wannabe
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posted November 19, 2003 09:12 PM
 Edited By: wannabe on 20 Nov 2003 11:21
Tonight's brush with racing royalty - Joe Leonard
One of the owners of one of the local machine shops opens his shop to motorcyclists every Wednesday night. He is cool enough to let you use all of his tools including the mills and lathes to make parts for your bikes. Most of the guys just come and hang out and eat pizza and bench race.
These guys are a bunch of old dirt track racers from back in the day. A couple of them were even in the original 'On any Sunday' movie. I love listening to their stories every week.
This week was extra special. One of the guys and his wife cooked up a huge Thanksgiving meal for us. The meal was outstanding. Well, while I was standing there BS-ing with one of the guys about how he did at the Sacramento Mile, guess who walks in.
This, my friends, is Joe Leonard.
  
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wannabe
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Posts: 1931
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posted November 19, 2003 09:15 PM
For those of you who are not well versed in racing history, let me tell you a little about what Joe has done so that you understand why I was in utter awe tonight.
Joe was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1991. Back in the day Joe won three AMA Grand National Championship titles and two USAC National Championship crowns. The pimp part is that each year he won in both dirt track racing as well as road racing. His last season racing motorcycles he won a national race in three different disciplines, road racing, dirt track, and steeplechase.
In 9 years of racing motorcycles, Joe won 27 National races including winning the Datona 200 twice.
I guess Joe got bored with bikes, because in 1962, Joe switched to Indy cars where he raced the old turbine-powered cars. Yes, he used to drive for Andy Granitelli. He even held pole position at Indy. He was so close to actually winning too. He was way ahead in the race before a mechanical problem close to the end of the race.
Joe is a God to me.
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wannabe
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posted November 19, 2003 09:16 PM
A while back, Joe lost all of his trophies in a fire. The guys knew this. But, somehow, one of the guys there happened to get a hold of one. He presented it back to Joe.
This was the trophy that Joe won when he kicked everyone's butt to win the Datona 200 in 1957. I think that was even before Vincent's time. 
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wannabe
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Posts: 1931
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posted November 19, 2003 09:17 PM
Here's the plaque on the trophy. Damn, this has got to be the coolest thing I have seen is so long.
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jonwright
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posted November 19, 2003 10:11 PM
Cool fer sure.
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Ninjaman12R
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as a Deal's Gap tour guide.
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posted November 20, 2003 10:05 AM
Kewl....
Man that is cool..............
I bet he really enjoyed getting one of his old trophies back.
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What we're dealin' with here is a complete lack of respect for the law.
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MadMike
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FEAR THE BLACK FLAG!!!!!!!!
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posted November 20, 2003 11:17 AM
WOW, that is so cool wish I could attend some day! if I every make it out there I want to go with ya! for sure!
Mad Mike
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k bryant
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posted November 20, 2003 03:04 PM
Joe has always had HERO status with me.
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vozizm
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posted November 20, 2003 03:15 PM
very kewl indeed!
http://www.mshf.com/index.htm?/hof/leonard_joe.htm
http://www.theautochannel.com/news/press/date/20001221/press033105.html
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wannabe
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Posts: 1931
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posted November 20, 2003 06:13 PM
Linkified for the lazy people:
http://www.mshf.com/index.htm?/hof/leonard_joe.htm
http://www.theautochannel.com/news/press/date/20001221/press033105.html
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necro
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My Grandma Is A Virgin
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posted November 20, 2003 08:53 PM
Cool.
& Harley never went that fast again 
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k bryant
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posted November 21, 2003 03:32 PM
Gene Church - BOTT. He made "Lucifer's Hammer" go way fast and kicked ass!
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Hells Dark Lord
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living life, and loving it.
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posted November 24, 2003 08:59 AM
Freakin awsome.....that kind of versatility is unheard of nowadays.....da man haz got some skillz fo sho......
and it was way cool of the guy to find and give him back one of his trophies back......mighty decent gesture for sure
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When in doubt, lean farther and go faster....
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