By Roger and Marcia Eaton, grandson*
*Relation to Andy and/or Flora Lehr
Edward Ryan Leavitt is the grandson of the legendary sprint car racer, Edward “Eddie” Richard Leavitt. To keep the Edward Leavitts straight, Edward Ryan is known as Ryan. His father is Edward Richard, Jr. He was also a sprint car racer. That makes Ryan, Eddie, Jr. and Eddie, Sr.
Sprint Car Racing
The sport of sprint car racing dates back to the 1920s in the fairgrounds of the American Midwest. Cars evolved from modified production (passenger) automobiles to purpose-built race cars. The half-mile oval racetracks usually have a dirt surface. The races can last from twenty to forty laps. The distance is much less than NASCAR and Indy races. Comparatively, they are sprints. The sprint cars can include wings to promote downward pressure on the tires to improve traction. They are situated to improve the slides around the high-banked curves.
Knoxville, Iowa hosts races throughout the summer months, beginning in April. The season finale is in August with the Knoxville Nationals. Typically, summer races are on Saturday. The regular format is:
Hot Laps – In the afternoon drivers have the opportunity to test their cars on the track with no other cars on the track. These are really fast and allow the crews to make any mechanical adjustments to the cars, before the qualifying begins.
Qualifying – Each car and driver is timed for two laps. The best times determine the starting line up for the following heats. During the qualifying laps, there is only one car on the track.
Heats – The entire field of cars are grouped into smaller sets. Each set races in a short (6-10) lap race (known as a heat). The performance of the cars within their heat determines starting positions for the main events. Top performing cars qualify for the A-main event.
B-Main – Cars that did not qualify for the A-Main can race in the B-Main as another opportunity to qualify for the A-Main.
A-Main – The A-Main race is the feature race. It includes the cars that have qualified through the Heats and B-main. This race will have more cars than the individual qualifying races (heats and B-Main). It has the most laps and offers the highest purse, or prize money.
Race Crew
It takes a village to race a sprint car. While the driver is the most visible part of a race team, there is an assortment of people who are vital to racing sprint cars.
Successful race teams are distinguished by a supportive family. They are not listed on the race day program, but are a key part of the team. The Leavitts were selected as the 305 (class) Race Family of the Year 2017.
Ryan Leavitt
Long before he had a driver’s license, Ryan was behind the wheel of an Outlaw Dirt Kart. At nine years old, he was on the racetrack. Winning the English Creek Speedway track title and the Outlaw Dirt Track Nationals, he burst on to the racing scene. Over the next four years, he logged four track titles and three national championships.
This taste of speed whet his appetite. The hunger for more led him to the next level of dirt racing competition; 600 Micro Sprint. The engine size of the Micro Sprint classification is 600 cubic centimeters. For comparison, Harley Davidson motorcycle engines range from 883 to 1,923 cubic centimeters. The larger car (and engine) provided him with experience controlling higher speeds and more intense competition. He quickly found himself among the leaders of the classification.
During the 2017 and 2018 racing seasons, Ryan advanced into the 305 class and won four races. In the 2018 season, he finished second in overall ranking for the 305 class.
With fourteen years of racing experience under his helmet, 2019 became his breakout season. He moved up to the 360 class. Following his tradition of bursting onto the scene, he was selected as the Rookie of the Year for his new classification. That year he finished in the top ten in the point standings and has been a steady performer in the 360 class.
A sentimental racing career highlight occurred at the 2025 Knoxville Nationals. He changed the paint scheme of his car to a retro version of his grandfather’s car. The R & H Farms car #40 was driven at the 1975 Knoxville Nationals and won. In this prestigious event, Ryan qualified for the A Main race.
Pre season interview 2019 Ryan Leavitt
Eddie Leavitt, Jr.
Watching his father from the racetrack pits as a youth Eddie Leavitt, Jr. knew he would race sprint cars. He learned about race car assembly, sponsorship challenges, dragging a trailer across the Midwest to racetracks and all the nuts and bolts of living in the world of sprint car racing.
From the 1990s and into the 2000s, he realized his childhood dreams. During his time behind the wheel of a sprint car, Eddie and his crew established a record of consistently finishing in the middle of the field and became recognized as respected competitors.
Sprint car racing had become a family tradition as he made the transition from steering race cars to steering his children’s racing careers. He guided them through the go cart and micro sprint car racing classifications. Eventually, his son, Ryan, graduated into the sprint car classification. Eddie served in several roles on Ryan’s crew. He is currently the Car Chief.
Eddie Leavitt, Sr.
