Mechanic who raced occasionally in dirt-track events, including at Roby Speedway in Indiana. Barney, who was also based in Hammond, Indiana, raced in dirt track events from the mid-1920's until the mid-1930's. McKenna later had a lot of trouble after his racing career with the law as he was often in drink-driving crashes on the roads nut this masked depression when it wasn't a clinical diagnosis; In 1938, after his wife divorced him, McKenna felt he couldn't live any longer and drank disinfectant to attempt to end his life. He was stomach pumped and released, but had appeared in court three times for drinking that year, all also as a result of being unable to cope with the collapse of his eleven year marriage to Clara McKenna, who divorced Barney as she thought he thought more of his dog than he did of her and also claimed he failed to properly provide for her. However, he eventually moved on and lived until he was 78 years of age.

Biography last updated 14 Aug 2017