Richard Ernest Evans (July 23, 1941Bourcier, Bones, "61 at 61", ''Speedway Illustrated'' (ISSN 1528-4182), Volume 3, Number 8, August 2002. – October 24, 1985), was an American

racing driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...

who won nine

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...

National Modified Championships, including eight in a row from 1978 to 1985. The

International Motorsports Hall of Fame The International Motorsports Hall of Fame (IMHOF) is a hall of fame located adjacent to the Talladega Superspeedway (formerly Alabama International Motor Speedway) located in Talladega County, east central Alabama. It enshrines those who have c ...

lists this achievement as "one of the supreme accomplishments in motorsports".International Motorsports Hall of Fame website, last verified September 17, 2007. Evans won virtually every major race for asphalt modifieds, most of them more than once, including winning the Race of Champions three times. Evans was elected to the

NASCAR Hall of Fame The NASCAR Hall of Fame, located in Charlotte, North Carolina, honors drivers who have shown expert skill at NASCAR driving, all-time great crew chiefs and owners, broadcasters and other major contributors to competition within the sanctioning ...

on June 14, 2011. As one of the Class of 2012, Evans is one of the Hall's first 15 inductees, and is the first Hall of Famer from outside the now NASCAR Cup Series.

Early career

Evans left his family's farm in

Westernville, New York Westernville, New York is a hamlet (and census-designated place) in Oneida County, located west of Adirondack Park and north of Rome, and Utica. Westernville is in the Town of Western, adjacent to Delta Reservoir and Delta Lake State Park. H ...

at age 16RICHIE EVANS, Modified Stock Car Racing Legend
Retrieved 2014-09-07. to work at a local garage in

Rome, New York Rome is a city in Oneida County, New York, United States, located in the Central New York, central part of the state. The population was 32,127 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Rome is one of two principal cities in the Utica–Ro ...

. After he found early success in street racing, then became a winner in drag racing, an associate suggested he try building a car to race at the nearby Utica-Rome Speedway. He ran his first oval-track car, a 1954

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

Hobby Stock numbered PT-109 (after

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

's torpedo boat in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

), in 1962. He advanced to the Modifieds, the premier division, in 1965, winning his first feature in the season's final night.Bourcier, Bones. ''RICHIE!: The Fast Life and Times of NASCAR's Greatest Modified Driver'' (1st ed., 2004). Newburyport, Massachusetts, USA: Coastal 181. .

National championships

In 1973, Evans became the NASCAR National Modified Champion. In 1978, the "Rapid Roman" won a second title and did not relinquish his crown during the next seven years. Evans took over four hundred feature race wins at racetracks from Quebec to Florida before he was killed in a crash at

Martinsville Speedway Martinsville Speedway is a NASCAR-owned stock car racing short track in Ridgeway, Virginia, just south of Martinsville. At in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved oval tracks in s ...

while practicing for the Winn-Dixie 500 tripleheader in late 1985 (three races in one day—a 200-lap Modified race, a 200-lap Busch Series race, and a 100-lap Late Model race). Before his fatal crash, Evans had clinched NASCAR's inaugural Winston Modified Tour (now known as

Whelen Modified Tour The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour (NWMT) (previously the NASCAR Winston Modified Tour and NASCAR Featherlite Modified Series from 1985 until 2005) is a modified stock car racing series owned and operated by NASCAR in the Modified Division. The Mod ...

) championship.

Regional championships

In 1982, NASCAR created the

Whelen All-American Series The NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series (formerly the Whelen All-American Series, Winston Racing Series and the Dodge Weekly Series) is a points championship for NASCAR sanctioned local short track motor racing around the United States and Ca ...

, then known as the Winston Racing Series, to reward successful short-track racers and to provide incentives for them to support their local weekly short tracks, known now as

NASCAR Home Tracks NASCAR Roots is a group of regional stock car racing divisions and race tracks running on a weekly basis sanctioned by NASCAR. History Known as NASCAR Home Tracks until 2019, the organization rebranded as NASCAR Roots after the 2019 season while ...

. A region-based series when Evans competed (now an international series, based on individual state and provincial champions), Evans won the Northeast Region championship all four years that he competed in it, from 1982 through 1985, but did not win the national championship.Schaefer, Paul. ''Where Stars Are Born: Celebrating 25 Years of NASCAR Weekly Racing''. Coastal 181, Newburyport, Massachusetts, USA, 2006. pp. 8, 14–15, 20–22, 27–28.

