Joe Leonard (August 4, 1932 in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United Stat ...

– April 27, 2017 in

San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popu ...

) was an American professional

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: Long-distance ...

racer and racecar driver.

Biography

Motorcycle career

Leonard won the first A.M.A. Grand National Championship Series in 1954 and won it again in 1956 and 1957. His record totals 27 wins, including the 1957 and 1958

Daytona 200 The Daytona 200 is an annual motorcycle road racing competition held in early spring at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. The race was founded in 1937 when it was sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Associat ...

. He also resulted vice-champion in 1958, 1960 and 1961, third in 1955, and fifth in 1959. He retired from motorcycle racing at the completion of the 1961 season and turned his attention to auto racing. He was also a member of the AMA (American Motorcycle Association District 36) Sanctioned San Jose Motorcycle club (The Dons) which includes such famed alumni as Sam Arena, Tom Sifton, Kenny Eggers and Sam Arena Jr.

USAC National Championship career

Early years

Leonard made his

USAC National Championship From 1956 to 1978, USAC Championship Car seasons featured the top teams and drivers in U.S. open-wheel racing. Until 1971, the Championship contained road courses, ovals, dirt courses, and, on occasion, a hill climb. Thereafter, the schedu ...

debut during the 1964 season when he competed in five races for various teams. Leonard earned a best finish of 5th at the season-ending

Bobby Ball Memorial The Circle K/Fiesta Bowl 200 was the final name of a PPG IndyCar World Series race held annually at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Arizona, from 1979 though 1986; it was known as the Miller High Life 150 for five editions during tha ...

Phoenix International Raceway Phoenix Raceway is a 1-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona, near Phoenix. The motorsport track opened in 1964 and currently hosts two NASCAR race weekends annually including the final championship race since 2020 ...

driving the #65 Travelon Trailer Christensen-

Offenhauser The Offenhauser Racing Engine, or Offy, is a racing engine design that dominated American open wheel racing for more than 50 years and is still popular among vintage sprint and midget car racers. History The Offenhauser engine, familiarly ...

. Leonard finished in 24th place in the standings.

Early success

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is sworn in for a full term ...

, Leonard became teammates with

Dan Gurney Daniel Sexton Gurney (April 13, 1931 – January 14, 2018) was an American racing driver, race car constructor, and team owner who reached racing's highest levels starting in 1958. Gurney won races in the Formula One, Indy Car, NASCAR, Can-Am, ...

at Gurney's

All American Racers All American Racers is an American auto racing team and constructor based in Santa Ana, California. Founded by Dan Gurney and Carroll Shelby in 1964, All American Racers initially participated in American sports car and Champ Car races as well a ...

team, driving the #29

Hailbrand- Ford. During the season Leonard got his first win in the Milwaukee 150 at Wisconsin State Fairgrounds Park Speedway. Leonard also drove one race for legendary car builder and chief mechanic

A. J. Watson A. J. Watson (May 8, 1924 – May 12, 2014) was a car builder and chief mechanic from 1949 through 1984 in the Indianapolis 500, winning the race six times as a car builder. Rodger Ward won 18 races driving Watson cars. A native of southern Ca ...

Leader Card Racing Leadership, both as a research area and as a practical skill, encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organization to "lead", influence or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. The word "leadership" often gets v ...

in the #2 Moog St. Louis

Watson Watson may refer to: Companies * Actavis, a pharmaceutical company formerly known as Watson Pharmaceuticals * A.S. Watson Group, retail division of Hutchison Whampoa * Thomas J. Watson Research Center, IBM research center * Watson Systems, make ...

- Ford at the Langhorne 100 at

Langhorne Speedway Langhorne Speedway was an automobile racetrack in Middletown Township, Bucks County, near the borough of Langhorne, Pennsylvania, a northern suburb of Philadelphia. According to the book ''Langhorne! No Man's Land'' by L. Spencer Riggs: "With a ...

. At the end of the season Leonard finished 6th in the final point standings. In

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo ...

, Leonard continued to race for AAR on the paved ovals and road courses in the #6 Yamaha

Eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, j ...

- Ford (although he did drive the #29 All American Bardahl Hailbrand- Ford at the Jimmy Bryan Memorial at

) and drove the #7 Vita Fresh Orange Juice Meskowski-

at the dirt tracks (along with the

Atlanta 300 The RAPTOR King of Tough 250 is a NASCAR Xfinity Series stock car racing, stock car race held at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia, a few miles south of Atlanta. This race had been Atlanta's lone Busch/Nationwide/Xfinity Series date unti ...

