2024 inductees

al UNSER jR. 2-TIME INDIANAPOLIS 500  WINNER

Alfred Unser Jr. nicknamed "Little Al" to distinguish him from his father, Al Unser – is an American retired racing driver. Known primarily for his Championship car career, Unser won two CART championships, and is a two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500.

Early in his career, Unser found success in the Can-Am series, winning the championship in 1982. He joined his great uncle, uncle, and father, as a winner of the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, doing so in 1983. He is a two-time winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona. He has the most Long Beach Grand Prix victories in history, winning six times.

Eddie Hill 12 national season point championships on land or water

Eddie Hill an American retired drag racer who won numerous drag racing championships on land and water. Hill had the first run in the four second range (4.990 seconds), which earned him the nickname "Four Father of Drag Racing."His other nicknames include "The Thrill", "Holeshot Hill",and "Fast Eddie".In 1960, he set the NHRA record for the largest improvement in the elapsed time (e.t.) when he drove the quarter mile in 8.84 seconds to break the previous 9.40-second record.

Hill raced at open competitions and Top Fuel events from 1955 until he retired in 1966. After opening a motorcycle shop, he returned several years later to race motorcycles. He started racing drag boats after attending a drag boat event in 1974 and he won championships in all of the major boat drag racing sanctioning bodies. Hill set the lowest wet elapsed time (e.t.) record with a 5.16-second run, which was lower than the land drag racing record of 5.39 seconds. He quit water drag racing after he suffered broken bones at a crash in Arizona and returned to land drag racing in 1985. Initially underfunded and unsuccessful, Hill set the all-time speed record at a National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) event in 1987, becoming the first person to hold both the land and water speed records simultaneously. In 1993, Hill became the NHRA's oldest Top Fuel champion. When Hill retired in 1999, he had won 12 national season point championships on land or water, and had won more than 100 trophies in motorcycles and 86 drag events between his land and water careers.

*Erwin George "Cannon Ball" Baker American motorcycle and automobile racing driver

Erwin George "Cannon Ball" Baker (March 12, 1882 – May 10, 1960) was an American motorcycle and automobile racing driver and organizer in the first half of the 20th century. Baker began his public career as a vaudeville performer, but turned to driving and racing after winning a dirt-track motorcycle race in Crawfordsville, Indiana, in about 1904.

Baker was also famous for his record-setting point-to-point drives, in which he was paid to promote the products of various motorcycle and automobile manufacturers. In all, he made 143 cross-country motorcycle speed runs totaling about 550,000 miles (890,000 km).

In 1908, Baker purchased an Indian motorcycle and began entering and winning local races. His most famous victory came in 1909 at the first race ever held at the newly built Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Baker also raced at the 1922 Indianapolis 500, placing 11th in a Frontenac. He became the first NASCAR Commissioner in 1947. Baker was inducted into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame in 1981, the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1989, and the American Motorcyclist Association Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1998.

*Tom  Binford Chief Steward of the Indianapolis 500

*Edward Vernon Rickenbacker Owner Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Edward Vernon Rickenbacker  was an American fighter pilot in World War I and a Medal of Honor recipient.With 26 aerial victories, he was the most successful and most decorated United States flying ace of the war.[3] He was also a race car driver, an automotive designer, and a long-time head of Eastern Air Lines.

On November 1, 1927, Rickenbacker purchased the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from Carl Fisher for $700,000. He considered his salary of $5,000 a year and the opportunities for public relations to be more valuable than the $700,000 in debt he incurred.[ He also drove the speedway's pace car for several years.

He operated the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for more than ten years, overseeing many improvements to the facility. He was responsible for the first radio broadcast of the Memorial Day 500 race.[59] After a final 500-mile (800 km) race in 1941, he closed the Speedway to conserve gasoline, rubber, and other resources during World War II. In 1945, Rickenbacker sold the racetrack to the businessman Anton Hulman, Jr.

*Elzie Wylie " BUCK" Baker Sr.  NASCAR CHAMPION

Elzie Wylie Baker Sr.  better known as Buck Baker, was an American stock car racer. Born in Richburg, South Carolina, Baker began his NASCAR career in 1949 and won his first race three years later at Columbia Speedway. Twenty-seven years later, Baker retired after 1976 National 500.

During his NASCAR Cup Series career, Baker won two championships, 46 races and 45 pole positions, as well as recorded 372 top-tens. In 1957, he became the first driver to win two consecutive championships in the series. Between 1957 and 1959 Baker competed in the NASCAR Convertible Division. From 1972 to 1973, he competed in the Grand National East Series, where he recorded five top-tens in twelve races. On May 23, 2012, it was announced that he would be inducted into the 2013 class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame on February 8, 2013.

2023 inductees

carl hungness publisher of indianapolis 500 yearbook

A high school drop out from DENVER COLORADO CArl was able to attend  college with the agreement to go back and earn his high school degree

in 1968 carl began producing automobile posters

in 1972 carl had an ideal to republish Floyd Clymer's indianapolis 500 yearbook and began advertising in magazines the 1973 indianapolis 500 yearbook and thru the large amount of pre-book orders financed the production costs of the 1973 yearbook

carl wrote and published several books including "I Love To Make The Dirt Fly A Biography of Carl G. Fisher 1874-1939" ,"Go! the Bettenhausen Story The Race Against a Dream" and the Indianapolis 500 yearbooks from 1973 thru 1997

HE PURCHASED A PRINTING COMPANY IN THE LATE 70S TO DECREASE HIS PRINTING COSTS

carl's publishing company also published several other sports books outside of auto racing AS WELL AS SEVERAL POSTERS WHICH ARE STILL AVAILABLE TODAY

Carl's introduction to each year book was entitled "the Peeled eye" and the website monthly column is in that honor

a true artist cARL IS NOW A SCULPTOR AS WeLL AS A GLAZER AND RESIDES IN MADISON INDIANA

Dale Armstrong nhra driver and mechanic

Dale Armstrong ) was a Canadian drag racer and crew chief. After winning 12 National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) and 12 International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) events in the 1970s including the Pro Comp title in 1975, he became Kenny Bernstein's crew chief.[2][3] The combination produced four consecutive national championships in Funny Car (1985 to 1988) and another

Armstrong was born in Holden, Alberta, in 1941 He bought his first car, a 1936 Ford Coupe, for five dollars at age 14.[4] In 1957, he began drag racing the car on a dragstrip at an airport near Calgary.[4] It took him five attempts to make a 60-mile-per-hour (97 km/h) pass; he took out non-essential pieces of the car such as the back seat to lighten the load.His reputation for repairing cars quickly grew and soon there were cars lined up for repairs behind his family's garage.[4] He began drag racing in NHRA's Northwest division in a Chevrolet Z-11 in the B/Factory Experimental class in a front-ended machine that had 11-second passes at 115 miles per hour (185 km/h).[3] Armstrong and a friend towed his dragster to Southern California for the February 1964 Winternationals.[4] In January 1965, he moved to Southern California and began campaigning a Chevrolet II at local tracks since he could compete up to five nights per weekHe converted the car into a Funny Car and began running the car in early 1966 using the nickname "The Canuck".[3] The car appeared on the cover of Hot Rod Magazine in December 1966; the article in the magazine said "Even a diehard Chevy lover would have trouble telling just what had been the original vehicle"The supercharged engine achieved runs in the 8-second bracket with a top elapsed time (e.t.) of 8.89 seconds.In 1969 he drove a Chevrolet Camaro in the Super Stock class and he followed it up with making passes in Funny Cars "Travelin' Javelin" and Tom Strum's Swapper

Armstrong switched to the Injected Funny Car class in a 1973 Barracuda before moving to the new Pro Comp class in 1974.He joined Ken Veney's team and beat Veney in the finals of his first A/Fuel event at the Winternationals.[3] He also won the AA/Altered U.S. Nationals for Jim Foust that season before moving to Pro Comp in 1975.[3] While competing in Foust's Alcoholic BB/Funny Car, he won the Pro Comp championship including wins in the U.S. Nationals and Worlds.[3] Armstrong continued racing in Pro Comp for three more years. During that time, he won eight more National events including the 1977 U.S. Nationals.[3] In 1976, he won seven of nine IHRA Pro Comp National events and the championship.

