Bryan Ortiz

Ortiz was selected for the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program for the second consecutive year. The Bayamon, Puerto Rico native will compete in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East in 2012 after racing in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series last season.

“For me, being selected for the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program is a great opportunity to be able to show again what I am capable of doing on and off the track,” Ortiz stated. “The K&N Pro Series East is a bigger series with televised races. These cars will help me gain experience for the top tier NASCAR series.”

“Last year was really a tough season in the Whelen All-American Series,” Ortiz continued. “But, when I look back, it was very important in my career. Being around NASCAR teams and meeting people involved in this sport was very crucial for my career. Evan though the results didn’t match our real performance, building a strong network was important as well as all the activities off the track for my sponsors and partners.”

The 22-year old Ortiz knows that moving to the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East will present him with new challenges for 2012.

“For sure, this year is going to be a big learning curve for me,” Ortiz continued. “The K&N Pro Series East is the most competitive series out there and prepares up-and-coming drivers for the top series in NASCAR. The cars and some tracks will be new for me, but with the team I have behind me, it’s going to be a great season. Great equipment, crew guys, sponsors and teammates.”

Operating under the Rev Racing ownership of Max Siegel, the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program is coming off the most successful season in the eight year history of the program. Rev Racing earned six wins out of twelve races in the K&N Pro Series East. The team had three drivers finish in the top 10 in series points.

The first race for the 2012 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East will be Saturday, March 17th at Bristol Motor Speedway.

“I have been truly blessed with lots of support from my family and friends from the beginning and through some times that were really tough,” Ortiz concluded. “I also want to thank my team Rev Racing, Max Siegel, Toyota, and Goodyear for their partnership and support. We’re going to have a strong team and an exciting season.”

For additional information on Bryan Ortiz, visit www.bryanortizracing.com and Bryan Ortiz Racing on Facebook or Twitter @BryanORacing.

- Bryan Ortiz Racing Press Release

Cale Yarborough speaks as he is inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame during the 2012 NASCAR Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Charlotte Convention Center on January 20, 2012 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR)

By: Hunter Thomas – Guest Contributor

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – After a long, rough career, Timmonsville’s Cale Yarborough was finally inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Friday, January 20.

From farming in nearby Sardis, S.C. in the hot summers, to racing underneath the Friday night lights at Florence Motor Speedway, Cale Yarborough was able to capture three championships, 83 victories and 69 poles in NASCAR’s premier series, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. During his 31 year career, no moment was more memorable than at 9:05 p.m. on Friday night when he was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

“I’m going to remember that this was one of the best days of my life,” Cale Yarborough said. “This is what I have — I didn’t know I was working for it, but I’ve worked for all of my life, and it just happened tonight. I’m just so proud to be a part of it and been so blessed to climb that long ladder from the bottom step, now I’m standing on that top step. Can’t go any higher, but can’t nobody push me off, either.”

The night started off with a red carpet ceremony on the NASCAR Hall of Fame Glory Road. Photographers and journalist lined the way snapping a few pictures and possibly getting a quote or two before the jacket presentation dinner. Once in the Crown Ballroom, the electric atmosphere started to engulf the inductees along with their families. Multi-colored lights were flashing everywhere and the epic music set the tone and got everyone’s adrenaline flowing.

Former broadcaster Ken Squier kicked off Yarborough’s induction by giving a little background information about his early days in the Pee Dee area, eventually leading up to his NASCAR career. When the time came for Yarborough to hit the stage, the nearly packed room stood up and erupted in a deafening outburst of cheers and claps.

When Yarborough was on the stage, he couldn’t help but grin, and it was easy to see the sparkle in his eye as the entire NASCAR community took a little over 10 minutes to honor the South Carolinian. Yarborough kicked off the speech with a joke about his wife Betty Jo buying an expensive dress for the occasion, but what really made everyone laugh was his true story about a few cans of black eyed peas. Yes, black eyed peas!

Cale Yarborough reacts to getting his NASCAR Hall of Fame jacket. - Photo Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR

The story brought on a few laughs, but it’s a strong reminder on how far Yarborough has actually come in his career, and he certainly hasn’t forgotten that. After the black eyed peas story, Yarborough continued to thank everyone who helped him get to the NASCAR Hall of Fame. As soon as the ceremony was over, Yarborough went to the media room. While talking with the media, he was asked to reminisce on the night and put it all into perspective.

“Well, I sure hoped I was going to get to this point because working in the back of the fields in that hot sun would make you want to do something else, I’ll tell you that,” NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Yarborough said. “I always dreamed of doing what – ending up where I have ended up tonight. Very blessed.”

Yarborough’s weekend ended on Sunday with the induction of his historic No. 28 Hardees sponsored race car along with the Granite Market Photo Opp, and the Presentation of Lifetime Membership.

Yarborough wasn’t the only Sandhills icon getting attention form the media and fans. On Saturday, an estimated 75 to 80 fans camped out along the busy streets of Charlotte in the pouring rain to get an autograph of their favorite driver at the Charlotte Convention Center for the conclusion of the NASCAR Acceleration weekend. Darlington Raceway had a very vibrant display as they sold tickets for Mother’s Day weekend, and Rockingham Speedway set up shop to promote the return of NASCAR on April 15 for the Good Sam Roadside Assistance Carolina 200.

Race cars are lined up for fans to see during the NASCAR Preview Presented by Sprint on Jan. 21, 2012, in Charlotte, N.C. - Photo Credit: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images for NASCAR

Thousands Enjoy Return Of Offseason Fan Event In Charlotte

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 21, 2012) – For one day at least, Sam Alverson of Jacksonville, Fla., could lay claim to being NASCAR’s No. 1 fan. It wasn’t just because of his devotion to the sport; it’s because he was first in line.

After a marathon 26-hour campout session, Alverson was the first of thousands of fans through the doors Saturday for the inaugural NASCAR Preview 2012 Presented by Sprint at the NASCAR Hall of Fame and Charlotte Convention Center. The fan-friendly event, part of NASCAR’s Acceleration Weekend, followed an overflow crowd for Friday evening’s NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony of Richie Evans, Dale Inman, Darrell Waltrip, Glen Wood and Cale Yarborough.

Many fans were in line the day before the event, forming a human chain that went halfway around the convention center and weathered cool, drizzly conditions. For Alverson, the reward of a 5 1/2-hour drive and extensive wait in the elements was a chance to greet his favorite driver, four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jeff Gordon.

When Gordon jokingly questioned his motives for spending more than a day in line to meet him, Alverson shot back, “It’s because you are the champ!”

“We have the most amazing fans,” Gordon said. “It blows you away any time you hear something like that. … All the fans that came out, some of them traveled long distances, get up early in the morning or stayed up late at night on the sidewalk. That’s pretty amazing, and that’s what makes events like this so successful.”

Gordon also entertained fans during a question and answer session with Richard Petty, unveiling a new paint scheme commemorating 20 years in the sport with longtime sponsor DuPont. More than 60 drivers were on hand to sign autographs and greet fans, with several participating in fan Q&As. Additionally, NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees new and old led fans on personal guided tours of the Hall’s exhibits.

“We’re thrilled with the turnout and the passion our fans continue to express,” said Steve Sweeney, NASCAR’s director of consumer marketing. “The NASCAR Preview 2012 Presented By Sprint offered a perfect lead-in for the Daytona 500 on Feb. 26 [on FOX, MRN Radio], and will only grow in the upcoming years.”

Winston Kelley, executive director of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, said the NASCAR Preview event was a direct result of listening to fans – including Alverson – clamoring for more of the sport during the offseason and a revival of the preview held in Winston-Salem, N.C., years ago.

NASCAR President Mike Helton, left, welcomes fans to the NASCAR Preview Presented by Sprint on Jan. 21, 2012, in Charlotte, N.C - Photo Credit: NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Dale Inman receives his jacket during the 2012 NASCAR Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Charlotte Convention Center on January 20, 2012 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images for NASCAR)

“It’s met or exceeded all the expectations we had, and we think this is the foundation we can just grow on,” Kelley said. “This is just the start to us, and I think we can make it even bigger and better.”

Two pieces of news came out of today’s event, as Sprint unveiled its Miss Sprint Cup lineup for 2012, and American Ethanol announced sponsorship for two highly visible race teams.

Kristen Beat, a former on-air talent for Fuel TV, joins returning Miss Sprint Cup members Kim Coon and Jaclyn Roney for the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.

Additionally, American Ethanol announced that it will continue relationships with Richard Childress Racing and RAB racing for the 2012 season. Austin Dillon, the 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion, will drive the No. 3 American Ethanol Chevrolet for six races in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, as well as one race in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2012. Dillon’s No. 3 American Ethanol Chevrolet paint scheme was unveiled at the event. American Ethanol will also partner with Kenny Wallace and RAB Racing for the Daytona 500 on FOX, as well as five races in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

NASCAR Acceleration Weekend culminates Sunday morning with more events at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. This year’s class of inductees will see their exhibits and spires in the Hall of Fame for the first time and will unveil their engraved granite markers in the Walk of Fame Garden outside the Hall’s doors.

Source: NASCAR, Press Release

NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Dale Inman receives his jacket during the 2012 NASCAR Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Charlotte Convention Center on January 20, 2012 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images for NASCAR)

2012 NASCAR HALL OF FAME INDUCTION CEREMONY:

DALE INMAN

            MIKE JOY:  En route to helping build a sport, tonight’s first inductee also built a legacy here at the University of Level Cross.  He turned pit road into his personal playground, guiding Richard Petty to glory.  Tonight, Dale Inman and Richard are together again as members of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

RICHARD PETTY:  Well, they just took my speech away from me there on that camera deal.  I guess I’ll just start out with telling you, we started out 75 years ago, Dale did, I’m not quite that old, and again, it shows we’re born in the country with dirt roads, the whole deal, we grew up, didn’t know what a race car was, used to race our bicycles down to the creek, go swimming, stuff like that.  It was just plain old situation where we was country and didn’t know any better.

