Leon Duray "Jigger" Sirois (born April 16, 1935) is an American former racing driver from the small town of Shelby in northern

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

. He raced in a variety of racing genres, most notably

midget Midget (from ''midge'', a tiny biting insect) is a term for a person of unusually short stature that is considered by some to be pejorative due to its etymology. While not a Medical terminology, medical term like ''dwarf'' (for a person with d ...

stock Stocks (also capital stock, or sometimes interchangeably, shares) consist of all the Share (finance), shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided. A single share of the stock means fractional ownership of the corporatio ...

and Indy "Big" cars. Sirois is the son of former longtime veteran Indy 500 mechanic Earl "Frenchy" Sirois, who worked on the winning cars of

Lee Wallard Leland Wallard (September 7, 1910 – November 29, 1963) was an American racing driver. After a slow start to his career, the unheralded Wallard scored a "Cinderella" victory, authoring a dominating performance in the 1951 Indianapolis 500. Days ...

Sam Hanks Samuel Dwight Hanks (July 13, 1914 – June 27, 1994) was an American racing driver who won the 1957 Indianapolis 500. He was a barnstorming (sports), barnstormer, and raced Midget car racing, midget and American Championship car racing, Champion ...

, and

Jimmy Bryan James Ernest "Jimmy" Bryan (January 28, 1926 – June 19, 1960) was an American Auto racing, racing driver. Well-known for his habit of racing with an unlit cigar, Bryan was a three-time List of American open-wheel racing national champions, Nati ...

during his 40 year career. Sirois is named after driver

Leon Duray Leon Duray (born George Gardner Stewart; April30, 1894May12, 1956) was an American racing driver active in the 1920s. He was nicknamed "The Flying Frenchman", and legally changed his name in tribute to pioneer auto racer Arthur Duray.1996 Indian ...

. The nickname "Jigger" is in reference to family friend, two-time Indy-winning

riding mechanic A riding mechanic was a mechanic that rode along with a race car during races, and who was tasked with maintaining, monitoring, and repairing the car during the race. The various duties included manually pumping oil and fuel, checking tire wear, ...

Jigger Johnson (1931, 1937), as well as a nickname given to him by his older sister.

Racing career

Midget cars

Sirois won four championships in 1961 including UARA midget title. Some of his major victories include a 100-mile race at the

Milwaukee Mile The Milwaukee Mile is a oval race track in the central United States, located on the grounds of the Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis, Wisconsin, a suburb west of Milwaukee. Its grandstand and bleachers seats approximately 37,000 spectat ...

and a race at the

Daytona Beach Daytona Beach is a coastal resort city in Volusia County, Florida, United States. Located on the East Coast of the United States, its population was 72,647 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach metropo ...

in a midget.

USAC Indy car

Though he never qualified for the

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly shortened to Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indian ...

, Sirois is most known in racing circles for circumstances surrounding his qualifying attempt in

1969 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1969th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 969th year of the 2nd millennium, the 69th year of the 20th century, and the ...

. On Pole Day, Sirois drew first in line to qualify, and after a lengthy rain delay, took to the track late in the afternoon to make the first attempt of the day. He completed his first three laps at: *Lap 1 – 161.783 mph *Lap 2 – 162.279 mph *Lap 3 – 160.542 mph However, on his fourth and final lap, his crew waved off the run with the yellow flag, and it was negated. The crew felt the speed was inadequate to the make the field, and presumably intended to make another attempt later on. Moments later,

Arnie Knepper Arnold A. "Arnie" Knepper (October 10, 1930 – June 6, 1992), was an American racecar driver. Born in Belleville, Illinois, Knepper also died there from cancer. He drove in the USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1963–1972 seasons, ...

went out to qualify, but rain began to fall during his warm up laps, and washed out the remainder of the weekend. It was quickly noticed by media and fans that had the crew not waved off his final lap on Saturday, Sirois would have been the lone qualifier of the weekend and sat on the coveted provisional pole position for an entire week - and likely would have started on the pole for race day. During the second weekend of time trials, Jigger Sirois waved off his second attempt, and also waved off his third and final attempt when his speed was not fast enough. As it ended up, Sirois's first attempt would have been fast enough to qualify for the race. The qualification rules were changed in 1971 to guarantee all cars in line on the first day of qualifying at least one chance to qualify during the pole position round. After 1969, Jigger came back to attempt to make the field every year up until 1975, failing to make the field every time. Most notably, was his fruitless attempt to qualify the uncompetitive Jack Adams Turbine, in 1970, which would prove be the final attempt to qualify a turbine-powered car for the Indianapolis 500. Outside of the Indy 500, he made ten other starts in USAC

Championship Car American open-wheel car racing, generally and commonly known as Indy car racing, is a category of professional automobile racing in the United States. As of 2025, the top-level American open-wheel racing championship is sanctioned by IndyCar a ...

racing. His best finish was 5th place at Phoenix in 1969.

Awards

Sirois was named to the

National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame The National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame is an American Hall of Fame and museum for midget cars. The Hall of Fame is located at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, and can be accessed during weekly Sunday races during the summe ...

in 2013.