He moved to Funny Car in 1980 and 1981 and had three final-round loses.He used Mike Kase's Dodge Omni at the 1981 World Finals to set a national record with a 5.891 second pass to break Bernstein's 5.90 mark.[3] During the 1981 season, he had two accidents. Armstrong described the fiery 240 mph crash of his Dodge Challenger at Columbus, Ohio: "Yeah, that was kind of a bad one," he said. "It told me it was time to get out of driving."

Armstrong joined Bernstein's team as his crew chief in 1982.[3] In late 1983, he took their new Ford Tempo-bodied Funny Car to a wind tunnel and found additional speed after some modifications.[3] Bernstein had a 5.80  e.t. with an all-time-best 260.11-mile-per-hour (418.61 km/h) pass in the 1984 Gatornationals finals to beat John Collins Bernstein ran third in points that season in his Budweiser Tempo Armstrong tested an on-board computer to see when the clutch was engaged and when the spark plugs were firing.[6]

Bernstein won the 1985 championship after winning six of 12 national events and reaching nine finals.The Armstrong-wrenched Tempo set two national records during the season.[ Bernstein continued winning in 1986; he won five of 14 events He qualified number one eight times, set the low e.t. ten times, and reached eight finals.[3] Bernstein had the first Funny Car 270 mile-per-hour pass at the U.S. Nationals (271.41 miles per hour (436.79 km/h) / 5.50 seconds) and lowered the record e.t. into the 5.4 second range with a 5.425-second run at the Chief Nationals.[3]

Armstrong continued as Bernstein's crew chief in 1987 and they used a controversial Buick LeSabre body Bernstein won a record-tying seven national events and achieved their third consecutive Winston points titleThe Buick had the first 5.3 second run at the Winston All-stars race with a 5.39-second e.t.[ Bernstein tied another Don Prudhomme Funny Car record when he won his fourth straight championship in 1988His Buick Reatta made six finals, winning three times, achieved six low e.t., and qualified number one five times. In 1989, Bernstein finished third in Funny Car before moving up into the Top Fuel class in the following season

Armstrong continued as Bernstein's crew chief in Top Fuel, and the combination produced six wins in 1992 which tied a class record. In 1993, Wes Cerny developed a cylinder head / magneto combination that Armstrong tuned for the first 300 miles per hour run At the Gator Nationals qualifying, Bernstein also set the record e.t. with a 4.823-second pass at 301.70 miles per hour (485.54 km/h) during qualifying for the Motorcraft Gatornationals in Gainesville Armstrong said:

Being the crew chief on the first car to run 300 means more to me than any national event win or any Winston championship. There isn't any question at all. People will forget what years we won the Winston championship, but they'll never forget when the first 300 was run and who did it.

At the 1994 season-ending Winston Select Finals at Pomona, Bernstein broke the 310 mph barrier with 311.85 and 314.46 passes.[3] In 1996, Bernstein won the Winston Top Fuel championship In doing so, he was the first driver to win Winston championships in Top Fuel and Funny Car.[3] Armstrong became one of the few crew chiefs to win titles in both classes.

Armstrong and Bernstein parted ways in 1997 after being together for 16 season; Bernstein had won 48 events and five championships with Armstrong.[Armstrong joined Don Prudhomme's Miller Lite team at the end of that season.Larry Dixon drove Prudhomme's dragster on the first 4.4 second pass (4.486) at the Matco Tools SuperNationals. In 2000, Armstrong joined Jerry Toliver's World Wrestling team in Funny Car - the team led the Winston points in August before finishing third]

Jan Opperman usac star

Jan Opperman  was an American racecar driver. He won the 1971 Knoxville Nationals, the premiere event in sprint car racing. In 1976, he won the Hulman Classic at Terre Haute, Ind., which at the time featured most of the top sprint car drivers in the country and had several drivers in the field who would start the Indianapolis 500 later that month.

Born in Long Beach, California, Opperman died in Fountain, Florida, 16 years after suffering critical injuries from a crash during a race in Jennerstown, Pennsylvania. Known primarily as a sprint car driver, he also drove in the USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1974 and 1976 seasons. He had 9 champ car starts, including the 1974 and 1976 Indianapolis 500 with 3 top ten finishes.

Considered a natural driving talent, Opperman attracted the attention of Indy 500 veterans Parneli Jones and A.J. Foyt. His first start at Indianapolis came with the team co-owned by Jones, a sprint car veteran and winner of the 1963 Indianapolis 500. Opperman spent his early sprint car racing career running "outlaw" rather than sticking to one sanctioning body. He won dozens of races each year traveling across the country from race track to race track in pursuit of the best paying races.

Opperman was just hitting his stride in the elite United States Auto Club's, sprint, midget and dirt car (called Silver Crown division today) divisions when he suffered critical head injuries while battling for the lead of the Hoosier Hundred at the Indianapolis State Fairgrounds in early September 1976. Opperman missed the 1977 season, but returned to racing on the outlaw circuit in 1978 but never again attained the level of success he achieved before that accident.

Early in his career, Opperman was known as a hippie and part of the drug culture. During the 1960s when living in Beaver Crossing, Nebraska he became a dynamic Christian, and, until his catastrophic accident, was working toward creating a ranch in western Montana for troubled youth.

One of Opperman's trademarks was a battered western hat that had been worn by his brother, Jay, who died while racing a sprint car at Knoxville Raceway on May 16, 1970.

Ron "Sleepy" Tripp midget car driver

Tripp won the 1975 and 1976 United States Automobile Club (USAC) National Midget championships. He stayed on the national tour for several more years before he started racing in the Western States series, on the West Coast. He consistently placed first or second in the series points, winning championships in 1983, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991 and 1992. He reached his 100th win May 2, 1998 at Ventura Raceway.[2] Sleepy sits on top of the Western States feature list with 104 wins.

He also had 59 National Midget car victories, which places him fifth on USAC's all-time National Midget Car series feature winners list And those 59 National USAC total victories, placing him 11th on USAC's all-time National career feature victory leaders list.[1] His combined National, Western and Regional USAC wins have him the winningest driver in midgets. With over 250 career wins to his name.

"Sleepy" was born Ronald James Tripp to parents Barbara and Gerald Tripp, August 13, 1953, and he was raised with his older brother, Bob and younger sister, Karen in Costa Mesa, California. Growing up in a racing family had the boys racing at a very young age, winning their way into the record books. The boys raced in Quarter midgets, winning numerous trophies along the way. They then tried their hand in motorcycles, before jumping up to the full-size midget cars. During Sleepy's high school years, he was a wrestler and accomplished football star at Newport Harbor High School, being named MVP and Captain for their 1970 League Championship football season. Last played in July 1971 at the Aloha All Star Football Classic at Honolulu Stadium. Has been married to Erin since Nov 1982, whom he met in New Zealand while racing, they have one daughter, Shay, who is married and has recently made Sleepy and Erin grandparents. Both of Sleepy's parents have since passed and the boys still work together at their families electrical contracting business.

After Sleepy took the 'Rookie of the Year' and USRC 1974 Championship he then headed for the Midwest and tried his luck with USAC, taking 'Rookie of the Year' honors and Championship in 1975 and then again winning the USAC Championship back-to-back in 1976. He was invited to race in Australia during their 1976/77 season, along with Johnny Rutherford (who was that years Indianapolis 500 winner). In turn, Sleepy raced 17-years in either Australia, New Zealand or both. He raced with USAC National series, until he returned to California to race the newly formed USAC Western States Championship, in which he joined car owners George and Gary Zarounian, to dominate the early years, winning the 1983, 85, 87, 88, 90, 91, 92 Championships. During those years, he won 104 features, putting him at the top of the feature win list. His racing career ended after crashing at a USAC/BCRA race at Stockton, California, in 2003.

First invited to tour 'down-under' through Australia and New Zealand in 1976/77 where he began to win races and fans for nearly two decades. After running his own car for six years, he teamed up with car owner, Danny Lendich, winning many of the prestigious races, such as the 50 Lap Classic, the World 30 Lap Derby, Bob Tattersal Memorial, Ross Goonan Memorial and the City of Auckland Grand Prix. In all, he has 34 feature wins at Western Springs Speedway in Auckland.

Tripp also had success in Australia during the 1970s and 1980s with many feature wins including winning the 1983 and 1984 Australian Speedcar Grand Prix on the paved Liverpool City Raceway, as well as both the Harry Neal and Rick Harvey Memorial's and the 40 Lap Speedcar Derby at Adelaide's Speedway Park. Despite regularly beating the local drivers, Tripp's laid back nature, and his style of car set up and driving which often involved racing with the left (inside) front wheel not even touching the track, proved popular with Australian crowds.

