Harry McQuinn was legendary as the driver of one of the Bob
Wilke-sponsored Leader Card midgets fielded by the Marchese
Brothers of Milwaukee.
Before the days of a AAA National Champion being
declared, Harry won the Championship of the 124th Field
Artillery Armory in Chicago for three straight years
(1938-39-40), plus the track
championships of
Walsh Stadium in St. Louis in 1937 and 1938. He also won the
Riverview (Chicago) and the Milwaukee Fairgrounds titles in
1938.
In 1938, a time when a driver could compete in over 100
races in a single season, he is credited with a total of 61
feature wins, which ranks him second only to Wally Zale.
He raced in ten Indianapolis 500 Mile Races, placing
7th on two occasions. After his stormy career as a driver was
over, McQuinn’s knowledge of the rules of racing earned him an
appointment as the chief steward at Indy as well as boss of
the Championship division under both AAA and USAC.
Harry McQuinn died on Jan. 1, 1986 at the age of 80.
<>
