Founded in 1990 by Big Daddy Don Garlits and his late wife, Pat, and housed at the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing in nearby Ocala, the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame recognizes the most accomplished straight-line racers in the world with inductees from North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. As it was in those days, that is how a two-man team got help, from fans and mechanics walking around in the pits. Thats just part of my life. Its members work to raise money to preserve the donated artifacts, including historical literature, records, photos, film, clothing, equipment, trophies, etc. 3 Women Highlight 9-Member Motorsports Hall of Fame of - Autoweek Tales of Carpenters love for horses abound. Also in 1998, Rolie was inducted, along with the other members of Santana, into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. 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. Carpenter continued to show successfully in the National Snaffle Bit Association, earning more than $70,000 in Lifetime Earnings. The Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing has announced its newest inductees for its 2023 Hall of Fame and boy is it a list! Part of the reason we wanted to make the announcement at the Racing Goes Safer seminar is because several members of the Class of 2023 have played a major role in improving racing safety, said MSHFA president George Levy. Known for his boisterous personality and go-for-broke showmanship, Jose Vazquez began his reining career almost three decades ago. Throughout the decade of the 80s and 90s, not only did Minors drag racing operations attract top-level driving talent. He also bred Ima Best Buddy, winner of the 1999 All American Quarter Horse Congress Open Reining Futurity and Wimpys Show Stopper, earner of more than $60,000. His knowledge also made him an excellent choice to be the emcee for the annual International Drag Racing Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and he graciously volunteered his services to the IDRHoF for 15 years, providing his knowledge, entertainment, and drag racing jokes as only Bob Frey could do. 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. He was born in the late 1950s in Rhode Island, and always loved horses. Many of those artifacts are currently on display at various locations around the state. He served on the NRHA Board of Directors and Executive Committee for several years. Reigning AFT Singles champion Kody Kopp is trying to hit a grand slam this season. Im really excited to see how she cuts through life, Dixon said. He was a truck driver before making the switch to drag racing in 1971, driving the ex-Jack Chrisman rear-engine Mustang Funny Car. Thursdays induction at the Hilton Convention Center completed a Hall of Fame Grand Slam for 73-year-old Force who was inducted into the Intl Motorsports Hall of Fame at Talladega, Ala., in 2008, the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2012, the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame at Fort Worth in 2011, the California Sports Hall of Fame at Alta Loma in 2017 and the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame at Darlington, S.C., in 2019. His enthusiasm and zeal for life, love, and horses has been incredible, and to this day serves as inspiration for me. Eight years later, as a newly selected member of the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, he would say the same thing. In the 1990s, he and inductee Jeff Gordon (MSHFA Class of 2018) combined for 47 NASCAR Cup Series wins and three titles (1995, 1997, 1998). The plan is to honor the 2020 class this March 15-16 in a pandemic-postponed ceremony and to celebrate the 2021 class September 29 at M1 Concourse at Pontiac, Mich. 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. Dottie Smith, president of the Midwest Reining Horse Association, has watched his progress in the show pen. We also will celebrate 20 years of the Reining Horse Foundation. With his good history at the Sacramento Mile, his eyes are set on the May 13th race for another win. NHRA.com - Hall of Fame Raceway Park was considered one of the premier tracks because Vinny and Richard constantly maintained and made upgrades to the facility. So as far back as I can remember, we were always going to the drag races. The track caught the attention of NHRA, which held the Springnationals at Raceway Park in 1968. Linda Jones has truly made a behind the scenes contribution to the sport of drag racing, but more importantly has been at Teds side through it all. Motorsports Hall of Fame of America's Class of 2023 Features NASCAR, NHRA and More. In 154 NASCAR Cup Series starts from 1949-57, the Fort Payne, Ala. native scored 19 wins, 33 poles and 83 Top 10s. Ive got a lot of thingsmy family, that two-seat carthat more than take care of me from a satisfaction standpoint.. The inductees will be honored at the 33rd annual International Drag Racing Hall of Fame Banquet, to be held on Thursday, March 9, at the Hilton University of Florida Conference Center in Gainesville, Fla. NHRA announcer Joe Castello will serve as the emcee. And to