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"We went to a half-mile dirt track over here in Auburn-Opelika, Ala., and I won the heat race and ran second in the feature. Liked to have won the feature in the first race I ever run in my life," McQuagg would later recall.

In 1962, McQuagg entered his first NASCAR Grand National Division events driving his own No. 62 Ford at Valdosta. McQuagg qualified 9th for the event, but a blown motor dropped him to a 12th place starting position.

McQuagg returned to NASCAR Grand National competition in 1963 driving J.

L. Thomas’s No. 71 and 72 Ford in 5 events. He was plagued with mechanical trouble recording 4 DNF’s and a best finish of 12th. But 1963 was a successful year for McQuagg running local short tracks. He won 37 of the

39 events he entered at Valdosta that year.

In 1965, McQuagg made 15 starts in the NASCAR Grand National Division (later to be renamed the Winston Cup Series) driving James Thomas’s No. 71 Ford at Riverside, Betty Lilliy’s No. 24 Ford in 10 events, Bob Cooper’s No. 60 Ford at Atlanta, and Kenny Myler’s No. 06 Ford at North Wilkesboro and Dog Track Speedway, Moyock, North Carolina. He recorded a 3rd place finish at Bristol recording 2 top-5s, 10 top-10s, and winning the NASCAR Grand National Division Rookie of the Year title. In 1966, McQuagg began driving Ray Nichels’ No. 98 Dodge in the NASCAR Grand National Division making 16 starts and won the Firecracker 400 at Daytona and received the $13,500 winning purse.

In 1967, McQuagg drove Bud Moore’s No. 15 Mercury, Don Robertson’s No. 25 Ford, J. D. Bracken’s No. 2 Chevrolet, Nord Krauskopf’s No. 37 K&K Insurance Dodge, and Cotton Owen’s No. 6 Dodge making 15 starts in the 49 event season recording 3 top-5s and 3 top-10s. McQuagg drove Krauskopf’s No. 37 K&K Insurance Dodge in 3 Grand National events in 1968 scoring a 9th at Atlanta, and he drove A. J. King’s No. 1 Dodge in two events. In 1969, McQuagg made 3 starts in Bill Ellis’s No. 14 Plymouth finishing 8th at Langley Field Speedway, Hampton, Virginia.

In the late 1960s, McQuagg was hustling to race at Valdosta, Georgia, Jacksonville, Florida, and then get to Atlanta for the Sunday night feature race. He eventually elected to get his pilot’s license to ease the strain. After being injured in a racing crash in 1969, McQuagg decided to accept a position as a fulltime pilot. In 1970, he became the company pilot for the W. C. Bradly Co. in Columbus, Georgia.

After a 4 year absence, McQuagg returned to NASCAR Winston Cup Series in

1974 driving Hoss Ellignton’s No. 28 Pylon Wiper Blades Chevrolet in 3 events. He finished 7th in the Rebel 450 at Darlington and 8th in the Winston 500 at Talladega.

In 8 years of competing in the NASCAR Winston Cup ranks, McQuagg garnered