And then my dad started racing.  That kind of took us out all over the country.  I don’t guess me and Dale, either one, had been out of Randolph County until we went to race somewhere in Wilkesboro somewhere.  Anyhow, we just grew up together, grew up around it.  Neither one of us was that mechanically inclined.  We just sort of learned as we went.  My dad taught us a lot, and we learned a lot on our own.

And way back when, there wasn’t no such thing as a crew chief.  You know, they had mechanics, crew mechanics, whatever they wanted to call them, and Dale was basically the first one.  He’s the one that basically started the crew chief operation, because we used to – I guess in 1958 or something, my brother and Dale drove a ’57 Oldsmobile to California, run the race and drove it back home.  That was pit crew, that was the whole deal.  And that’s the way it started.

So we learned as we went, and over a period of time we got lucky, we got a truck, we got a trailer, went big-time, hired two or three people to go to work for us.  Dale come back out of the service and went to work for us full-time, and when we did – I guess that was like ’62, ’63, somewhere, where he went full-time.  He worked for us all that time just on weekends, went to the races, went all over the country, Daytona, whatever.  And he was involved in a lot of different things.

And over a period of time we got more people to work on the car.  Where Dale was so good, he was good with people.  Somebody just drive up in the driveway and want a job, we had a place to put them in, Dale put them in there, worked them, and he was able to take a talent and know how far he could go with that talent, know how far this guy could really come along in the company, what he could do, whether he could change tires or work on the engine or rear end or whatever.

And I guess over a period of time, I always look back, Linda and myself think every once in a while about the people that graduated out of the Dale Inman School at Petty Enterprises.  I’ll read you off a few of them here, Mike Beam, Barry Dodson, Jake Elder, Tony Glover, Steve Mills, Robby Loomis, Robin Pemberton.  These guys won championships, they won races, because they learned from Dale how things needed to be done.  He was one of the first ones to come in and take a car in and completely disassemble it from one race to another instead of waiting until something broke or just checking wheel bearings and stuff like that, completely disassembled engines, the cars.

And in doing that, that made those cars almost bulletproof.  That’s the reason we won a lot of races.  But the deal is people didn’t really understand the strategy of what Dale sort of figured.  He knew what he was trying to do, he watched over people, he knew whether they was going to change tires, get gas, whatever.

Just showed like the Daytona in ’81.  Everybody would make a pit stop.  They did their strategy.  Then he comes back and does something different.  Luckily we didn’t run out of gas, and we did win the race.

But it was a gamble to a certain extent, but he knew we wasn’t going to win the race if we didn’t do something like that.  You see more and more of that stuff coming along.

But of the 180 some, 90 some races that we won together, there’s probably dozens of them in there that I don’t think about or he don’t think about, made the right call at the right time to make the thing all work.  And in doing that, it made it good for me, it made it good for him, it made it good for the racing, and from the standpoint of the things that he’s accomplished, from, okay, I guess 1964 to 1984, he won eight championships, and that’s pretty good in 20 years.

And like I say, almost 200 wins, seven Daytonas, 27 races one year, ten in a row.  I mean, it takes a pretty good crew just to have a car running ten races and not thrown out of the race to begin with.  But the big deal that Dale had that really made the whole thing work was people.  He knew how to work with people.  If he was going to get on to you, he’d take you off to the side and tell you about it.  He didn’t let you know it, get in front of somebody and really make you feel bad.  He knew how to work people.

And the deal with working people was what it was all about.  We started out, we had five or six people, then we had ten people, then we had 15 or 20 people.  And as time went on, he was able just to bring more and more people in, do different things and make the whole deal.

And I always looked at the way that Dale approached things, with attitude, confidence and focus.  That’s what he did with his people, and that’s the reason he was able to be a winner like what he is.

I’m supposed to say this:  It is now my honor on this 20th day of January, 2012, to present the Hall of Fame inductee ring and special induct Dale Inman into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

(Applause.)

DALE INMAN:  I’m kind of familiar with this ring.  For the last two or three years Richard has put it in my face a bunch of times.  (Laughter.)

I want to introduce my family, Mary, my wife of some 52 years; my daughter Tina; her husband Chris; my granddaughter Taylor; Logan; my son Jeffrey; his wife Melissa; and my grand daughters Peyton and Addison.  I’m so proud of all of you.

Linda is here tonight, Linda Petty.  I’m so glad you’re here.  You’ve meant so much to me and Mary over the years, it’s just – there’s no words for it.  I’m so glad you’re here.

And of course Terry Labonte and his wife Kim.  Terry, the ’84 season was very special.  And Terry, we’re going to have to worry about the Cowboys and the Indians this weekend, will we?  They’re gone.

Richard hit on me and Maurice driving the race car to Riverside, California, in 1958.  He didn’t clear that up very good.  Him and Maurice was supposed to drive it, and he was out in the yard showing off and trying to walk on his hands and hurt his shoulder, so I was his substitute driver, and I won’t go into that much, but you didn’t race but you drove the race car to Riverside, California, run a 500-mile road course, then got home and rode down in Wilcox, Arizona, had to order a housing from another town, and it come in on the bus.  I didn’t think this country boy would ever get home.

And then in today’s world, we talk about track conditions.  We might have a ten-degree change in temperature.  We might have a cloud cover.  But I happen to be lucky enough to be with the Pettys on the beach in 1958, the last race on the beach.  Four miles out – how many miles down the beach?  A long way.  And then you go through a sand bank, up the beach when the tide is out, and Junior has run there, but you’re talking about track conditions, now, that was some track conditions.

And then we still get back to 1958, and back then the drivers had to be 21 years old before they could drive, and that would affect a lot of it today.  But Richard turned 21 July the 2nd, 1958, and ten days later, me and him and the Red Miler took a convertible to Columbia, South Carolina, eight miles of dirt, slick track.  We get down there and Richard had never driven.  We didn’t know whether he could last or not.  Joe Willy was down there without a car, so we talked to Joe and said if Richard needs help, will you help him.  He said, well, sure.

And of course this was before radios, so we had to communicate with black boards, and the signal for a driver was go to your head.  Of course the drivers today with radios uses some gestures, but they’re pretty expensive.  But Richard went to his head two or three times, and I’d go get Joe and Joe would come and put his helmet on, his little golfing gloves.  Going home, I said, Richard what was you doing, he was wanting relief and you wouldn’t come in.  He said, oh, my head was itching.

So it’s come a long way.  And of course you probably haven’t raced until the mid ’60s when we’d leave home with a race car in a period of about ten days.  We’d run five or six races where we’d come home, and that was – I guess it was fun.  I don’t know.

And then, of course, Mr. Helton hit on it last night.  He said they used to run the Daytona race, the July race on the 4th of July no matter what day it turned out on, so in ’69 it turned out to be on a Friday.  And this was great.  The only problem was we had run Dover on Sunday and had never seen the place.  Nobody had ever seen it.  And of course we won that one.  (Laughter.)

Of course I’d like to say a special thanks to all branches to the military, the men and women that keep us free.  It is so great for the military.

And of course I’m proud that I served my time, you know what I mean.  And it’s just – when I look back over all this, the wins, the Daytona wins, the championships and all that, I think over the years the people I’ve met, the places I’ve seen, the friends I’ve made, both in and out of racing, that sticks out big.  Now, maybe years ago it wouldn’t have, but I know some of us older people respect that.

I’d like to thank the entire staff here at the Hall of Fame and NASCAR, what a wonderful job they’ve done for us, and they’ve been so nice to me and my family.  And congratulations to the other four inductees and their family.  I know they’re very proud.  And of course you know we’re coming up on the 2012 season.  Imagine that.

And I want to wish all the luck in the world to all the active crew chiefs now, and especially to the 9 and the 43; get after ‘em, boys.

I just want to thank everybody.  It’s been such a big night tonight, really a thrill for me, and thank you so much.  Thank everybody.

NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Darrell Waltrip receives his jacket during the 2012 NASCAR Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Charlotte Convention Center on January 20, 2012 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images for NASCAR)

NASCAR HALL OF FAME INDUCTION CEREMONY

DARRELL WALTRIP

MIKE JOY:  Some of racing’s greatest successes have come from the admiration and disdain of its most polarizing figures, you know, the drivers that half the crowd wanted to see win every week and the other half wanted to see anybody but, and bridging the eras between Lee Petty and Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip won three championships, entertaining us all the while.

And from the moment when he first burst on the scene with an ex-Mario Andretti Ford to this October when his ride around the treacherous circuit at Bathurst Australia in a V-8 supercar was seen and enjoyed on YouTube around the world, he entertains us still as the lead analyst for FOX Sports and Speed.

Cale famously nicknamed him Jaws.  Boy, is that not the best racing nickname ever, and it was the most appropriate.  But tonight, we will call Darrell Waltrip a NASCAR Hall of Famer.

JEFF HAMMOND:  Brother, I’ve got your back, even when your back is against the wall.  Before we start, I want to congratulate the Evans family, Dale Inman, Mr. Wood, and of course my old buddy Cale.  Congratulations.

What each has brought to the sport of NASCAR is immeasurable, and tonight it’s only fitting that you take your rightful place in this Hall of Fame.  They really should probably call it the Hall of Heroes because all my heroes are here.  But now it’s time to honor the fifth and final member of the class of 2012.  So let me set the stage for a few newer fans here in NASCAR.

I worked for that man, Junior Johnson.  I worked with that man, Cale Yarborough.  I worked with and eventually for that man, Darrell Waltrip.  When Cale decided at the end of 1980 season to cut back to a partial schedule, why in the world did it have to be Darrell Waltrip that walked through the door of the shop?  Darrell knows this, OK:  I didn’t like him, and I didn’t want him to be our driver.  Part of it was because he was beating us on the track more frequently, but the other part was, and you’ve heard this before, he would never shut up.  He was always running his mouth.

Our sport has never seen the likes of Darrell Waltrip before, both on the track or off the track.  I mean, things got off to a rocky start in 1981, with our new driver and our new sponsor Mountain Dew.  When Darrell first came in, the first thing he wanted to do was tell us what was wrong with our race cars.  Can you believe that?  Those race cars had won three straight championships, but here he was wanting to tell us what he wanted changed.

