George Francis 'Pat' Flaherty, Jr. (January 6, 1926 – April 9, 2002) was an American racecar driver who won the
Indianapolis 500 in
1956.
He drove in the
AAA and
USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1950, 1953–1956, 1958-1958, 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.
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. Pat Flaherty participated in 6 World Championship races. He started on the pole once, won once, and accumulated a total of 8 championship points.
After winning the
1956 Indianapolis 500, Flaherty was severely injured in a race car crash less than three months later. This prevented him from racing at the 1957 500.
Pat Flaherty successfully raced pigeons for over twenty years after he retired from auto racing.
Indy 500 results
<table><tr valign=top><td></td><td></td></tr></table><nowiki>*</nowiki> Shared drive with
Jim Rathmann
References
External links
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