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Topic: Harold Leep passes away
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Page 1 of 1 of 6 replies
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February 08, 2014 at
03:24:31 PM
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This message was edited on
February 08, 2014 at
03:49:18 PM by filtalr
helmet, goggles, supermodified nuff said
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February 08, 2014 at
03:47:35 PM
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He was one of the all time greats. RIP
Phil Taylor
home-theater-systems-advice.com
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February 08, 2014 at
03:56:56 PM
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This message was edited on
February 08, 2014 at
03:59:17 PM by BIGFISH
Hardly "nuff said".. Harold Leep "the Offy Killer" a Tribute..Uploaded on Feb 26, 2010 ..http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_g9afVHHiUo
If you have a v8 with rockerarms in your race car, this guy is the first to prove it could win against the badass Offies. Chet Wilson built the gun (Offy Killer), Leep went into battle. In those days it was friendly war of sorts when the racing was sincere. The limits were truly bring pushed.
Half the lies they tell about me aren't true.
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February 08, 2014 at
04:01:04 PM
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Sad news. My condolences to Harold's friends and family. I count myself so fortunate that I got to see Harold wheel that great Offy Killer! RIP Mr. Leep. And thanks for the memories.
If there's racing in the afterlife, Harold has already made the main event.
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February 08, 2014 at
06:20:15 PM
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Reply to:
Posted By: modified156 on February 08 2014 at 03:24:31 PM
helmet, goggles, supermodified nuff said
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He was either really good to really lucky to drive the widow makers back in the 50's & 60's. I seen him race supers and yeah he was really good!
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February 09, 2014 at
05:07:46 AM
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Thanks Big Fish for a great video. The following is from the Daily Oklahoman: What a record....
Auto racing: Legendary sprint car driver Harold Leep Sr. dies
Leep, who won a then-record five points championships at State Fair Speedway in Oklahoma City, was 81.
MUSKOGEE — Legendary Oklahoma dirt car racer and National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee Harold Leep Sr. died Thursday, a day after he reportedly fell on ice at home. He was 81.
Stock car racer Harold Leep Sr. in 1977 (Original photo ran 07/22/77, 07/21/78*, 07/12/80 TIMES)
The Cookson native last worked in motor sports as promoter of Muskogee Speedway in the early 2000s, but he had long become a legend for his successful exploits on dirt tracks throughout the country, particularly Oklahoma and Kansas. At a time when open-wheel race cars were larger, heavier and did not have the safety features of current-day cars, Leep piled up wins at local tracks and on regional circuits such as the National Championship Racing Association, the U.S. Auto Club and International Motor Contest Association.
“He was larger than life to all of us growing up,” said Shane Carson, a Yukon resident who is a fellow National Sprint Car Hall of Famer. “He changed racing everywhere he ran. He raised the bar. He was a great friend, too.”
Leep's interest in car racing started in 1950, when he volunteered to help a buddy work on a jalopy stock car. Leep convinced the friend to let him race it. After he crashed the car, the friend didn't let Leep drive it again.
But Leep was hooked. He was back inside a stocker in 1951, notching his first career victory, at Enid Speedway. Leep moved to open-wheel cars in 1955, and he began building a tough-to-beat status during a period when the slightest gambles might lead to horrific crashes and severe injury.
“Sprint car racing is the hardest work there is,” Leep told the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame before his 2004 induction. “I was tired of the travel ... but I still wanted to race.”
Leep won a then-record five points championships (1967, 1969, 1971, 1976, 1977) at State Fair Speedway in Oklahoma City. Those complemented season titles (1965, 1966, 1967, 1969) at 81 Speedway in Wichita, Kan. He capped a triple crown in '69 by also winning the Tulsa Speedway championship. He triumphed five times at the Hutchinson (Kan.) Nationals, then the World Series of open-wheel dirt car racing.
And those titles don't scrape the surface of what the Air Force veteran managed in more than 40 summers of driving.
During a 2000 interview with The Oklahoman, Leep said: “At one time I had over 1,000 trophies. I didn't want to build a big trophy room at my place ... so I got rid of a lot of them. The ones that I didn't want, I burned.”
Funeral services are pending.
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February 09, 2014 at
01:22:16 PM
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Reply to:
Posted By: carol14 on February 09 2014 at 05:07:46 AM
Thanks Big Fish for a great video. The following is from the Daily Oklahoman: What a record....
Auto racing: Legendary sprint car driver Harold Leep Sr. dies
Leep, who won a then-record five points championships at State Fair Speedway in Oklahoma City, was 81.
MUSKOGEE — Legendary Oklahoma dirt car racer and National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee Harold Leep Sr. died Thursday, a day after he reportedly fell on ice at home. He was 81.
Stock car racer Harold Leep Sr. in 1977 (Original photo ran 07/22/77, 07/21/78*, 07/12/80 TIMES)
The Cookson native last worked in motor sports as promoter of Muskogee Speedway in the early 2000s, but he had long become a legend for his successful exploits on dirt tracks throughout the country, particularly Oklahoma and Kansas. At a time when open-wheel race cars were larger, heavier and did not have the safety features of current-day cars, Leep piled up wins at local tracks and on regional circuits such as the National Championship Racing Association, the U.S. Auto Club and International Motor Contest Association.
“He was larger than life to all of us growing up,” said Shane Carson, a Yukon resident who is a fellow National Sprint Car Hall of Famer. “He changed racing everywhere he ran. He raised the bar. He was a great friend, too.”
Leep's interest in car racing started in 1950, when he volunteered to help a buddy work on a jalopy stock car. Leep convinced the friend to let him race it. After he crashed the car, the friend didn't let Leep drive it again.
But Leep was hooked. He was back inside a stocker in 1951, notching his first career victory, at Enid Speedway. Leep moved to open-wheel cars in 1955, and he began building a tough-to-beat status during a period when the slightest gambles might lead to horrific crashes and severe injury.
“Sprint car racing is the hardest work there is,” Leep told the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame before his 2004 induction. “I was tired of the travel ... but I still wanted to race.”
Leep won a then-record five points championships (1967, 1969, 1971, 1976, 1977) at State Fair Speedway in Oklahoma City. Those complemented season titles (1965, 1966, 1967, 1969) at 81 Speedway in Wichita, Kan. He capped a triple crown in '69 by also winning the Tulsa Speedway championship. He triumphed five times at the Hutchinson (Kan.) Nationals, then the World Series of open-wheel dirt car racing.
And those titles don't scrape the surface of what the Air Force veteran managed in more than 40 summers of driving.
During a 2000 interview with The Oklahoman, Leep said: “At one time I had over 1,000 trophies. I didn't want to build a big trophy room at my place ... so I got rid of a lot of them. The ones that I didn't want, I burned.”
Funeral services are pending.
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Carol, I've missed seeing you post here and didn't see you at the Chili Bowl this year. I hope all is well. And thanks for posting the Harold Leep information. Can you believe, the Tulsa World has not posted anything concerning this great sports figure, not even an obituary?
Take care,
Roger
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