In the 80's, his name and popularity extend motor racing, as there was a racing horse, greyhound and rock band all named 'Sleepy Tripp'. Still today there is a trotter racing down-under with his name.

The afternoon of October 7th, 2012, on his way home from a weekend away to Mammoth, he crashed his motorcycle and was airlifted to Antelope Valley Hospital, where he spent a touch-and-go month long in ICU, eventually moved to Brea Kindred Rehab, to learn to walk again. Sleepy and Erin spent their 30th Wedding Anniversary at this hospital. Eventually released to go home the end of Jan, only to end up at Hoag Hospital with a heart infection and spent 6-weeks on a regimented medicated cleansing at Crystal Cove Rehab. Once they had got on top of the infection, he was released to go home. The Tripp's are very thankful to all their family, friends and fans that were behind his recovery all the way!!!

Lloyd Ruby  indy car driver

Lloyd Ruby  was an American racecar driver who raced in the USAC Championship Car series for 20 years, achieving 7 victories and 88 top-ten finishes. He also had success in endurance racing, winning the 24 Hours of Daytona (twice), the 1966 12 Hours of Sebring and the 1966 World Sportscar Championship.

Ruby raced in the USAC Championship Car series in the 1958–1977 seasons, with 177 career starts, including the Indianapolis 500 from 1960 to 1977. He achieved 88 top-ten finishes, and seven victories. His best finish at Indy was third, in 1964. In 1966, he led the Indy 500 for 68 laps.

Ruby also had two endurance racing victories in the 24 Hours of Daytona (1965–1966), both times partnering with Ken Miles. Ruby and Miles teamed up to win the 1966 12 Hours of Sebring and the 1966 World Sportscar Championship. Ruby was scheduled to drive in the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans, however he was forced to withdraw due to spinal injuries suffered in a plane crash.[2] A year later, he teamed with Denny Hulme in a Ford GT 40 Mk IV for the 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans. Ruby played a key role in Ford Motor Company's GT40 program in the mid-1960s. He also raced in the 1961 United States Grand Prix.

Despite a Championship Car career replete with success, Ruby is probably best remembered for his many misfortunes at the Indianapolis 500. His biography, written by Ted Buss in 2000, was titled, Lloyd Ruby: The Greatest Driver Never to Win the Indy 500. Ruby led the race in five different years, for a total of 126 laps, however, his best finish at Indianapolis was third, in 1964. His only other top-five finish at Indy came in 1968. In 1991, he was inducted into the Auto Racing Hall of Fame.

Perhaps Ruby's most notorious hard-luck bout at Indy came in 1969. With race leader Mario Andretti experiencing overheating problems, Ruby was in a strong position to score a victory. During a pit stop around the halfway point, a crew member motioned Ruby to pull away too soon. The refueling nozzle was still engaged in the car's left saddle tank, and as Ruby dropped the clutch, the car lurched forward. The nozzle ruptured a hole in the gas tank, ending Ruby's day.

He died in 2009 at the age of 81 in his hometown of Wichita Falls, Texas

Michael Andretti cart champion

Michael Mario Andretti  is an American semi-retired auto racing driver and current team owner. Statistically one of the most successful drivers in the history of American open-wheel car racing, Andretti won the 1991 CART PPG Indy Car World Series and amassed 42 race victories, the most in the CART era and fourth-most all time. Since his retirement from active racing, Andretti has owned Andretti Autosport, which has won four IndyCar Series championships and five Indianapolis 500 races.

He is the son of Formula One World Champion and Indianapolis 500 winner Mario Andretti, and the father of current IndyCar Series driver Marco Andretti.

Michael Andretti was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania to race car driver Mario Andretti, a four-time IndyCar champion and one-time Formula One champion, and his wife Dee Ann (née Hoch)

Following a successful career racing karts, winning 50 of his 75 races over eight years, Andretti moved into racing cars. He obtained his SCCA National License in 1980, then won six races to claim the SCCA's Northeast Division Formula Ford championship in 1981. He also drove in a number of Formula Vee races in regional SCCA events. In 1982, he won six of the 11 races on his way to winning the Robert Bosch US Formula Super Vee Championship. He also won the opening race of the 1983 Super Vee season before he moved up to drive in Formula Atlantic, and won his second title by winning the FIA Formula Mondial North American Cup the following season. Although he made his international sports car debut at the 1982 24 Hours of Le Mans, he was denied the opportunity to race, as the Mirage M12 he had chosen to race with his father was disqualified 80 minutes before the race was due to start. The father and son partnership returned to the Circuit de la Sarthe the following year, and were joined by Philippe Alliot in the Porsche Kremer Racing's Porsche 956, taking third place. Andretti also raced alongside his father in the Riverside 6 Hours where they were joined by A. J. Foyt and Preston Henn, but the Porsche 935 failed to finish. The father and son duo paired up again the 1984 24 Hours of Daytona, this time in a full-works Porsche 962, which made its race debut. They took pole position, but during the race, the engine broke

Andretti made his CART debut in 1983, racing for the Kraco Enterprises team. He re-signed for Kraco for the 1984 season, where he managed five third-place finishes and ended his rookie season in seventh overall. In the Indianapolis 500, he finished fifth and shared the Rookie of the Year award with Roberto Guerrero. He went on to win his first IndyCar race in 1986 in the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. The season became a two-man battle for the championship title, between Michael and Bobby Rahal. Andretti would take the points lead with his victory on the Milwaukee Mile. A week later, on Father's Day, Michael was leading on the final lap at Portland, when his March-Cosworth 86C ran out of fuel, allowing his father, Mario, to beat him by just 0.07 seconds. It was one of the most shocking finishes in the history of IndyCar, and the closest finish until 1997. With Rahal continuing to win races, Andretti's consistent finishing only allowed Rahal a nine-point lead in the standing with two races remaining. Andretti won a key victory in at Phoenix. Going into the season finale at Tamiami Park, Andretti was just three points behind Rahal, but neither driver were a factor in the race, with Andretti retiring with a broken halfshaft

In a one-off race with Alfa Corse, he took part in the inaugural World Touring Car race, 500 km di Monza. Paired with Alessandro Nannini, they finished 16th overall, second in class. Back in CART, he continued with Kraco in 1987, and like 1986, the championship was between Andretti and Rahal. Michael would win the Michigan 500, drawing within nine points of Rahal. With him winning in dominating fashion at Nazareth Speedway, his championship hopes remained alive, although Rahal clinched the championship at the next race. Andretti would also win the season finale, Tamiami Park. He would finish runner-up for the second season in a row. Back in June 1987, Michael joined Hendrick Motorsport to race a Chevrolet Corvette GTP in the Mid-Ohio 500 km, this time joined by his cousin, John Andretti, where they finished 11th.

Following Porsche's defeat in the 1988 Daytona 24 Hours, Porsche entered a 962C at Le Mans for Mario, Michael and John. They were tremendously competitive in the first half of the race, until the Andretti family's car needed minor repairs before lapsing on to five cylinders, finishing sixth overall. Michael and Mario join Busby Racing for 1989 Daytona 24 Hours, only for their 962 to retire with brakes problems

The 1988 CART season was a lean year for Michael. He remained with Kraco and won only a single race, the Marlboro Challenge, for which no championship points were awarded.

For the 1989 season, Andretti signed with Newman/Haas Racing, partnering him with his father. He won two races that season, Molson Indy Toronto and the Marlboro 500 at the Michigan International Speedway, placing third in points. For 1990, Al Unser Jr. would become champion, Andretti was his nearest competitor, winning five races and four poles. In the second-to-last race of the season at Nazareth, Unser crashed out, giving Andretti a huge opportunity to close the gap. Andretti managed only a sixth-place finish, and could not capitalize on Unser's misfortune. Unser left Nazareth with a 27-point lead, enough to clinch the championship. Andretti would finish runner-up once again.

For the 1991 24 Hours of Daytona, Mario was joined by both Michael and his Mario's younger son, Jeff Andretti. Piloting a Jochen Dauer Racing entered Porsche 962, they were classified fifth overall, despite not finishing the race.

