Legendary chief mechanic and engineer Louis “Sonny” Meyer Jr. and 1968 Indianapolis 500 pole winner Joe Leonard are the latest inductees to the Auto Racing Hall of Fame at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, celebrated during race week ceremonies for the 2013 500-mile race.
Meyer, son of Louis Meyer, Indy’s first three-time winner, was a wizard of racing engine preparation who was directly involved with preparation of the winning Indianapolis 500 engine as many as 15 times, most notably in 1973 with Patrick Racing, driver Gordon Johncock and crew chief George Bignotti. Meyer also led engine development with Vince Granatelli Racing and was the development engineer of the potent turbocharged Buick V6 engines of the late ’80s and early ’90s.
Leonard contested the Indianapolis 500 nine times between 1965 and 1973, establishing new one- and four-lap records of 171.953 mph and 171.559 mph, respectively, with the four-wheel-drive STP Lotus Turbine while taking pole position for the 1968 500. He was leading the race when a fuel pump drive shaft failed with nine laps to go. He placed 3rd in the 500 in 1967 and again in 1972.
He scored six National Championship Indycar victories—including the 1971 Ontario 500 and the 1972 Pocono 500—and won the USAC National Championship in 1971 and ’72 as part of the Vel’s Parnelli Jones Racing “Super Team” after making a successful transition from motorcycle racing in the early 1960s. He had been the American Motorcycle Association’s National Champion in 1954, 1956 and 1957.
