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NASCAR: North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame Honors A Few Good Men

9 March 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

MOORESVILLE, N.C.-- The North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame will honor three of racing's leaders at its fourth annual induction ceremony May 25, 2000, at the Charlotte (N.C.) Convention Center.

Bill France Sr., founder and long-time president of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) and Junior Johnson, celebrated NASCAR driver and car owner, will be honored as the Hall of Fame's newest inductees. Crew chief Dale Inman will receive the first SNAP-ON Golden Wrench award for his contributions to the sport.

"All three men brought something different to the sport," said Don Miller, co-founder and chairman of the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame. "Bill had a vision to create the NASCAR phenomena that we enjoy today and there are only a few guys who could drive a car like Junior -- he drove every lap like it was the last. As a crew chief, Dale played a pivotal role in the success of so many drivers."

Known as "Big Bill," France formed the stock car racing sanctioning body in December 1947 and ran the organization until 1972 when he turned it over to his son, Bill France Jr. During his tenure, he built Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. The 2.5-mile superspeedway opened in 1959 and is home to what many in the racing industry consider to be the Super Bowl of racing -- the Daytona 500. He remained active in NASCAR until his death in 1992.

Johnson, one of the early NASCAR drivers, began his career in 1953 and earned a total of 50 NASCAR Winston Cup Series wins during his career as a driver. He is ranked eighth on NASCAR's all-time list of pole positions won with 47. He also had success as a car owner. With drivers like Cale Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip, he recorded 119 race wins and six series championships.

As a crew chief, Inman was behind 92 of Richard Petty's 200 Winston Cup victories. He will be the recipient of the first SNAP-ON Golden Wrench award.

Located in Mooresville, the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame celebrates the rich heritage of motor sports and its cultural contributions to society. It opened its doors to race fans in 1993 and now welcomes more than 150,000 visitors annually. More than 25,000 fans visited during Charlotte's speedweeks in May 1999.

"It is the mission of the museum to promote and preserve our auto racing heritage," Miller said.

A nonprofit museum, the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame is dedicated to all types of racing -- from drag racing to NASCAR. It houses more than 35 cars as well as numerous displays and showcases. Past inductees into the museum's Hall of Fame include Tim Flock (1999), Bobby Allison (1998), and Richard Petty (1997). For more information about the museum, log on to its web site at www.ncarhof.com.

Text provided by NCarhof

Editors Note: To view hundreds of hot racing photos and art, visit The Racing Photo Museum and the Visions of Speed Art Gallery.