Andretti was the drivers' champion of the 1991 CART PPG Indy Car World Series. He won a total eight of 17 races, eight poles and led more than half of the laps during the season, but Rahal still took the championship battle down to the final race of the season. Andretti's season started slowly, recording DNFs in the opening two events, then the heartbreaking second place at the Indy 500. He recovered from this, winning four of the last five races of the season and with Rahal retiring during the title decider at Laguna Seca, he cruised to the title. The day before, he won the non-championship, Marlboro Challenge for a second time.

Remaining with Newman/Haas for 1992, Michael's season started slowly, but then wins three races out of four mid-season. Despite taking two more wins later in the year, including the season finale at Laguna Seca, Rahal beat him again to the title by just four points. He would leave for F1 at the end of the year, with his seat going to the reigning Formula One World Champion, Nigel Mansell, who would win the 1993 CART title in his rookie season.

For four seasons between 1989 and 1992, Michael had his father as his teammate at Newman/Haas. Together, they established a number of firsts, including the first father-son front row, for the 1986 Dana 200 for Special Olympics at Phoenix, and the first of 15 father-son podiums in the 1984 Cribari Wines 300K at Laguna Seca, with the last coming nearly a decade later in the 1992 Daikyo IndyCar Grand Prix, around the street of Surfers Paradise

The Andretti family's bad luck at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is known as the Andretti Curse. He shared Rookie of the Year honours with Guerrero in 1984, when he finished fifth. However, in 1991, he led with 12 laps remaining, but finished second to Rick Mears after battling the multiple Indy 500 winner. The pair of them traded memorable late-lap outside passes for the lead in Turn One. The next year, 1992, he dominated the race, leading four-fifths of the laps, but, with 11 laps remaining after holding a two-lap lead, his fuel pump failed, and his car coasted to a stop. He was classified in 13th place. He also dropped out while leading the Indy 500 in 1989, 1995 and 2003. Andretti holds the record for most laps led in the Indy 500 without having achieved a victory

For the 1993 season, Michael signed for Marlboro McLaren, to partner with the triple World Drivers' Champion Ayrton Senna in their Ford HBD V8-powered MP4/8. He signed during the summer of 1992 and the deal was announced at Monza over the weekend of the 1992 Italian Grand Prix.

"I think he can win Grands Prix and become the World Champion," said Ron Dennis, McLaren's team principal. "It's not a question of which country you come from. It's how you demonstrate your desire to win."[22] There were practical factors that mitigated against Andretti being able to show competitive form in his debut season in F1. The rule changes introduced that season destroyed his hopes of unrestricted laps in free practice during which he could learn the tracks, as most were unfamiliar to him. From the start of 1993, just 23 laps were allowed in the morning's untimed session and only twelve in the qualifying session

With the pressure intensifying, Michael began the year with crashes in the Kyalami and at Interlagos. In the latter of these two, he had a massive collision at the start with Gerhard Berger in a Ferrari. He then qualified sixth for the Sega European Grand Prix at Donington Park, but he collided with Karl Wendlinger's Sauber on the opening lap. Next time out at Imola, he again fell foul of Wendlinger after a drive that might have ended with a visit to the podium, and many critics cited this as the key turning point for the America]

In the Gran Premio de España, Andretti finally completed a race, finishing fifth amongst the established front runners.[23] However, his showing was criticized by former McLaren World Champion James Hunt because Andretti was lapped by his teammate Senna.

During the F1 season, Andretti watched the 1993 Indianapolis 500 on a television set. During the race, his former team, now with Nigel Mansell driving, was passed by winner Emerson Fittipaldi on a restart with less than 20 laps to go. Even though he wasn't in the race, Andretti would also consider 1993 a near-miss; "I mean, he (Mansell) did well to be leading, but no way would Emerson and [Arie] Luyendyk have passed me on that restart, I can guarantee you."

He would finish in the points on three occasions, but he could never quite string things together consistently. He never fully got to grips with the McLaren MP4/8. Highly technical aspects which he was not used to in the technologically simpler Indy cars such as active suspension and traction control hampered Andretti's chances as did the standing starts used in F1. Some in the industry also felt that since he commuted to races and test sessions from the United States, rather than relocating full-time to Europe was also a contributing factor to his lack of success in Formula One. At the time, McLaren's Special Projects Manager, long-time Andretti family friend Tyler Alexander, who had been involved in F1 since the mid-1960s, had urged Michael to relocate to England as he knew times had changed from when Mario had raced to the 1978 World Championship. True enough, he finished third at Monza (which would prove to be his last Formula One race), but with three races remaining, he left the team and the championship by mutual agreement after the race

According to Michael's son Marco, the McLaren team "sabotaged" his father's chances at being competitive in order to replace him with the team's test driver Mika Häkkinen, who would require a smaller salary. "The reality of it was, they had Mika Häkkinen ready to come in for a lot less than what my dad was getting paid, and that's all it was. Right then and there, they had to make him look [bad]," claimed Marco in 2008. "They would make the car do weird things in the corner electronically, stuff out of his control." However, Andretti still had problems in practice for the Italian Grand Prix, and both he and Senna spun off with brake balance problems early in the race. Andretti was able to continue and fought back up to third, holding off Wendlinger. Throughout the season, Senna experienced similar reliability problems to Andretti, mainly electronic gremlins, particularly in San Marino, Canada, Hungary and Belgium, although Häkkinen equalled Andretti's third place Monza finish in Japan, while Senna won both the Japanese Grand Prix and the season ending Australian Grand Prix, his final race for McLarenAnd according to Häkkinen in a much later interview, Andretti was commuting to Europe from the United States, and was not in Europe enough when testing needed to be done, allowing Häkkinen to consistently show his speed and build a relationship with the team. Häkkinen had also said that Andretti's mental approach was all wrong, and he did not realize the kind of incredible sacrifices one needed to make in order to succeed in Formula One.[28]

It has also been reported that at the start of the 1993 season, Dennis signed Häkkinen as a backup to Senna, who was initially reluctant to commit to the team for the whole season (Senna's move to Williams had to wait until the next season because his rival Alain Prost was having his retirement season there and had it written into his contract that they could not sign the Brazilian triple World Champion as his teammate). This created a difficult atmosphere for Andretti, who would be in the shadow of the brilliant Brazilian, and also faced the threat of being replaced by Häkkinen

Andretti returned to the IndyCar racing after his unsuccessful season in Formula One with Target Chip Ganassi Racing, where he once again proved very successful. He went on to win in his very first race back in the series at the 1994 Australian FAI Indycar Grand Prix, around the Surfers Paradise Street Circuit in Queensland, Australia, having led every lap along the way. That win also got Reynard's first win in CART in their debut. Although the season may not have gone the way Michael would have liked, he did win again in the Molson Indy Toronto, taking a record fourth win. By the time he retired, Michael would have won seven times around the Exhibition Place.[30]

In 1995, he returned to Newman/Haas Racing. Taking only one win in Toronto, he had a consistent season, scoring points in every round which resulted in Andretti claiming fourth overall in the points standing. The following season, he would finish as runner-up to Jimmy Vasser, in a season marred by the death of Jeff Krosnoff and split with Indy Racing League, visiting victory lane on five occasions. Newman/Haas began a new relationship with Swift which did not prove to be very successful in 1997-1999. In 2000 the team used Lola chassis and Michael won the Firestone Firehawk 300 held at Twin Ring Motegi in Japan, and again in Toronto

Michael tried again to win Le Mans in 1997, again alongside Mario, but joined on this occasion by Olivier Grouillard. Following an accident during the night, the trio were forced to retire their Courage C36. Michael would not return to la Sarthe as a driver.

For 2001 he made the decision to move to Team Green as he wanted to try to win the Indianapolis 500 and Newman/Haas refused to enter the Indy Racing League event. Andretti ran in a third Team Green car with Motorola sponsorship and ran at Indianapolis. He led 16 laps, and was leading the race during a rain delay just beyond the halfway point. Had the race been halted due to the rain, he could have been declared the winner. The red flag, however, did not come out at the time and the race resumed. A punctured tyre, and a minor collision in the pits with eventual winner Hélio Castroneves, driving for car owner Roger Penske, slowed him down, and at the end of the day, Andretti settled for 3rd place. In July it was announced that Michael had bought the team and intended to shift the entire operation (which was renamed Andretti Green Racing) to the IRL.

His career in CART ended in 2002, in which he took his 42nd and final career victory at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach - placing him in third place for all-time victories in championship car racing behind his father, Mario Andretti (52 wins) and A. J. Foyt (67 wins).