Well, needless to say, things didn’t go over very well.  The crew didn’t like him.  He didn’t like the crew.  And it stayed that way until Junior got fed up with it, and he gave all of us, Darrell included, a lesson in economics.  Well, actually it was pretty simple math:  The bickering was to stop immediately.  Everyone would either find a way to work together or, Darrell included, everyone would find their way to the unemployment line together.

Now, folks, I don’t know about you, but that’s an attention getter, Junior Johnson style.  Well, guess what?  We started running better.  We were, shall we say, motivated.  Together we won 12 races and the championship in 1981.  In 1982 it was virtually a whole new team with me as the crew chief.  We won 12 more races and our second championship.  We won again in 1985, making up a huge point deficit and overtaking Bill Elliott.

There is a reason why Darrell was named NASCAR driver of the decade for the ’80s, and the record books don’t lie.  Think about it:  From 1977 to 1987, Darrell never finished lower than fifth in the points.  Now, as much as Darrell would absolutely love – I mean, he would love for me to talk about all the incredible statistics that he has accomplished, but there’s not simply enough time to do it.  Sorry, Darrell.  I know that really hurts.

Darrell was the bridge from old school NASCAR to the modern era of our sport.  The media loved him, very simply because, as he likes to say, there wasn’t a controversy that he couldn’t add to.  And this is part that, I can’t believe I wrote this in here, I have to admit, he was good looking, and you never met a camera or a microphone that he didn’t like.  But his rapid fire wit off the track was only exceeded by his God-given talent on the track.  You’re a pretty incredible guy.  You really are.

And he truly was NASCAR’s version of Muhammad Ali.  I think Brian France would readily admit that Darrell, with his passion and love for our sport, helped to take NASCAR to another level when it was needed.  So buddy, here we are together after all these years.  You know, for the last 11 years, we’ve been on a new team, our NASCAR on FOX team, led by our boss David Hill.  Mr. Hill, a lot like Junior Johnson, accepts nothing but the best from all of us, including Mike Joy, all of us, each and every race weekend.

One of the coolest things that happened to me was in March of 2007 when Darrell’s business manager, Van Colley, called me on his cell phone, and he said, hey, buddy, I’ve got some great news, DW and you have been nominated for an Emmy for your work on FOX.  I said, oh, man, how wonderful is this.  So here we were once again all these years later both in our second careers sharing some more success together.

I’d venture to say our sport will never see the likes of Darrell Waltrip ever again.  He truly is one to a box.  Right now it is my honor on the 20th day of January, 2012, to present you with your inductee ring to officially induct Darrell Waltrip into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

DARRELL WALTRIP:  I’ve got to straighten something out before we can get to any of this other stuff.  It wasn’t that I talked that much.  Those other guys didn’t talk at all.  So it just looked like I was talking a lot.  I had to fill in the blanks.  If there is something that needed to be explained, DW had to explain it.  So it looked like that I talked a lot, but I honestly didn’t.  I just want you to know that, for you new fans that have listened to all this stuff tonight.

But Jeff, thank you so much.  Hammond and I, we’ve had a great driver-crew chief relationship, and that’s the success in this sport, just like Dale and Richard, Hammond and I, we went through a lot of ups and downs.  We won the Daytona 500 together, with Stevie helping us a little bit along the way.  We retired from racing together.  We started our FOX journey together.  Here he is tonight, and he just whispered in my ear, “Don’t kiss me like you did Brian France.”  And I can’t get Mike Joy to come out here because he’s afraid I’m going to grab him and start yelling, is this the Hall of Fame.

I left a strong impression on both of them.  This is a red letter night.  You have to admit.  Bobby Allison said I deserved to be in the Hall of Fame.  Does anybody in here know how big that is?  That’s big.  And he swore to me that they weren’t holding a gun to him or anything, he did it right out of the goodness of his heart.  So thank you, Bobby.

Richie Evans, I want to congratulate the Richie Evans family, great job tonight.  I watched Richie win race after race after race at Martinsville, and in my world, it’s what I call a wheel man, and Richie Evans was the best wheel man I ever saw, and when he raced at Martinsville – guys, old guys particularly, is there not a race car – is there not a first race car that we ever painted that we didn’t have to go get the paint from somewhere, or mix up a whole bunch of spare cans of paint, mix them all together and see what the heck we’re going to get?  I know somewhere in Rome, New York, I saw these guys, there’s a men’s shop missing a whole bunch of orange ties.  Just like that street department is missing a whole bunch of orange paint.

Dale Inman, I tell Dale this all the time, and I’m serious, if I got into a little run-in with Richard, all Richard ever really did, he just poked me in the chest with – it looked like ET’s finger, so I knew he’d go away.  But Dale on the other hand, if I had a problem and Dale remembered I had a little problem with Richard one race at Richmond, I wasn’t looking for Richard to apologize, I was looking for Dale to apologize because Dale Inman would hurt you.

Mr. Wood, Leonard and Glen and David Pearson, my great hero friend David Pearson, when I came into this sport, not a lot of people warmed up to my style.  I couldn’t understand why; charming, nice, friendly, very conversational, but a lot of guys didn’t seem to warm up to that.  But David Pearson did, and if I had a problem, if I needed help, I could go to Leonard Wood and David Pearson.  If I had a problem with my car, Leonard was there.  If I had something I needed to know about driving, David was there, and I always appreciated that very much.

This is hard for you to believe, I know, but when Cale said he was going to cut back on his schedule in 1980, he came to me and told me before he told anyone else.  He knew that Junior liked my style – thank you, Junior.  He liked my style until he hired me, and then he thought maybe I needed to work on it a little bit.  Cale has been one of my best friends through the years.  He gave me a great tip to go drive for Junior, and how many of you guys in here have had another driver give you a nickname as great as Jaws?  I mean, that’s a buddy right there.

You know, this night, these men and the people in this room, they’re what inspire me.  They are what inspired me to be a race car driver.  They are what inspired me to – Cale said he climbed a ladder.  I feel like I climbed a lot of mountains, and the climbing was rough.  But these men in this room inspired me to be successful and to be good, and they gave me great examples of how to do that for every one of them from all the inductees from the prior hall classes, Richard, Bobby, David, thank you very much for being patient with me and helping me when I needed it.

You know, before the night started and I was talking to Stevie, and I said, boy, honey, I just hope I don’t get emotional and break down somewhere along the way and tear up, and she said, “DW, when you talk about something you’re passionate about, you’re going to get a little emotional.”  Well, I’m passionate about a lot of things.  I’m passionate about what I’ve done.  I’m passionate about my career, but I’m most passionate about my family.

My mom, sitting right up here on the front row in her wheelchair, Momma, thank you for being here tonight.  What an effort it took for her to be here.  I called mom and I said, “Mom, are you going to be okay?  It’s a long evening.  Do you think you can hang in there?”  She said, “Son, I’ve been with you all the way.  I’m not going to miss this for anything in the world.”  So Mom, thank you for being here.

I can tell you a quick story about mom.  When I started racing, we started racing go-karts.  We had a little storage room that we worked on the go-kart in.  It wasn’t even a garage.  So in order to build the engines for the go-kart, we needed a place to work on them.  So it always ended up being in the kitchen, in mom’s kitchen.  Daddy would wash the parts in the sink.  I know now why that fried chicken always tasted like gasoline, by the way.  We’d wash the parts in the sink and then we’d take the parts over to the kitchen table.  You ever see one of those yellow formica kitchen tables back in the 60s?  We chipped it one time, and that just about ended my go-kart career, messing up mom’s kitchen table.

But you know, she let me follow my passion, and she was there for me, her and dad, and they did a lot.  They went to every race.  But the other part of my family is my brothers and sisters.  Five kids, dad drove a Pepsi truck, mom worked at the IGA and we didn’t have a lot of extra cash.  So it took a lot to keep me in business.  It took a lot for me to be able to race my go-kart and pursue my dream, and my brothers and sister, Caroline who’s worked for me for 30 years, Bob Wall who helped me start the race team in 91, my sweet sister Connie.  And by the way, Michael and I, we’re the only two brothers that have ever won the Daytona 500, so I appreciated him for that.

And then it’s been the most important people in my life are right here on the front row.  This has been a big week for DW.  Not just tonight.  I mean, this is huge for my career, but in my family life, we found out that Fausto and Jessica, my oldest daughter and her husband, are expecting their first child.  So I’ll be a grandfather.  And if you ever want to see DW speechless, my Sarah, who was on a mission trip in the Philippines, as early as Wednesday, we talked to her earlier in the week, Dad, I wish I could be there, I know it’s a big night, I’m sorry I can’t make it.  When I checked into the hotel room last night and I opened the door, my Sarah was there.  She flew 25 hours to be here tonight, and she’s got to turn around Sunday and fly 25 hours back to the Philippines.  That’s sweet.  That means a lot to an old dad, trust me.

And then there’s the redhead.  If there was a Hall of Fame for drivers’ wives, Stevie would be in the first class.  We’ve been married 42 years, and like a lot of drivers and people in racing, it was tough back in the day.  I mean, it was just one week to the next.  What you won one week, you paid enough bills so you could make it to the next week.  I’ll drop this in right here, Cale:  You said about starting your own team.  Well, I started my own team, as you well know, but I was eating those black eyed peas before I was in the business very long, like you said.

But the funny thing about Stevie is when she came to the sport in 1972, I know you’re going to find this hard to believe, but there could be no women in the pits.  You could have no women in the pits, in the garage.  There just was kind of a – it was men only.

I didn’t like that, Stevie didn’t like that.  So I talked to I think the competition director was Bill Gaswin.  I said, what do I got to do.  He said, you can have car owners and crew members, and that’s it.  The next week, Stevie was the car owner and she was a crew member.

