Born and raised on the Island of Oahu, Leong took to fast cars when hot rod culture made its way to the Hawaiian Islands in the late 50s. He spent a lot of time hanging around a local speed shop which served to throw gasoline onto an already growing flame. "I remember taking my mother’s 1959 Oldsmobile out at night, promising her that I wouldn’t race, but I didn’t keep my promise very often," Leong noted in the Sept/Oct issue of Vintage Motorsport.