Andretti is also tied with Al Unser Jr. for the most wins in a CART/IndyCar season with eight victories. He achieved this during his championship-winning season of 1991. Throughout his time in IndyCar, he retained a consistent and impressive record, finishing in the top ten of the championship on 17 occasions

Andretti entered in the first four IRL events in 2003, culminating with the 2003 Indianapolis 500, after which he retired from full-time IndyCar racing. He led the race for 28 of the opening 94 laps before a throttle linkage failure put him out of contention once again. That year he bought into the "Team Green" squad run by brothers Kim and Barry Green in CART. It became Andretti Green Racing and for 2003, the team moved to the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series.[33][36]

The team claimed consecutive IndyCar Series titles in 2004 and 2005, with Tony Kanaan and Dan Wheldon respectively, winning 11 of the 17 races, including the Indianapolis 500. The 2007 enhanced the Andretti legacy, when Dario Franchitti captured Andretti Green Racing its third Series title in four seasons, and its second Indianapolis 500 win.

Andretti returned to the driver's seat for the 2006 Indianapolis 500 in a one-time effort to assist the development of his son, Marco, an IndyCar rookie for the 2006 season. Michael led the race with four laps to go, before falling to second behind his son a lap later. He went on to finish third, while Marco only just missed out on the 500 victory after he was passed just before the start/finish line on the last lap by three-time IndyCar champion, Sam Hornish Jr.

After qualifying his car in 11th place for the 2007 Indianapolis 500, Andretti went on to finish 13th. He then announced that this would be his last Indy 500 as a driver. Andretti leaves driving competition at Indy with a frustrating distinction: the driver who led the most laps (431) without winning the race. He competed in 16 Indy 500s, with a top finish of second in 1991, but led the race nine times.

By 2012, racing under the name of Andretti Autosport, they brought the 2012 IndyCar Series championship back home. Michael served not only as the team owners, but as the strategist on Ryan Hunter-Reay's four race victories. Hunter-Reay also captured the 2014 Indianapolis 500, with a close victory over Hélio Castroneves.

At the beginning of 2018, he partnered with Ryan Walkinshaw's Walkinshaw Racing and Zak Brown's United Autosports to create Walkinshaw Andretti United which competes in the Australian Supercars Championship. Andretti United expanded into Extreme E in 2021

On February 18, 2022, it was announced that Andretti had submitted a request with the FIA to enter Formula 1 under "Andretti Global".

2022 inductees

*robin miller broadcast journalist

Miller rose to prominence as an IndyCar journalist during his lengthy career with the Indianapolis Star, where he worked from 1968 to 2001. Among writers covering the IndyCar Series, Miller was acknowledged as the foremost authority, given his knowledge of the garage and the depth of his contacts He also wrote for Autoweek, Car and Driver, ESPN and Speed.

In 1972, he bought his first race car, from Andy Granatelli. He raced a Formula Ford in 1972, and then bought a midget car in 1974 from Gary Bettenhausen] He then competed in USAC midgets from 1975–83. Miller's best race came in 1980 when he qualified 5th out of 93 cars for the annual "Hut 100" at the Terre Haute Action Track, a dirt race that featured 33 starters in 11 rows of three like Indy and also sported several top Indy drivers of the time. He considered that race the highlight of his career, however, he blew his engine and dropped out.  after about ten years, he quit driving due to his lack of mechanical knowledge, and massive debts

Darrell Waltrip three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion

 Darrell raced from 1972 to 2000 in the former NASCAR Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Series), most notably driving the No. 17 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. Waltrip is a three-time Cup Series champion (1981, 1982, 1985). He also Posted a modern NASCAR series record of 22 top five finishes in 1983 and 21 top five finishes both in 1981 and 1986, Waltrip won 84 NASCAR Cup Series races, including the 1989 Daytona 500,a record five in the Coca-Cola 600 (formerly the World 600) (1978, 1979, 1985, 1988, 1989), and a track and Series record for any driver at Bristol Motor Speedway with 12 (seven consecutive from 1981 to 1984).

Jimmie Johnson seven-time nascar Cup champion

A seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, he competed full-time in the series from 2002 to 2020, driving the No. 48 Chevrolet with Hendrick Motorsports, before transitioning to open-wheel racing. Johnson's seven Cup championships, the first five of which are consecutive, his successes have caused many analysts and fellow drivers to consider Johnson as one of the greatest NASCAR drivers of all time.

He now competes in the NTT IndyCar Series, driving the No. 48 Honda on a part-time schedule for Chip Ganassi Racing and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship driving the No. 48 Cadillac on a part-time schedule for Ally Cadillac Racing.

ned jarrett two-time Grand National Series champion

"Gentleman Ned Jarrett" is a American stock-car driver who won two National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) championships (1961 and 1965).

According to legend, Jarrett first began driving cars at age nine, when his father would allow him to drive the family car to church on Sunday mornings. He competed in his first race at age 19, finishing 10th at the Hickory (North Carolina) Motor Speedway.Jarrett holds the distinction of greatest margin of victory by mileage, winning the 1965 Southern 500 by an astonishing 14 laps. He went on to capture the second of his two championships that year. When Ford announced its (temporary) departure from NASCAR in 1966, Jarrett decided to retire from racing, at the age of 34. He remains the only driver to retire as series champion.

Dario  Franchitti three-time indianapolis 500 champion

Dario is a four time IndyCar Series champion (2007, 2009, 2010, 2011), a three-time winner of the Indianapolis 500 (2007, 2010, 2012) as well as a winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona (2008).

Franchitti started his career in the United Kingdom in the early 1990s, competing in Formula Vauxhall and Formula Three and was also the winner of the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award in 1992. After Franchitti did not secure a single-seater drive in 1995, he was contracted by the AMG team to compete in touring cars in the DTM and its successor – the International Touring Car Championship. Despite two seasons with relative success, the series folded at the end of the 1996 season, again leaving Franchitti without a drive. Mercedes placed Franchitti in CART in 1997 with the Hogan Racing team.

at a indy car race in houston  in 2013 Franchitti collided with Takuma Sato and E. J. Viso on the final lap, causing Franchitti to become airborne and fly into the turn 5 catchfence.  and Franchitti suffered a spinal fracture, right ankle fracture, and a concussion Due to these injuries, as well as injuries caused by previous crashes, doctors told Franchitti that he would risk permanent paralysis if he continued racing.Franchitti then retired from competitive driving, but maintained his affiliation with Ganassi Racing by becoming a competition director.

Joe Weatherly Grand National Series champion, AMA Grand National Champion

Joe won  NASCAR's Grand National Series championships in 1962 and 1963, three AMA Grand National Championships, and two NASCAR Modified championships.

Weatherly enjoyed behaving outrageously. He once took practice laps wearing a Peter Pan suit. Moreover, he frequently stayed out partying until the early hours, usually with fellow driver and friend Curtis Turner. This behavior earned him the nickname the "Clown Prince of Racing". In 1956 at Raleigh, while racing in the convertible series, Weatherly's engine blew. With the help of Ralph Liguori pushing from behind, he displayed showmanship to the fullest extent by crossing the finish line while standing in a "chariot of fire".

