Jack Turner

American racecar driver
The basics

Quick Facts

IntroAmerican racecar driver
PlacesUnited States of America
wasRacecar driver Formula One driver Engineer
Work fieldEngineering Sports
Gender
Male
Birth12 February 1920, Seattle, King County, Washington, USA
Death12 September 2004Renton, King County, Washington, USA (aged 84 years)
Star signAquarius
The details

Biography

Jack Turner (February 12, 1920 Seattle, Washington – September 12, 2004 Renton, Washington) was an American racecar driver. He was nicknamed "Cactus Jack."

Midget car career

1954 AAA National Midget trophy
1955 AAA National Midget trophy

Turner became the first two-time AAA National Midget champion when he won the 1954 and 1955 championships. Turner scored no wins in 1954 despite competing at the entire circuit, and won the championship on consistent high finishes. He won six features in 1955. He also had 14 National USAC wins in his career.

Champ car

He drove in the AAA and USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1955-1962 seasons with 35 starts, including the Indianapolis 500 races in 1956-1959 and 1961–1962. He finished in the top ten 35 times, with his best finish in 2nd position in 1956 at Darlington. He retired from racing after flipping his car during a practice run at Indy in 1963. It was his third flip in three years at the track: first down the main straightaway in 1961, second he broke his pelvis at the head of the frontstretch, and third he crushed a vertebra.

Career award

He was inducted into the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in the inaugural 1984 class.

Indy 500 results

Starts6
YearCarStartQualRankFinishLapsLedRetired
19565424142.39418251310Engine trouble
19571919140.36725112000Running
19582510143.4381225210Fuel pump
19592414143.4781127470Fuel tank
19614521144.9042125520Crash FS
19624525146.4962529170Crash FS
Totals4680
Starts6
Poles0
Front Row0
Wins0
Top 50
Top 100
Retired5
19565424142.39418251310Engine trouble
19571919140.36725112000Running
19582510143.4381225210Fuel pump
19592414143.4781127470Fuel tank
19614521144.9042125520Crash FS
19624525146.4962529170Crash FS
Totals4680
Poles0
Front Row0
Wins0
Top 50
Top 100
Retired5

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. Jack Turner participated in 4 World Championship races but scored no World Championship points.

The contents of this page are sourced from Wikipedia article on 25 Nov 2021. The contents are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.