Jerry Grant was one of the many American racing drivers who could, and did, drive virtually anything he could get his hands on or his behind into. He may have started his competitive career in the visceral world of drag racing, but soon discovered the joys of road racing and began carving out a reputation as someone who could make anything go fast anywhere.
Jerry was a physically large man whose abilities matched his stature. He raced in the USRRC, Can-Am, Trans-Am, Formula 5000, World Sports Car Championship, stock cars and Indycars, and was always a force to be reckoned with. He had an unshakable faith in his own ability, and often wondered why others didn’t seem to share his belief.
He scored a class win at Sebring in 1964, sharing a Nickey Corvette with Skip Hudson, and later that summer teamed with Dan Gurney to win the GT class at the Targa Florio in one of Carroll Shelby’s Cobras. In 1966 he nearly won Sebring overall, as the Ford GT40 MkII he was sharing with Gurney led into the final lap only for its engine to fail in sight of the checker, leaving the car to be disqualified when Dan tried to push it across the finish line. Three months later at Le Mans, he and Gurney started their MkII from pole position and led into the 21st hour before a holed radiator ended their bid for victory.
Much of his success was enjoyed while driving cars entered by Gurney’s All American Racers. He won the USRRC race at Bridgehampton in 1966 with AAR’s Lola T70-Ford, and nearly won the 1972 Indy 500 in Dan’s Mystery Eagle, derailed only by a refueling error during his last pit stop that handed the win to Mark Donohue. Later that year, he became the first man in history to lap a closed circuit at more than 200 mph when he took that same purple Eagle Indycar around the old Ontario Motor Speedway at an average speed of 201.414 mph.
Gurney offered his thoughts on the passing of his friend and collaborator: “Jerry Grant was a natural; he was brave and playful and always could rise to the challenge. Apart from being an excellent racer, he was an accomplished storyteller and after dinner speaker, an ability that served him well in his business career after his retirement from active driving. In the middle ’60s we shared many adventures on and off the track here in the U.S. and in Europe. We stayed friends ever since, and many Sundays went riding our motorcycles in the Southern California countryside.”
After retiring from driving Jerry headed the Champion Spark Plug Company’s motorsports program, becoming a valued ambassador for the company for several decades. He also served as spokesman for Prolong Lubricants.
Jerry Grant is survived by his wife of 50 years, Sandy, daughters Yvon and Tammy and grandson Grant, and to them as well as his many friends in and out of the sport, we at Vintage Racecar offer our sincerest condolences.
