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Mansell, McGriff, Karamesines, Forbes-Robinson, Ward, Turner And Carnegie Elected To Motorsports Hall Of Fame of America |
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Novi, MI – Champ Car and Formula 1 World Champion Nigel Mansell, NASCAR West Coast icon Hershel McGriff and drag racing fan favorite Chris Karamesines will lead a class of seven racing greats into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America when the organization stages its annual induction ceremony on Thursday, August 17, 2006 at the State Theatre in Detroit. These three, along with versatile sports car driver Elliott Forbes-Robinson, 7-time Motocross champion Jeff Ward, NASCAR pioneer Curtis Turner and Tom Carnegie, the legendary voice of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, will join the 153 honorees already enshrined in the Motorsports Hall of Fame. “Diversity and versatility are the hallmarks of the class of 2006. A simultaneous world and U.S. champion, NASCAR and drag racing winners from both coasts and Mid-America, a winning driver of all varieties of sports cars, a 7-time motorcycle champion turned Indy driver and the “voice of God” from the Indy Speedway – this class has it all,” says Ron Watson, president of the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. Although Nigel Mansell won the 1992 Formula 1 world championship, he became eligible for America’s Motorsports Hall of Fame the following year when he crossed the Atlantic to join the Champ Car World Series. In two years on the Champ Car circuit, Mansell won five races, 10 poles and the 1993 title, becoming the only driver in history to hold both the F1 world and Champ Car titles at the same time. Hershel McGriff won the inaugural Mexican Road Race in 1950 and won four Grand National (now Nextel Cup) races in 1954 before taking a 17-year respite from the sport. He returned in 1971, won NASCAR’s Winston West championship in 1986 and is tied for third on the all-time NASCAR West win list with 35. Popular Chris Karamesines was called the Golden Greek and was Chicago’s first professional drag racer. He has won a half dozen AHRA, one IHRA national event, five World Series of Drag Racing titles along with innumerable match races during his crowd pleasing career. Elliott Forbes-Robinson won races and championships in many types of cars and series. He won his first race in a Shelby Cobra and won championships in Bob Sharp Racing Nissans. He won races and titles in Super Vee, Trans-Am, Can-Am, IMSA GTU, the World Challenge Championship, the American LeMans Series and the 24 Hours of Daytona. Jeff Ward was a dominant Motocross and Supercross racer in the 1980s. He won AMA season titles for Supercross in 1985 and 1987 and Motocross in 1984, 1985, 1988, 1989 and 1990. He was the AMA Athlete of the Year in 1989. After a successful stint in Indy cars, he returned to bikes and won the 2004 SuperMoto championship on a Honda. Colorful Curtis Turner, the only deceased member of the class of 2006, won 17 Grand National races in 180 starts from 1949 to 1968. He led the NASCAR Convertible Division during its four-year run (1956-1959) with 38 wins and 30 poles. Tom Carnegie became the distinctive voice of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as its public address announcer in 1946. For three generations of fans, his baritone descriptions of track activities are synonymous with the “500.” Also on August 17th, the Motorsports Hall of Fame will honor Benny Parsons, who was elected into the Hall last year but could not attend the induction ceremonies due to the untimely death of his father. Currently an award-winning NASCAR analyst on NBC and TNT, Parsons won the 1975 Daytona 500 and the 1980 Coca-Cola 600, as well as 19 other Winston Cup races. He won the 1973 Winston Cup title and was the ARCA champion in 1968 and 1969. At Talladega in 1982, Parsons was the first NASCAR driver to qualify a car at more than 200 mph. Tickets for the induction ceremony can be purchased by calling 1-800-250-RACE (7223). The Motorsports Museum & Hall of Fame is operated by the Motorsports Museum and Hall of Fame of America Foundation Inc. The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America is a museum housing more than 40 racing and high performance vehicles. The constantly changing collection features racers from the world of Indy cars, stock cars, Can Am, TransAm, sprint cars, powerboats, truck racing, drag racing, motorcycles, air racing and even snowmobiles. Among the highlights are Art Arfons’ Green Monster jet car and championship NASCAR stock cars driven by Darrell Waltrip and Dale Jarrett. ### |