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Michigan Motor Sports Hall Of Fame
The Michigan Motor Sports Hall of Fame is a non-profit hall of fame for Michigan auto racers. It was founded in 1982 by Dick Lee and was incorporated April 19, 1982, as a non-profit 501(c) (3) non-stock Michigan corporation. The Michigan Motor Sports Hall of Fame display is currently located at the Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners. It is in conjunction with their "History of Stock Car Racing" display. The Michigan Motor Sports Hall of Fame exhibit was located at the R. E. Olds Transportation Museum in Lansing from 1994 thru 2006. Mission statement The initiation of the Michigan Motor Sports Hall of Fame was to: *Preserve the history of all types of motor racing in the state of Michigan, and make this history available to the public. *Recognize and pay tribute to those citizens of Michigan who have given of themselves, whatever their roles in racing may have been. *Enshrine and acknowledge the deeds of those people that excelled in motor sports. *Have a permanent museum ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hall Of Fame
A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or museums that enshrine the honorees with sculptures, plaques, and displays of memorabilia and general information regarding the inducted recipients. Sometimes, the honorees' plaques may instead be posted on a wall (hence a "wall of fame") or inscribed on a sidewalk (as in a "walk of fame", "walk of stars", or "avenue of fame"). In other cases, the hall of fame is more figurative and consists of a list of names of noteworthy people and their achievements and contributions. The lists are maintained by an organization or community, and may be national, state, local, or private. Etymology The term "hall of fame" first appeared in German with the Ruhmeshalle (Munich), Ruhmeshalle, built in 1853 in Munich. The Walhalla (memorial), W ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ray Harroun
Ray Harroun (January 12, 1879 – January 19, 1968) was an American racecar driver and pioneering constructor most famous for winning the inaugural Indianapolis 500 in 1911. He is the inventer of the open-wheel car. Biography He was born on January 12, 1879, in Spartansburg, Pennsylvania to Russell LaFayette Harroun and Lucy A. Halliday. His father was a carpenter. Ray was their youngest child. He participated in the original setting of the land speed record driving from Chicago to New York in 1903, and the re-taking of that record in 1904. He and four others drove in shifts non-stop to establish the record of 76 hours at the end of September, 1903. That time was bested by another team nearly a year later, and in October 1904, the Columbia team re-set the record at 58 hrs, 35 min. That record stood for nearly two years. Other drivers in both years included Bert Holcomb (who was in charge of the runs), Lawrence Duffie (Demonstrator of the Gasoline Dept of Electric Vehicle Compa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kim Lahaie Richards
Kim Lahaie Richards is an American drag racer and crew chief. Biography Richards was raised in Lansing, Michigan. She is the daughter of Dick LaHaie, who started drag racing in the 1950s. Dick influenced his daughter by teaching her about the mechanical side of vehicles. While in high school, she played basketball and softball. Shortly after graduating from high school, Richards went to California and later moved back to the Midwestern United States. She had begun racing in cross-country motorbike races at the age of 14. Richards joined her brother, Jeff, in working with her father's drag team. Prior to this, she worked for a construction gang as a water truck driver. The crew won the 1987 NHRA Top-Fuel Championship. Richards was named the 1987 Top-Fuel Crew Chief of the Year. By working as her father's crew chief, Richards helped to secure top-five finishes in the Top Fuel championship between 1986 and 1990. Richards began racing in 1992. Her best result of the year occurred at ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hod Preston
Harlan "Hod" Preston (1917 – 1995) was an American automobile racer inducted into the Michigan Motor Sports Hall of Fame in 1987. In 1936, Preston started racing jalopies and gradually raced roadsters, stock cars, and midgets. Preston raced with the Hurricane Hot Rod Club from Chicago, led by Andy Granatelli; with them he raced in Cincinnati, Ohio, Springfield, Illinois, Saint Louis, Missouri; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Crown Point, Indiana, and Soldier Field in Chicago. In addition, Preston ran some outlaw races running at Dayton, Fremont, Ohio, Toledo, Ohio, Windsor, Ontario, New Castle, Indiana, Winchester, Indiana; Tampa, Florida and Orlando, Florida. In his home state of Michigan, he raced at Tuscola County Fairgrounds, Ionia Fairgrounds Speedway, Saginaw County Fairgrounds, Owosso Speedway, Whiskey Ridge Speedway, Maple Speedway in Adrian, Michigan, Jackson Motor Speedway and the Michigan State Fairgrounds Speedway and Motor City Speedway in Detroit. Preston won s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Roger Penske
Roger Searle Penske (born February 20, 1937) is an American businessman and entrepreneur involved in professional auto racing and a retired professional auto racing driver. He is most famous for his ownership of Team Penske, DJR Team Penske, the Penske Corporation, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, IndyCar, and other automotive-related businesses. ''Sports Illustrated'' named him Sports Car Club of America Driver of the Year in 1961. After retiring from driving a few years later, he created one of the most successful teams in IndyCar Series and NASCAR racing. He is the most successful owner in the Indianapolis 500 with 18 victories. He is known by his nickname of "The Captain". In addition, Penske also served as a race strategist for his IndyCar team, most recently for driver Will Power. In 2019, Penske purchased the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and NTT IndyCar Series from Hulman & Company for an undisclosed sum. Penske is a corporate director at General Electric and was chair ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Benny Parsons
Benjamin Stewart Parsons (July 12, 1941 – January 16, 2007) was an American NASCAR driver, and later an announcer/analyst/pit reporter on SETN, TBS, ABC, ESPN, NBC, and TNT. He became famous as the 1973 NASCAR Winston Cup Series champion, and was a 2017 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee. He was the older brother of former NASCAR driver, car owner, and broadcaster Phil Parsons of Phil Parsons Racing. He was nicknamed ''"BP"'' and ''The Professor'', the latter in part because of his popular remarks and relaxed demeanor. Early life Parsons was born in Wilkes County, North Carolina. He spent his childhood years in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina and played football at Millers Creek High School (now known as West Wilkes High School). Following high school, he moved to Detroit, Michigan where his father operated a taxicab company. Parsons worked at a gas station and drove cabs in Detroit before beginning his racing career. While working at the gas station one day, a couple of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Barney Oldfield
Berna Eli "Barney" Oldfield (January 29, 1878 – October 4, 1946) was an American pioneer automobile racer; his "name was synonymous with speed in the first two decades of the 20th century". After success in bicycle racing, he began auto racing in 1902 and continued until his retirement in 1918. He was the first man to drive a car at 60 miles per hour (96 km/h) on a circular track. Biography Early life Berna Eli Oldfield was born in York Township, Fulton County, Ohio, near Wauseon and Toledo, on January 29, 1878, to Henry Clay Oldfield, a laborer, and his wife Sarah. He was named after his father's bunkmate in the 68th Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the American Civil War. He had a sister Bertha. As of the 1880 United States Census, the Oldfields lived in Wauseon. In 1889 they moved to Toledo, where the father Henry got a job at the state mental asylum. In the summer of 1891, Berna worked as a waterboy in order to purchase his first bicycle. According to legend, he ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shirley Muldowney
Shirley Muldowney (born June 19, 1940), also known professionally as "Cha Cha" and the "First Lady of Drag Racing", is an American auto racer. She was the first woman to receive a license from the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) to drive a Top Fuel dragster. She won the NHRA Top Fuel championship in 1977, 1980, and 1982, becoming the first person to win two and three Top Fuel titles. She won a total of 18 NHRA national events. Racing career Born Shirley Ann Roque in Burlington, Vermont, on June 19, 1940, Muldowney began street racing in the 1950s in Schenectady, New York. "School had no appeal to me. All I wanted was to race up and down the streets in a hot rod," declared Muldowney. When she was 16, she married 19-year-old Jack Muldowney, who built her first dragster. It was Jack Muldowney who first taught me how to drive a car. Jack was the mechanic. He was the guy who tuned the cars that let the girl beat all the boys. I was a kid from upstate New York with no guidance, n ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Harry Melling (NASCAR)