Weatherly died on January 19, 1964, from head injuries sustained in a racing accident at the fifth race of the 1964 season, at Riverside International Raceway. His head went outside the car and struck a retaining wall, killing him instantly. Weatherly was not wearing a shoulder harness, and did not have a window net installed on his vehicle, because he was afraid of being trapped in a burning car

2021 inductees

Floyd Clymer  magazine publisher, a racing promoter, an author, and a motorcycle manufacturer

 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 manufacturer

The Clymer name is best known for his publishing business. His first publication, Motorcycle Topics, was published in the late 1910s, and he resumed publishing magazines and books in earnest after WW2. He published the popular Clymer repair manuals for cars, motorcycles, and powersports vehicles in a standardized format to step-by-step disassembly and reassembly of the complete vehicle, illustrated with photographs. The 'Clymer manual became shorthand among home mechanics as a useful guide to vehicle maintenance and repair. In 2013 the Clymer manual business became part of the Haynes Group, and are still published under the Clymer name. Clymer also published dozens of books on cars and motorcycles, and was among the first to assemble historical surveys of the car and motorcycle industries with his Treasury of Early American Motorcycle, Treasury of Early American Automobile, Those Wonderful Old Automobiles, Henry's Wonderful Model T, and Historical Motor Scrapbooks from the 1950s. He also published an annual yearbook for the Indianapolis 500 from 1946-1968, as well as collections of British car and motorcycle magazine road tests. Clymer purchased Cycle Magazine from Petersen Publishing in July 1957, which had a circulation of several hundred thousand during his tenure through 1966. It was said of Clymer that "He never met a motorcycle he didn't like", and some criticized Cycle for failing to prompt improvements in motorcycle design through journalistic feedback.

floyd Clymer died of a heart attack in 1970, at age 74

Theodore E. “Pop” Myers  Good Will Ambassador indianapolis motor speedway

THEODORE E. “POP” MYERS earned an important niche in the history and tradition of automobile racing by devoting the last 40-plus years of his life to improving the sport in general and the Indianapolis 500 race in particular. He joined the staff of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1910, prior to the first Indianapolis 500, and served with distinction as Vice-President as well as General Manager under the regimes of all three track owners. For much of the time during those four decades Myers ran the day-to-day affairs along with his secretary, Miss Eloise “Dolly” Dallenbach. He made three trips to Europe as a “Good Will Ambassador” for the American racing fraternity and served for many years as a member of the American Automobile Association Contest Board. Myers was still working for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway when he passed away in February 1954.

Floyd "Pop" Dreyer  the nation's top motorcycle rider in the 1920s

Pop went from one of the nation's top motorcycle riders in the 1920s and some of his records still have not been broken; he then went on to be one of the leading race car builders from the 1930s into the 1950s and led the way in kit car building. Many of his racing innovations are still being used today. He was also a race car owner and his drivers won national championships. He had a "Whos Who" list of race car drivers driving for his team car.Later in life he became a successful businessman and was on the the first in the United States to sell Honda motorcycles. He was never satisfied with stock equipment so he custom built aerodynamic flairings for motorcycles and was the first to use fiberglass in building sidecars for motorcycles.Out of all his hardships of life, Floyd was able to overcome and triumph not only on the race track but in life.

Floyd "Chip" Ganassi Jr. an American businessman, former racing driver

Floyd "Chip" Ganassi Jr. an American businessman, former racing driver, current team owner and member of the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. He has been involved with the North American auto racing scene for over 30 years. He is owner and CEO of Chip Ganassi Racing which operates teams in the IndyCar Series, NASCAR Cup Series, WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and Extreme E. He is the only team owner in history to have won the Indianapolis 500, the Daytona 500, the Brickyard 400, the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the 12 Hours of Sebring and most recently the 24 Hours of Le Mans - six of the biggest races in the world

Ron Watson, founder president of the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA

Ron Watson, founder president of the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA), leaving a legacy of remarkable accomplishments in creating the MSHFA, then molding it into a respected organization that honors all forms of motorsports.Ron felt that motorsports needed a great hall of fame," said Levy, "then worked tirelessly for the next 30-plus years to make that dream a reality. In so doing he built an institution that's respected the world over and became himself one of the most important voices in the sport. He will be deeply missed by everyone who knew him.

Roger McCluskey  usac championship driver.

He won championship titles in three divisions of the United States Auto Club: Sprints, Stocks, and Champ Cars. He won the USAC Sprint Car title in 1963 and 1966, the USAC Stock Car title in 1969 and 1970. The Champ Car title in 1973. His first USAC Stock Car start resulted in a runner-up finish in Phoenix, Arizona in January 1968, when he drove as a substitute driver for Norm Nelson. mcCluskey earned four USAC Midget Car wins, 23 USAC Sprint Car wins, 23 USAC Stock Car wins and five USAC Championship Car (national championship) wins (including his last start at Milwaukee in 1979, which is a rarety since most drivers don't win their last race in their career). He was the USAC national champion in 1973. He started every Indianapolis 500 race from 1961 to 1979 except 1964, with a best finish of 3rd in 1973.He also made four NASCAR Grand National Series starts from 1969 to 1977 with a best finish of second in 1970 at Riverside International Raceway. He represented the USAC series in the 1974 International Race of Champions. McCluskey raced for the Holman and Moody team in a Ford GT40 Mk.IIB at the 1967 LeMans 24hrs of Endurance, France. During this event, McCluskey is credited with pulling Mario Andretti to safety-and thus saving his life-after Andretti had seriously crashed his Ford GT40 Mk.IV when a front brake locked.

2020 inductees

bill Jenkins nhra champion

William Tyler Jenkins nicknamed "Grumpy" or "The Grump", was an engine builder and drag racer. Between 1965 and 1975, he won a total of thirteen NHRA events. Most of these wins were won with a four-speed manual transmission. In 1972 he recorded 250 straight passes without missing a shift

He was formally trained as a mechanical engineer at Cornell University, and he used his training and skills to build engines. He has been inducted in numerous motorsports halls of fame for his engine building skills in the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Pro Stock class. His innovations include drag racing's first kickout oil pans, Pro Stock strut-style front suspension, and dry sump oiling system, and cool cans, electric water pump fan, gas port pistons, and slick-shift manual transmissions. Considered the "Father of Pro Stock", Jenkins-built engines were used to win five NHRA Pro Stock championships and three American Hot Rod Association (AHRA) championships.

He was nicknamed "Grumpy" for having a no-nonsense attitude at races. The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America said: "his continual search for improved performance left little time for idle chatter with his racing colleagues.

Dale Armstrong international Hot Rod Association champion

Dale Armstrong was a Canadian drag racer and crew chief. After winning 12 National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) and 12 International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) events in the 1970s,including the Pro Comp title in 1975, he became Kenny Bernstein's crew chief. The combination produced four consecutive national championships in Funny Car (1985 to 1988) and another in Top Fuel.[ Bernstein became the first driver to top the 300 miles per hour mark in an engine tuned by Armstrong.Armstrong has been inducted in numerous halls of fame. He died on November 28, 2014 at his home in Temecula, California at the age of 73. He had sarcoidosis.

TONY STEWART indy car and nascar champion

Anthony Wayne Stewart nicknamed Smoke, is an American former professional stock car racing driver and current NASCAR team owner. He is a three-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion as a driver, winning titles in 2002, 2005 and 2011. As a team owner, he has won Monster Energy Cup titles in 2011 with himself and in 2014 with Kevin Harvick as drivers. Throughout his racing career, Stewart has won racing titles in Indy, midget, sprint, and USAC Silver Crown cars. He is the only driver in history to win a championship in both IndyCar and NASCAR.

He last competed full-time in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (now known as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series) during the 2016 season, driving the No. 14 Chevrolet SS for his own team, Stewart-Haas Racing, under crew chief Mike Bugarewicz. From 1999 to 2008, he drove the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing car, under crew chief Greg Zipadelli with The Home Depot as the primary sponsor. While driving for car owner Joe Gibbs, Stewart won two Cup Series championships in 2002 and 2005. In 2011, Stewart became the first owner-driver since Alan Kulwicki to win the Cup Series championship, which ended Jimmie Johnson's streak of consecutive championships at five. Stewart is the only driver to win the Cup Series championship under the old points system and the chase playoff format, and is the only driver to win the title under three different sponsorships (Winston in 2002, Nextel in 2005, and Sprint in 2011). He is also the first driver in the Cup Series to win the championship by virtue of a tie breaker (number of wins during the season is the first level tie breaker; Stewart had five while eventual runner-up Carl Edwards had one.) On May 22, 2019, Stewart was inducted into the NASCAR Hall Of Fame.

Jeff Gordon nascar champion

Jeffery Michael Gordon is an American former professional stock car racing driver, currently an announcer for Fox NASCAR, and a top executive for Hendrick Motorsports. He formerly drove the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports in 23 full-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series seasons between 1993 and 2015, and served as a substitute driver for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in select races during the 2016 season.

Gordon started his professional racing career in the Busch Series with Hugh Connerty Racing, followed by Bill Davis Racing, winning three races, and began racing full-time in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series for Hendrick Motorsports in 1993. He is a four-time Winston Cup champion, having won the title in 1995, 1997, 1998, and 2001. He also won the Daytona 500 three times in 1997, 1999, and 2005. He is third on the all-time Cup wins list with 93 career wins, the most in NASCAR's modern era (1972–present). Gordon's 81 pole positions led all active drivers and is third all-time; Gordon won at least one pole in 23 consecutive seasons, making this a NASCAR record. He was also the active "iron man" leader for consecutive races participated in with 797 through the 2015 season.