Now, to say it went smooth would be an understatement.  My very first race in the Daytona 500, we had only run short tracks all over the country, a lot of short tracks.  Hundred lappers were about as long a race as we’d ever run.  We get in the Daytona 500 and it’s not going very well.  I’m getting slower and slower, and Jake Elder was there, and Jake said what’s wrong with him, and Stevie said, “I think he’s hungry,” and Jake said, “He’s hungry?”  She said, “Yeah, he’s never driven a race this long, I’m pretty sure he’s hungry.”

So Jake kind of blew that off and went about his business, and Stevie figured she’d better run to the truck and make me a sandwich.  So she ran to the truck, got some ham and cheese, made a sandwich, ran back out to the pit, and when I came in the pit to make my green flag pit stop, guess who came over the wall.  Stevie Waltrip handed me a ham and cheese sandwich.

Now, can anybody in here top that?  Handed me a ham and cheese sandwich.  Jake and them are changing tires and I take this sandwich, and I look at her, and about that time the jack dropped and I knew I had to go, so I just threw the thing out the window, and as I drove away they said Stevie was standing there shaking her head going, I thought he liked ham and cheese.

But this is the best one yet:  So Jake Elder, who was old school like Herb and like Leonard and some of them, he kept saying, we’re never going to win a race as long as that woman is in the pit.  I said, really?  You can’t have a woman in the pit.

I said, all right, let me put it to you this way, Jake:  We get 4.2 miles to the gallon of gas.  This is a two-and-a-half-mile track, and it’s a 500-mile race.  How many miles can we go on a tank of fuel?  Go get that woman.

You know, Stevie says this all the time, not so much anymore, but she likes to say she’s been married to two men with the same name.  For you folks who are maybe new to the sport, I hope you feel the same way.  I have had two lives, and I’ve had two careers.  When I came onto the scene, I was not a nice guy.  I was an antagonist.  It just seemed to work for me.  Nobody else seemed to – I always thought that a lot of people say they take the path of least resistance.  I took the path I couldn’t resist.  You know why?  There ain’t nobody on it.  So a lot of times I was off on my own.

But through a lot of hard work, and Richard Petty, you may never remember this, but he put his arm around me one day and he wasn’t even mad at me, and he said, “Boy, keep going like you are, you’re going to have a hard time finding a sponsor.”  Does any of this sound familiar?  Antagonist, hard time to find a sponsor, a little trouble on the track?  If it doesn’t, it should.  And I took that to heart, because Richard Petty, he gave you good advice.  When he told you something, you take it to the bank.

So I worked hard on changing my image, and by golly, in 1989 and 1990 I was able to win the most popular driver of this sport, and that’s one of the biggest awards in my whole career.

A lot of people have been with me on this amazing journey.  Junior, I could have never – I wouldn’t be standing here tonight.  I was just some big-mouthed driver from Tennessee that Junior calmed me down and taught me how to win a lot of races and how to win championships.  He gave me some good advice, too, when I started my own team.  Somebody asked him about it, and he said, yeah, well, he’s finally got an owner as smart as the driver.

But one of his favorite things to do to me, he inspired me a lot, he called me Cale a lot.  When I first started driving for him, he’d come on the radio and he’d say, “Pit next time by, Cale.”  I’d say, “Dadgummit, Junior, my name ain’t Cale.”  “10-4, Cale.”  I loved driving for Junior Johnson.  He taught me a lot.  It was fun to work for him, and of course went on and did other things.  But it’s kind of interesting that I drove – I rode on that Pepsi-Cola truck with my dad selling Pepsis and Mountain Dew, and by golly we had Mountain Dew and Pepsi for a sponsor.  I always just thought that was such a cool deal, from a little boy on a Pepsi truck to them sponsoring my race car.

And I had Rick Hendrick, and Rick told me, DW, if we get the right people we’ll build the right cars, and Richard Petty was a big people person and he gave me some good advice.  He said, always remember this:  You can be multi-rich but you can’t be multi-broke.  Think about that.

He’s not here so I can tell you this.  I tell David Hill all the time, and if you don’t know David Hill, I wish we could have a meet and greet tonight and you could meet him.  This man is a genius, not because he hired me, that was just a stroke of luck, I think.  But he gave me a chance for a second career, and it’s something I’m equally as passionate about.  Working on television keeps me in the sport, and it lets me share my passion with all the great fans that we get to tune in every week on NASCAR on FOX.

I’ve got the greatest team.  I tell the guys all the time on the NASCAR on FOX team, and most of them are here tonight, and thank all of you for coming, this is the best race team I’ve ever been on.  They do the best job week in and week out, and they like me, and I think it’s contagious.  Larry, who is a passionate crew chief, Jeff, who is a passionate crew chief, I’m a passionate driver, and I think that enthusiasm and the love for this sport is contagious, and it shows every week when we go on television, so thank all my NASCAR on FOX buddies for the great job that y’all do.

I’ve got a little mafia back here, a little posse, the Nashville posse, John and Ed and Melvin and Gordon, these are people that have been my friends.  They flew over for this tonight.  Thank y’all for coming.

I’ve got to mention Floss because Floss took good care of Stevie and I and gave us a place to lay our head down a lot of nights when we didn’t have somewhere to go, so thank you, Floss.

Joe Carver, my good buddy from Nashville taught me a lot about how to do interviews and how to work with media, and thank you, Joe.

Bill France, Jr., one of my biggest honors ever was the night I got the Bill France Award of Excellence, and Bill in 2000 when he was so sick came all the way to New York sitting in his wheelchair right there to see me accept that award.  That was a huge, huge deal for me.  We started our careers together in 1972.  It was kind of known as the modern era.

They always told me, if you’re going to dream, dream as big as you possibly can because you know what, it might just come true.  And tonight, I’m living proof of that.

I do want to point out one thing real quick.  Stevie’s sister and her family are all over here, Carol and the kids.  They went to the races with us all the time.  I’m glad they’re here tonight.

I wanted to mention my grandmother who took me to races when I was a little boy, seven years old.  I got bit by the bug.  G.C. Spencer was her hero, he became my hero, and I told granny one Sunday when we were standing in victory circle with G.C. Spencer, I said, “Granny, someday I’m going to do that,” and she said, “Boy, that’s impossible.”  I took that word and I broke it down, I’m possible, I’m possible, and I took that with me everywhere I ever went.

The picture that’s up there is the 1975 race, my first win, and guess who was in victory circle with me, my granny.  My grandmother was there, Jake has got his arm around her.  Robert G. is over here, he’s on the right, that’s Dale, Jr.’s grandfather, Stevie up there, and that’s my grandmother and grandfather, my mom and dad are back there, and that was on Mother’s Day weekend in 1975, and by golly, that’s where the dream started, and here’s where it ends tonight.

’85 was a great year, ’82, man, we dominated everything in ’82 as Jeff said.  ’85, we didn’t dominate but we were able to turn the heat up on Bill a little bit and we were able to win the 1985 championship.  That year we made up 206 points after the Southern 500 to win that ’85 championship.

When Junior Johnson, when he turned up the wick, like Hammond said, when he said get it done, we all went to work and got it done, and that was the motivation that I had, one thing when I drove for Junior, I never wanted to disappoint him.  I always wanted to do the best I could.  In 1987 I went with Rick Hendrick in the tide ride and everybody said, finally a sponsor that will clean up his act, and by golly, they were right.  And on my 17th try driving car No. 17 and the purse was $1.7 million and I got 17 letters in my name and my 17 handicap is 17, so on and so on, and in my 17th try I won the Great American Race, the Daytona 500.

I started my own team, and not too sure that was a good idea, but kind of hard-headed, had to try it.  Rick Hendrick always told me if I would have stayed with him – like Cale said if he would have stayed with Junior, if I would have stayed with Rick Hendrick he said I would have won 100 races and ten championships.  Based on he’s doing and how I did, I’m inclined to agree with him.  I think he’s probably right.

It all comes down to this, folks:  I’ve had a marvelous career.  My faith is important to me.  One of my biggest accomplishments that I never get a chance to talk about is Motor Racing Outreach.  Our president is here tonight, Billy Malden.  I had a lot of things out of order, and my priorities were one of them.  I loved racing.  It’s all I cared about.  I didn’t care about anything else, and it bit me.  After a while it got me, and I finally realized that I had my priorities wrong.  It was God, family and racing, and when I got that straight, I became a much better man, and I actually ended up being NASCAR’s most popular driver.  I was blessed; I was given a second chance.

In closing I’ll say this:  It’s not about me.  It’s not about what I’ve done.  It’s not about wins, statistics or anything else.  Tonight it’s about family, thank the good Lord that they’re all here.  It’s about all my friends who came from miles away to be here, and it’s about all the fans that are back there that have supported me all through the years, and it’s about NASCAR and what they’ve been able to do with it sport, and I’m just glad I was able to be a part of it.

I’m probably running a little bit long but I’ve got to tell you this quick story.  Just one more story, I promise.  You see this ring right here?  In 1982, I won the championship, and Bill France — in ’81 I won the championship and they gave me a ring and it was a little rinky-dink ring.  I didn’t think it was very pretty and it wasn’t very big, and I thought, man, that’s really not very indicative of how hard you have to work to get this thing.  So in ’82 Bill France called me up and he said if you win the championship again this year, you can pick the ring.  So I picked this ring, and if any of the champions here have got their ring on tonight, it started in 1982.

I’ve worn it every day since I got it, but tonight I’m taking it off and I’m putting on the Hall of Fame ring because this is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me.

            Thank you very much.  

Source: NASCAR, Press Release

Richie Evans, 2012 NASCAR Hall of Fame Inductee

New York Star Won Nine NASCAR Modified Series Titles In Hall Of Fame Career

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 18, 2012) – Richard Ernest “Richie” Evans certainly was the face of NASCAR – and modified racing – in the northeast, winning an estimated 475 times in approximately 1,300 starts. It equates to a win in every three starts (a 36.5% clip), something unheard of in modern racing at any level.

Evans will be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Friday, one of five members of the Hall’s third class comprised of the New York native, legendary crew chief Dale Inman, team owner Glen Wood and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champions Darrell Waltrip and Cale Yarborough. He is the first of 15 inductees without a connection to NASCAR’s premier series.