date, Dixon has 678 elimination round-wins, 10th among all NHRA drivers ever. He raced his last car, a Gas Modified roadster in Bonneville in 2012. I dont have a lot of words for it yet, because it hasnt quite all sunk in, he said of the news he received Dec. 31. The two-seat program, surprisingly, has brought him new clients in the past few months. Beard has created an enviable record of accomplishments in the drag racing world as a crew chief, engine tuner and team manager. They often could be found racing their hot rods on the front stretch of the Old Bridge Speedway, which was the closest legal place to race at the time. From seventhto secondTO THE LEAD Dale Nottestad is our featured driver on this weeks Fight For The Flag for his rebound performance at the Big 8 Late Model Spring Classic at Rockford Speedway. The one thing that always impressed me about him, though, was that you never heard a conversation about Doug that had a negative note about him.. When I go and run match races with the single-seater and Im sitting in the car and back up from the burnout and am rolling up to stage the car . I dont know what my life would be like without it.. Copyright 1996-2023, NHRA. He has soared in the standings and literally soared as high as the scoreboards at Gainesville, Fla., when his dragster snapped in two in a violent 2015 crash that cracked a couple of vertebrae. 3. Banks made his mark as a driver and longtime United States Auto Club (USAC) official. Whether its in the show pen, through breeding great horses, or supporting his fellow reiners, there is no doubt that Jose Vazquez will continue to be a part of the reining industry for years to come. 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. The 2023 Chevrolet Suburban Is Big and Bold. National Events (250) . . 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. NRHA Hall of Fame couple Barb and Dick Waltenberry, who have documented great and small moments in reining for decades, recalled how in the beginning of his career, Vazquez would buy a video of every one of his runs. 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. The people we have now Robert Hight, Jimmy Prock, David Grubnic, Chris Cunningham, Joe Barlam, my son-in-law Danny Hood, Tim Fabrisi and then my kids. In 2003 he won the Non Pro Level 4 Reserve Championship at the NRHA Futurity, winning $24,664 on Sugar Like Juice, and took third, and $18,457, in 2019 on Xtra Winding Step. Our car experts choose every product we feature. Im a motorsports fan, and certainly to end up down there for this, of course, Dixon, 54, of suburban Indianapolis, said. What made Raceway Park great was the off-season nitro match racing during the 70s, which they would hold throughout the year. So if it happened it would be great, but if it didnt, Im not going to hang myself. NasseAdding Another Wisconsin Race Track With First Madison Start, Consistent Kofoid To The Top Of National Sprint Rankings, Eight Drivers Highlight NHRA Pro Stock All-Star Callout, Weedsport, Lebanon Valley Set Up DIRTcar Memorial Day Weekend, Elliott Looks To Defend Monster Mile Triumph. John Force, Shelly Anderson Payne, Ron Attebury, Sonny Messner, Carol Bunny Burkett, Graeme Cowin, Vinny and Richard Napp, Bob Frey, and Linda Jones will be the newest inductees into the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racings International Drag Racing Hall of Fame. When the Pro Stock class was born in the early 1970s, Hill started his Pro Stock career in a Dodge Dart, using a Petty Enterprises-prepared Chrysler Hemi and carrying the famed Petty Blue and Orange color scheme. 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. John Force, Shelly Anderson Payne, Ron Attebury, Sonny Messner, Carol Bunny Burkett, Graeme Cowin, Vinny and Richard Napp, Bob Frey, and Linda Jones will be the newest inductees into the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racings International Drag Racing Hall of Fame, March 9, 2023. The Class of 2023 includes the Father of the Corvette and Corvette racing Zora Arkus-Duntov (Sports Cars), longtime USAC official and safety pioneer Henry Banks (Historic), Americas most successful enduro racer, Dick Burleson (Motorcycles), air racing superstar Art Chester (Aviation), one of NASCARs most innovative crew chiefs, Ray Evernham (Stock Cars), early NASCAR fan favorite Fonty Flock (Historic), one of the NHRAs 50 Greatest All-Time Drivers, Darrell Gwynn (Drag Racing), prolific land speed record-setter Ab Jenkins (Speed Records) and two men who revolutionized racetrack emergency services, saving countless lives and careers, Drs. I met my wife out there. Prieto was never one to turn a blind eye to what he considered to be a problem (or worse) found himself working in the automotive enthusiast media, while also getting involved with Top Fuel cars. Olvey and Trammell. Enriquez raced with Adams for 33 years, moving on from the injected front-engined dragsters to nitro-fueled injected Funny Cars and later moved into the emerging nostalgia drag racing cars in the 1980s. Minor has been deeply involved with drag racing, off-road racing and sand drag racing in one form or another since the late 1950s.