Al Loquasto
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Al Loquasto | |||||||
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Nationality | ![]() | ||||||
Born | Albert John Loquasto Jr. June 21, 1940 Easton, Pennsylvania | ||||||
Died | July 31, 1991 Fogelsville, Pennsylvania | (aged 51)||||||
Cause of death | Plane crash | ||||||
Champ Car career | |||||||
61 races run over 12 years | |||||||
Years active | 1969–1980, 1982–1983 | ||||||
Best finish | 19th (1975 | ||||||
First race | 1969 Rex Mays Classic (Milwaukee) | ||||||
Last race | 1982 Domino's Pizza 500 (Pocono) | ||||||
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NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
6 races run over 2 years | |||||||
Best finish | 81st (1982) | ||||||
First race | 1981 (Pocono) | ||||||
Last race | 1982 Busch 500 (Bristol) | ||||||
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Albert John (Al) Loquasto (Jr.) (June 21, 1940 – July 31, 1991), was an Italian-American racecar driver.
Born in Easton, Pennsylvania, Loquasto died in a plane crash in Fogelsville, Pennsylvania. He drove in the USAC and CART Championship Car series, racing in the 1969–1980 and 1982–1983 seasons, with 61 combined career starts, including the 1976 and 1977 Indianapolis 500. He finished in the top ten 11 times, with his best finish in 7th position in 1975 at Ontario. Loquasto raced on a tight budget, fielding his own cars which were often several years old. He qualified for his first Indy 500 after receiving technical assistance from Clint Brawner. [1] He also drove six NASCAR races from 1981 to 1982. Prior to his open-wheel career, Loquasto was a five-time national hillclimbing champion. Loquasto's chief occupation was as the owner of APCO, Inc., an automotive warranty company, and he was a veteran of the Vietnam War. [2] Loquasto was a fourth-degree member of the Knights of Columbus. [3]
Al Loquasto was the first cousin of Sicilian-American scenic designer and costume designer Santo Loquasto, and a distant cousin of Sicilian-American author Angelo F. Coniglio. All are descendants of ,[4] a foundling born in Serradifalco, Sicily in 1796. Al Loquasto's survivors include his spouse Sandra Loquasto and son A.J. (III) Loquasto.
Motorsports career results[]
NASCAR[]
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
Winston Cup Series[]
NASCAR Winston Cup Series results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | NWCC | Pts | Ref | |||||||
1981 | Ulrich Racing | 99 | Buick | RSD | DAY | RCH | CAR | ATL | BRI | NWS | DAR | MAR | TAL | NSV | DOV | CLT | TWS | RSD | MCH | DAY | NSV | POC 24 |
TAL | MCH | BRI | DAR | RCH | DOV | MAR | NWS | CLT | CAR | ATL | RSD | NA | - | [5] | |||||||
1982 | 6 | DAY | RCH | BRI | ATL | CAR | DAR | NWS | MAR | TAL | NSV | DOV | CLT | POC 16 |
RSD | MCH | DAY | NSV | POC 29 |
TAL 24 |
MCH 36 |
BRI 37 |
DAR | RCH | DOV | NWS | CLT | MAR | CAR | ATL | RSD | 81st | - | [6] |
Indianapolis 500[]
Year | Chassis | Engine | Start | Finish |
---|---|---|---|---|
1970 | Gerhardt | Offy | Practice Crash | |
1971 | Gerhardt | Ford | Practice Crash | |
1972 | Gerhardt | Offy | Failed to Qualify | |
1973 | McLaren | Offy | Practice Crash | |
1974 | McLaren | Offy | Failed to Qualify | |
1975 | McLaren | Offy | Failed to Qualify | |
1976 | McLaren | Offy | 24th | 25th |
1977 | McLaren | Offy | 15th | 28th |
1978 | McLaren | Offy | Failed to Qualify | |
1979 | Eagle | Offy | Failed to Qualify | |
1980 | McLaren | Cosworth | Failed to Qualify | |
1982 | Eagle | Offy | Failed to Qualify | |
1983 | Penske | Cosworth | Failed to Qualify | |
1984 | March | Cosworth | Sold Car |
References[]
- ^ Call, PAUL REINHARD, The Morning. "DESPITE RACING SETBACKS, LOQUASTO NEVER GAVE UP". mcall.com. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
- ^ Brown, Allen. "Al Loquasto". OldRacingCars.com. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
- ^ Call, KRISTIN CASLER, The Morning. "WEISENBERG PLANE CRASH KILLS RACE DRIVER AL LOQUASTO, FRIEND". mcall.com. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
- ^ Original documents for Libertino lo Guasto
- ^ "Al Loquasto – 1981 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
- ^ "Al Loquasto – 1982 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
External links[]
- Loquasto's ancestry at rootsweb.com
- Al Loquasto driver statistics at Racing-Reference
- 1940 births
- 1991 deaths
- Accidental deaths in Pennsylvania
- American racing drivers
- Indianapolis 500 drivers
- American people of Italian descent
- American auto racing biography stubs
- IndyCar Series team owners
- Racing drivers from Pennsylvania
- American sportspeople of Italian descent
- IndyCar Series people
- NASCAR drivers
- Champ Car drivers
- Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1991
- Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in the United States