The 2012 enshrinement ceremony kicks off NASCAR Acceleration 2012 weekend, which includes the NASCAR Preview 2012 Presented by Sprint, where fans can interact with the sport’s legends and current stars in person, get autographs and catch a sneak peek at the upcoming season. Fans can go to NASCARacceleration2012.com for more information.

Nicknamed the “Rapid Roman” by virtue of racing out of Rome, N.Y., he found a home in the modifieds – a car fashioned from pre-World War II coupes and sedans powered by high horsepower engines.

Evans won nine NASCAR national modified championships over a 13-year span, including eight consecutive titles from 1978-85. His signature No. 61 orange race car was a magnet for fans and a terror to his fellow competitors.

He worked on his own cars – up to 100 hours a week – and raced virtually every night of the week.

“Working with the car and working on it in the garage every week is an advantage,” Evans once said. “While I’m working on the car, I’m thinking about every lap I rode in that thing. It’s not like the mechanic who stood and watched it during the feature and then has to make some decisions.”

Evans lost his life at age 44 while practicing at Martinsville Speedway for the 1985 season finale of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. He’d earlier locked up the series’ first championship along with a fourth consecutive Whelen All-American Northeast Region title.

He was named one of NASCAR’s “50 Greatest Drivers” in 1998.

On Jan. 10, the New York State Senate adopted a resolution honoring Evans’ NASCAR Hall of Fame induction “remembering his extraordinary accomplishments in the racing area that were a direct result of his skill, dedication and commitment.”

“We are just so thrilled and excited. He has received a lot of rewards but this is the ultimate,” said his widow, Lynn, commenting on her husband’s election to the NASCAR Hall of Fame. “I know he is looking down and smiling ear to ear.”

Evans, one of six brothers and sisters, left his family’s Westernville, N.Y. home at the age of 16 to work as a gas station mechanic. In 1964 Evans began racing hobby stocks at Utica-Rome Speedway.

Evans’ first NASCAR championship came in 1973 – after a number of seasons winning race after race regardless of sanctioning body. The title snapped a two-year reign by fellow Rome resident Jerry Cook, who won four more championships before Evans reclaimed a crown in 1978 that he relinquished only after his passing.

The Evans-Cook rivalry was legendary – although they weren’t the only prominent figures in NASCAR modified racing, which included future NASCAR Sprint Cup star Geoffrey Bodine, Maynard Troyer, Ron Bouchard, Bugs Stevens, George Kent and Tom Baldwin Sr.

But they lived in the same town and each had a separate set of fans. Evans and Cook got along fine; the fans, however, were a different story. And they won every NASCAR Modified Series championship between 1971 and 1985.

The two also had distinctly different personalities. “The only thing we had in common was racing and there were times we didn’t even talk to each other,” said Cook, who became a NASCAR official following a racing career that ended in 1982 with nearly 350 victories. Cook currently is NASCAR’s Competition Administrator. “But we put on a show with it.

“He didn’t win everything. I beat him and other drivers beat him so it wasn’t like he won every single thing. But he did real well at it, that’s for sure.”

Evans won regularly and won with style and grace. He also was a promoter’s dream, his presence putting hundreds of additional folks in the grandstands.

“He was a hard-core guy, racing to put food on the table,” said John Bisci, a high school student who watched Evans race at Lancaster Speedway in New York and became the track’s program editor in 1976. Bisci is Public Relations Manager at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. “You could talk to him any time. After the races he would give you an autograph and never said, ‘I’m too busy kid; come back later.’

“No matter how many times he won, nobody booed. He never disparaged the other drivers and told the fans, ‘I’m glad you were cheering for me.’ He was a ‘party guy’ but when it came time to race he was all business.”

NASCAR Sprint Cup owner Tommy Baldwin Jr., whose father competed against Evans, brought his No. 36 car to a recent event with an Evans retro paint scheme. “Richie was someone we all looked up to and when he came to town we knew we had to beat him to win,” said Baldwin. “He made us work harder and I think that prepared a lot of us for the Sprint Cup level.”

The color orange may not have made Evans’ cars go any faster – but it probably gave him a psychological edge in an era when few race cars were brightly painted. “He had a fast orange car in a sea of stock Detroit colors. There was no mistaking him for anyone else,” said Bisci. “You’d see him in the rear view mirror and you knew it was him that was coming.”

Source: NASCAR, Press Release

Glen Wood

Many a race car driver hangs on to the steering wheel long after they’ve passed their driving prime, but NASCAR Hall of Famer Glen Wood ran his final race as a driver when he was still among the sport’s best.

Wood’s last run came at one of his home tracks, Starkey Speedway near Roanoke, Va., on Aug. 23, 1964 in a race for the series now known as Sprint Cup.

“Ironically that was the only race that I helped promote,” he said.

“It was Marvin Panch, John Moose and me.”

Panch had been driving the No. 21 Ford on the bigger tracks, while Wood drove on most of the shorter ovals. And since his was the bigger name around Starkey, Wood would do the driving.

“It was thought at the time that since I had won seven in a row there with my Modified we’d have a better crowd if I drove it,” Wood said.

He qualified on the pole for the 50-mile run on the quarter-mile paved track. He and Junior Johnson won their respective 25-lap heat races, but the wins came at considerable expense to their softer left-side tires.

“When the heat races were over, we got to looking at the tires,” Wood said. “The two of us had worn them down, but one of [Johnson’s] was still pretty good. His crew wanted to know if they could have my best left-side tire to go with their best one.”

Since Johnson had been the one who helped Wood get the softer left-side tires, Wood agreed to let Johnson have his best left-side tire and he’d run hard tires on the left side of the No. 21.

“If I had known that that was the last race I’d ever run, he’d have had to put on some hard tires like I did,” Wood said. “He might have still outrun me that way, but I thought he’d blow the tire out.

“But he didn’t. I held him off for five for six laps, but I let him go. I knew what he had.”
Ned Jarrett caught Wood too, and he let him pass as well.

“After I let Junior go, I wasn’t too concerned about where I finished,” Wood said.

Even with the win out of his grasp, Wood had to draw the line somewhere.

“About five laps to go, I felt somebody tap me in the rear end,” he said. It was David Pearson in Cotton Owens’ No. 6 Dodge.

‘The other two in front of me were Fords, and that was all right,” Wood said of the drivers he’d let by. “I thought, ‘I’m not going to let him go with five laps to go.’

“And I held him off.”

Johnson won over Jarrett, Wood and Pearson, but top four in that race turned out to have a lot more in common than good finishes at Starkey Speedway. All have since been become members of one of the first three classes of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

The 15th-place finisher at Starkey made it too, in the first round. His name – Richard Petty.

Five future Hall of Famers in a race is a statistic any promoter could be proud of.

A one-hour biography reflecting on Glen Wood’s career will be featured on SPEED TV tonight, January 13, 2012, at 8 p.m. est.

Source: Wood Brothers Racing, Press Release

Glen Wood - “The Woodchopper”

Before Wood was a racer, he was a sawmiller. Sawmilling in the 1940s was physically demanding, required long hours and mechanical ability, and involved both physical and financial risks. In other words, it was a lot like running a NASCAR race team. And Wood was good at it.

His first sawmill experience came as a teenager, when he hired on to a crew and was assigned the job of carrying the slabs away from the mill.

In a typical portable sawmill of Wood’s era, the person running the saw, the sawyer, operated the levers and determined what kinds of boards would be cut from a log. One person stood to his right and helped roll the logs onto the rolling carriage that carried the logs down the track where the spinning blade sliced off a section at a time.

The sawyer and helper rotate the logs as the round bark edges, or slabs, were sawed off, leaving a square beam that would then be sliced into lumber. On the other side of the large circular blade would be one person who would “off bear” or remove the freshly sawn board.

Another would dispose of the slabs, and still another would operate the edger, a separate device consisting of multiple blades that cut the edges off wide boards, many of which still had bark on the sides.

In a modern sawmill, hydraulic lifts move the logs around. In Wood’s day, it was done by hand, with a tool called a “cant hook.” Cant hooks have heavy wooden handles, with a swinging spike at the end. The spike is hooked into the log before turning, but it will easily come loose once the log is turned.

Still, great strength is required to roll over a log weighing several hundred pounds.

“It was a hard job, especially to turn a big log,” Wood recalled. “How I was big enough to do it, I still don’t know. But I got pretty good at it.

“The sawyer, Will Hopkins, would sometimes help me turn it. Sometimes the logs were big enough that both of us could hardly turn them over.”

Wood went from turning logs to hauling lumber after it was sawn.

“I had an old cab-over-engine truck,” he said. “It was a very awkward truck to drive into the woods to get the lumber.”

He eventually swapped it for a conventional – and more powerful – truck, and continued on with his hauling business until he and his eventual racing partner Chris Williams went into the sawmill business.

“We bought the mill and had different people sawing for us,” he said. “One morning we went out to saw, and the sawyer didn’t show up.

“I decided: ‘I’ll just see if I can do this.’ I’d been turning logs and running the edger, so I knew enough about it, I thought, even though I’d never attempted to do any sawing.

“I was cautious to begin with, but before long I was sawing as good as anybody we’d been hiring.”

On good days, Wood could saw between 8,000 and 10,000 board feet. (A board foot is the equivalent of a 1-by-12 inch board one foot long.) Production depends largely on the size and quality of the log, the skill of the sawyer and the horsepower at his disposal.

Eventually he and Williams sold their mill and Wood went to work sawing for Williams’ brother.

By then he was also driving race cars, which made for many a long day and night. He’d be in the woods by daylight to start sawing, then go straight from the woods to a race track and drive a race car that night.

“Somebody would bring the car by where I was working, and pick me up and go on to the track where we were racing,” Wood said.

Among the many items in the Wood Brothers Museum in Stuart, Va., is an old cant hook, which says as much about Wood and his team’s work ethic as any other piece there.

The Woodchopper himself is there most days too, and even at age 86, he’s still strong enough to turn a good sized log if he needed to.