Atlanta Motor Speedway Atlanta Motor Speedway (formerly known Atlanta International Raceway from 1960 to 1990) is a 1.54-mile entertainment facility in Hampton, Georgia, United States, 20 miles (32 km) south of Atlanta. It has annually hosted NASCAR Cup Series s ...

in the #11 Huffaker-

. Leonard recorded a best finish of 3rd place three times en route to a 4th-place finish in points. Also, during the season at 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 ...

Leonard got his first top 10 in the historic race with a 9th-place finish. In

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...

, Leonard began the season for Sheraton-Thompson Racing in the #82 Sheraton-Thompson Racing Lotus- Ford and finished 4th at the season-opening Jimmy Bryan Memorial at

. Starting at the

Leonard drove the #4 Sheraton-Thompson Racing

Coyote The coyote (''Canis latrans'') is a species of canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely related eastern wolf and red wolf. It fills much of the same ecological nich ...

- Ford. He qualified in 5th place and finished in 3rd place. Leonard changed cars again for the two races that made up the Telegraph Trophy 200 at Mosport Park where he drove the #4 Sheraton-Thompson Racing

- Ford. After that race, Leonard began to drive for

Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing, commonly referred to simply as Parnelli or VPJ, was a motor racing constructor and team from the United States. The team was formed in 1969 by former USAC racer Parnelli Jones and his business partner Velko "Vel" Mi ...

in the #20 Wagner Lockheed Brake Fluid

Mongoose A mongoose is a small terrestrial carnivorous mammal belonging to the family Herpestidae. This family is currently split into two subfamilies, the Herpestinae and the Mungotinae. The Herpestinae comprises 23 living species that are native to so ...

- Ford (also sponsored by Vel's Ford Sales at the Hanford 200 at Hanford Motor Speedway and the Rex Mays 300 at Riverside International Raceway). His best finish of the season wound up being at Indianapolis as he finished 9th in points.

Revolving teams

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * J ...

, Leonard started the season in the #9 Vel's Ford Sales Morris- Ford for

. Leonard finished in 3rd place at the Stardust 150 at Stardust International Raceway. This would end up being his best finish of the season. At the

, Leonard drove for STP- Granatelli Racing. He first drove the #40 STP Oil Treatment Granatelli-

Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 The Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 is a turboprop aircraft engine produced by Pratt & Whitney Canada. Its design was started in 1958, it first ran in February 1960, first flew on 30 May 1961, entered service in 1964 and has been continuously upda ...

but crashed that car in practice. As a result, drove the #60 STP Oil Treatment Lotus 56-

in place of the injured

Jackie Stewart Sir John Young Stewart (born 11 June 1939), known as Jackie Stewart, is a British former Formula One racing driver from Scotland. Nicknamed the "Flying Scot", he competed in Formula One between 1965 and 1973, winning three World Drivers' Cha ...

. Leonard qualified on the pole position at a new track record speed of 171.599 mph. Leonard led the race for 31 laps, battling with

Bobby Unser Robert William Unser (February 20, 1934 – May 2, 2021) was an American automobile racer. At his induction into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1994, he had the fourth most IndyCar Series wins at 35 (behind his brother Al, A. J. F ...

and Lloyd Ruby. He was the leader under a yellow flag with less than 10 laps to go, but when the race restarted on lap 191 Leonard's fuel shaft broke. His teammate Art Pollard, who had been running three laps behind at the time, had the same thing happen to him. Leonard coasted to a stop and finished in 12th place as Unser took the victory. For the remainder of the season Leonard would usually qualify well, including a pole position at California 200 at Hanford Motor Speedway, but results weren't on his side as his best finish was only a 6th place at the second heat of the Telegraph Trophy 200 at Mosport Park. He finished 21st in points. Leonard was without a car to drive at the beginning of

1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...

before legendary car builder Smokey Yunick hired him to drive his #44 City of Daytona Beach

- Ford at the

where he finished in 6th place. After Indianapolis, Leonard was without a car yet again. He first drove for Gene White in the #4 Wynn's SpitFire

at the Trenton 200 at Trenton International Speedway where he finished in 19th place after suffering a broken oil line. He then briefly reunited with STP- Granatelli Racing in the #40 STP Oil Treartment Lotus-

at the Tony Bettenhausen 200 at Wisconsin State Fairgrounds Park and the Delaware 200 at

Dover Downs International Speedway Dover Motor Speedway (formerly Dover Downs International Speedway and later Dover International Speedway) is a race track in Dover, Delaware. The track has hosted at least one NASCAR Cup Series race each year since 1969, including two per year ...

