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
''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