In 1998, NASCAR named Gordon to its 50 Greatest Drivers list. In 2008, ten years later, ESPN's Terry Blount ranked him 10th in the 25 Greatest Drivers of All-Time. Foxsports.com named him as the fifth best NASCAR driver of all time.

Gordon, along with Rick Hendrick, co-owns the No. 48 Chevrolet driven by Jimmie Johnson, who won seven Cup championships from 2006 to 2010, 2013, and in 2016. Gordon also has an equity stake in the No. 24 team. Gordon also owned a Busch Series team between 1999 and 2000, Gordon/Evernham Motorsports (co-owned with Ray Evernham; later solely owned as JG Motorsports), winning twice.

Gordon was born in Vallejo, California, and raised in Pittsboro, Indiana, and considers Sonoma Raceway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway as his "home" tracks. He currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with his wife, Ingrid Vandebosch and their two children Ella Sofia and Leo Benjamin.

Ricky Carmichael AMA Supercross Champion

Ricky Carmichael is a former motocross racer known for his success in motocross in the early 2000s, having won the AMA Motocross Championship 450cc class seven times and the AMA Supercross Championship 450cc class five times. His unrivaled successes in the sport of motocross have given him the nickname "The GOAT"; standing for Greatest of All Time

After a dominant amateur career, Carmichael made his pro debut for the (Splitfire Pro Circuit) Kawasaki team in 1997. He was fast but erratic in Supercross; winning several main events. Crashes and inconsistency cost him the title to Suzuki's Tim Ferry. Outdoors, Carmichael was much more in his element, and he beat defending champion Steve Lamson for the win at the first round. Carmichael was very dominant and won the overall title in his rookie year.

He more than made amends for his rookie-season loss in Supercross by winning all 8 main events of the 1998 125cc East Region. He won the East/West shootout as well. Outdoors, he defended his title easily despite early challenges from Lamson, John Dowd, and Mike Brown.

Carmichael jumped to the 250 class for Supercross in 1999 with the Factory Kawasaki team. It started off reasonably well with some top 5 finishes, but had a violent crash in the early rounds and was forced to take time off. The rest of the year was filled with crashes and disappointing results and Carmichael failed to finish in the top 10 overall. He raced 125 outdoors once again with Pro Circuit, and again dominated that series for his third title in a row.

In 2000, Carmichael jumped to the 250 class full-time. He was much more consistent this year with regular top 5 finishes, including his first win at Daytona. He finished 5th overall behind eventual champion Jeremy McGrath; the latter's final title. Outdoors, Carmichael had no such trouble adapting the bigger bike and was the class of the field. He had some close battles with Sebastien Tortelli, but ended up winning the 250 National Championship in his first try.

By 2001, Carmichael had showed a new commitment to his fitness and preparation. After some early series battles with McGrath, Carmichael took a chokehold of the points lead and won 13 out of 15 Supercross races as well as the championship. After another battle with Tortelli and Kevin Windham outdoors, Carmichael won that title again as well.

Carmichael switched to Honda for 2002. He suffered a horrendous endo at round one of Supercross; earning no points. He mounted a furious comeback by winning 11 races from 16 and the title over David Vuillemin.

Carmichael accomplished something that year previously thought impossible. He won all 24 motos of the 2002 National season.

Bubba Stewart AMA Motocross Supercross Champion

James Stewart Jr.  also known as Bubba Stewart, is an American former professional motocross racer who competed in the AMA Motocross and the AMA Supercross Championships. Through his years of racing, he earned the nickname “The Fastest Man on The Planet”, due to his extraordinary talent, speed, athleticism and innovation.

In 2008 James won every race and every moto of the AMA Motocross season. The only other person to do this is Ricky Carmichael. James is second in all time 450 Supercross wins (50), and second all time in AMA outdoor national wins (98). He is also known for innovating the "bubba scrub" or just "scrub", which revolutionized the sport and became a fundamental skill needed to compete in Professional Motocross. He was the first to host his own television show "Bubba's World" which brought even more attention to the sport. He is arguably the most financially lucrative racer, bringing in endorsement deals paying him over $10M a year throughout his career. Known for his vibrant personality and big smile, James has been featured in news outlets like Rolling Stone, The New York Times, Maxim, ESPN The Magazine, GQ and many more. Additionally, Teen People named him one of “20 Teens Who Will Change the World”. He has the record for best rookie season, having won 10/12 Motocross races in 2002.

James has 5 FIM World Champion titles from Motocross of Nations, and World Supercross. 4 AMA Supercross Champion titles, and 3 AMA Motocross Champion titles. He won the Redbull Straight Rhythm in both 2014 and 2015. He's a Motocross legend who battled the greats of multiple era's.

2019 INDUCTEES

Dale Jarrett 1999 Winston Cup Series 1993, 1996, 2000 Daytona 500 Winner

Jarrett was born on November 26, 1956 in Conover, North Carolina, the middle child of Ned and Martha. Jarrett has an older brother, Glenn; and a younger sister, Patti. Jarrett's father Ned competed in the NASCAR Grand National Division between 1953 to 1966, winning two series championships in 1961 and 1965. Following retirement, Ned remained active in the racing community as manager of Hickory Motor Speedway and later established a career in broadcasting.

Jarrett spent his childhood traveling to his father's races across the Southern United States. He was introduced to golf by age twelve; he also played football, basketball and baseball while attending Newton-Conover High School. Jarrett led his high school's golf team to three conference championships, and was named the school's athlete of the year as a senior. Following graduation in 1975, Jarrett worked at Hickory Motor Speedway, the track his father managed.[8] Jarrett was offered a full golf scholarship from the University of South Carolina, which he declined. Though he continued to play golf, Jarrett was interested in following his father's footsteps as a racing driver.

In April 1977, Jarrett entered his first professional race in the Limited Sportsman Division at Hickory. His vehicle, a 1968 Chevrolet Nova, was built by Andy Petree and Jimmy Newsome.Jarrett started last and finished in ninth place; it was after this event when Jarrett knew that he wanted to race for a living. Jarrett continued to compete in the Limited Sportsman Division for two years, before moving up to the Dash Series and then the Late Model Sportsman Division, the latter in which he earned his first victory.

*Alan Kulwicki nascar race driver

Alan Dennis Kulwicki , nicknamed "Special K" and the "Polish Prince", was an American auto racing driver and team owner. He started racing at local short tracks in Wisconsin before moving up to regional stock car touring series. Kulwicki arrived at NASCAR, the highest and most expensive level of stock car racing in the United States, with no sponsor, a limited budget and only a racecar and a borrowed pickup truck. Despite starting with meager equipment and finances, he earned the 1986 NASCAR Rookie of the Year award over drivers racing for well-funded teams.

After Kulwicki won his first race at Phoenix International Raceway, he debuted what would become his trademark "Polish victory lap". Kulwicki won the 1992 Winston Cup Championship by what was then the closest margin in NASCAR history. He died early in 1993 in a light aircraft accident and therefore never defended his championship. He has been inducted into numerous racing halls of fame and was named one of NASCAR's 50 greatest drivers.

Kulwicki was known for being a perfectionist and doing things his own way. An engineer by trade, his scientific approach to NASCAR racing inspired the way teams are now run. Despite lucrative offers from top car owners, he insisted on driving for his own race team, AK Racing, during most of his NASCAR career. Described by his publicist as "a real hard type of person to get to know", he remained a bachelor throughout his life.

* Nicky Hayden AMA Superbike Champion

Nicholas Patrick Hayden, nicknamed "The Kentucky Kid", was an American professional motorcycle racer who won the MotoGP World Championship in 2006. Hayden began racing motorcycles at a young age. He began his road racing career in the CMRA before progressing to the AMA Supersport Championship and then to the AMA Superbike Championship. He won the AMA title in 2002 and was approached by the Repsol Honda team to race for them in MotoGP.

In his first season he performed well, finishing fifth in the championship and winning the Rookie-of-the-year award. However, this was followed by a difficult second season in which he managed eighth overall. Hayden then rallied in the 2005 season by scoring his first Grand Prix win at Laguna Seca, and finishing third in the standings at the end of the season. The next year, 2006, would be Hayden's greatest in motorcycle racing as he won the 2006 MotoGP world title, breaking Valentino Rossi's five-year consecutive streak. He remained with Honda for two more seasons without a world title, before moving to Ducati for 2009. Hayden had five largely unsuccessful seasons at Ducati, with his highest finishing championship position a seventh place in 2010. He subsequently moved to the Honda Aspar team in 2014 where he raced for two seasons before making a move to the Superbike World Championship with the Ten Kate Racing Honda team.