. He qualified 3rd at Milwaukee but finishED 20th in that race and 21st at Dover. Leonard got one more driving gig that season at

in the #3 Vel's Parnelli Ford

Lola Lola may refer to: Places * Lolá, a or subdistrict of Panama * Lola Township, Cherokee County, Kansas, United States * Lola Prefecture, Guinea * Lola, Guinea, a town in Lola Prefecture * Lola Island, in the Solomon Islands People * Lola (fo ...

- Ford for four races, getting a best finish of 5th at the Bobby Ball 150 at

. He finished 21st in points. Leonard returned to Vel's Parnelli Jones again in

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...

, working with famed chief mechanic George Bignotti. In his first race of the year, the

he drove the #15

Johnny Lightning Johnny Lightning is a brand of diecast model cars launched in 1969 by Topper Corporation (owner of the "Topper Toys" brand), similar to the hugely successful Mattel's Hot Wheels cars. Their claim to fame at that time was that they were extremel ...

PJ Colt- Ford. In the race Leonard qualified in 18th place and was soon running in 2nd place to teammate Unser. Leonard's engine quit after 73 laps and he could only finish in 24th place. It was discovered post-race the engine switch had been flipped, meaning that there was nothing wrong with the engine and that Leonard could have continued. Leonard then competed in the

Rex Mays Classic The ABC Supply Wisconsin 250 at Milwaukee IndyFest Presented by the Metro Milwaukee Honda Dealers was an IndyCar Series race held at the Milwaukee Mile in West Allis, Wisconsin. History Open wheel racing at the track dates back to 1937. AAA sa ...

at Wisconsin State Fairgrounds Park Speedway where he only led the final nine laps on his way to his first victory since 1965 at Milwaukee. Leonard started one more race that year, the California 500 at

Ontario Motor Speedway Ontario Motor Speedway was a motorsport venue located in Ontario, California. It was the first and only automobile racing facility built to accommodate major races sanctioned by all of the four dominant racing sanctioning bodies: USAC (and now In ...

, where he qualified in 6th place and finished in 13th place after spinning out. Leonard finished the season 32nd in points.

Championship years

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...

, Leonard became a full-time driver at Vel's Parnelli Jones. When the season started, Leonard had no sponsor on his #15 Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing PJ Colt- Ford for the season-opening pair of races, the Rafaela Indy 300 at

Autódromo Ciudad de Rafaela The Autódromo Ciudad de Rafaela is a motor racing circuit in Rafaela, Santa Fe, Argentina built in 1952 and paved in 1966. Owner The venue – owned by Atlético de Rafaela – hosted the ''500 Millas Argentinas'' race until 1971. The USA ...

. At the Phoenix 150 at

, the car was sponsored by

, the same sponsor of teammate

Al Unser Alfred Unser (May 29, 1939 – December 9, 2021) was an American automobile racing driver, the younger brother of fellow racing drivers Jerry and Bobby Unser, and father of Al Unser Jr. He was the second of four men ( A. J. Foyt, himself, Rick ...

. In the first three races of the season, Leonard was a model of consistency with finishes of 6th, 3rd and 4th. Starting with the Trenton 200 at Trenton International Speedway, the car got sponsorship from

Samsonite Samsonite International S.A. () is an American premium luggage manufacturer and retailer, with products ranging from large suitcases to small toiletries bags and briefcases. The company was founded in Denver, Colorado, United States. Its regis ...

. At the

, Leonard battled with teammate Unser for the lead. Leonard eventually led for 21 laps before retiring with a broken turbocharger. Leonard then got back-to-back second-place finishes at the Rex Mays Classic 150 at Wisconsin State Fairgrounds Park Speedway and the

Schaefer 500 The ABC Supply 500 was an IndyCar Series race held at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, located in the Pocono Mountains. The first Indy car race at Pocono was held in 1971. It was the first major event held at the track, shortly after it ...

Pocono International Raceway Pocono Raceway (formerly Pocono International Raceway), also known as ''The Tricky Triangle'', is a superspeedway located in the Pocono Mountains in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. It is the site of three NASCAR national series races and an ARCA ...

; in the latter Leonard battled with

Mark Donohue Mark Neary Donohue Jr. (March 18, 1937 – August 19, 1975), nicknamed "Captain Nice," and later "Dark Monohue," was an American race car driver and engineer known for his ability to set up his own race car as well as driving it to victories. D ...

for the win, until Leonard stretched his fuel hose during his final pit stop. Leonard won the California 500 at

. Leonard clinched the championship at the next to last race of the season, the Trenton 300 at Trenton International Speedway, with a third-place finish. In

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...