Source: Wood Brothers Racing, Press Release

Glen Wood NASCAR Hall of Famer

Petty:  “

Trevor Bayne’s breakthrough win in last year’s Daytona 500 was one of the most popular NASCAR victories in recent memory, due in part to the youngster’s charisma and likeability, but also because he put the esteemed Wood Brothers Racing back in Victory Lane for the first time since 2001.

Glen Wood has been a fixture in the NASCAR garage for seven decades, both as a driver and an owner.  The Stuart, Va.-native and his brothers built the No. 21 into one of NASCAR’s most legendary rides, propelled by deep-rooted ethics and values, and the industry rewarded Glen Wood’s innumerable contributions with a place in the 2012 NASCAR Hall of Fame.

SPEED reflects on Wood’s career in a one-hour biography special premiering Friday, Jan. 13 at 8 p.m. ET.  The NASCAR Media Group-produced special incorporates unique roundtable discussions with Wood’s family and never-before-seen photos and videos.  Wood will be inducted into the third class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Jan. 20 (airs on SPEED Jan. 22 at 6 p.m. ET) alongside Cale Yarborough, Dale Inman, Darrell Waltrip and the late Richie Evans.

Wood Brothers Racing, NASCAR’s oldest active team, dates to 1950 and boasts a roster of drivers that reads like a who’s who of NASCAR, including David Pearson, Curtis Turner, Marvin Panch, Fireball Roberts, Dan Gurney, Tiny Lund, Parnelli Jones, Junior Johnson, Cale Yarborough, Fred Lorenzen and Bill Elliott, among others.  The organization also won the 1965 Indianapolis 500 with Jim Clark.

The Wood Brothers are a cornerstone of NASCAR history, but more importantly, they are known and respected as much for their affability and ethics as for their mechanical prowess.  Renowned for running their business like one big family, the Wood Brothers invoke a sense of kinship among their employees that transcends a birth certificate.

“I grew up in racing in a family organization and after driving for the Wood Brothers, I can tell you I saw first-hand what a tight family organization they truly are,” said Kyle Petty, former driver and now a SPEED analyst.  “When you drove for them, you became part of their family.  All the way from Curtis Turner to David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, Dale Jarrett, Michael Waltrip and me, the guys who drove for them in the later years, you truly felt a part of their family.  They never treated you like a driver or an employee.  You didn’t work for them; you worked with them. I think that policy came from Glen and from growing up in that area where everybody helped everybody, neighbor helped neighbor and family helped family.”

While some made their mark on the sport in a boisterous and flashy manner, Wood etched his legacy into the sport in an unassuming and humble manner.

“(David) Pearson was the perfect driver for them because he went about winning races in a quiet way and they went about everything they did in a quiet manner,” Petty stated.  “That personifies Glen – a quiet man who went about doing his job the best he could.  Probably the biggest thing I learned from him is that you can be successful without being flamboyant and hogging the spotlight all the time.” 

Before Wood became a successful owner, he laid the foundation for the Wood Brothers as its first driver, running a limited schedule on a fairly regular basis, mostly at tracks close to home. Wood competed in 62 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races between 1953 and 1964, and found Victory Lane four times. He posted his best season in 1960, during which he won three races and scored six top-five and seven top-10 finishes in just nine starts.

“I think Glen’s driving career contributed greatly to his success and leadership as an owner,” Petty said.  “Glen understood that the driver couldn’t carry the car all the time and if the car wasn’t right, the driver couldn’t win.  So, he’d give his driver the best equipment he could and he’d also get the best driver he could.”

Not only did the Wood Brothers win races, 98 to-date, they revolutionized the pit stop for generations to come.

“I don’t think guys on pit road today understand the way things used to be,” Petty stated.  “The Wood Brothers were the first to recognize the importance of the pit stop.  They realized that the shorter amount of time they spent on pit road, the better off they’d be on the race track.  Picking up positions is easier on pit road.  It’s a timed event.  It’s not about how fast you run on the track sometimes, but rather how fast you can be on and off pit road.

“Look back at some of their early pit stops from the late ‘60s and early ‘70s — the way they’d spin around and rotate around the car was like watching a ballet,” Petty continued.  “Their pit stops looked almost choreographed.  While most teams just went out there and executed stops as fast as they could, the Wood Brothers had a plan.  Today’s pit crew coaches still use that same play sheet.  Those guys were so far ahead of the rest of the sport and everybody else played catch-up for years.”

About SPEED™

SPEED, anchored by its popular and wide-ranging coverage of NASCAR, is the nation’s first and only cable television network dedicated to automotive and motorcycle racing, performance and lifestyle. Now available in nearly 84 million homes in North America, SPEED, a member of the FOX Sports Media Group, is among the industry leaders in interactive TV, video on demand, mobile initiatives and broadband services, including SPEED2, a groundbreaking new broadband network featuring live, streaming and on-demand events complementing offerings of the linear network. For more information, please visit SPEED.com, the online motor sports authority.

About FOX Sports Media Group

FOX Sports Media Group (FSMG) is the umbrella entity representing News Corporation’s wide array of multi-platform US-based sports assets under Chairman & CEO David Hill.  Built with brands that are capable of reaching more than 100 million viewers in a single weekend, FSMG includes ownership and interests in linear television networks, digital and mobile programming, broadband platforms, multiple web sites, joint-venture businesses and several licensing partnerships.  FSMG now includes FOX Sports, the sports television arm of the FOX Broadcasting Company; Fox’s 19 regional sports networks, their affiliated regional web sites and FSN national programming; SPEED and SPEED2; Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Soccer Plus; FUEL TV; and Fox College Sports.  In addition, FSMG also includes FOX Sports Interactive Media, which comprises FOXSports.com on MSN, whatifsports.comand scout.com, reaching nearly 30 million unique visitors monthly.  Also included are Fox’s interests in joint-venture businesses FOX Deportes, Big Ten Network and STATS, LLC, as well as licensing agreements that establish the FOX Sports Radio Network, FOX Sports Skybox restaurants and FOX Sports Grills.

Source: SPEED, Press Release

]]> http://www.catchfence.com/2012/sprintcup/01/11/strong-sense-of-family-values-propelled-glen-wood-to-victory-lane-and-nascar-hall-of-fame/feed/ 0 http://www.catchfence.com/2011/nationwide/10/11/joey-logano-no-20-gamestop-toyota-camry-charlotte-motor-speedway-preview-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=joey-logano-no-20-gamestop-toyota-camry-charlotte-motor-speedway-preview-2 http://www.catchfence.com/2011/nationwide/10/11/joey-logano-no-20-gamestop-toyota-camry-charlotte-motor-speedway-preview-2/#comments Tue, 11 Oct 2011 14:17:47 +0000 Press Release http://www.catchfence.com/?p=88208 more»]]>

No. 20 GameStop Toyota Camry (Joey Logano) - Photo Credit: Chris Graythen / Getty Images for NASCAR

· “BEAST OF THE SOUTHEAST” A FEAST (OR FAMINE) FOR LOGANO: Joey Logano has said it before. Ask him on any given weekend and he’ll tell you the same answer. What is his favorite track? It’s Charlotte Motor Speedway. Logano will make the seventh NASCAR Nationwide Series start of his career at Charlotte on Friday night in the Dollar General 300 Miles of Courage. Logano’s previous track record at Charlotte has been feast or famine. In six previous starts, Logano has scored three top-five finishes and three top-10s. His best career finish came in the spring race last season where he crossed the line in third place. Logano also has finishes of fourth and fifth at the track. In the spring race this season, Logano started 11th and finished 11th. His other two finishes at the track have both been 14th place efforts.

· “BIG GAME HUNTER” FOR THE BIG RACE: Cabela’s Big Game Hunter 2012 will ride with Logano and primary sponsor GameStop on track at Charlotte Motor Speedway. With the world as their playground, players will explore a vast expanse of mountains and valleys with unprecedented choices in direction never before seen in a Cabela’s hunting game. Players can climb an area to get a better angle for the shot but risk being spotted, or they can take a low elevation route with poor visibility but plenty of concealment. In order to bag the trophies, players will have to avoid detection through cunning, skill, and deception. They must also utilize master hunting skills such as advanced stalking techniques so they can quickly move through cover and close in on their targets. With new multiplayer modes, gamers can enjoy playing with friends and family. Up to four people can take turns, work together or challenge each other in different arcade shooting galleries. With new modes such as Reflex and Target Shooting, Cabela’s Big Game Hunter 2012 has enough fun to keep players hunting with friends for a long time! The game was released on Sept. 27 and is available for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii video game consoles.

· EPIC REWARD FOR GAMESTOP EPIC REWARD WINNER: Joey Logano and the No. 20 GameStop team will have a special guest this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Shari and George Stettner of Texas will head to Charlotte for winning the NASCAR experience as part of GameStop’s PowerUp Rewards program. The PowerUp Rewards program rewards the most passionate of GameStop gamers by offering savings on purchases while also providing members-only specials, discounts and news emailed directly to users. Shari and George will come to Charlotte, have a private tour of the Joe Gibbs Racing shops, go go-karting with Joey and the entire No. 20 GameStop team, visit the NASCAR Hall of Fame, attending Joe Gibbs Racing’s Fan Fest, and get a chance to watch the Dollar General 300 Miles of Courage up close by sitting on the pit box of the No. 20 team for Friday night’s event. Other Epic Reward winners have gotten tank driving experiences, trips to Rome, a behind the scenes look at Comic-Con and private tours of various video game companies.

· BACK HOME AGAIN… WITH THE No. 20: Logano spent the last three NASCAR Nationwide Series events behind the wheel of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in an effort to help that team win the Nationwide Series Owner’s Championship. This weekend, Logano returns to the seat of the car he’s most accustomed to driving in the Nationwide Series, the No. 20 GameStop Toyota. He will also be back with his regular crew, led by Crew Chief Adam Stevens, who last week guided rookie Ryan Truex to a 10th place finish at Kansas Speedway.

