Born November 11, 1937, Columbus, Georgia native
Sam McQuagg began racing in 1956 buying half interest in a 1934
Ford. McQuagg quit his construction job and began competing on
the local dirt tracks becoming almost unbeatable on the dirt at
Valdosta 75 Speedway."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
62 starts, 1 win, 9 top-5s, and 21 top-10s. He retired as a
corporate pilot in 1997 after 27 years.
