Leslie ran his first race in 1975 and spent years developing his skills in Midwest regional racing, winning championships at Mount Clemens Speedway, Toledo Speedway, and Delaware Speedway Park. He eventually moved south to compete in the ARCA series, where he won both the championship and Rookie of the Year honors in 1988. He added three more ARCA wins over the following two seasons.
Leslie made his NASCAR Cup Series debut in 1989 at the Coca-Cola 600, starting 29th and finishing 25th in a car owned by legendary driver-turned-owner A.J. Foyt. He ran a second race that year for Foyt at Michigan, finishing twentieth. In 1990, he entered the 600 in his own No. 72 car but suffered engine failure. Later that season he teamed with owner Ron Parker to field the No. 72 Detroit Gasket Chevy, running two more Cup events — both resulting in DNFs.
Leslie made his Busch Series debut in 1991 at the Goody's 300 in the Detroit Gasket Oldsmobile, but was caught up in a first-lap crash. Despite the difficult start, he ran the full season, posting a second-place finish at Indianapolis Raceway Park and finishing fifteenth in championship points. He matched that points position in 1992 while recording ten top-tens.
In 1993, Leslie won his first Busch Series pole at the Champion 300, though he finished 34th due to engine failure. Later that year, at Indianapolis Raceway Park, he scored his only Busch Series victory. He ended the season eleventh in points, a position he replicated the following year while adding eight top-tens to his record. In 1995, Leslie earned a second career pole at Dover, though he was released from the No. 72 for the final two races of the season.
By 1996, Leslie shifted to a limited schedule in his own No. 11 entry, running eight races with a best finish of tenth at Indianapolis Raceway Park. He also attempted to qualify for the Daytona 500 in a Cup car owned by Phil Barkdoll but failed to make the field. In 1997, he signed to drive the No. 63 Lysol Pontiac Grand Prix for Hensley Motorsports, recording five top-tens and finishing seventeenth in points. He returned to that ride in 1998 before being released mid-season, ending his NASCAR career.
Leslie returned to the ARCA series in 1999 in a car owned by Jack Bowsher, winning at Winchester Speedway and Salem Speedway. He moved to a part-time ARCA schedule in 2000, running eight of twenty races and picking up his final career win at Salem. He qualified for five races in 2001, with a best finish of sixth at Pocono. An attempted return at Toledo in 2004 did not result in a starting berth, marking the end of his competitive career.
Tracy Leslie represents a generation of Midwest-bred stock car racers who built their reputations in regional and ARCA competition before stepping up to NASCAR. His 1993 Busch Series win at Indianapolis Raceway Park stands as the high point of his NASCAR career, and his longevity across multiple series — from the early 1970s Midwest ovals through ARCA competition in the early 2000s — reflects a dedication to grassroots American oval racing. Racing against his son Billy in the ARCA series added a family dimension to his later career.