Winner of the 1956 Indianapolis 500 and Milwaukee 250, Pat Flaherty, passed away on April 6 at the age of 76.
Born George Francis Patrick Flaherty in 1926, Flaherty began racing in California shortly after World War II and ran his first Indy 500, in 1950, finishing 10th. Flaherty’s big break came in 1956 when he replaced Bob Sweikert in the first Watson roadster owned by John Zink. Flaherty took the pole and went on to lead 127 of 200 laps to claim his one and only Indy 500 victory.