· CHASSIS: The JGR team will bring chassis #127 to Charlotte for the Dollar General 300. The car has raced just one other time this year, coming back at Michigan International Speedway, where Logano finished sixth. Chassis #132 will serve as the team’s backup.

· STAT OF THE WEEK: 17,000. In all likelihood, Logano will surpass the $3,000,000 career earnings plateau this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Logano needs a little more than $17,000 to become a $3,000,000 man.

· THE RACE: The Dollar General 300 Miles of Courage at Charlotte Motor Speedway (Concord, NC; 1.5-mile tri-oval) is set for Friday night, Oct. 14, 2011. The race will be broadcast on ESPN2 at 7:30 p.m. ET, with radio coverage on PRN starting at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Joey Logano - Photo Credit: John Harrelson / Getty Images for NASCAR

“Charlotte is always a crazy week. Not only is there a lot going on at the track, but being ‘home’ for everyone, there are plenty of things going on away from the track and that really keeps you busy. This is one of those weeks that you need to find a good balance between doing your stuff away from the track and also focusing on the job at hand when you get in the car. And it’s not just like that for me, it’s like that for all of the guys. It’s a lot of fun to be close to home and to get to sleep in your own bed at night, but you’ve got to focus more this week than any other really.

“As a driver, you always get asked by fans and media what your favorite track is and Charlotte is always my answer. A lot of guys will say it’s a track they’ve won at a lot or a track they are always running up front or maybe a track that is close to their hometown, but I just love Charlotte. The track is unique and it changes so much during the course of a race. There are always several different lines and grooves that work their way in during the race and you’ve got to be able to move your car around to match the way it’s handling. It’s fast, but you really need to focus on handling here. The restarts can be crazy too. Overall, it’s just a fun track to race on and we have such great fan support here.

“One of my off-track activities this week will be visiting with the GameStop Epic Rewards winner which will be a lot of fun. Last year, the guy that was here had a blast doing all of the stuff they got to do. This year, we’re doing the same thing. Getting to race against them in go-karts is a lot of fun. Plus, I love racing karts and I’ll take all of the extra track time I can get. But really, it’s just great to be able to bring someone to the track who doesn’t really get the chance to see what goes on behind the scenes and watch them enjoy it all. It’s a great reward if you ask me. When I was a kid, I would have loved to have won something like that.”

- Joe Gibbs Racing Press Release

Glen and Bernece Wood - Wood Brothers Racing

On Tuesday, team founder Glen Wood was selected as one of the five inductees for the 2012 class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. And this weekend marks the return to the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion of the Woods’ Daytona 500 winning driver Trevor Bayne, who has been sidelined by illness.

The success of the race team founded by Glen Wood is as evident at Michigan as anywhere. The Woods and fellow Ford team owner Jack Roush are tied for the lead in Michigan victories with 11 apiece.

But Glen Wood and his brothers Leonard, Delano, Clay and Ray Lee were winners nearly everywhere they ran, and the team, now in its 61st year, continues to find success under the everyday management of Glen Wood’s children Eddie, Len and Kim.

Wood, whose team now has 98 Cup victories including five in the Daytona 500, said he was humbled by his selection, which puts him among the first 15 people inducted in the Hall.

“I could hardly believe it when they called out my name,” Wood said. “But I don’t take it lightly. It’s the greatest honor you can get in this sport of NASCAR, and it’s especially nice to have a Daytona 500 victory and this in the same year.”

Wood pointed out that his time in the sport hasn’t always been marked by success.

“It hasn’t been an easy thing from the get-go,” he said. “I know the ups and downs, both sides of it.”

He said his selection to the Hall is something to be celebrated by his entire family.

“I’m prouder for my children than I am for myself,” he said.

2011 No 21 Motorcraft Quick Lane Ford Fusion

“I’ve just been really working out hard and running and doing all that kind of stuff to try to help myself physically as much as I can because of the issues I had before,” Bayne said. “I don’t think there’s anything I did to induce that, but I definitely want to do all I can to prevent it again now. So I’ve been doing that…

“I just can’t wait to get out there and get practice underway and start working with [crew chief] Donnie Wingo again and get that Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion back at the top of the board again.”

Qualifying for the Heluva Good 400 is set for Saturday at 1:10 p.m., and the race is schedule to start just after 1 p.m. on Sunday with TV coverage on TNT.

- Wood Brothers Racing, Press Release

The panel of voters pose for a portrait during the NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Day held at the Charlotte Convention Center on June 14 in Charlotte, N.C. - Photo Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Members of the 55-member NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Panel met today in a closed session in Charlotte, N.C., to vote on the induction class of 2012. The announcement was made by NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France in the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s “Great Hall.”

The class was determined by votes cast by the Voting Panel, which included a nationwide fan vote conducted through NASCAR.COM. The accounting firm of Ernst & Young presided over the tabulation of the votes.

As was the case for the first two classes of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, the results of this year’s voting were competitive. Yarborough led with 85 percent of the vote, followed by Waltrip (82%), Inman (78%), Evans (50%) and Wood (44%).

Also receiving votes were Jerry Cook, Cotton Owens, Raymond Parks and Herb Thomas.

The fans’ five picks, in alphabetical order, were Richard Childress, Benny Parsons, Fireball Roberts, Waltrip and Yarborough.

The five inductees came from a group of 25 nominees for induction into the 2012 NASCAR Hall of Fame class that included:

Buck Baker, Red Byron, Richard Childress, Jerry Cook, H. Clay Earles, Richie Evans, Tim Flock, Rick Hendrick, Jack Ingram, Bobby Isaac, Dale Inman, Fred Lorenzen, Cotton Owens, Raymond Parks, Benny Parsons, Les Richter, Fireball Roberts, T. Wayne Robertson, Herb Thomas, Curtis Turner, Darrell Waltrip, Joe Weatherly, Glen Wood, Leonard Wood and Cale Yarborough.

The NASCAR Hall of Fame opened on May 11, 2010 in Uptown Charlotte, N.C. The 150,000 square foot entertainment complex honors the history and heritage of NASCAR and the many who have contributed to the success of the sport. In its first year of operation, the NASCAR Hall of Fame entertained more than 270,000 customers, making it the second most-visited sports hall of fame in North America.

NASCAR Hall of Fame

Cale Yarborough

William Caleb Yarborough was the first driver to win three consecutive NASCAR premier series championships, from 1976-78. During his three-year dominance, Yarborough won 28 races – nine in 1976, nine in ’77 and 10 in ’78. His final championship points margin in those three years was never fewer than 195 points and was as much as 474 in 1978. Yarborough totaled 83 victories in his 31-year career, which ranks sixth all-time. His 69 poles rank fourth all-time. He also won the Daytona 500 four times (1968, ’77, ’83-84), a mark that ranks second only to Richard Petty’s seven. He was named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998.

Darrell Waltrip

A three-time NASCAR premier series champion (1981-82, ’85), Waltrip won all three with legendary driver/owner Junior Johnson. Waltrip is tied with Bobby Allison and Jeff Gordon for third all-time in series victories with 84. His 59 poles rank fifth all-time in NASCAR premier series history. He competed from 1972-2000, which included a 1989 Daytona 500 victory in a Rick Hendrick-owned Chevrolet. He currently is a commentator on FOX’s NASCAR broadcasts. He was named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998.

Dale Inman

Dale Inman, NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty’s crew chief at Petty Enterprises for nearly three decades, set records for most wins (193) and championships (eight) by a crew chief. Inman won seven of those championships with Petty (1964, ’67, ’71, ’72, ’74, ’75 and ’79), and a final one in 1984 with Terry Labonte.

Richie Evans

The recognized “king” of Modified racing, Evans captured nine NASCAR Modified titles in a 13-year span, including eight in a row from 1978-85. In the first year of the current NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour format in 1985, Evans won 12 races, including a sweep of all four events at Thompson, Conn. Evans ranked No. 1 in the 2003 voting of the NASCAR All-Time Modified Top 10 Drivers, and he was named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998.

Glen Wood

Glen Wood laid the foundation for the famed Wood Brothers racing team as a driver in NASCAR’s premier series. Competing on a semi-regular basis, mostly at tracks close to his southern Virginia home, Wood won four times – all at Bowman-Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C. Wood, of course, is best known for his collaboration with brothers Leonard and Delano in Wood Brothers Racing. The Stuart, Va.-based team, which dates to 1950 and remains active, has amassed 98 victories.

- NASCAR, Press Release

No. 11 Shore Lodge Toyota (Brian Scott) - Photo Credit: Chris Graythen / Getty Images for NASCAR

No. 11 Shore Lodge Team Notes of Interest

· Brian Scott and the No. 11 Shore Lodge Toyota team will be looking for an about-face during this weekend’s Top Gear 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Scott has been caught up in accidents in each of the last three NASCAR Nationwide Series events and hopes a trip to the 1.5-mile track will turn around the bad luck plaguing the No. 11 Shore Lodge Team.

· Scott has made two previous starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway in NASCAR Nationwide Series competition and also has two starts at Charlotte in the NASCAR Truck Series.

· Chassis #122 is the car Scott will race this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. This will mark the second race of the 2011 NASCAR season for Chassis #122. Scott raced Chassis #122 to a top-10 finish at Texas Motor Speedway in April, where he started from the 13th position and went on to score a 10th-place finish. Chassis #106 will serve as the backup. This car has not yet been raced in 2011.

· Last Race: Scott’s bad-luck run continued last weekend at Iowa Speedway. After running in the top 15 for the majority of the 250-lap race, Scott was hit by the No. 6 car of eventual race winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr. on lap 217 and had to make a trip to the garage for repairs. He returned to the race and was in the 27th position by the time the checkered flag waved.

· Scott lost a position in the NASCAR Nationwide Series driver point standings after last week’s 27th-place finish at Iowa. He is 12 points out of eighth place and 72 points out of the top five.

· Scott was one of a handful of NASCAR drivers to attend the 2011 NASCAR Hall of Fame induction ceremonies on Monday, May 23. “That was a first class event all the way,” Scott said. “It was a neat experience and cool to be in the room with so many of the legends of our sport, to hear their stories and be a part of that event.”

