Joe Leonard

Lore & Background

Leonard won the first A.M.A. Grand National Championship Series in 1954 and won it again in 1956 and 1957. He retired from motorcycle racing after the 1961 season and turned to auto racing. He made his USAC National Championship debut in 1964. He won his first USAC race in 1965 at the Milwaukee 150. He finished third in the 1967 Indianapolis 500, his best result in that race. He won the USAC National Championship in 1971 driving for Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing. He also won the California 500 at Ontario Motor Speedway in 1971.

In Their Own Story

Leonard sat in his garage, hands resting on the steering wheel, watching the sun break over the grandstands. The car was quiet, but he could feel it breathing — the engine ticking over, the fuel lines humming. A crewman handed him a rag, and he wiped his palms without looking up. Out on the track, the other cars were already lining up, their engines barking in the cold morning air. He could hear them, one by one, settling into their boxes. Then the green flag would drop, and for two and a half miles of concrete, there would be no one faster. He had already won once. He would win again. And the crowd of sixty thousand would know, the way they always knew, that the King was back on his throne.

Reader's Guide

Leonard's career spanned motorcycle racing (1954–1961) and USAC IndyCar racing (1964–1972). He never won the Indianapolis 500; his best finish was third in 1967. He was a member of the AMA Sanctioned San Jose Motorcycle club (The Dons). He died on April 27, 2017.

Did You Know?

• Leonard won the first AMA Grand National Championship in 1954.
• He led 31 laps of the 1968 Indianapolis 500 before a fuel shaft broke with less than ten laps to go.
• Leonard clinched the 1971 USAC National Championship at the Trenton 300 with a third-place finish.
• He drove for teams including All American Racers, STP-Granatelli Racing, and Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing.