Since then, he has always helped this sport grow. Force was the first drag racer to earn Driver of the Year recognition for all American Motor Racing (1996); being voted No. He built a long line of hot rods that were featured in magazines and on several magazine covers. The conflict grew, eventually culminating in a grueling nine-month trial. With the pandemic, I thought that everything would get shut down, and some of the events that we were booked into did get shut down because of not allowing spectators. Three-time Top Fuel champion received the good news on New Year's Eve. We want to thank the many who have supported us and those from whom we learned on our journey to make motorsports safer.. I was told there are only 30-some drag racers in the Hall, and I could probably think of 30 that would be on my hero list that arent in the hall. So thatll give us just another excuse to go to Florida.. The International Drag Racing Hall of Fame honored its 2018 inductees Thursday in Gainesville, Fla., adding Jeb Allen, Kelly Brown, Gary Densham, Roy Fjastad, Jim Oddy, and Ollie Riley, and Greg . I believe hes one of the oldest if not the oldest to win a bronze trophy, which he did so at the age of 90.. The man who popularized the Bonneville Salt Flats for racing set more speed records than anyone. Ive got it good.". In the beginning, he struggled financially and professionally. He took a chance and applied for the job and got it. Now, we have plenty of characters in the Hall of Fame, but Jose, with his family values and involvement in the industry, is the epitome of great character., NRHA Past President Bill Bradley echoed those sentiments before his passing in 2018, commending Vazquezs excitement about both reining and the NRHA. . In 2013, he created the Outlaw Nitro Funny Car Series, which became a huge success, bringing racers from across Australia and New Zealand together. He built the Corvette SS and Corvette Grand Sport, and influential CERV I and II racing research vehicles. 3. Yeah, in that moment. Leah Pruett selected as Motorsports Hall of Fame of America - NHRA From that day on, he spent the next 46 years calling drag races all over the United States and in Canada, Mexica, Puerto Rico, and England. made some great memories for some people. I met Doug probably 40 years ago, and he was very quiet and private about many areas of his life. . Gosh, its hard enough to find funding to go racing, let alone in the middle of a pandemic. He also bred and raised Tinseltown Lil Step, who went on to produce both Smart Tinseltown and Smart Lil Step. Andrea Lynch (ne Sellmeyer) and James Wadley will be the latest former members of Buffalo sports programs added to the storied Athletic Hall of Fame for their efforts at McAlester. I dont have a lot of words for it yet.". Both remain consultants to IndyCar. Aside from his on-track racing legacy, Meyer will be best known and built the then cutting-edge Texas Motorplex in 1986 in the Dallas-area suburb of Ennis, Texas. Already racing in Old Bridge, the brothers began looking for land in the area, as the town was receptive to a drag strip and had existing ordinances for building and operating race tracks. Robert Bones Balogh, Lee Beard, Don Enriquez. Im very proud but still humbled and flattered by the nomination. So as far back as I can remember, we were always going to the drag races. He personally recreated the famed Jr. Thompson A/Gas, 1940 Studebaker sedan in 1960 for Thompson, and it was correct in every detail. As an owner, Gwynn fielded a very competitive TF car for Mike Dunn for close to a decade. Bob accepted the job and was with NHRA from 1985-2012. Later, Evernhams own team won 23 poles and 13 Cup races. Dottie Smith, president of the Midwest Reining Horse Association, has watched his progress in the show pen. When Sonny found out, he wanted to be a part of the recreation, so a plan was worked out; Sonny would pay for all the materials and parts. Starting with the 1933 National Air Races, he won major contests over several seasons in his Chester Jeep and held the world speed record at 237 mph. If you look back over the years, Charles has owned great horses, supported horse trainers, and has contributed greatly to the industry over the years, Hancock shared. Ed McCulloch delivered an IHRA World Championship in 1988 and a prestigious U.S. Nationals win in 1990 in the Miller Funny Car, and Cruz Pedregon would notch win the NHRA Winston World Championship in Funny Car in 1992, and won the U.S. Nationals three times in four years (1992, 1993 and 1995). So I ended up running that car way more than I ever thought I wouldand had a blast . After the Mazmanian partnership dissolved, he teamed with Gary Dubach and Joe Pisano in 1966-67 and with Tim Woods of Stone, Cook and Woods fame to campaign a 1968 Shelby Mustang the Swindler A car on a national match race tour. From Buddy Anderson to Doug Wright - Check out the career summaries, detailed biographies, stats, photos, and multi-media on each member of the NHRA Division 4 Hall of Fame. The equine industry mourned the loss of Doug Carpenter when he passed shortly before the 2020 NRHA Futurity. 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Throughout the decade of the 80s and 90s, not only did Minors drag racing operations attract top-level driving talent. He moved to the western performance horse world in the early 1990s, representing and selling standout individuals such as 1992 NRHA Futurity Champion Boomernic, 1999 National Reining Cow Horse Association Futurity Champion Smart Zanolena, 2003 NRCHA Futurity Champion Chics Magic Potion, and 2007 Worlds Greatest Horseman Champion Light N Fine. And he has been sidelined for lack of sponsorship, even banned for awhile by the sanctioning body in a dispute about his exhibition dragster. After trying everything possible to borrow the down payment without success, Ted was depressed and ready to give up his dream of owning and operating a drag strip. His pride in his daughter, Mariana, was unrivaled. Enriquezs racing career has been linked with his friend and fellow Hall of Famer Gene Adams in the late 1960s-early 1970s in what was collectively known as Jr. Fuel dragsters. LaHaie, Vance & Hines inducted into Motorsports Hall of Fame of America Former NHRA Top Fuel world champ Dick LaHaie and motorcycle drag racing legends Terry Vance and Byron Hines were. All logos and images are reserved. He has worked for some of the most prestigious race teams in the sport from the 1980s and into the second decade of the 21st Century and won the 1989 NHRA Top Fuel world championship with the late Gary Ormsby and, as team manager, the 1992 NHRA Funny Car world championship with Cruz Pedregon at Larry Minor Motorsports and the 2009 NHRA Top Fuel world championship with Tony Schumacher at Don Schumacher Racing. Minor has been deeply involved with drag racing, off-road racing and sand drag racing in one form or another since the late 1950s. It will be a special night to reflect on reining history and look to the future!. Hancock noted, Jose got into reining later in life, bought a super horse in Smart Like Juice, and its rare you dont see him winning, whether its breeding or showing. Share in the comments section below. He won both contests. Despite all the records and accolades, many consider Forces greatest achievements to be his 2007 comebacks from the tragic death of teammate Eric Medlen in a testing accident and his own serious injuries in a 300 mph crash later the same season at the Texas Motorplex in Dallas. He knew he was hooked. Many were saved from amputation. That was the turning point in his career. Thanks to the dedication of his lawyer, Charles Vaughan, White eventually regained his rights to attend school, and the enactment of the Ryan White act helped lessen discrimination against AIDS victims across the country. Due to his knowledge of the sport, he opened his own business, Rocket Industries, a leader in the performance parts and equipment provider for drag racers in Australia. In 2020 he was named the No. During their tenure in open-wheel racing, the only deaths were from non-survivable injuries. The award is named for Hart, the longtime Reporter-News sports writer who, in one way or another over his career, wrote about many of the honorees. In the 30s, he ran a series of aircraft-engine Mormon Meteors at Bonneville. Force got his first victory at the age of 38 in 1987 at the Grandnational in Montreal with Austin Coil as his crew chief. As the Professional Race Pilots Associations first president, Chester fathered todays Formula 1. On Wednesday, December 1, these honorees, as well as 2020 NRHA Hall of Fame inductees the late Sally Brown and the late Jerry Kimmel, and 2020 NRHA Dale Wilkinson Award recipient Mike Carrier, will be recognized and celebrated during Sliders Night Out presented by Toyon Ranch. To say that he was instrumental in creating a dynasty and bettering the bloodlines of the reining horse is undoubtedly an understatement. NRHA Announces 2021 Hall of Fame Inductees & Dale Wilkinson Lifetime While he never logged world championship as a driver, Hill recorded 28 IHRA national event victories and 31 runner-up finishes and won the IHRA World Championship with Tim Bell driving a Ford Probe in 1995. It is an honor to be among these famous drivers and officials. Voted No. I didnt even know I could be or was in the running for it. As the NHRA record holder in almost every imaginable professional category including championships (16), final rounds (264), race wins (155), round wins (1421) and No. Visalia Pillars of Fame inductees When Visalia's Shirley Shahan, now Shirley Bridges, is mentioned as one . Then Ted and Jim Ruth purchased the IHRA and of course Linda took over again as CFO and returned to her duties managing the tower crew at every event. Growing up in a trailer park, you found the first thing with wheels that could get you out of there. National Events (250) . To improve pitstop speed and efficiency, he employed former athletes as crew members with specialized roles and clockwork choreography. Tickets ($110) and Tables ($1,100) are available for purchase by calling the museum. This could have been due to the fact that in Johns first 10 seasons in drag racing competition, he did not have any wins, only made nine final-round appearances, and was on fire quite a bit. In 1986, the NRHA created its Hall of Fame to recognize these individuals, their achievements, and their contributions to the industry. Later the longtime Salt Lake City mayor set 21 more records in office, including ones for Pontiac just before his death. even banned for awhile by the sanctioning body. But he said, Slap me if I ever complain. At the age of 19, Linda married Ted Jones, who was a drag racer and had a dream of owning his local dragstrip in Kettlersville, Ohio. Doug liked to work behind the scenes. We may earn money from the links on this page. It took some time for the track to find its groove, but it did with the help of the muscle car guys from across New Jersey who came to race. For details on how to become a Hall of Fame table host or major event donor, contact RHF Executive Director Leslie Baker at lbaker@nrha.com or (405) 946-7400, ext. In 2020, the group managed to double the added money for the Adequan North American Affiliate Championships, guarantee $60,000 to the Level 4 Non Pro Futurity Champion, and awarded a historic quarter-million dollars to the 2020 Level 4 Open Futurity Champion. The Summernationlas grew in popularity with the racers and fans due to the cooler springtime weather. However, he said he doesnt have any imminent plans to return to competition when the season opens in mid-March at Gainesville, Fla. If it happens, great. He collected the 1983 Top Alcohol Dragster World Championship, then moved to Top Fuel, where he took 18 victories and never finished lower than fourth in points between 1986 and 1989. While contributing as a Gold level donor to the Reining Horse Foundation, Doug created revenue and recognition for the Foundation through the Celebrity Slide with the Professional Bull Riders and the Make a Wish Foundation in Oklahoma City, recalled friend, NRHA Hall of Fame member, and former NRHA President Frank Costantini. His biggest win to date came in 2009 at the National Reining Breeders Classic, when he rode Wound By Juice to win the Level 4 Championship, worth $37,783. He competed in 112 NHRA National events, and reached the final round 22 times a final round appearance record of 20%, and won 12 of those (a 55% winning percentage).