Personal life

Sirois graduated from Lowell High School and did various jobs in between races such as truck driver and construction worker. Sirois is married and his wife's name is Juanita. Sirois started

stuttering Stuttering, also known as stammering, is a speech disorder characterized externally by involuntary repetitions and prolongations of sounds, syllables, words, or phrases as well as involuntary silent pauses called blocks in which the person who ...

after a

tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...

scare when he was three years old while living near

Shelby, Indiana Shelby is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Cedar Creek Township, Lake County, Indiana. Shelby had a population of 453 at the 2020 census. History Shelby was laid out and platted in 1886 by William R. Shelby, when the ...

. He was able to learn to manage his

stutter Stuttering, also known as stammering, is a speech disorder characterized externally by involuntary repetitions and prolongations of sounds, syllables, words, or phrases as well as involuntary silent pauses called blocks in which the person who ...

with professional help when he was 65. He lends his time to promote the awareness and treatment of stuttering disorders in youth.

Indianapolis 500 results

The Jigger Award

In reflection of Sirois' infamous

hard-luck qualifying gaffe, the American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association (AARWBA) created an annual award for the

. The plaque consists of a gold-colored metal

whiskey Whisky or whiskey is a type of liquor made from Fermentation in food processing, fermented grain mashing, mash. Various grains (which may be Malting, malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, Maize, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky ...

jigger attached to a base, awarded to the year's "hard-luck" driver during qualifying. Selection criteria are very loose, and "blanket" awards for the entire month have been selected on more than one occasion. The recipient is usually one of the last drivers bumped from the field, or a driver who fails to qualify (especially if he/she made several unsuccessful attempts). Drivers that fail to qualify under unusual circumstances are a common theme. In 1991, car owner

Roger Penske Roger Searle Penske (born February 20, 1937), also known as "the Captain", is an American auto racing team owner, businessman, and former professional driver. Penske is the owner of Team Penske, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, IndyCar, and ...

was voted the winner, after pulling

Emerson Fittipaldi Emerson Fittipaldi (; born 12 December 1946) is a Brazilian former racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to . Fittipaldi won two Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he won in and with Team ...

from the qualifying line on pole day. Shortly thereafter, it began to rain, and Fittipaldi lost his chance to qualify for the pole position. Fittipaldi would have to be second day qualifier. In 2012 the recipient was

Jean Alesi Jean Robert Alesi (; born Giovanni Roberto Alesi, 11 June 1964) is a French former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Alesi won the 1995 Canadian Grand Prix with Ferrari. Born and raised in Avignon, Alesi started karting a ...

, who qualified 33rd. The criteria were based on Alesi's publicized struggles with the Lotus entry, making him the slowest car by over 4 mph, and more than 16 mph slower than the pole position winner. In recent years, the award has garnered less and less attention, and some years have not had a winner formally named. *1969 Jigger Sirois *1970

Tony Adamowicz Anthony Peter Adamowicz (May 2, 1941 – October 10, 2016) was an American racing driver, active from 1963 until his death. He won the Under 2-Liter class of the 1968 Trans-Am Championship and the 1969 SCCA Continental Championship. Early life ...

*1971

John Mahler John William Mahler (November 16, 1936 – February 6, 2024) was an American open wheel race car driver in the USAC and CART Championship Car American open-wheel car racing, generally and commonly known as Indy car racing, is a category of ...

*1972

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*1973

Johnny Parsons John Wayne Parsons1975 Indianapolis 500 Radio Broadcast - Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network (May 25, 1975) (born August 26, 1944 in Van Nuys, California) is an American race car driver. He is the son of 1950 Indianapolis 500 winner John ...

*1974 Al Loquasto *1975 AARWBA (for losing the trophy) *1976

Salt Walther David "Salt" Walther (November 22, 1947 – December 27, 2012) was a driver in the USAC and CART Championship Car series. He also drove NASCAR stock cars and unlimited hydroplane boats, and was a car owner in USAC. Walther is best remembere ...

*1977

Vern Schuppan Vernon John Schuppan (born 19 March 1943) is an Australian former motor racing driver. Schuppan drove in various categories, participating in Formula One, the Indianapolis 500 and most successfully in sports car racing. Although he considers ...

*1978 Larry Cannon &

Roger Rager Roger Rager (September 3, 1948 – February 16, 2022) was an American racing driver in the United States Automobile Club, USAC and Champ Car, CART Championship Car series. Early life Rager was born on September 3, 1948, in Lincoln, Nebraska. Wh ...

*1979 USAC ( race controversies) *1980

Janet Guthrie Janet Guthrie (born March 7, 1938) is an American former racing driver. She is the first female to qualify and race in either the Indianapolis 500, or the Daytona 500, both of which she competed in during 1977. She had first attempted to enter th ...

*1981

Bob Frey Robert C. Frey (born October 25, 1950) is a former American racing driver from Elyria, Ohio. He was a notable sprint car driver who won some of the country's most prestigious races when he attempted to try his hand at Champ Car, CART Championship ...

