There’s a new traffic cop at speedway
Doug Leonard joins World of Outlaws Sprint Car series as race director
Drivers and track officials won’t be hearing a familiar voice directing traffic when racing returns for a 73rd season at Canada’s oldest continuously operating track.
After two years in his second stint as race director at Merrittville Speedway and five in all, Doug Leonard has left the position to become the World of Outlaws Sprint Car race director.
With 86 races taking place in the series from February until November at 41 tracks in 19 states, Leonard will be spending most of his weekends travelling from his home in Caledonia, logging a lot of seat time on a plane.
While there will be “lots of flying, the 46-year-old is looking forward to following the circuit with the premier Sprint Car series in the United States.
“This is a great once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I’ve been ready to go for the past couple of months but was approved a few days ago for my working visa,” he recently told Hamilton Spectator motorsports contributor Tim Miller. Don Spiece, who owns Merrittville Speedway along with his wife, Lorraine, said Leonard deserves to work with the “big ones” after years of serving as race director at three dirt tracks in three tracks in southern Ontario.
“I’m proud of Doug. He deserves getting to work with the World of Outlaws, he deserves everything,” Spiece told the Standard. “He ran three tracks, so, you know what? He climbed the ladder. Now, he gets to work with the big ones.”
Leonard also served as race director at Ohsweken Speedway, southeast of Brantford, for the past 23 seasons and at Humberstone Speedway in Port Colborne for the past three years.
“It was a great stepping-stone for him working at Merrittville, Ohsweken and Humberstone,” Spiece said.
When Leonard accepted an offer two years ago to become Merrittville race director, it was suggested by this reporter that overseeing programs at three tracks over three nights — Ohsweken on Friday, Merrittville on Saturday and Humberstone on Sunday — sounded like multitasking at its fastest, fraught with potential pitfalls heading into every turn.
Thanks to his daughter Harper, who will be turning 10 later this month, Leonard did not had to worry about wearing the right shirt on race nights, however.
“My daughter calls it by my shirt colour, she doesn’t call it by the name,” he said with a chuckle in an interview at the time. “She knows the names but, as she was growing up, it was, ‘Daddy, what track are we going to?’
“I’d put on my shirt and she’d say, ‘Oh, we’re going to the white track,’ or at Humberstone, we wear a red shirt. At Ohsweken, it’s an orange shirt.
“Sometimes, I’d have to ask her what shirt I need to put on because she remembers more than I do.”
Race tracks have been Leonard’s home away from home for much of life. His late father, Brock Leonard, was a longtime pit steward at the former Cayuga Speedway in Nelles Corners, Ont., just south of Hagersville.
The younger Leonard remembered he was 12 when he began helping out on the crew cleaning up accidents.
Over his years at Ohsweken, he experienced World of Outlaws races for several years from 2007 to ’17. Since then, the series has not raced in Canada.
Leonard told The Spectator he believes he will fit in and be accepted in his new role. He pointed out the series is not just a weekend hobby for the race teams.
“These are people in a profession, the stakes are higher. They’re the ultimate pros.”
Leonard submitted his resignation as Merrittville race director about two months ago. Spiece expects to announce a replacement shortly.
“I had to wait to make sure everything went through for him perfectly.”