Joe Leonard

Joe Leonard (born August 4, 1932 in San Diego, California), is a retired American motorcycle racer and racecar driver.

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. 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.

Leonard would make his USAC National Championship debut during the 1964 season when he competed in five races for various teams. Leonard would get a best finish of 5th at the season-ending Bobby Ball Memorial at Phoenix International Raceway driving the #65 Travelon Trailer Christensen-Offenhauser. Leonard would finish in 24th-place finish the standings.

In 1965 Leonard became teammates with Dan Gurney at Gurney's All American Racers team, driving the #29 All American Racers Hailbrand-Ford. During the season Leonard would get his first win when he won the Milwaukee 150 at Wisconsin State Fairgrounds Park Speedway. Leonard would also drive one race for legendary car builder and chief mechanic A. J. Watson at Leader Card Racing in the #2 Moog St. Louis Watson-Ford at the Langhorne 100 at Langhorne Speedway. At the end of the season Leonard finished 6th in the final point standings. In 1966 Leonard would continue to race for AAR on the paved ovals and road cources in the #6 Yamaha Eagle-Ford (although he did drive the #29 All American Bardahl Hailbrand-Ford at the Jimmy Bryan Memorial at Phoenix International Raceway) and would drive the #7 Vita Fresh Orange Juice Meskowski-Offenhauser at the dirt tracks (along with the Atlanta 300 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the #11 Huffaker-Offenhauser. Leonard would get 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 Leonard would get his first top 10 in the historic race with a 9th-place finish. In 1967 Leonard would begin the season for Sheraton-Thompson Racing in the #82 Sheraton-Thompson Racing Lotus-Ford and would get a 4th-place finish at the season-opening Jimmy Bryan Memorial at Phoenix International Raceway. Starting at the Indianapolis 500 Leonard would drive the #4 Sheraton-Thompson Racing Coyote-Ford. In the race he would qualify in 5th place and would finish in 3rd place. Leonard would then have his car changed again for the two races that made up the Telegraph Trophy 200 at Mosport Park where he drove the #4 Sheraton-Thompson Racing Eagle-Ford. After that race Leonard began to drive for Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing in the #20 Wagner Lockheed Brake Fluid Mongoose-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 would finish 9th in points.

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