, Leonard became part of a Super Team at Vel's Parnelli Jones with Unser and

Mario Andretti Mario Gabriele Andretti (born February 28, 1940) is an Italian-born American former racing driver. One of the most successful drivers in the history of motorsports, Andretti is one of only two drivers to have won races in Formula One, IndyCar, t ...

. He originally drove the #1

PJ Colt-

at the season-opening Jimmy Bryan 150 at

. Starting with the Trentonian 200 at Trenton International Speedway, Leonard drove a Parnelli VPJ-1-Offenhauser. The car was originally equipped with dihedral wings on the front. These were eventually scrapped by the time of the

. The team was then struggling to remain competitive with the new designs from

and

Team McLaren McLaren Racing Limited is a British motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor, the second oldest active team, and the second most successful Formul ...

. The team then got the car set up right for all three and Leonard qualified in 6th place and finished in third place. He had a three-race winning streak at the

Michigan 200 The Henry Ford Health System 200 was a NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series race that took place at Michigan International Speedway. The event was started in 1999 and was won by Greg Biffle. In 2001 Michigan did not hold a Truck race because ...

Michigan International Speedway Michigan International Speedway (MIS) is a moderate-banked D-shaped speedway located off U.S. Highway 12 on more than approximately south of the village of Brooklyn, in the scenic Irish Hills area of southeastern Michigan. The track is ...

, the

and the Tony Bettenhausen 200 at Wisconsin State Fairgrounds Park Speedway. Leonard clinched his second consecutive championship at the California 500 at

Downturn

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. ...

, Leonard returned to Vel's Parnelli Jones, driving the #1

Parnelli VPJ-2-

. The season was a struggle for Leonard as he could only get a best finish of 5th place at the season-opening Texas 200 at

Texas World Speedway Texas World Speedway (TWS) was a motorsport venue located in College Station, Texas.The track was one of only eight superspeedways of or greater in the United States used for racing, the others being Indianapolis, Daytona, Pocono, Talladega, ...

and the second heat of the Trentonian 300 at Trenton International Speedway. At the

, Leonard struggled to qualify after teammates Andretti and Unser qualified 6th and 8th. He eventually qualified in 29th place and finish in 18th place due to a broken hub. Leonard finished the season 15th in points.

Injury and attempted comeback

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...

, Vel's Parnelli Jones was in trouble. Of their three cars from 1973 only Andretti in 5th place would make the top 10. They lost their

sponsorship at year's end and Firestone (Vel's Parnelli Jones tire supplier since their debut in the 1967 USAC Championship Car season) was cutting back their racing funding as well, eventually pulling out completely at the end of the year. Leonard drove the #16 Vel's Parnelli Ford

. At the season-opening heat races that made up the California 500 Qualification Races at

he finished in 4th place. A week later in the main race, after completing 146 laps, his tire blew on the main stretch heading into turn one, causing him to drift high off the groove and crash heavily into the outside wall. He suffered a gash in his forehead and extensive injuries to his feet and legs. Since Leonard's injuries occurred before the orthopedic reconstruction methods pioneered by motorsports physician Dr. Terry Trammell, he was left severely debilitated. He finished 30th in points. A year later in

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

, Leonard attempted to make a comeback at the California 500 at

for Gilmore Racing in the #10 Gilmore Racing

- Foyt. He ended up failing USAC's physical, ending his career.

NASCAR career

In 1969, after signing with Smokey Yunick for the

, Leonard drove the #13 Smokey Yunick Ford Torino Talladega at the Medal of Honor Firecracker 400 at

Daytona International Speedway Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, the most prestigious race in NASCAR as well as its season opening event. In addition to NA ...

. Leonard crashed out after 47 laps and finish in 31st place after starting in 12th place. Due to racing with a USAC license he was unable to score points in the

NASCAR Grand National Series The name NASCAR Grand National Series refers to former names of the following NASCAR series: *National-level stock car series: **NASCAR Cup Series (known as NASCAR Grand National Series between 1950 to 1970, then the NASCAR Winston Cup Grand Nation ...

, going unranked (a rule that no longer exists).

After racing

In 1991, he was inducted into the

Motorsports Hall of Fame of America The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) is hall of fame that honors motorsports competitors and contributors from the United States from all disciplines, with categories for Open Wheel, Stock Cars, Powerboats, Drag Racing, Motorcycles, Sp ...

Joe Leonard
at the

in the Motorcycles category. In 1998, he was inducted into the A.M.A.

Motorcycle Hall of Fame The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum is an offshoot of the American Motorcyclist Association, recognizing individuals who have contributed to motorcycle sport, motorcycle construction, or motorcycling in general. It also displays motorcycles ...

. In 2001, he was inducted into the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame.

Complete USAC Championship Car results