Butch Leal
12 time NHRA National Champion
Racing accomplishments:
1964 Super Stock runner up NHRA Winternationals
1964 NHRA US National S/S Champion/NHRA National Record Holder
1964 Lyons Drag Strip won 21 races 11 weeks in a row
1965 NHRA US National S/S Champion
1965 Quickest and Fastest Funny Car on gas 9.69 @ 144.92
1965 S/S Champion Green Valley Texas
1966 S/S Eliminator Hot Rod Magazine Champion
1967 Quickest and Fastest Injected Funny Car 7.82-182.41
1968 Dodge Dart Price & Leal raced 3 times 2 wins 1 runner up
1969 First Boss 429 Ford Hemi
1970 Carlsbad California World Championship Series Champion
1970 Bakersfield World Championship Series Champion
1970 AHRA GT-1 Champion Phoenix Arizona
1970 AHRA Grand American Series Champion
1971 NHRA Western Conference Champion
1971 NHRA Pro Stock National Record holder 9.57-144.92
1971 NHRA Division 7 Champion
1971 Fremont World Championship Series Champion
1971 Amarillo Texas World Championship Series Champion
1971 OCIR Points Champion
1972 NHRA Pro Stock Division 7 Champion
1972 Drag News Pro Stock Driver of the Year
1972 Popular Hot Rod Meet Champion
1972 Bakersfield March Meet Champion
1972 NHRA National Pro Stock Top Speed Record 145.86
1972 Orange County/OCIR All-Pro Championship Series
1972 AHRA World Champion Fremont California
1972 NHRA Winter Nationals Pro Stock Champion at Phoenix Arizona
1972 UHRA Pro Stock Champion Detroit Michigan 9.29-148.20
1972 Bonneville World Championship Series Pro Stock Champion
1972 Sacramento California World Championship Series Pro Stock Champion
1972 OCIR Pro Stock Match Race Show Down winner
1972 First Pro Stock to run 9.11-150.50
1972 Las Vegas World Championship Series Pro Stock Champion
1973 NHRA Grand National-Montreal Canada Pro Stock Champion
1973 Popular Hot Rod Meet Champion
1973 Bakersfield March Meet Champion
1973 AHRA National Pro Stock record holder 8.88-154.10
1973 Drag News Pro Stock Driver of the Year
1973 NHRA National Pro Stock Top Speed record holder 151.77
1973 Englishtown New Jersey First Pro Stock car to go in the 8's 8.98-151.0
1973 Grand American Final Fremont California Pro Stock Champion 8.91-153.75
1973 Irwindale California Grand Prix Pro Stock Champion
1973 Pro Stock runner up NHRA Summernationals
1973 Pro Stock runner up NHRA Springnationals
1974 NHRA Summer Nationals S/S Eliminator Champion
1974 AHRA S/S Winter Nationals Eliminator Champion
1974 Car Craft Magazine All Star Drag Racing Team Super Stock Driver of the Year
1974 Super Stock runner up NHRA Springnationals
1975 NHRA Gator Nationals Modified Eliminator Champion
1975 Car Craft Magazine All Star Drag Racing Team Super Stock Driver of the Year
1976 1976 NHRA Phoenix Winter Classic Modified Eliminator
1976 NHRA Winter Nationals Modified Eliminator Champion
1976 Car Craft Magazine All Star Drag Racing Team Modified Driver of the Year
1976 Popular Hot Rodding Modified Eliminator Champion
1977 NHRA National Record holder B/G 8.387-156.25
1977 Car Craft Magazine All Star Drag Racing Team Modified Driver of the Year
1977 First match race Pro Stock car to run in the 7's 7.96-172.91
1984 Pro Stock runner up NHRA Winston Finals
1984 Pro Stock runner up NHRA Cajun Nationals
1985 Pro Stock runner up NHRA Mile High Nationals
1985 Pro Stock runner up NHRA Summernationals
1985 Pro Stock runner up NHRA Grandnationals
1985 Pro Stock winner NHRA Southern Nationals
1986 Pro Stock winner NHRA Grandnationals
1986 Pro Stock winner NHRA Springnationals
1986 Pro Stock runner up NHRA Cajun Nationals
1986 Pro Stock runner up NHRA Gatornationals
1987 Pro Stock runner up NHRA Fallnationals
1987 Pro Stock runner up NHRA Chief Nationals
1987 Pro Stock winner NHRA Grandnationals
1987 Pro Stock winner NHRA Springnationals
1987 Pro Stock winner NHRA Cajun Nationals
1987 Pro Stock runner up NHRA Southern Nationals
1987 Pro Stock winner NHRA Gatornationals
1987 Pro Stock runner up NHRA Winternationals
1988 Pro Stock runner up NHRA Grandnationals
1988 Pro Stock runner up NHRA Gatornationals
1988 Pro Stock winner up NHRA Winternationals
1989 Pro Stock runner up NHRA Cajun Nationals
2014 Inducted into the Mopar Hall of Fame
2015 Inducted into the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame
By the numbers:
His '67 Barracuda Funny Car was one of the first in the seven- and eight-second zone.
In the 70's first person to win in 3 NHRA National categories Super Stock, Modified, and Pro Stock
In 1972 he won 16 match-race eliminator shows.
In 1973, Butch Leal won the NHRA Pro Stock title at the “Molson” driving a ‘73 Duster with Hemi power but that would be the last time a Mopar with a Hemi engine would win.
Frank Iaconio and Butch Leal debut Funny Car-style roll cages in their Pro Stockers, which are now a permanent fixture in the category's chassis design.
On April 21, 1985, Butch Leal became the first racer other than Bob Glidden, Warren Johnson, Lee Shepherd, or Frank Iaconio to win an NHRA Pro Stock national event since 1979. Leal’s Castrol GTX / Nationwise Pontiac Trans Am beat Glidden’s 7-11 / Chief Auto Parts Ford Thunderbird in the final round of the NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta, Ga., 7.73 / 179.71 to 7.80 / 167.72.
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