{{Short description|American racing driver}} {{For|the film and television composer|Jerry Grant (composer)}} {{sources needed|date=December 2025}} {{Infobox racing driver | name = Jerry Grant | image = | caption = | nationality = | birth_name = Gerald Wayne Grant | birth_date = {{birth date|1935|01|23}} | birth_place = Seattle, Washington, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|2012|08|12|1935|01|23}} | death_place = Orange, California, U.S. | titles = | awards = | module1 = {{Infobox Champ Car driver|child=yes | years = 1964–1977 | Total_Champ_Races = 52 | Years_In_Champ = 14 | Champ_Car_Team = | Best_Champ_Pos = 11th – 1974 | First_Champ_Race = 1965 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis) | Last_Champ_Race = 1977 Tony Bettenhausen 200 (Milwaukee) | First_Champ_Win = | Last_Champ_Win = | Champ_Wins = 0 | Champ_Podiums = 1 | Champ_Poles = 1 }}}}

'''Gerald Wayne Grant'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jerry Grant |url=http://www.champcarstats.com/drivers/GrantJerry.htm |access-date=2023-05-19 |website=www.champcarstats.com}}</ref> (January 23, 1935 &ndash; August 12, 2012) was a driver in the USAC Championship Car series. Born in Seattle, he began racing sports cars in Northern California in the early 1960s. He raced in the 1965-1977 seasons, with 54 career starts, including the Indianapolis 500 in 1965-1968, 1970 and 1972-1976. He finished in the top-ten 13 times, with his best finish in third position in 1974 at Ontario.

Grant is best remembered for his bad luck at the 1972 Indianapolis 500 that cost him first victory and then second place. He was leading the race comfortably over Mark Donohue when a punctured tire forced him to pit with 12 laps to go. In later interviews, Grant said that he had adopted a higher line for improved handling, and this may have left him vulnerable to debris on the outside of the racing line. As Donohue went past into the lead, Grant overshot his pit and stopped at his teammate Bobby Unser's. His mechanics changed the tire in Unser's pit, and also refueled the car&mdash;from Unser's pit tank. Grant returned to the track and finished second to Donohue.<ref>{{cite news|title=Tire Change Costs Grant A Victory|newspaper=The Pittsburgh Press|date=1972-05-28|author=UPI|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=gocqAAAAIBAJ&sjid=P1oEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6063,4712833&dq=jerry-grant&hl=en}}</ref> The team of third-place finisher Al Unser filed a protest, saying that Grant had used fuel from another driver's supply. The protest was upheld and Grant's final 12 laps were not counted, dropping him from 2nd to 12th.<ref>{{cite news|title=Race Penalty Against Jerry Grant Upheld |newspaper=Schenectady Gazette |date=1972-05-08|author=AP|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bmctAAAAIBAJ&sjid=cokFAAAAIBAJ&dq=jerry-grant&pg=3973%2C2057416}}</ref>

Grant was the first USAC driver to break {{convert|200|mi/h|km/h}}. He accomplished the feat in qualifying at the Ontario Motor Speedway on September 3, 1972, completing a {{convert|2.5|mi|km|adj=on}} lap in 44.7 seconds.<ref name=aw20120903/> however on raceday Grant's Eagle failed to complete a lap.

In addition to the controversial finish at Indianapolis in 1972, Grant suffered another famous stroke of bad luck in 1966, when his Ford GT Mk.II, with co-driver Dan Gurney behind the wheel, suffered an engine failure while leading two minutes from the end of the 12 Hours of Sebring. As at Indy, Gurney and Grant would have been awarded second place had they simply left the car where it came to rest. Instead, Gurney attempted to push the car over the finish line in violation of FIA rules, and the pair were disqualified.<ref name=aw20120903>{{cite journal|title=Veteran Racer Jerry Grant Dead at 77|journal=Autoweek|date=September 3, 2012|volume=62|issue=18}}</ref>

