Obituary

IndyCar

Joe Leonard, 1932-2017

Two-time USAC National Champion (Indy car) and 1968 Indy 500 polesitter Joe Leonard died last week after a long battle with health issues including several strokes.

David Malsher-Lopez

Edited: May 1, 2017, 10:56 PM

Copy link

Share on Viber

Add as a preferred source

Joe Leonard

Joe Leonard, Tom Carnegie

Joe Leonard

Champ car legends: Bobby Unser, Parnelli Jones and Joe Leonard

Joe Leonard, Eagle

Champ car legends: Parnelli Jones, Wally Dallenbach, Tom Sneva and Joe Leonard

Auto Racing Hall of Fame member Joe Leonard, like the late John Surtees, was not only an open-wheel car ace, but started his career as a great motorcyclist, winning 27 American Motorcycle Association "national" events, including the Daytona 200 on two occasions. Three times he’d win the AMA championship, and five other times finish in the top three before switching to cars.

Leonard made nine consecutive starts in the Indianapolis 500 between 1965 and ’73, finishing third in both ’67 and ’72. But it was arguably his ’68 performance for which he'll best be remembered at the Speedway. In the Lotus 56 turbine, with which he’d taken pole position, he suffered a fate similarly cruel to Parnelli Jones in the original STP Paxton turbine car a year earlier, the Lotus grinding to a halt while Leonard was leading with fewer than 10 laps to go.

Leonard won six USAC National Championship Indy car races during his career, including three at Milwaukee and one at Michigan International Speedway, plus the second running of the Ontario (California) 500 in 1971 and the second running of the Pocono (Pennsylvania) 500 in 1972.

His results over this period, while teamed with Mario Andretti and Al Unser in the Vel’s Parnelli Jones “Superteam”, saw his consistency and pace earn him the equivalent of the present-day IndyCar championship. This was despite the team struggling with the imaginative but flawed Indy cars of Maurice Philippe, designer of the legendary Lotus 72 Formula 1 car.

After suffering crippling leg and ankle injuries at Ontario in the spring of 1974 and being unable to pass the physical for a comeback, he retired.

An IMS statement explained his legacy in the 500 after his near miss in ’68.

In 1969, Leonard ran second for many laps with a Smokey Yunick-entered turbocharged Ford-powered Eagle until turbocharger problems resulted in a couple of lengthy pit stops. He managed to salvage sixth at the finish but was still several laps behind when he could well have been strongly challenging his good friend Mario Andretti for the win.

In 1970, Leonard ran second again for several laps, this time behind teammate Al Unser in one of the Vel's Parnelli Jones Johnny Lightning Specials. A faulty ignition eliminated Leonard after 73 laps, but just days later, he trounced the entire field at Milwaukee.

In 1971, still Unser's teammate, but now sporting yellow Samsonite livery instead of Johnny Lightning blue, Leonard waged a great back-and-forth battle over several laps with Unser, including as late as Lap 117, shortly before turbocharger problems sent him to the sidelines.

There was certainly consolation from a third-place Indianapolis 500 finish the following year behind Mark Donohue and Unser.

But very likely because Leonard always led a less flamboyant existence than some of his colleagues, his name tends to be overlooked when fans and historians discuss the most deserving "500" drivers who never won.

We want your opinion!

What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?

Take our 5 minute survey.

- The Motorsport.com Team

Read and post comments

Share Or Save This Story

Copy link

Share on Viber

Previous article Foyt says Chevrolet unfamiliarity is still hurting team pace

Next article Jones confident he’ll be strong at both Indy tracks

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

View More & Comment

Latest news

The surprising convergence behind F1's increasingly competitive 2026 season

Formula 1

The surprising convergence behind F1's increasingly competitive 2026 season

“I was getting beat up” – How Daniel Ricciardo burned out on ‘humiliating’ F1 return

Formula 1

F1 Formula 1 3 h

“I was getting beat up” – How Daniel Ricciardo burned out on ‘humiliating’ F1 return

Myers Riley Motorsports adds Andretti alongside returning Fraga for 2027 IMSA GTD campaign

IMSA

IMSA IMSA 3 h

Myers Riley Motorsports adds Andretti alongside returning Fraga for 2027 IMSA GTD campaign

Las Vegas GP reveals neon sign-inspired trophy design

Formula 1

F1 Formula 1

Las Vegas GP

4 h

Las Vegas GP reveals neon sign-inspired trophy design

Feature

Discover prime content

How Spanish engineering and Alex Palou brought IndyCar to Barcelona

Feature

IndyCar

Feature

IndyCar 15 d

By Joey Barnes

How Spanish engineering and Alex Palou brought IndyCar to Barcelona

Inside AJ Foyt Racing’s transition: Hauger’s arrival, Ferrucci’s future, and the Pierson waiting game

Feature

IndyCar

Feature

IndyCar 1 mo

By Joey Barnes

Inside AJ Foyt Racing’s transition: Hauger’s arrival, Ferrucci’s future, and the Pierson waiting game

You Ask The Questions: David Malukas

IndyCar

By Joey Barnes

You Ask The Questions: David Malukas

Top 10 Ganassi IndyCar drivers of all time

IndyCar

By John Oreovicz

Top 10 Ganassi IndyCar drivers of all time

Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.

From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.

You have 2 options:

Become a subscriber.
Disable your adblocker.

Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here

Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page

Manage Alerts