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Last updated on Tuesday, August 14, 2012
(Indianapolis, IN) - Ten-time Indianapolis 500 competitor Jerry Grant died Sunday at the age of 77.
Grant was an experienced road racer in sports cars before turning to Indy cars.
Grant's first "500" was in 1965 when he finished 27th after dropping out early with a mechanical problem. His best Indianapolis finish was a seventh place in 1970, although he is best remembered for his run in 1972.
Driving Dan Gurney's "Mystery Eagle", Grant led 16 laps and was in front late in the race when he relinquished the lead to Mark Donohue for a late pit stop.
Although he finished second to Donohue on the track, USAC stopped scoring Grant's car following the Lap-188 pit stop because he took fuel from teammate Bobby Unser's pit. He was credited with a twelfth-place finish.
Grant was the first driver to turn an official lap in excess of 200 miles per hour in an Indy Car, recording a 201.414 mile-an-hour lap at Ontario Speedway in California in 1972.
His final Indianapolis 500 was in 1976 when he duplicated the finishing position in his first race, coming in 27th.
He was still on the track eleven laps down when the 1976 race was stopped due to rain.
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