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20th NATIONAL SPRINT CAR HALL OF FAME
INDUCTION BANQUET ANOTHER GREAT SUCCESS
KNOXVILLE, IOWA (May 31) - Champion drivers Lee Osborne of Bluff Point, New
York, Roger Rager of Pequot Lakes, Minnesota, Fred Rahmer of Salfordville,
Pennsylvania, and Rip Williams of Yorba Linda, California; builder/manufacturersnics
Jack Elam of McKenzie, Tennessee, and Louis Senter of Encino, California;
and media members Allan Brown of Comstock Park, Michigan, and Jim Chini of
Palm Springs, California, took center stage Saturday afternoon, May 30, as
they were officially inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame (NSCHoF)
in Knoxville. Emcees Dave Argabright and Pat Sullivan, and a near-record
crowd of 335 guests, enjoyed the three-hour ceremony, which honored the
exceptional careers of thirteen inductees.
2007 National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee Kenny Jacobs accepted on
behalf of good friend and champion driver Jac Haudenschild of Wooster, Ohio,
who was racing with the World of Outlaws (WoO) in Michigan on Saturday.
Additionally, 2002 inductee Jim McElreath, historian Larry Ball, Jr., ’07
inductee Ken Coles, and ’08 inductee Dick Jordan accepted on behalf of the
families of deceased inductees Jackie Holmes (driver), Cavino “Kelly”
Petillo (driver), Lee Elkins (owner), and Tommy Nicholson (sanctioning
official), respectively.
National Sprint Car Hall of Famers who were present were Rollie Beale, Ralph
Capitani, Shane Carson, Ken Coles, Jerry “Scratch” Daniels, Ray Lee Goodwin,
Kenny Jacobs, Dick Jordan, Jim McElreath, Jimmy Oskie, Lynn Paxton, Newton
“Buzz” Rose, “Speedy” Bill Smith, Steve Stapp, Bob Trostle, Bill Utz and
Earl Wagner.
John Gerber's son Jim Gerber, Eddie Leavitt's daughter Vickie Agan, “Boston”
Louie Seymour’s son Bobby Seymour, and Kenny Woodruff’s son Jeff “Woody”
Woodruff were also in attendance at the banquet, which was held in the
Dyer-Hudson Building on the Marion County Fairgrounds. In addition, past
inductees Shane Carson and Steve Stapp represented their Hall of Fame
fathers Bud Carson and Elbert “Babe” Stapp, respectively.
National Sprint Car Museum board president Mike Brooks, the 1980 track
champion at Knoxville Raceway, presented the 2009 President's Award to
hard-working volunteers Norm and Karan Wadle of nearby Milo. This year’s
twentieth NSCHoF induction banquet, the first overseen by the non-profit
museum foundation’s new executive director Bob Baker, featured dual large
screens showing photo and film footage organized by videographer Kris Krohn.
Next year's twenty-first NSCHoF induction weekend is tentatively scheduled
for June 4-5-6, 2010.
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