Fatal crash and legacy

On October 24, 1985, Evans, who had clinched the 1985 National Modified title the week before at Thompson, was practicing for the Winn-Dixie 500 Modified Feature at

Martinsville, Virginia Martinsville is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,485. A community of both Southside and Southwest Virginia, it is the county seat of Henry County, although ...

(the races featured 200-lap Modified and Busch Grand National, and a 100-lap Late Model feature), when he crashed heavily in turn 3. The 44-year-old perished in the accident. The racing world was devastated by the loss of Richie, but his devoted fans have done much to keep his memory alive. Years later other deaths came in the Whelen Modifieds including Charlie Jarzombek at Martinsville in 1987, Corky Cookman at Thompson in 1987, Don Pratt at the Pocono R.o.C. in 1989 and Tony Jankowiak at Stafford in 1990, occasional competitor and two-time defending track champion Tommy Druar in a Lancaster event in 1989, Tom Baldwin, Sr. at Thompson in 2004, and John Blewett III at Thompson in 2007. As a result, officials made more safety features. Evans' crash, along with other fatal crashes in the late 1980s, led to questions about excessive frame rigidity of the Tour Modifieds, and safety changes resulted. In particular, straight frame rails were phased out, with new chassis required to have a step-up which could bend in hard impacts rather than transmitting all its impact force to the driver. Though not recognized at the time, many racing safety experts have concluded that Evans' death resulted from the same type of "head-whip" injury and resultant

Basilar skull fracture A basilar skull fracture is a break of a bone in the base of the skull. Symptoms may include bruising behind the ears, bruising around the eyes, or blood behind the ear drum. A cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak occurs in about 20% of cases and ...

, which also claimed the life of

Dale Earnhardt Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr. (; April 29, 1951February 18, 2001) was an American professional stock car driver and team owner, who raced from 1975 to 2001 in the former NASCAR Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Series), most notably dri ...

in 2001. Evans was the father of six children: Jodi Lynn (Evans) Meola, Janelle Ralaine (Evans) Walda, Jill Ann Evans, Jacqueline Marie (Evans) Williams, Richard Edwin Evans (who has raced under the moniker "Richie Evans Jr.") and Tara Denise (Evans) Farrell. Evans' signature orange Modified paint scheme (GMC truck color Omaha Orange; black numbers with white shading) was replicated in 2003 on a

Busch Series The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...

car driven by New Jersey native

Martin Truex Jr. Martin Lee Truex Jr. (born June 29, 1980) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 19 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing. He is the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Serie ...

in his first year on the series driving for

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr. (born October 10, 1974) is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver, team owner, author, and an analyst for ''NASCAR on NBC''. He currently competes part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving t ...

's Chance 2 Motorsports.

Steve Park Stephen Park (born August 23, 1967) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He won races in NASCAR's two top Northeast touring series ( Modified and K&N East) and all three national divisions (Truck, Busch, Cup Series). Park ...

also ran a Richie Evans tribute paint scheme for Tommy Baldwin Racing's No. 36 entry at the 2010

Coke Zero 400 The Coke Zero Sugar 400 is an annual NASCAR Cup Series stock car race at Daytona International Speedway. First held in 1959, the event consists of 160 laps, , and is the second of two major stock car events held at Daytona on the Cup Series c ...

at Daytona. It was heard during the draw for an

IROC International Race of Champions (IROC) was a North American auto racing competition, created by Les Richter, Roger Penske and Mike Phelps, promoted as an equivalent of an American motorsports All-Star Game. Despite its name, the IROC was primar ...

race a few years back that they called the color of one of the cars "Evans Orange." That car carried a small "61" on the bumper cover in the same font used on Richie's last race cars. Ray Evernham Jr. raced against Richie in the Modifieds and also wrote the foreword in the "Richie! The Richie Evans Story" by Bones Bourcier; he also worked on them at the IROC shops in his native

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

and was involved with that aspect. John Bisci's input: "GM Omaha Orange matches his early coupes. Yes, people say it's Dupont Swamp Holly Orange but it's hard to find. When Richie built his last coupes and first Pintos, he switched to Ford Grabber Orange. Also, you have to watch what you use as a primer underneath – it bleeds through the orange or tints it. Never use gray primer under the orange! Richie used red oxide primer which would tint the oranges a little darker...." On June 14, 2011, Evans was elected to the

. He is the first driver who competed primarily in Modified-type cars to be elected to the HOF. On January 20, 2012, Evans was inducted into the NASCAR Hall Of Fame, during which Darrell Waltrip said to the Evans family amidst his acceptance speech: "You know, Richie Evans, I want to congratulate the Richie Evans family; great job tonight. I watched Richie win race after race after race at Martinsville, and in my world is what I call a wheel man, and Richie Evans was the best wheel man I ever saw when he raced at Martinsville."