· To access information on Brian Scott and No. 11 Team visit: www.joegibbsracing.com and follow twitter.com/bscottracing and twitter.com/joegibbsracing.

Brian Scott

Racing at Charlotte:

“Charlotte is an intermediate track that I probably approach with more caution than most of the other tracks of its size. It’s called the “beast of the southeast” for a reason. It’s a finicky little track that is just supersensitive to tires, to heat and a lot of different factors. The track changes a lot during the course of a race and it makes it difficult to prepare for as you are practicing and trying to anticipate how it will change from practice on Thursday to the race on Saturday. But if you show the track some respect you can have a good day there.”

Last Race:

“We were actually in decent shape until we had a bad green flag pit stop, got hung up on the right rear and lost some track position. I came out of the pits just in front of Carl and when it all cycled through he was going to be the leader. So I was doing everything I could to stay in front of him and coming through some slower lapped traffic he got position on me and he got underneath me. I was thinking I’m as fast as he is so I’ll just stay here right behind him or pass him back and get the lucky dog or get my lap back. Going down into turn one we were coming up on a lot slower cars so I went to fall in behind Carl because he was inside of me. When I turned underneath him (Ricky) Stenhouse tried to fill a hole that wasn’t there and ended up getting in the back of me and that was the end of our day.”

- Joe Gibbs Racing Press Release

(Left to right) Class of 2011 Inductees Ned Jarrett, Bobby Allison, David Pearson and Bud Moore pose prior to the 2011 NASCAR Hall of Fame induction ceremonies at the Charlotte Convention Center on Monday in Charlotte, N.C. - Photo Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images for NASCAR

The second class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame – champions all – captured over 350 victories and a dozen championships in NASCAR’s premier series. The five inductees – Bobby Allison, Ned Jarrett, Bud Moore, David Pearson and Lee Petty – make up the second class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, N.C., which was officially inducted tonight, Monday, May 23.

“This is fast becoming a night we all look forward to on the calendar,” said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France, in his opening remarks during tonight’s Induction Ceremony. “To the second class, thank you for the memories and moments you gave this great sport.”

The common thread each inductee shares: NASCAR premier series championships.

Allison won his lone premier series title in 1983, but his NASCAR Hall of Fame credentials may lie elsewhere. He won 84 times – tied for third on the all-time list – and three were in NASCAR’s most prominent race, the Daytona 500 (1978, ’82 and ’88). Not to be overshadowed, a proud piece of the Allison legacy: His two NASCAR Modified Series championships, in 1964-65.

“I went through a lot of things,” Allison said in his acceptance speech. “I got involved with a lot of people along the way. I won some races. Struggled, got better, did poorly, got better and everything. But the bottom line, it was just an incredible career. And this involved so many people.”

Two-careers-in-one landed Jarrett in the Hall. His first, that as a prolific driver, made him a NASCAR legend. His second, as an everyman broadcaster, made him a household name. Jarrett won 50 races, two NASCAR premier series championships (1961 and ’65) and two NASCAR Sportsman Division titles (1957-58), and later worked as an analyst for several networks, including MRN, CBS and ESPN.

“When it was announced several years ago there would be a NASCAR Hall of Fame, and when my name was among the original 25 nominees, my prayer from then on was to live long enough to be elected,” said Jarrett. “I’ve had to work hard on my health to be able to be here and enjoy this tremendous honor … I am very humbled by this huge honor, and I don’t take it lightly.”

Moore’s life is a storyteller’s dream. A World War II veteran who won five Purple Hearts, Moore went on to become one of the top owners and crew chiefs in NASCAR history. Credited with having a hand in shaping the beginnings of NASCAR, Moore won 63 premier series races as an owner, and three championships – as a crew chief for Buck Baker in 1957 and an owner for Joe Weatherly in 1962-63.

“My daughter-in-law, Carol, recently asked me how I wanted to be remembered,” said Moore during his induction speech. “The answer is simple: As one who made many contributions to the building of the sport, one whose handshake was as good as any contract, who always gave a straight answer and would never sugar coat it either. But most of all, to be remembered as a man who loved his family, his country and the sport of racing.”

Pearson’s 105 NASCAR premier series victories, which ranks second all-time, and three championships place him firmly on the short-list of “best NASCAR drivers ever.” Pearson never competed in every race in a season, yet tallied his astonishing wins total and still won multiple championships. In his acceptance speech, Pearson gave a nod to his prime competition in the “greatest ever” argument

“I want to thank Richard Petty, too,” Pearson said. “He’s probably the one that made me win as many as I did. I run hard because he’d make me run hard. Sometimes he would make a mistake and I’d pass him. Of course, I didn’t ever make mistakes. … I’ve had more fun running with him than anybody I ever run with ’cause I knew if I ever went to a racetrack and he was there, if I could beat him, I’d win the race.”

The patriarch of one of the most successful families in the sport’s history, Lee Petty joins his son, Richard, in the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Petty won 54 NASCAR premier series races, and was the first to win three NASCAR premier series championships. He also founded Petty Enterprise, the juggernaut that amassed 10 driver championships under his watch.

Lee Petty

“[Lee Petty] lived in his world and he didn’t want anybody to tell him how to live in his world,” said Richard. “His big deal was to take care of his own. If you got in the way, didn’t make a whole lot of difference to him, he got you out of the way. … Hopefully he’s up there somewhere saying, ‘Okay, I know I’d get there, might have to push somebody out of the way to get there.’”

The inductors for the other four inductees: MRN broadcaster Barney Hall for Bud Moore; children Dale and Glenn Jarrett and Patti Makar for Ned Jarrett; brother Donnie Allison for Bobby Allison; and former public relations director for Darlington Raceway Russell Branham and Wood Brothers co-owner Leonard Wood for David Pearson.

Special congratulatory videos opened each inductee’s segment, with a number of high-profiled names starring in each. Those involved: University of Alabama Head Football Coach Nick Saban for Bobby Allison; former NASCAR broadcaster Ken Squier for Ned Jarrett; broadcast journalist and author Tom Brokaw for Bud Moore; NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty for David Pearson; and former President of the United States George H.W. Bush for Lee Petty.

The five inductee exhibits officially open tomorrow (Tuesday) at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

- NASCAR, Press Release

SPEED TV

President George H.W. Bush is no stranger to successful family dynasties, and the 41st President of the United States will share some of his perspective as he welcomes Petty family patriarch Lee Petty into the NASCAR Hall of Fame via video on May 23 at 8 p.m. ET on SPEED.

SPEED, the official television network of the NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies, offers extensive coverage of this year’s events, welcoming David Pearson, Lee Petty, Bobby Allison, Bud Moore and Ned Jarrett into enshrinement.

Pre-event programming begins at 7 p.m. ET with NASCAR Race Hub, with the NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at 8 p.m. ET and post-event wrap-up beginning at 10:30 p.m. ET.

“President Bush welcoming my grandfather into the NASCAR Hall of Fame is huge because when he raced, I don’t think there was a president in the White House who knew what stock car racing was,” said Kyle Petty, Lee Petty’s grandson and SPEED analyst. “It’s kind of like when President Reagan was there for The King’s 200th win. That was a big deal for The King but it also was a big deal for our family and our sport. I don’t think my grandfather would ever have expected anything like this because the president recognizing a NASCAR driver’s accomplishments was so far outside of the realm of what he thought possible back then.”

“The participation by President Bush amplifies the significance of the roles these inductees played as part of the fabric of our country,” said SPEED President Hunter Nickell. “SPEED is honored to be sharing an event of this magnitude with passionate race fans everywhere.”

Tom Brokaw, longtime anchor of NBC Nightly News and the author of The Greatest Generation, the best-selling book about the men and women who lived through the Great Depression and fought in World War II, will welcome Moore into the Hall. Moore, a veteran of WW II and successful NASCAR team owner, was among the soldiers who stormed the beach at Normandy on D-Day.

The University of Alabama’s national championship-winning coach Nick Saban pays tribute to Allison, a founding member of racing’s famed Alabama Gang, which included Allison, his brother Donnie, Red Farmer, Bobby’s son, Davey, Neil and David Bonnett and Hut Stricklin.

Richard Petty, a member of the inaugural class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame and the undisputed “King” of NASCAR racing welcomes arch-rival David Pearson into the Hall, as the pair combined for an amazing 63 first/second place finishes. Legendary race broadcaster Ken Squier welcomes two-time NASCAR champion and broadcasting pioneer Ned Jarrett.

About SPEED™
SPEED, anchored by its popular and wide-ranging coverage of NASCAR, is the nation’s first and only cable television network dedicated to automotive and motorcycle racing, performance and lifestyle. Now available in more than 82 million homes in North America, SPEED, a member of the FOX Sports Media Group, is among the industry leaders in interactive TV, video on demand, mobile initiatives and broadband services. For more information, please visit SPEED.com, the online motor sports authority.

About FOX Sports Media Group
FOX Sports Media Group (FSMG) is the umbrella entity representing News Corporation’s wide array of multi-platform US-based sports assets under Chairman & CEO David Hill. Built with brands that are capable of reaching more than 100 million viewers in a single weekend, FSMG includes ownership and interests in linear television networks, digital and mobile programming, broadband platforms, multiple web sites, joint-venture businesses and several licensing partnerships. FSMG now includes FOX Sports, the sports television arm of the FOX Broadcasting Company; Fox’s 19 regional sports networks, their affiliated regional web sites and FSN national programming; SPEED and SPEED2; Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Soccer Plus; FUEL TV; and Fox College Sports. In addition, FSMG also includes FOX Sports Interactive Media, which comprises FOXSports.com on MSN, whatifsports.com and scout.com, reaching over 20 million unique visitors monthly. Also included are Fox’s interests in joint-venture businesses FOX Deportes, Big Ten Network and STATS, LLC, as well as licensing agreements that establish the FOX Sports Radio Network, FOX Sports Skybox restaurants and FOX Sports Grills.

- SPEED, Press Release