Later in his career, Grant was the racing representative for Champion Spark Plugs,<ref name="Obit">{{cite web|url=http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/indycar-10-time-indy-500-starter-jerry-grant-passes-away/ |title=10-Time Indy 500 Starter Jerry Grant Passes Away |last=Miller |first=Robin |date=August 13, 2012 |work=SPEED Channel |publisher=Fox Sports |access-date=2012-08-14 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120815191310/http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/indycar-10-time-indy-500-starter-jerry-grant-passes-away |archive-date=August 15, 2012 }}</ref> years later he was hired by Elton Alderman, then President of Prolong Super Lubricants to be a representative. The arraignment fell apart after Alderman did not follow through as promised.

Grant died August 12, 2012, from liver failure and diabetes at an Orange County, California, hospital at the age of 77.<ref>{{cite news|last=Peltz|first=Jim|title=Jerry Grant dies at 77; Indy 500 racer|url=http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-jerry-grant-20120824,0,5076263.story|accessdate=25 August 2012|newspaper=The Los Angeles Times|date=August 24, 2012}}</ref>

A memorial was held for Grant at the Riverside International Raceway Museum in Riverside, California. Conducted by Ed Justice Jr., many of Grant's close friends spoke, including longtime friend, co-driver and car owner, Dan Gurney. <ref>[url=https://performanceracing.com/news/riverside-international-automotive-museum-honor-jerry-grant{{Dead link|date=October 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Article at "Performance Racing Industry"]</ref>

==Indianapolis 500 results== {| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;" |- ! Year ! Chassis ! Engine ! Start ! Finish |- | 1964 | Gerhardt | Offenhauser | Failed to Qualify | |- | 1965 | Huffaker | Offenhauser | 17th | 27th |- | 1966 | Eagle | Ford | 10th | 10th |- | 1967 | Eagle | Ford | 30th | 20th |- | 1968 | Eagle | Ford | 15th | 23rd |- | 1969 | Eagle | Chevrolet | Failed to Qualify | |- | 1970 | Eagle | Offenhauser | 29th | 7th |- | 1971 | Eagle | Offenhauser | Failed to Qualify | |- | 1972 | Eagle | Offenhauser | 15th | 12th |- | 1973 | Eagle | Offenhauser | 18th | 19th |- | 1974 | Eagle | Offenhauser | 17th | 10th |- | 1975 | Eagle | Offenhauser | 14th | 20th |- | 1976 | Eagle | AMC | 20th | 27th |- | 1977 | Eagle | Offenhauser | Practice Crash | |}

===24 Hours of Le Mans results=== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%" |- ! Year ! Team ! Co-Drivers ! Car ! Class ! Laps ! {{Tooltip|Pos.|Overall Position}} ! {{Tooltip|Class<br />Pos.|Class Position}} |- ! 1965 |align="left"| {{flagicon|USA}} Shelby-American Inc. |align="left"| {{flagicon|USA}} Dan Gurney |align="left"| AC Cobra Daytona Coupé | GT 5.0 | 204 | DNF | DNF |- ! 1966 |align="left"| {{flagicon|USA}} Ford Motor Company<br />{{flagicon|USA}} Shelby American |align="left"| {{flagicon|USA}} Dan Gurney |align="left"| Ford GT40 Mk.II | P +5.0 | 257 | DNF | DNF |- |}

==References== {{Reflist}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Grant, Jerry}} Category:1935 births Category:2012 deaths Category:24 Hours of Le Mans drivers Category:Deaths from diabetes in California Category:Indianapolis 500 drivers Category:Racing drivers from California Category:Racing drivers from Seattle Category:Trans-Am Series drivers Category:24 Hours of Daytona drivers Category:World Sportscar Championship drivers Category:Daytona 500 drivers Category:Coca-Cola 600 drivers Category:Southern 500 drivers Category:12 Hours of Sebring drivers Category:20th-century American sportsmen