Motorsports Hall of Fame Announces 1998 Inductees
30 January 1998
Motorsports Hall of Fame Announces 1998 InducteesNOVI, Mich., Jan. 30 -- Ten new Heroes of Horsepower have been elected to join the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. The tenth annual class of inductees is as follows: 4-time Indy 500 winner Rick Mears (Open Wheel), pioneer NASCAR driver Buck Baker (Stock Cars), drag racing driver, builder and owner "Dyno" Don Nicholson (Drag Racing), the late CanAm and Formula One champ Denis Hulme (Sports Cars), the late air racer and experimental test pilot Steve Wittman (Air Racing), the late Mercury outboard builder and industrialist Carl Kiekhaefer (Powerboats), 4-time AMA Grand National Champion Carroll Resweber (Motorcycles), the late Indy car crew chief Clint Brawner (At-Large) and a pair of legendary Indy car drivers, Tommy Milton and Jimmy Murphy (Historic). These ten new inductees will raise the total Hall of Fame membership to 94 from a total of nine different categories. The categories of eligibility are: Open Wheel Racing, Stock Cars, Drag Racing, Sports Cars, Motorcycles, Powerboats, Air Racing, Historic (pre WWI), as well as an At-Large category that includes both drivers and non-drivers. Eligibility for induction into the Hall of Fame 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; or in racing, endurance, or other competition. An inductee must have been retired for at least three years or must have been engaged at the top level of his or her area of motorsports for at least 20 years. A panel of historians, retired competitors, journalists, and prior inductees voted for the final selections. The Tenth Annual Induction Ceremony will take place in Detroit, MI on Wednesday, June 3, 1998 at Detroit's historic State Theatre. Also located at the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America is a 10,000 square foot museum housing numerous racing and high performance vehicles. The Motorsports Museum and Hall of Fame is located inside the Novi Expo Center in Novi, Michigan. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and by special arrangement for group tours/special events. For more information, please contact the Motorsports Hall of Fame at 800-250-RACE or http://www.mshf.com. SOURCE Motorsports Hall of Fame