*1982

Geoff Brabham __NOTOC__ Geoffrey John Brabham (born 20 March 1952) is an Australian racing driver. Brabham spent the majority of his racing career in the United States. Racing career CART He raced successfully in CART early in his career, finishing 8th in ...

(crew failed to display the green flag to start his first attempt) *1983

Johnny Rutherford John Sherman Rutherford III (born March 12, 1938), also known as "Lone Star JR", is an American former automobile racing driver. During an Indy Car career that spanned more than three decades, he scored 27 wins and 23 pole positions in 314 start ...

*1984

Bill Alsup Bill Alsup (July 15, 1938 in Honolulu – August 9, 2016) was an American Auto racing, race car driver. He was the first Championship Auto Racing Teams (Champ Car, CART) Rookie of the Year in 1979 and competed in the 1981 Indianapolis 500, 1981 In ...

*1985 Chet Fillip *1986 Mike Nish *1987 Phil Krueger *1988

Pancho Carter Duane Claude Carter Jr. (born June 11, 1950), nicknamed "Pancho," is an American former open-wheel racing driver. Best known for his participation in Championship car racing, he won the pole position for the 1985 Indianapolis 500, and won the M ...

*1989

*1990

*1991

(owner of

's car) *1992

Mike Groff Michael Dennis Groff (born November 16, 1961, in Van Nuys, California) is a former race car driver who competed in CART and the IRL IndyCar Series and was the 1989 Indy Lights champion. His younger brother Robbie was also a CART and IRL dr ...

*1993

Robby Gordon Robert Wesley Gordon (born January 2, 1969) is an American semi-retired auto racing driver. He has raced in NASCAR, Championship Auto Racing Teams, CART, the IndyCar Series, the Trans-Am Series, International Motor Sports Association, IMSA, Inter ...

(for causing

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's retirement) *1994 Mark Smith (" Curse of the Smiths") *1995

*1996 Two 500 miles races (

Indy Indy may refer to: Computing and technology *Indy (software), used for Internet access to music *Internet Direct, or "Indy", a software library * SGI Indy, a computer workstation Periodicals *''The Indy'', shorthand for newspapers that include ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

) *1997 25/8 rule *1998 Scott Harrington *1999

Mike Borkowski Michael John Borkowski (born May 6, 1973) is an American race car driver. Borkowski has raced in a variety of cars and series, is experienced in both road and oval racing, but is best known for his victory over Tommy Kendall in the 1997 Trans-Am ...

*2000

Roberto Guerrero Roberto José Guerrero Isaza (born 16 November 1958) is a Colombian-American former race driver. He participated in 29 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 23 January 1982, becoming the first Colombian to start a Formula One Grand Prix. Wit ...

*2001

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*2002

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*2003 Jeff Ward *2004

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(for being "trouble makers") *2005

Arie Luyendyk Jr. Arie Luyendyk Jr. ( , ; born September 18, 1981) is a Dutch-American auto racing driver, television personality, and son of two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Arie Luyendyk. He has competed mostly in North America where his father lives and made ...

*2006

Marty Roth Marty Roth (born December 15, 1958) is a Canadian former race car driver who last competed in 2008 in the IndyCar Series where he owned his own team, Roth Racing. Born in Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Roth was a successful land developer in ...

*2007 P. J. Jones *2008

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*2009

Bruno Junqueira Bruno Junqueira (born November 4, 1976) is a Brazilian race car driver who most recently competed in the IRL IndyCar Series. He is a former Formula 3000 champion and three-time runner-up in the Champ Car World Series. Racing career Early ca ...

*2010

Jay Howard Jay Howard (born 16 February 1981) is a British professional race car driver who competed in the IndyCar Series and Indianapolis 500 and resides in Indianapolis, Indiana. Howard was the 2005 US Formula Ford Zetec champion (now known as the U ...

*2011 *2012

*2013

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*2014

Sage Karam Sage Rennie Karam (born March 5, 1995) is an American professional auto racing driver. He competes part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 53 Toyota GR Supra for Joey Gase Motorsports with Scott Osteen. He previously competed full ...

(for skipping

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and

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to race) *2015 Not Awarded *2016

Marco Andretti Marco Michael Andretti (born March 13, 1987) is an American professional auto racing driver. He last competed part-time in the IndyCar Series, driving the No. 98 Dallara- Chevrolet for Andretti Global. He formerly drove in the IndyCar Series fo ...

*2017 *2018

James Hinchcliffe James Douglas Meredith Hinchcliffe (born December 5, 1986) is a Canadian race car driver currently competing in the IMSA SportsCar Championship driving the No. 9 Lamborghini for Pfaff Motorsports. He is also a commentator for Fox Sports, FOX Sp ...

https://speedsport.com/indy/verizon-indycar/hinchcliffe-knight-punch-jordan-honored-at-ims/ Hinchcliffe, Knight, Punch & Jordan Honored At IMS] *2019 *2020 *2021

References

External links

Jigger Sirois at ChampCarStats.comHard-Luck 'Jigger' Has No Regrets, Enjoys New Qualifying Format
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sirois, Leon 1935 births American Speed Association drivers Living people Sportspeople from Lake County, Indiana Racing drivers from Indiana USAC Silver Crown Series drivers