Awards and honors

Track championships

''(30 championships at 11 tracks in 4 states. All were in the Modified division on paved tracks.)'' *

Thompson Speedway Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park (TSMP), formerly Thompson Speedway and Thompson International Speedway, is a motorsports park in Thompson, Connecticut, featuring a asphalt oval racetrack and a road racing course. Once known as the "Indianapo ...

(Thompson, CT): 5 (1980–81, 1983–1985) *

Utica-Rome Speedway Utica-Rome Speedway is a -mile Dirt track racing, dirt Oval racing, oval Stock car racing, raceway in Vernon, New York, Vernon, New York (state), New York. It is known as the “Home of Heroes” and has been the home track of several NASCAR nation ...

(Vernon, NY): 4 (1972–74, 1978) * Holland Speedway (Holland, NY): 4 (1978–80, 1982) * Spencer Speedway (Williamson, NY): 4 (1977–78, 1983, 1985) *

Fulton Speedway Fulton Speedway is a 3/8th mile high bank Dirt track racing, dirt Oval racing, oval Stock car racing, raceway in Fulton, Oswego County, New York, Volney, New York (state), New York. The track was built into a hilly area on the banks of the Oswego R ...

(Fulton, NY): 3 (1970–71, 1974) *

Shangri-La Speedway Shangri-La Speedway was a Oval track, speedway in Owego (town), New York, Owego, New York (state), New York. It was a half-mile (0.8 km) oval race track facility. Over a span of fifty years, Shangri-La hosted automobile races of various kind ...

(Owego, NY): 3 (1975, 1977, 1982) *

New Egypt Speedway New Egypt Speedway is a 7/16 mile clay race track in New Egypt, New Jersey. The track hosted the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour on a quarter mile asphalt track in the 1980s. History The track was built in 1946 as a 1/4 mile dirt track, before being ...

(New Egypt, NJ): 2 (1979, 1982) *

Stafford Speedway Stafford Motor Speedway is a semi-banked 1/2 mile paved oval located in Stafford Springs, Connecticut. Stafford Speedway holds weekly racing every Friday night May through September. This track is known as the home of the SK Modifieds and driv ...

(Stafford Springs, CT): 2 (1980–81) *

Chemung Speedrome The Chemung Speedrome is a 3/8 mile asphalt race track in Chemung, New York, USA. Built in 1951 by the Bodine family (becoming the home track of Geoff Bodine, Brett Bodine and Todd Bodine), the track was first dirt-surfaced, then paved. It was ...

(Chemung, NY): 1 (1978) *

Oswego Speedway The Oswego Speedway is a 5/8 mile race track in Oswego, New York. It was built in 1951 and was paved with asphalt since the 1952. The track has held dates on several national tours - the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, American Speed Association, A ...

(Oswego, NY): 1 (1983) * Riverside Park Speedway (Agawam, MA): 1 (1980)

Other acknowledgements

* NASCAR Connecticut State Champion (1980–1981) * NASCAR Winston Racing Series Northeast Region Champion (1982–1985) * New Smyrna World Series of Racing Modified Champion (1977, 1979–1981, 1983–1984) * 2-time Daytona International Speedway Modified Race winner (1979–1980) * 3-time Modified Race of Champions winner :1973 – Trenton (NJ) Speedway (1.50 mile track) :1979 – Pocono (PA) Raceway (2.50 mile track) :1980 – Pocono (PA) Raceway (0.75 mile track)

Feature race victories

''(481 feature wins known in Modifieds and 2 in other divisions, at 40 tracks in 14 states and provinces. One track with incomplete records has none of Evans' wins there included.)'' *

(Owego, NY): 66 (1972–85) * Spencer Speedway (Williamson, NY): 49 (1969–85) *

(Fulton, NY): 42 (1968–77), and 1 Limited Sportsman win (1970)Bisci, John. ''Remembering'', 2 October 2002 edition, covering weekend of September 11–12, 1970. *

New Smyrna Speedway New Smyrna Speedway is a 1/2-mile asphalt oval racetrack located near New Smyrna Beach, Florida, that races the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series every Saturday night. It also has a smaller track, known as "Little New Smyrna Speedway" in t ...

