The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) is hall of fame that honors motorsports competitors and contributors from the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

from all disciplines, with categories for

Open Wheel An open-wheel single-seater (often known as formula car) is a car with the wheels outside the car's main body, and usually having only one seat. Open-wheel cars contrast with street cars, sports cars, stock cars, and touring cars, which have thei ...

Stock Cars Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately . It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It ori ...

, Powerboats, Drag Racing,

Motorcycles A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

Sports Cars A sports car is a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1900s and are currently produced by ...

Aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot a ...

, At Large and Historic. Periodic recognition is given to specialty categories including Off Road, Speed Records, Business and Technology. Its annual Induction Ceremony is attended by notables throughout the motorsports community and is reported on widely.

History

The MSHFA was incorporated in 1986 as an IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization by civic leaders of the City of Novi, Michigan, led by Founding Chairman Larry G. Ciancio. Its inaugural Induction Ceremony was held in 1989. Ron Watson was its founding President and continued to serve in that capacity until his untimely death in October 2019. He was succeeded as president at his request by noted motorsports author and historian and longtime MSHFA board member George Levy. The mission of the MSHFA is to “further the American core values of leadership, creativity, originality, teamwork and spirit of competition embodied in motorsports.” The MSHFA is operated by the nonprofit Motorsports Museum and Hall of Fame of America Foundation Inc.

Induction

Induction process

Eligibility for induction is extended to "any person who has driven, piloted, owned, designed, built, supported, maintained, prepared or promoted motorized vehicles in pursuit of speed, distance or other records." An inductee must either be retired for at least three years, or engaged in the top level for their area of motorsports for at least 20 years. Induction is limited to United States citizens, or non-citizens who have recorded significant motorsports achievements in the U.S. Induction is decided by a straight vote among 200 racing experts: historians, experienced journalists, category experts and existing inductees. The voting process is overseen by certified accountants. Every year there are two rounds of voting. The first is conducted among a 100-voter nominating committee to determine the six finalists in each category. The second, open to all 200 voters, decides that year's inductee in each category. Each inductee receives the Hall of Fame's prestigious “Horsepower” award — an original bronze statuette by renowned Ann Arbor, Michigan sculptor Michael Curtis. Curtis sculptures have been presented both to and by United States Presidents . The inaugural Motorsports Hall of Fame of America class in 1989 featured Cannon Ball Baker (Motorcycles), James Doolittle (Aviation),

A. J. Foyt Anthony Joseph Foyt Jr. (born January 16, 1935) is an American retired auto racing driver who has raced in numerous genres of motorsports. His open wheel racing includes United States Automobile Club Champ cars, sprint cars, and midget cars. H ...

(Open Wheel), Don Garlits (Drag Racing), Phil Hill (Sports Cars), Bill Muncey (Powerboats),

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 ...

(Historic) and Richard Petty (Stock Cars).

Induction ceremony

The annual Induction Ceremony is the MSHFA's premier event and takes place every March in Daytona Beach, Florida. The event incorporates motorsports legends past and present, just as it features new inductees on the main stage. Traditionally, each inductee is presented for induction by another prominent figure in the motorsports community. In 2019, multi-time champions

Jimmie Johnson Jimmie Kenneth Johnson (born September 17, 1975) is an American professional auto racing driver. A seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, he competes part-time in the series driving for Petty GMS Motorsports. Johnson's seven Cup championships, ...

, Jack Beckman, Don Prudhomme and Scott Dixon, Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Doug Boles, former American Suzuki Vice President Mel Harris and automotive designer Peter Brock took the stage and presented

Tony Stewart Anthony Wayne Stewart (born May 20, 1971), nicknamed Smoke, is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver, current NASCAR team co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, and current co-owner of the Superstar Racing Experience. He is ...

, Don Schumacher, Linda Vaughn, Dario Franchitti, Augie Duesenberg,

Kevin Schwantz Kevin Schwantz (born June 19, 1964) is an American former professional motorcycle road racer. He was the world champion of the 1993 FIM Road Racing World Championship. Early life Schwantz, whose parents owned a motorcycle shop, learned to ride ...

and

Phil Remington Phil Remington (January 22, 1921 – February 9, 2013) was an American motorsports engineer. Early life Remington was born in Santa Monica, California and was a pre-engineering student at Santa Monica Junior College. He initially was a component ...

respectively for induction at the black-tie ceremony. The Class of 2020 includes

Red Byron Robert Nold "Red" Byron (March 12, 1915 – November 11, 1960) was an American stock car racing driver, who was successful in NASCAR competition in the sanctioning body's first years. He was NASCAR's first Modified champion (and its first c ...

