Jason Leffler facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jason Leffler
Leffler at the circuit Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in 2008
Born	Jason Charles Leffler (1975-09-16)September 16, 1975 Long Beach, California, U.S.
Died	June 12, 2013(2013-06-12) (aged 37) Bridgeport, New Jersey, U.S.
Cause of death	Blunt force neck injury from racing accident
Height	5 ft 3 in (1.60 m)
Weight	130 lb (59 kg)
Achievements	1997, 1998, 1999 USAC National Midget Series Champion 1998 USAC Silver Crown Series Champion 2002 Hoosier Hundred Winner 1999, 2005 Turkey Night Grand Prix Winner 1997 Belleville Midget Nationals Winner
Awards	National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame inductee (2003) West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame (2015) USAC Hall of Fame inductee (2018)
NASCAR Cup Series career
73 races run over 9 years
2013 position	52nd
Best finish	37th (2001)
First race	2001 Daytona 500 (Daytona)
Last race	2013 Party in the Poconos 400 (Pocono)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 1 1
NASCAR Xfinity Series career
294 races run over 12 years
Best finish	3rd (2007)
First race	1999 Kroger 200 (IRP)
Last race	2012 Great Clips 200 (Phoenix)
First win	2004 Federated Auto Parts 300 (Nashville)
Last win	2007 Kroger 200 (IRP)
Wins Top tens Poles 2 107 8
NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series career
56 races run over 7 years
Best finish	4th (2002)
First race	2000 Power Stroke 200 (IRP)
Last race	2012 Ford EcoBoost 200 (Homestead)
First win	2003 MBNA Armed Forces Family 200 (Dover)
Wins Top tens Poles 1 35 10
IndyCar Series career
3 races run over 2 years
Best finish	30th (2000)
First race	1999 Transworld Diversified Services 200 (Disney)
Last race	2000 Indianapolis 500 (Indy)
Wins Podiums Poles 0 0 0

Jason Charles Leffler (September 16, 1975 – June 12, 2013) was an American race car driver. He competed in both open-wheel races and stock car events. Jason even raced in the famous Indianapolis 500. Sadly, he passed away after an accident during a sprint car race in Bridgeport, New Jersey.

Jason Leffler's Racing Journey

Early Open-Wheel Career

Jason Leffler started his racing career in midget cars. He joined the USAC series, where he quickly became a champion. He won three midget car championships in a row from 1997 to 1999. He also won the Silver Crown series championship in 1998.

Jason won several big races, like the Hut Hundred and Belleville Nationals. He also won the Turkey Night Grand Prix twice. His success caught the eye of famous racing teams. Roger Penske and Joe Gibbs Racing were interested in him. In 1999, Jason joined Joe Gibbs Racing. He made a few starts in the Busch Series that year.

Jason also raced in the Indy Racing League. He competed in the 2000 Indianapolis 500, which was his only time in that famous race. He started in 17th place and finished in the same spot.

NASCAR Adventures

In 2000, Jason started driving full-time in the Busch Series for Joe Gibbs Racing. He earned three pole positions, meaning he started first in those races. He also finished second in a race at Phoenix. After that, he moved up to the top level of NASCAR, the Winston Cup Series.

He joined Chip Ganassi Racing in 2001. It was a challenging year for him. He had only one top-10 finish. He also couldn't qualify for some races. He did, however, earn the first-ever pole position at Kansas Speedway. After that season, he was replaced by another driver.

In 2002, Jason joined Ultra Motorsports to race in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. He had a lot of success there. He tied a record by getting eight pole positions in one season. He also finished second in six races. He ended the year in fourth place in the championship standings. In 2003, he finally won his first Truck Series race at Dover International Speedway.

Leffler in the No. 32 car, racing at Daytona in 2006

Jason later joined Haas CNC Racing. He drove for them in both the Cup Series and the Busch Series. In 2004, he won his first Busch Series race at Nashville Superspeedway. He was involved in a crash at another race, which led to a penalty. He was later released from his contract with the team.

In 2005, Jason went back to Joe Gibbs Racing. He drove a new Cup team car. However, he struggled to get good results. He was replaced by other drivers later that season. While with Gibbs, he also raced in the Busch Series for Braun Racing. After leaving Gibbs, he joined Braun Racing full-time.

For the 2006 season, Jason continued to race for Braun Racing in the Busch Series. He had several top-10 finishes. He also owned the championship team for the 2006 USAC Silver Crown.

In 2007, Jason made history. He won the Busch Series Kroger 200 race at O'Reilly Raceway Park. This was the first time a Toyota Camry won a race in the Busch Series. It was also the first win for a foreign car brand in a top NASCAR series since 1954. He finished the 2007 season in third place in the points standings.

Jason continued racing in the Nationwide Series (formerly Busch Series) for Braun Racing. In 2010, Braun Racing's Nationwide team was bought by Turner Motorsports. Jason kept driving for them in 2010 and 2011. In 2011, he was involved in a crash that affected another driver's championship hopes. Jason took full responsibility for the accident.

In 2012, Jason drove for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Truck Series for part of the season. He also made a few starts in the Cup Series for other teams. His last Cup Series race was in June 2013 at Pocono Raceway, just a few days before his passing.

Jason's Personal Life

Jason Leffler was the son of Charles and Patricia Leffler. He had a son named Charlie Dean, who was five years old when Jason passed away. Jason was engaged to Julianna Patterson, and they lived together in North Carolina.

Awards and Honors

Jason Leffler was recognized for his amazing racing skills. He was inducted into the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 2003. At that time, he had won 19 USAC national championship midget car races. He was also inducted into the USAC Hall of Fame in 2018. He had six USAC Silver Crown wins as well.

Motorsports Career Results

American Open-Wheel Racing

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

IndyCar Series

Indianapolis 500

NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Sprint Cup Series

Daytona 500

Nationwide Series

Camping World Truck Series

¹ Ineligible for series points

ARCA Bondo/Mar-Hyde Series

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Images for kids

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  2010 Nationwide No. 38

• 

  Racing at the 2011 Nationwide race at Road America

• 

  At Rockingham Speedway in 2012

See also

• Driver deaths in motorsport
• List of people from Long Beach, California