The race car drivers in this post all began as youth in the go cart and micro race circuits. That pattern can be traced back to Eddie Leavitt, Sr. He began his climb to Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1956 in a midget car race at the Olympic Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri.
His racing skills increased with each race. By the 1970s, he had developed into a formidable competitor. At the 1970 Missouri Super Modified Championship, Eddie set the racetrack at the State fairgrounds in Sedalia, Missouri on fire. Starting in the coveted pole position, he never looked back and lapped the field to blaze a path to the checkered flag. More victories followed.
The elite sprint car drivers gather each year in Knoxville, Iowa to determine the best sprint car driver (and crew). At the 1975 edition of the Knoxville Nationals, Eddie navigated his way to lead the field to the finish line. He repeated that feat the following year making him a two-time national sprint car champion. In 2001, Eddie was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame. He is remembered for his warm personality, perseverance and inspiration to future racers.
Maggie (Leavitt) Higday
Ryan’s sister, Margaret Ann “Maggie” has had her foot on the accelerator, too. As a youth, she raced Outlaw Go Karts. Consistent with the family tradition, Maggie became a skilled racer. While her time in the driver’s seat was focused on the go carts, her support for sprint cars continues.
As the European aristocracy married other aristocrats, Maggie married sprint car royalty, Kade Higday, a sprint car racer. She is his number one fan and supporter and also supports the Leavitt race team.
Charlie Leavitt
Charles “Charlie” Leavitt, Ryan’s brother would likely follow the family tradition of sprint car racing, but is confined to a wheelchair. If they could find a way to add some racing tires and strap on a wing to his wheelchair, I am confident that he would love to take a spin around the Knoxville track. He supports the racing family in countless ways. On race day, Charlie can be found greeting race fans at the Track Threads trailer or supporting race teams.
A special award was created to recognize race car drivers who improved their position during the A-Main race. It compares the starting position to the finish position. The award is named the Charlie Leavitt Hard Charger Award. It is funded through donations.
Kade Higday
As the son of a sprint car racer, Kade began racing go carts at a young age. Seeking a faster experience, at the age of thirteen he jumped past the micro class and into the 305 (sprint car) class. With minimum age restriction at many racetracks, he and his father sought tracks where they could race together.
Knoxville Raceway required drivers to be at least 16 years old. At the age of fifteen, with two seasons of racing experience, the management at Knoxville Raceway granted Kade an age waiver. He and his father turned their focus on the Knoxville track. After a few Knoxville races in the 2014 season, Kade was tangled up in a collision that caused his car to flip. Having learned from that experience, he returned the next week and continued in the 305 class until the 2016 season.
He advanced to the 360 class in 2016. After steady start to the season, he blew an engine. That caused the car to slam into a racetrack wall and sent Kade to the hospital. After a few weeks to recover and rebuild the car, he returned to the 305 class and was quickly successful.
Kade and his crew won three races in the 305 class during the 2017 season. Although they blew up two engines. The next season they blew up another engine during a practice and spent the season working with other teams. The following season was unproductive due to the pandemic.
In 2021, Kade found himself back behind the wheel. That season was cut short after two crashes and a concussion. Seeking a fresh start in 2022, Kade assembled a new team and rebuilt a wrecked car. Plans to skip the 360 class and race in the 410 class for the 2023 season were dashed when the engine wasn’t ready for the new season. They were successful in the 305 class, winning three races. That season ended with a blown engine. At that point Kade sold his car and set out to focus on building a solid 360-class car.
The 2024 season was respectable with top three and top five finishes. The next season brought crew and partner changes. This was a struggling season as he was starting over, again. The team persevered and won the last race of the season. They are performing well in the 2026 season.
The Checkered Flag
Fortune favors the bold. Ryan founded and operates a graphics business. The team of eight employees spend the preseason wrapping his competitors’ race cars. Throughout the rest of the year, they print thousands of tee shirts for race fans and corporate clients. You may have noticed the Leavitt Graphics on the Tracks website. Click on it to see their products and services.
On race days, the Leavitt Graphics team operates Track Threads. They bring the colorful Leavitt Graphics racewear to the racetrack. Staffed by Ryan’s girlfriend, Lauren and his brother Charlie, Track Threads is a beehive of activity on race day.
Sprint car racing is an important part of the Leavitt family. It is a common interest that bonds them with each other and the sprint car racing community. With a racing legacy behind him, we expect Ryan (with the support of entire Leavitt family) to keep his foot on the gas and kick up the dust at Knoxville Raceway for a long time.
