Augie Pabst

August Uihlein Pabst Jr. is an American sports car driver from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In ten years of racing, he won two national championships - the 1959 USAC and 1960 SSCA road racing championships. Pabst made one NASCAR start at Riverside International Raceway. He is a former member of the board of directors for Road America.

Background

Pabst was born on November 25, 1933. He is a paternal great-grandson of two Milwaukee beer magnates: Pabst Brewing Company founder Frederick Pabst, and Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company owner and Uihlein family patriarch August Uihlein. Pabst opened an import car dealership called Pabst Motors in Milwaukee. The car dealership began his involvement in motorsports.

Racing career

Pabst began racing in May 1956 on the infield road coarse of the Milwaukee Mile. His first race car was a Triumph TR3 (he was a Triumph dealer); he switched to a AC Ace-Bristol for 1957. Pabst took class victories in both cars.

Pabst moved up to a Ferrari TR in 1958 and won his first national SCCA race at the Milwaukee Mile. He continued in the Ferrari with his finished until he received a call from Harry Heuer to drive a Scarab on his Meister Brauser Team, sponsored by Peter Hand Brewing Company. Pabst soon won races at Meadowdale International Raceway and Vaca Valley Raceway in his new ride. The wins propelled him to winning the 1959 USAC Road Racing Championship.

Pabst raced for the 1960 SCCA National Sports Car Championship. He took wins at Meadowdale, Road America, Watkins Glen International, Ascarate Park Raceway (El Paso, Texas), and the Daytona International Speedway en route to winning the B Modified national championship.

Pabst was pressured to stop racing for a competing brewery, after a newspaper embarrassed his sponsor by making a play on his last name. He began racing for Briggs Cunningham in 1961 and continued until 1962 in a Maserati T-63. He won the Road American 500 and took fourth overall at the 1961 24 Hours of Le Mans. At the 1962 3 Hours of Daytona, the engine blew causing the car to do an end-over-end roll and Pabst to be ejected from the car. This took Pabst out of racing for several months, as he suffered 3rd degree friction burns all over his body and multiple broken bones.

Pabst returned in 1963 racing for the Mecom Racing Team. The team took a victory at the 12 Hours of Sebring in the GT class. He had another win at the Continental Divide Raceways race that year, along with another win at the Road America 500. In the Road America victory, he competed in the first half of the race in Mecom's Ferrari and relieved Bill Wuesthoff's victorious Elva Porsche in the second half. Pabst competed in one NASCAR Grand National (now Cup Series) race at Riverside International Raceway on November 3, 1963. He started 18th and finished 35th in the one-off event. In 1964, Pabst won another Road America 500 but had lots of mechanical failures throughout the rest of the season. Pabst decided to drive for himself in 1965 and ordered a McLaren. The vehicle arrived late and it burnt at Mosport after arriving. Pabst ended his racing career in 1966.

Life after racing

Pabst became an executive for Pabst Brewing Company, on the condition that he sell his dealership and quit racing. After he retired in 1983, he did some vintage racing in his old Scarab that he had found and purchased. He had been a member the board of directors for Road America.

Personal life

Pabst is married to his wife Joan. His son Augie Pabst III followed in his footsteps racing in sports cars and running Pabst Racing.

Halls of Fame

Pabst was inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2011. He was inducted in the Sports Car Club of America.

Racing record

24 Hours of Le Mans results

Further reading

*Birmingham, Robert ''Augie Pabst: Behind the Wheel''. Dalton Watson Fine Books, 2016, ISBN 978-1854432773.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pabst, Augie
1933 births
24 Hours of Le Mans drivers
Sportspeople from Milwaukee
Racing drivers from Wisconsin
NASCAR drivers
Living people
Uihlein Family