Harry Melling (June 13, 1945 – May 29, 1999) was the team owner of Melling Racing, which won the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship with Bill Elliott. Background Melling graduated from Ferris State University. Melling succeeded his father Benjamin as President of The Melling Tool Company in 1975. Melling Tool is a maker of automotive products. Melling also owned Treetops Sylvan Resort in Gaylord, Michigan, turning a small local ski hill into a national skiing and golfing destination. NASCAR team owner Melling's first involvement in NASCAR began in 1979 as a primary sponsor for Benny Parsons. Melling Racing won the NASCAR Winston Cup points championship with Bill Elliott. Death Melling died of a heart attack at his golf course in Gaylord, Michigan, two weeks before his 54th birthday. At the Michigan race two weeks later, which is usually the team's homecoming, the team raced a red and white Cartoon Network (the sponsor in the 1999 season) with the team's driv ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frank Luptow
Frank Luptow (born Frank Lueptow) (1914-1952) was an American racing driver. He competed in International Motor Contest Association (IMCA) big cars (now sprint cars) and NASCAR stock cars. He won the 1949, 1950, and 1951 IMCA big car championships. Background Luptow was born at Markesan, Wisconsin to Frank and Ida Lueptow in 1914 with Dutch heritage. He later dropped the "E" from his last name. Racing career Luptow moved to Detroit, Michigan and won in his first race at Jackson. He raced in several Central States Racing Association (CSRA) races before World War II. During the war, he was a test driver for tanks. After his discharge from the military, he moved back to Detroit and worked for a tank manufacturer. In August 1946, Luptow won his first "big car" (now sprint car) feature at an IMCA event at Davenport Speedway. In 1947, he had 2 Top Ten IMCA finishes at the Iowa State Fairgrounds and finished 20th in season points. Luptow won 1948 IMCA races at Lebanon, Ohio, Eldon, Iow ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scott Kalitta
Scott D. Kalitta (February 18, 1962 – June 21, 2008) was an American drag racer who competed in the Funny Car and Top Fuel classes in the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. He was killed at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, after an accident during qualifying. He had 17 career Top Fuel wins and one career Funny Car win, and at his death he was one of 14 drivers to win in both divisions. Kalitta was the son of veteran NHRA driver and crew chief and airline CEO (Kalitta Air) Connie Kalitta, and cousin of teammate Doug Kalitta. Personal life He made his home in Snead Island, Florida, with wife, Kathy (married 11/1990) and two sons, Colin and Corey. He was a native of Ypsilanti, Michigan.NHRA's Scott Kalitta killed in crash The Associated Press via ''The |
Doug Kalitta
Doug Kalitta (born August 20, 1964) is an American auto racing driver from Ypsilanti, Michigan and owner of airline Kalitta Charters. He started racing in open wheel cars on an oval. Kalitta won the 1994 USAC Midget rookie of the year title and the 1994 USAC Sprint car championship. He moved to drag racing in 1998 and, as of 2020, has been NHRA Top Fuel Championship runner-up a total of six times. Open wheel oval racing Kalitta formerly raced in USAC events. He was the 1991 USAC rookie of the year in the midget series, and won the 1994 championship in the sprint car category. Kalitta won 21 USAC events: 14 in midget races and 7 in sprint competitions. Drag racing In 1998 he joined the NHRA, becoming a top fuel drag racer. Kalitta finished second in the top fuel points race in 2003, 2004, 2006, 2016 and 2019. He is fifth on the all-time top fuel wins list; the most recent of his 49 victories (Kalitta also has 105 career final round appearances) came in winning at the Midwest Nati ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
