Leslie Eugene Hartley (January 28, 1926 – March 13, 1993) was an American racecar driver. He was born and died in Roanoke, Indiana.

Hartley was the son of midget car driver Ted Hartley, who competed into his 60s. "Auto racing is all I’ve ever known," Gene once said in an interview at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Racing career

Hartley drove in the AAA and USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1950 and 1952–1962 seasons with 33 starts. He raced in ten Indianapolis 500 races, in each year but 1955 and 1958. His best finish at Indy was tenth in 1957, although he finished eleventh three times. He finished in the top-ten nine times, with his best finish in second position in 1956 at Langhorne Speedway.

Hartley was the 1959 USAC National Midget Series champion. His 33 USAC feature wins were eighth best all-time.

Promoter

Hartley co-promoted with Leroy Warriner at the Indianapols Speedrome on Kitley Avenue in Indianapolis after his retirement. They hosted midget races at the track that was specifically built for the small cars.

Career award

• Hartley was inducted in the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1985.

Indy 500 results

World Championship career summary

The Indianapolis 500 was part of the FIA World Championship from 1950 through 1960. Drivers competing at Indy during those years were credited with World Championship points and participation. Hartley entered ten World Championship races and started eight of them, with a best finish of tenth.

References