Joseph John "Joe" Barzda (May 22, 1915 – October 11, 1993) was an American racing driver from
New Brunswick, New Jersey.
Barzda was primarily a
midget racing
Midget (from ''midge'', a tiny biting insect) is a term for a person of unusually short stature that is considered by some to be pejorative due to its etymology. While not a Medical terminology, medical term like "dwarfism", a medical conditio ...
and
sprint car racing
Sprint cars are high-powered open-wheel race cars, designed primarily for the purpose of running on short oval or circular dirt or paved tracks. Sprint car racing is popular primarily in the United States and Canada, as well as in Australia, N ...
driver but made ten starts in the
USAC National Championship
A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the best team, indi ...
from 1952 to 1959. His best race finish was a pair of fourth places in 1958 at
Springfield and
Trenton. He finished 18th in the 1958 National Championship. He unsuccessfully attempted to qualify for 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 Indi ...
in 1951, 1952, and 1953. He retired after he was involved in a crash at
Williams Grove Speedway
Williams Grove Speedway is a half-mile automobile dirt racing track located in Mechanicsburg , Pennsylvania, USA. The speedway opened on May 21, 1939, it has been owned by the Hughes family for over 50 years and has hosted many of the most nota ...
in 1959 where
Van Johnson
Charles Van Dell Johnson (August 25, 1916 – December 12, 2008) was an American film, television, theatre and radio actor. He was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer during and after World War II.
Johnson was described as the embodiment o ...
died. Barzda survived with minor injuries.
[Van Johnson, veteran race driver, killed in Grove crash](_blank)
''The Gettysburg Times'', July 20, 1959, Retrieved September 1, 2013
In 1958 and 1959, Barzda was noted for fielding a
Chevrolet-powered sprint car at a time when nearly all competitive sprint cars had
Offenhauser engines.
He and his brother Jim owned California Speed Shop in New Brunswick, New Jersey and continued to field racing cars after Joe's retirement from the cockpit.
Joe Barzda
''Old Racing Cars'', Retrieved September 3, 2013
Racing record
Complete Formula One World Championship results
( key)
References
External links
Joe Barzda
on Champ Car Stats
Joe Barzda
on Ultimate Racing History
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barzda, Joe
1915 births
1993 deaths
American racing drivers
Sportspeople from New Brunswick, New Jersey
20th-century American people