| Some men achieve greatness. A few become legends.
One of the few is Joe Leonard. The versatility that
Leonard displayed throughout his racing career earned
the San Jose, California, racer three AMA Grand
National Championship titles and two USAC National
Championship crowns.
Leonard was born on Aug. 4, 1932 in San Diego,
California and began racing on motorcycles and won the
first ever series-determined AMA National title, the
1954 Grand National Championship. He added the 1956
and 1957 championships to his long list of
accomplishments, each year winning on both dirt tracks
and road courses.
His first title year was perhaps his greatest. He
won a record eight of the season's 18 Grand National
races and two of those victories came on the same day
in the 45 cubic inch and 80 cubic inch Peoria
Steeplechase Nationals.
Smokin' Joe closed out his legendary two-wheel
racing career in 1961 by winning three Nationals and
finishing second in the final point standings. Those
final three Grand National Championship wins provided
yet another display of his versatility, coming in a
road race, a mile dirt track event, and in a
Steeplechase race. In nine years of AMA Grand National
competition, Leonard scored 27 wins, two of which came
in the Daytona 200, motorcycling's Indy 500.
The following year, Leonard made the switch to car
racing and the legend grew. After finishing third at
Indianapolis in A.J. Foyt's team car in 1967, Leonard
put the controversial turbine-powered Lotus
"wedge" on the pole in 1968. His severely
restricted version of the "whooshmobile" was
in or near the lead all day until mechanical failure
near the end cost Leonard perhaps his best chance at
racing's ultimate single prize.
Greater glory awaited as Leonard reached the top of
the Indy Car world in convincing style by winning
consecutive USAC national season titles in 1971 and
1972. His brilliant career was cut short by serious
foot injuries suffered in the California 500 in 1974. |