(New Smyrna Beach, FL): 39 (1976–85) *

Stafford Motor Speedway Stafford Motor Speedway is a semi-banked 1/2 mile paved oval located in Stafford Springs, Connecticut. Stafford Speedway holds weekly racing every Friday night May through September. This track is known as the home of the SK Modifieds and driv ...

(Stafford Springs, CT): 38 (1975–85) *

(Vernon, NY): 33 (1965–78) * Riverside Park Speedway (Agawam, MA): 32 (1978–84) *

(Thompson, CT): 32 (1975–85), and 1 Supermodified win *

(New Egypt, NJ): 23 (1976, 1978–1980, 1982–85) * Lancaster Speedway (Lancaster, NY): 22 (1969–76) *

Albany-Saratoga Speedway Albany-Saratoga Speedway is a 0.36-mile dirt oval on U.S. Route 9 in Malta, New York. The track features racing on Friday nights, with five different weekly racing divisions, including DIRTcar modifieds, DIRTcar sportsman, limited sportsman, pro ...

(Malta, NY): 17 (1970–76) *

Islip Speedway Islip Speedway was a .2-mile (320-meter) oval race track in Islip, New York which was open from 1947 until 1984. It is the smallest track to host NASCAR's Grand National Series, from 1964 to 1971. The first demolition derby took place at Islip ...

(Islip, NY): 17 (1970–83) *

(Oswego, NY): 13 (1972–85) * Holland Speedway (Holland, NY): 11 (1977–85) *

(Martinsville, VA): 10 (1973–1983) *

Monadnock Speedway Monadnock Speedway is a paved oval race track in Winchester, New Hampshire. Located south of Keene, the track is nestled between New Hampshire Route 10 and the Ashuelot River. The track hosts various races for regional touring series, includin ...

(Winchester, NH): 3 (1978–81) *

Pocono Raceway Pocono Raceway (formerly Pocono International Raceway), also known as ''The Tricky Triangle'', is a superspeedway located in the Pocono Mountains in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. It is the site of three NASCAR national series races and an ARCA M ...

(Pocono, PA): 3 (1979 on 2.5-mile superspeedway, 1972 and 1980 on 3/4-mile oval) *

Bowman Gray Stadium Bowman Gray Stadium is a NASCAR sanctioned asphalt flat oval short track and longstanding football stadium located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It is one of stock car racing's most legendary venues, and is referred to as "NASCAR's longes ...

(Winston-Salem, NC): 2 (1979–80) *

Caraway Speedway Caraway Speedway is a short track located near Asheboro, North Carolina, U.S. Caraway Speedway was built in 1966 as a dirt track. The track was paved in 1972 and joined the NASCAR Weekly Series family as a .455 mile asphalt short track. Caraway ...

(Asheboro, NC): 2 (1973, 1979) *

(Chemung, NY): 2 (1978) *

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 NA ...

(Daytona Beach, FL): 2 (1979–80) * Freeport Stadium (Freeport, NY): 2 (1972, 1976) *

Hickory Speedway Hickory Motor Speedway is a short track located in Hickory, North Carolina. It is one of stock car racing's most storied venues, and is often referred to as the "World's Most Famous Short Track" and the "Birthplace of the NASCAR Stars". The tr ...

(Hickory, NC): 2 (1978–79) *

Oxford Plains Speedway Oxford Plains Speedway is a 3/8 mile racetrack located in Oxford, Maine. Established in 1950, the track was originally a half mile before being shortened to a 3/8 mile track. With 14,000 seats, the speedway has the largest seating capacity of ...

(Oxford Plains, ME): 2 (1982, 1985) *

Seekonk Speedway Seekonk Speedway is a family entertainment venue that features racing of all kinds on a semi-banked 1/3 mile asphalt-paved oval, located on U.S. Route 6 in Seekonk, Massachusetts. The track holds the distinction of being the longest continually ...

(Seekonk, MA): 2 (1979, 1983) * Trenton Fairgrounds Speedway (Trenton, NJ): 2 (1973, 1978) * Catamount Stadium (Milton, VT): 1 (1970) * Plattsburgh Speedway (Plattsburgh, NY): 1 (1971) * Devil's Bowl Speedway (West Haven, VT): 1 (1971) * Twin State Speedway (Claremont, NH): 1 (1985) * Deux Montagnes Speedway (St. Eustache, Quebec, Canada): 1 (1979) * Evans Mills Speedway (Evans Mills, NY): 1 (1970) *

Franklin County Speedway Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral div ...