(Historic), Chris Carr (Motorcycles),

Floyd Clymer Floyd Clymer (26 October 1895 in Indianapolis – 22 January 1970 in Los Angeles), a pioneer in the sport of motorcycling, was a racer, a motorcycle dealer and distributor, a magazine publisher, a racing promoter, an author, and a motorcycle ma ...

(At Large), Wally Dallenbach (Open Wheel),

Rick Hendrick Joseph Riddick "Rick" Hendrick III (born July 12, 1949), nicknamed "Mr. H", is an American businessman. He is best known as the owner of the NASCAR team Hendrick Motorsports. He is also a co-owner of JR Motorsports and founder of the Hendrick Au ...

(Stock Cars),

Jacky Ickx Jacques Bernard "Jacky" Ickx (; born 1 January 1945) is a Belgian former racing driver who won the 24 Hours of Le Mans six times (second-highest of all time) and achieved eight wins and 25 podium finishes in Formula One. He greatly contributed ...

(Sports Cars),

Tiny Lund DeWayne Louis "Tiny" Lund (November 14, 1929 – August 17, 1975) was an American stock car racer. He was a journeyman racer-for-hire in the top level NASCAR Grand National Series, running partial seasons for a number of years, including a vict ...

(Historic), “Ohio George” Montgomery (Drag Racing) and Ivan “Ironman” Stewart (Off-Road). The two-day induction experience includes several other events as well, including the Heroes of Horsepower reception held in the MSHFA museum the night before the black-tie ceremony at which the new inductees unveil their permanent Hall of Fame sculptures. Additionally, the Heritage Luncheon spotlights the induction of the honorees in the Historic category. The Inductee Breakfast allows the incoming class and returning Hall of Famers to open up in a lively Q&A session. Admission to all events event is open to the public via tickets purchased in advance.

Museum

The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America museum on the grounds of

Daytona International Speedway Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, the most prestigious race in NASCAR as well as its season opening event. In addition to NASC ...

welcomes more than 100,000 visitors per year. The museum was originally located in Novi, MI, birthplace of the famous Novi Special

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...

racecars. It later moved to the Detroit Science Center before relocating to Daytona Beach. The museum is housed within the Ticket and Tours Building at Daytona International Speedway. Admission is open daily as part of regular speedway tours. On display are vehicles and artifacts related to the Hall of Fame's inductees and achievements. Examples include historic racing vehicles, memorabilia, informational displays and plaques honoring the MSHFA's more than 260 inductees. There are also two movie theaters featuring motorsports content.

Research

The MSHFA also serves as a research organization, with a network of experts on motorsports topics. It fields a broad range of questions on motorsports topics from journalists, historians, researchers and individuals.

Reception

The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America's Induction Ceremony has been attended by major names in the motorsports world throughout its history. Recent Honorary chairmen have included Formula 1 CEO Chase Carey, 1978 Formula 1 World Champion

Mario Andretti Mario Gabriele Andretti (born February 28, 1940) is an Italian-born American former racing driver. One of the most successful drivers in the history of motorsports, Andretti is one of only two drivers to have won races in Formula One, IndyCar, t ...

and 2004 NASCAR Cup Series Champion Kurt Busch. ''Autoweek'' said of the 2019 induction, “Emceed by the best in the business, broadcaster, former driver and 2009 inductee David Hobbs... it was arguably the smoothest, best-run ceremony in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America’s history.” The announcements of each new class of inductees are covered by TV outlets, magazines and websites, including ''

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). Th ...

'', ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

'', '' INDYCAR'', '' Autoweek'', and '' Racer''. Other publications such as '' Autocar'' and ''

Car and Driver ''Car and Driver'' (''CD'' or ''C/D'') is an American automotive enthusiast magazine. In 2006 its total circulation was 1.23 million. It is owned by Hearst Magazines, who purchased prior owner Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. in 2011. It was f ...

'' have lauded the museum and its exhibits as an enthusiast destination.

Inductees

+ Person inducted under special rule. Usually, an inductee must have been retired for at least three years in their field. However, inductees may also have been engaged at the top level of his or her area of motorsports for at least 20 years, and if that is the case, the retirement rule is waived. * Terry Vance and Byron Hines were inducted together as "Vance & Hines."

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Automobile museums in Florida Halls of fame in Florida Auto racing museums and halls of fame Motorsport in Daytona Beach, Florida Museums in Daytona Beach, Florida Former buildings and structures in Michigan Museums established in 1986 1986 establishments in Michigan