05.26.03_007_MAN_REA_0066_1.jpg (48633 bytes)

Photo ID # 05.26.03_007_MAN_REA_0066_1
Car #: #7
Driver (s) : Leon Manchester
Location: Reading, PA
Date: 1966
Photographer: Bruce Craig
Photo provided by: Russ Dodge
Comments: Comment from Russ Dodge:  Paulsboro, N.J. driver Leon Manchester, is pictured with his Chevy powered modified at the Reading Fairgrounds in 1966. Leon had one feature win at Reading with 11 top 5's and 32 top 10's. He is remember by most fans at the Nazareth "Big Track" where he put on some great runs with his Chevy powered cars and his Hemi powered racer. In 1970 Leon started the Tri-State owners association in an attempt to get a unified set of car building rules for all the speedways in the Northeast. After the effort proved unsuccessful, which included the group promoting it's own programs at Harmony Speedway, Leon built and promoted Bridgeport Speedway, opening in 1972. Leon got the "Cowboy" tag because he was a very accomplished rodeo rider. Leaving home as an early teenage, he found refuge traveling with the rodeo as a young man. In 1955, at Cowtown Rodeo, which still operates today, Leon was a 3 event champion and second in the remaining two events. For non-rodeo people, very few riders would compete in 5 events! (bull riding, calf roping, etc., etc) Today, Leon travels the country dealing in Tennessee Walkers trading under Manchester Farms. May I add a personal note, one of my heroes and dearest friends through racing! Thank you Leon, Russ Dodge Photo from Bruce Craig.
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05/30/03 Jim Murrow Leon Manchester is one of the most interesting characters in racing.

First of all, as Russ mentions in his comments above, he was an ex rodeo rider. He owned a large welding shop in Paulsboro, NJ, and behind the welding shop, he had a pasture where he kept a string of quarter horses. In his rodeo days, he would take a number of the horses to the rodeo, and rent them to other cowboys who didn't have their own horses. Leon always found ways to pay for his hobbies. Since he had the welding shop, he started manufacturing racing wheels, then, he became a Firestone Racing tire distributor, and then a racing fuel dealer.

He got into racing when he felt he was too old, and busted up to rodeo anymore. He told me he had broken every bone in his body, at least once. It's not often that someone gets into auto racing because they need something a little "tamer" to do.

Leon was very innovative, and his cars were always a little different. One year, he came out with a coupe that had the radiator in the trunk. It had air scoops in the side, to channel air into the radiator, and the nose, (full hood, side panals, and grill), were tapered down so that the grill was only about 24 inches high. In the early 60s, a number of modifieds started running roof wings. Leon was one of them. His means of transporting the race car was usually innovative, as well. One year, he used a Cadilac he had rebuilt and modified to tow the car on a single axle trailer. For a while, he used school buses that he converted into enclosed race car haulers. He was always thinking "out of the box".

Probably more important than anything, is that Leon has a heart of gold. If somebody needs something, Leon is always not only willing, but happy to help. As an example, I bought a sportsman from Lew Mood one winter, and I didn't have a trailer at the time, to bring it home. I stopped at Leon's and asked if I could borrow his trailer. He said, "sure, it's over there", pointing to a beautiful brand new trailer painted bright Goldenrod yellow that was hitched to a Cadilac sedan. "We just painted it yesterday, take the Caddy, too, it's already hitched up, and I built the Caddy just to pull that trailer". That's the kind of guy Leon is. Thanks, Leon. Jim Murrow

02/-6/04 Phil Betza Does anyone have a picture of his coupe with the hemi in it. There was a story that he built a trailer for Keith Black and got the motor in trade.  He built a neat clean car always trying the next step to go faster.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

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