Cliff Griffith (February 6, 1916 in
Nineveh, Indiana
Nineveh is an unincorporated community in Nineveh Township, Johnson County, Indiana, United States.
Nineveh took its name from Nineveh Creek, which in turn is named after Nineveh Berry, a hunter who fell into the creek while hunting for deer.
T ...
– January 23, 1996 in
Rochester, Indiana
Rochester is a city in, and the county seat of, Fulton County, Indiana, United States. The population was 6,218 at the 2010 census.
History
Rochester was laid out in 1835. The founder Alexander Chamberlain named it for his former hometown of R ...
) was an American
racecar driver
Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition.
Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...
.
Griffith drove in the
AAA
AAA, Triple A, or Triple-A is a three-letter initialism or abbreviation which may refer to:
Airports
* Anaa Airport in French Polynesia (IATA airport code AAA)
* Logan County Airport (Illinois) (FAA airport code AAA)
Arts, entertainment, and ...
and
USAC Championship Car
American open-wheel car racing, also known as Indy car racing, is a category of professional automobile racing in the United States. As of 2022, the top-level American open-wheel racing championship is sanctioned by IndyCar.
Competitive event ...
series, racing in the 1950–1952, 1956 and 1961 seasons with 19 starts, including the
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of India ...
races in each of those years except 1950. He finished in the top ten 8 times, with his best finish in 4th position, in 1950 at Springfield. His best Indy finish was 9th in 1952.
Prior to joining
USAC, Griffith won a pair of championships on the Midwest Dirt Track Racing Association circuit behind the wheel of
Hector Honore's legendary sprint car known as the "Black Deuce".
[''National Sprint Car Hall of Fame''](_blank)
Hector Honore inductee biography
Indy 500 results
World Championship career summary
The Indianapolis 500 was part of the FIA World Championship from 1950 through 1960. Drivers competing at Indy during those years were credited with World Championship points and participation. Cliff Griffith participated in 3 World Championship races. He started on the pole 0 times, won 0 races, set 0 fastest laps, and finished on the podium 0 times. He accumulated a total of 0 championship points.
References
1916 births
1996 deaths
Indianapolis 500 drivers
AAA Championship Car drivers
People from Johnson County, Indiana
Racing drivers from Indiana
People from Rochester, Indiana
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