Hall of Fame driver Leroy Warriner dead at 83

Leroy Warriner, 83, the great midget driver in the post war years, passed away in Indianapolis January 2, 2003. Calling is Sunday, January 5th from four to seven pm at Flanner & Buchanan, Speedway on High School Road just north of Union Jacks. Entombment will be in Washinton Park East Cemetary.

Warriner was 1953 AAA National Midget Racing Champion. From 1949 to 1958 he made several attempts to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 but his principal achievements took place in the midgets where his name was a household word in the US and in Australia/New Zealand where he raced several seasons. In 1951 Warriner was ranked 306th in world standings. He was inducted into the National Midget Racing Hall of Fame in 1988.

Leroy joined former driver Gene Hartley in conducting races at the Indianapolis Speedrome. He became principal stockholder and operator of that facility in 1961. In 1972 he bought the Speedrome and continued to operate it until he retired to Florida in 1977. He was inducted into the Speedrome Hall of Fame in 1993.

He was a member of Plainfield United Methodist Church and the Indianapolis 500 Old Timers Club.

The family has asked that memorial contributions be made to the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame, P. O. Box 234, Church Street, Marshall, IN 47859.

Survivors include his wife Faye Jean Hein Warriner, sister Doloris Warriner's racing biography may be found on the internet at www.worthyofhonor.org/pages/warriner.htm

Cue this URL and scroll down 60 taps for a picture of one of the cars Leroy Warriner drove..... vintagespeedway.homestead.com/EventsPictorial .html

Leroy was a winner as recently as 1959 when he was Indoor Champion at the Bill Lipkey promoted indoor races at Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne.

Warriner was ever present at local races and fan club meetings in Indianapolis, particularly after he returned from a long retirement in the Florida keys.

-len ashburn-