(Indianapolis, IN) — Leon Duray “Jigger” Sirois, an Indianapolis 500 folk hero whose unusual qualifying attempt in 1969 became part of Speedway lore, died Wednesday. He was 91.
Sirois, a Shelby, Indiana, native, never made the starting field for the Indianapolis 500 despite attempting to qualify for the race every year from 1969 through 1975. But his first attempt produced one of the most memorable qualifying stories in Indy 500 history.
Sirois drew the first position in the qualifying line on Pole Day in 1969. After a lengthy rain delay, he took the No. 14 Gerhardt-Offenhauser onto the 2.5-mile oval late in the afternoon.
His first three qualifying laps were between 160 and 162 mph, but car owner Myron Caves waved off the attempt before Sirois completed the fourth and final lap because of concerns about his speed.
Moments later, Arnie Knepper began a qualifying attempt, but rain returned during his warmup laps and ended track activity for the weekend.
Had Sirois completed his run, he would have been the only driver to post a qualifying speed that weekend and would have held the provisional pole. He potentially could have remained on the pole through the following weekend and started the Indianapolis 500 from the top spot.
Sirois made two more attempts the following weekend, but both were waved off because of speed or mechanical problems. He did not qualify for the race.
The episode became so closely associated with Sirois that qualifying rules were changed in 1971 to guarantee every car in line on the first day of qualifying at least one opportunity to make the field during the opening round.
Sirois continued trying to make the Indianapolis 500 through 1975. His 1970 effort came in the Jack Adams Turbine, which became the final turbine-powered car to make a qualifying attempt at Indianapolis. He was the second alternate for the 1974 race.
Although he never started the 500, Sirois competed successfully in other forms of open-wheel racing. He made 10 USAC Champ Car starts and recorded a career-best fifth-place finish at Phoenix in 1969.
He also finished third in a turbine-powered car behind A.J. Foyt and Knepper in the rain-shortened Ted Horn Memorial USAC National Dirt Car Championship race at DuQuoin, Illinois, in 1972.
Sirois found his greatest success in midget racing, primarily in the Chicago area. He won four championships in 1961, including the UARA midget championship, and was inducted into the National Midget Racing Hall of Fame in 2013.
His handling of the 1969 Indianapolis qualifying disappointment also became part of his legacy. Sirois never blamed Caves or his crew for waving off the run.
The American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association created the annual “Jigger Award” to recognize the driver who experiences the most notable hard luck during Indianapolis 500 qualifying. Sirois was its first recipient in 1969.
Racing ran in the family. His father, Earl “Frenchy” Sirois, was a longtime Indianapolis 500 mechanic who worked on winning cars driven by Lee Wallard, Sam Hanks, and Jimmy Bryan during a 40-year career. Sirois was named after two-time Indianapolis 500 pole winner Leon Duray.
His nickname came from two-time Indy 500-winning riding mechanic Jigger Johnson, a family friend.
Sirois also became an advocate for people who stutter. He developed a stutter following a tornado scare when he was 3 and began managing it through speech therapy in his mid-60s. He later promoted awareness and treatment of stuttering disorders among young people.
Sirois remained a familiar presence at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, frequently returning during May to visit with racing fans and members of the media.