DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 6, 2018) – A six-man list of racing pioneers, legends and modern-day champions joined “The First Lady of Motorsports” in a colorful and accomplished 2019 Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) inductee class announced today at Daytona International Speedway (DIS).
The Class of 2019 was unveiled in a press conference at DIS – site of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series’ Coke Zero Sugar 400 on Saturday night – by Motorsports Hall of Fame of America President Ron Watson and Daytona International Speedway President Chip Wile.
The seven MSHFA Class of 2019 honorees, the top vote-earners from an impressive list of 43 nominees from all walks of motorsports, include automotive and racing pioneer Augie Duesenberg (Historic), three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti (Open Wheel), engineering genius Phil Remington (Sports Cars), motorcycle road racing World Champion Kevin Schwantz (Motorcycles), championship-winning driver/owner Don Schumacher (Drag Racing) and Tony Stewart (Stock Cars) and popular motorsports ambassador and iconic race queen Linda Vaughn (At Large).
“Deserving and dynamic are two words that come to mind when I think of the accomplished men and woman that comprise the Class of 2019,” Watson said. “This group has won hundreds of races and dozens of championships in competition and the hearts and adoration of millions of race fans both at and away from the track.”
The Class of 2019 will be enshrined into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in its 31st annual induction ceremony next March, the traditional black-tie gala that will be the crowning event of a two-day, multifunction MSHFA induction celebration on March 11-12 in Daytona Beach.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 27, 2018) – The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA), still basking in the success of its milestone 30th Annual Induction Ceremony Presented by Bridgestone, is approaching the rest of the year riding considerable momentum with support from the motorsports industry, the Daytona Beach area and the media.
The March 13 ceremony, held for the third consecutive year at The Shores Resort & Spa in Daytona Beach – but for the first time, in the spring – attracted a near-capacity crowd which witnessed the expansion of the MSHFA inductee list to 244. The ceremony started and ended in style – the incomparable Mario Andretti, a 1990 MSHFA inductee, gave the evening’s keynote address as the Hall’s Honorary Chairman; four-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon was the seventh and final inductee and gave an enthusiastic acceptance speech, noting that “getting to sit next to Mario Andretti” at the head table during the night was a special thrill.
“The whole evening was a thrill,” said MSHFA President Ron Watson, talking about the program that also inducted drag racing car builder John Buttera, Indianapolis Motor Speedway founder Carl Fisher, aviation pioneer Howard Hughes, motorcycle great Fred Merkel, legendary IndyCar team owner U.E. “Pat” Patrick and sports car great Bob Tullius.
The MSHFA induction committee is recommending to the organization’s board of directors that the 2019 induction ceremony events will be held on March 11-12, with the ceremony itself on March 12 at a site still to be determined. The induction ceremony has been held in Daytona Beach since 2016 following the hall’s relocation from Novi, Michigan.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 8, 2018) – Mario Andretti will open the show, with Jeff Gordon as the closer, supplying extraordinary high-profile bookends to Tuesday night’s 30th annual Motorsports Hall of Fame of America Induction Ceremony Presented by Bridgestone.
The ceremony, set for 7 p.m. at The Shores Resort & Spa in Daytona Beach, will once again honor luminaries from a variety of motorsports disciplines. It will also increase the MSHFA inductee list to 244, encompassing motorcycles, stock cars, sports cars, open-wheel, drag racing, land speed records, powerboating, off-road and aviation racing.
This year marks the third consecutive year the induction ceremony has been held in Daytona Beach. The MSHFA moved to Daytona International Speedway in 2016, from Novi, Michigan. The hall is housed in the speedway’s expansive Ticket and Tours Building located in front of the famed 2.5 DIS tri-oval.
The MSHFA will be the site of Monday night’s (7 p.m.) annual Heroes of Horsepower Reception Presented by Pirelli which involves the unveiling of the seven new inductees’ bronze busts that will be displayed permanently in the hall.
In addition to Gordon, this year’s inductee class includes drag racing car builder John Buttera; Indianapolis Motor Speedway founder Carl G. Fisher; record-setting pilot – and renowned billionaire – Howard Hughes; motorcycle great Fred Merkel; three-time Indianapolis 500 champion owner U.E. “Pat” Patrick; and sports car legend Bob Tullius.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 11, 2018) – Mario Andretti, one of only two drivers to win both the Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500, has been named Honorary Chairman for the 30th Annual Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) Induction Ceremony Presented by Bridgestone, set for March 13 at the Shores Resort & Spa in Daytona Beach.
Andretti, a 1990 MSHFA inductee, shares the Daytona-Indianapolis honor with A.J. Foyt. Andretti is the only driver to win those two marquee events (Daytona in 1967, Indy in 1969) and the Formula One world championship (1978). Fittingly, Andretti was named Driver of the Century by the Associated Press and RACER magazine in 2000.
It’s also fitting that Andretti serve as Honorary Chairman for this year’s induction ceremony, as two inductees come from the world of IndyCar racing – the late Indianapolis Motor Speedway founder Carl Fisher and former champion car owner Pat Patrick. In addition, another former Daytona 500 champion, Jeff Gordon, will be inducted.
The other honorees: drag racing car builder John Buttera; record-setting pilot – and world-famous billionaire – Howard Hughes; motorcycle great Fred Merkel; and sports car legend Bob Tullius.