(Calloway, VA): 1 (1979) *

Kingsport Speedway Kingsport is a city in Sullivan County, Tennessee, Sullivan and Hawkins County, Tennessee, Hawkins counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, its population was 55,442. Lying along the Holston Ri ...

(Kingsport, TN): 1 (1979) * Metrolina Speedway (Charlotte, NC): 1 (1974) *

Riverhead Raceway Riverhead Raceway is a quarter-mile (402 m) oval race track with a Figure 8 course, located in Riverhead, New York. It is the only auto racing venue on Long Island since Westhampton Raceway closed down in 2003. It started being built in 1949 a ...

(Riverhead, NY): 1 (1985) * Star Speedway (Epping, NH): 1 (1979) *

Wall Stadium Wall Stadium (also known briefly as Wall Township Speedway) is a 1/4-mile (0.25 miles inside measurement and 0.29 miles outside by the guardrail), high banked (30° in corners) paved oval track in Wall Township, New Jersey, United States. The track ...

(Wall Township, NJ): 1 (1971) *

Weedsport Speedway Weedsport Speedway, formerly known as Cayuga County Fair Speedway, is a 3/8 mile oval dirt racetrack located on the Cayuga County Fairgrounds in Weedsport, New York. Auto racing In the early 1950s Stanley Dudzinski carved a one-third mile oval int ...

(Weedsport, NY): 1 (1971, Evans' only win on dirt) *

Capital City Speedway Capital City Speedway was a racetrack in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, located southwest of Stittsville, Ontario. The Speedway included a dragstrip and a 3/8th mile oval, and ran five different series including the 4 For Fun class, Mini Stock Class, Th ...

(Stittsville, Ontario, Canada): multiple wins ''(records incomplete, none included in total)''

Recognition

* Named No. 1 on NASCAR's Modified all-time Top 10 list (2003) * Only retired number in NASCAR in any series – No. 61 on the

(Unofficial). * As part of NASCAR's 50th Anniversary celebration in 1998, Evans was named one of

NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers is an alphabetical list of NASCAR drivers. In 1998, as part of its 50th anniversary celebration, NASCAR gathered a panel to select the "50 Greatest NASCAR Drivers of All Time." It was inspired in part by the NBA's dec ...

of All Time. * Selected by fans as NASCAR Modifieds' Most Popular Driver nine times *

(1996) * National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) Hall of Fame (1986) * New York State Stock Car Association Hall of Fame *

New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame The New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame is a hall of fame for racing-related people in the New England region of the United States. NEAR was established in 1981. The New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame was established in 1998 by the New Englan ...

inaugural 1998 class * FOAR SCORE Hall of Fame: 1986 – inaugural classHall of Fame page of FOAR Score (Friends of Auto Racing) website , retrieved 16 April 2007. * Oswego Speedway Hall of Fame (2000) * As part of the 25th anniversary of the NASCAR Weekly Series in 2006, Evans was named one of the series' All Time Top 25 drivers.Schaefer, Paul. ''Where Stars Are Born: Celebrating 25 Years of NASCAR Weekly Racing''. Coastal 181, Newburyport, Massachusetts, USA, 2006. pp. 163–170. * Nominated in the class of 2010 as one of the potential 5 inaugural inductees to the NASCAR Hall of Fame, July 2, 2009. * Evans' No. 61 was retired at his home track – Utica-Rome Speedway in Vernon, New York in 2008. * Nominated in the class of 2011 as one of the potential 5 inductees of 2011 to the NASCAR Hall of Fame, July 1, 2010. * In the 1985 IROC Series, every orange car featured a '61' on the rear fender to honor Evans and his orange No. 61 car. * Elected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame on June 14, 2011 with Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip, Dale Inman and Glen Wood. * Inducted to the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, NC on January 20, 2012.

Motorsports career results

NASCAR

(

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. ''Italics'' – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Whelen Modified Tour

References

External links

*
NASCAR.com profile

{{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, Richie 1941 births 1985 deaths Burials in New York (state) International Motorsports Hall of Fame inductees NASCAR drivers Sportspeople from Utica, New York Racing drivers from New York (state) Racing drivers who died while racing Sports deaths in Virginia People from Westernville, New York Sportspeople from Rome, New York NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees