one of the wildest NASCAR races ever. McQuagg was leading the1965 Southern 500 whenCale Yarborough tried to muscle past him for the lead. Yarborough flew over the guardrail, rolled around six times, and ended up at the end of the parking lot by a light post. Yarborough waved to the crowd as he walked back to the pits. A video clip of the wreck was used onABC's Wide World of Sports for several years. The race was eventually won by 14 laps byNed Jarrett.
Dodge noticed his accomplishments in his smallFord team and hired him to their factory team. He was the first driver to use a spoiler. He used the spoiler to win theFirecracker 400 atDaytona International Speedway; the flag from the Firecracker 400 now hangs on his grandson's wall. HisDodge Charger was sponsored by a newlywedGeorgia couple. McQuagg was also the first driver to bring a motorhome into the Daytona garage area.
In 1967 he was hired to driveCotton Owens' Dodge. He ran 14 races and had 3 top-5 finishes. On lap 81 of an event at Darlington, he tangled with another driver, went over the guardrail, and flipped numerous times before coming to a rest. The wrecks frustrated McQuagg, and he scaled back his schedule to mainly local tracks. He retired from racing to become a commercial pilot, which was a skill he had learned to travel quickly between races. His last start came in the 1974World 600.