Hayden finished fifth in his first season in the World Superbike Championship with the highlight of his season being a win in Malaysia. For 2017 Hayden continued with the Red Bull Honda team (formerly Ten Kate Racing team).

On May 17, 2017, Hayden was hit by a car while riding his bicycle in Italy. He suffered a traumatic rain injury and died five days later in a local hospital. Hayden was posthumously inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2018.

Hélio Castroneves 3 time indianapolis 500 winner

Hélio Alves de Castro Neves (Portuguese pronunciation: ju kastu nvis] better known as Hélio Castroneves, is a Brazilian auto racing driver competing in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Prior to IMSA, Castroneves competed in the IndyCar Series, gaining 23 wins and 38 poles, and placed second in the season standings four times, third three times, and fourth five times. Castroneves also competed in the CART championship, with a highest championship points finish of fourth; he recorded six wins and seven pole positions in the series.

Castroneves won the Indianapolis 500 in 2001, 2002, and 2009, making him one of only nine drivers, and the only active driver, to have won at least three times. He also finished second at Indy in 2003, 2014, and 2017. Castroneves has won four pole positions for the Indy 500, including back-to-back poles in 2009 and 2010, the first driver to do so since Scott Brayton in 1996. He is also one of only five drivers – along with Wilbur Shaw, Mauri Rose, Bill Vukovich, and Al Unser being the other four – and the only active driver to win the Indy 500 in back-to-back races.

Sam Schimdt Indy racing league driver

Samuel "Sam" Schmidt is a former Indy Racing League driver and current NTT IndyCar Series and Indy Lights series team owner. Schmidt's brief IndyCar career included a win in 1999, but an accident before the 2000 season left him a quadriplegic.

After graduating from Pepperdine University, he became a successful businessman, eventually purchasing his father's parts company in 1989 at the age of 25.He raced at a competitive amateur level, supported by his business income, but dreamed of someday driving in the Indianapolis 500. He first drove professionally in 1995 in the USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series at the age of 31 which, by racing standards, is an unusually old age to begin a professional career. Nonetheless, he won Rookie of the Year honors.

In 1997 he made his first Indy Racing League start and became a rising star in the league. He raced three consecutive years at the Indianapolis 500, and earned his first race victory, from the pole position, at Las Vegas in 1999.[citation needed] He finished fifth in series points that year. During that offseason, while testing in preparation for the 2000 season, Schmidt crashed at Walt Disney World Speedway on January 6, 2000. The accident rendered him a quadriplegic, and put him on a respirator for five months.

After leaving the hospital, Schmidt, no longer able to actually drive a racecar, realized he needed to find a new passion and follow it. Inspired by meeting tetraplegic Formula One team owner Sir Frank Williams, he founded Sam Schmidt Motorsports, which has become the most successful team in the history of the Indy Lights series, winning the 2004 series championship with Thiago Medeiros, the 2006 title with Jay Howard, and the 2007 title with Alex Lloyd. Sam Schmidt Motorsports was a full-time IndyCar series team in 2001 and 2002, and continues to participate annually in the Indianapolis 500. In the Firestone Indy Lights series, as of August 2009 the team had posted 30 victories out of 100 starts.

After acquiring the FAZZT Race Team IndyCar team in 2011, Sam Schmidt Motorsports returned full-time to the IZOD IndyCar Series, and on May 21, 2011, driver Alex Tagliani won the pole position for the Indianapolis 500, the first pole for the team.

Warren Johnson nhra champion

Warren Johnson is a retired American NHRA drag racing driver. He is the driver with the most wins in pro stock with 97 career wins, six world championships and earned himself the nickname "The Professor of Pro Stock."

In 1995, Johnson had one of the biggest comebacks in NHRA history. After the alleged season ending vandalism of the cars driven by Darrell Alderman and Scott Geoffrion, Johnson started gaining points, and had gained over 500 points with the season half completed to clinch the championship that year.

In 1997 he became the first NHRA Pro Stock driver to exceed 200 mph with a pass of 200.13 mph at Richmond, Virginia. He became the first Pro Stock driver to make a sub-6.9 second pass with a 6.894-second run at Richmond, Va. In 2006 Johnson reached his 500th career race.

On May 2, 2010 at age 66 Warren became the oldest professional winner in NHRA history as we won the AAA Midwest Nationals in Madison Illinois.

Currently, Johnson is a member of the Kiz Toys’ Board of Advisors. Kiz Toys is a toy company based out of Cumming, Georgia, and Johnson advises the company on automotive aspects of the KizMoto line, Kiz Toys’ initial product line. Johnson reviews product designs and development on an ongoing basis and offers suggestions on current and future products associated with KizMoto. As of May 2010, he won the National Hot Rod Association's Pro Stock championship in six seasons and 97 NHRA national events. Johnson is also a two time IHRA champion in the Mountain Motor Pro Stock division.

2018 INDUCTEES

*Wendell Scott pioneer African American driver

born August 29, 1921 in the 'Crooktown' section of Danville, Virginia, was a remarkable man and accomplished many feats. Scott was the first, and remains the only, African-American to compete in and own a NASCAR team.
Wendell Scott began his career, as did many drivers of the era, off the track. He gained seat time driving a taxi in Danville as fast as it could go, and hauled moonshine whiskey at night. Scott accumulated 13 speeding tickets in his taxi, which caused him to lose his chauffeurs license. Hauling bootleg was exciting to him; he could buy liquor for 55 cents a pint and sell it for twice that amount, plus he had practice racing from the police and leaving them in a cloud of dust. He often bragged about how he could out run the police, for instance getting so far ahead and hiding in the shadows of the night until the police would come flying by. He was not always lucky though, and once was caught and placed on probation.
In 1949, a race promoter for the Danville Fairgrounds, in a quest to increase attendance for the track, was seeking an African-American to race. He went to the Danville police station to obtain a name, where the police promptly referred him to Wendell Scott. The promoter made Scott an offer, and he agreed with much enthusiasm. Scott used to watch the races with a friend and would often say, if given the chance, he would race.
 

Scott raced in the modified and sportsman division early in his career on dirt tracks in places such as Staunton, Lynchburg, Waynesboro, Roanoke, Zion's Crossroads, Ruckersville, and Natural Bridge in Virginia, and Hagerstown in Maryland. Scott also raced on the sands of Daytona in the 1950's. In this division, Scott won a total of 128 races. He was the Virginia State Champion in 1959, and the Southside Speedway Champion in that same year.
In 1961, Scott, along with his wife Mary, decided to make the move to the highest level of racing, NASCAR Grand National Division (now known as Winston Cup). He had to make the transition from dirt track to pavement, racing against such drivers as Ned Jarrett, Junior Johnson, Earl Brooks, Glen Wood, and Lee and Richard Petty. He also faced the challenge of going into many different tracks in the deep South at a time when segregation and racism were strong and brutal. Scott would confront many obstacles during his career in racing, often being hit on the track deliberately by other drivers, denied expense money, and turned away from tracks all because of the color of his skin. He loved racing, however, and took the bad with the good.
In 1963 NASCAR ran a split season and in December of that year, which started the 1964 season, Scott made automotive racing history. At Speedway Park in Jackson, Florida, in a 100-mile feature race, Wendell Scott finished the race first in what should have been the greatest day of his life. However, it turned out to be one of the worst when Scott was denied the win to Buck Baker. Scott and his team protested the call and after three hours of consultation a NASCAR official declared Scott as the winner. They labeled the incident as a scoring error, marking him a lap down. Scott actually ran 202 laps in the 200-lap event. It was later said that NASCAR ruled the finish out of fear of what might happen if Scott were to pull into victory lane in front of a crowd of white spectators. Scott said that he never would have kissed the beauty queen, but only shook her hand. Scott also noted that every time he passed Baker he would wave at him. This incident troubled Scott for the rest of his life. He wanted to hear his name and car number being announced over the speaker in victory lane. He did receive the winner's purse but never got the trophy for his driving performance.
Scott continued to race until a near death car crash in 1973 at Talladega Speedway in Alabama forced him to retire. He didn't have factory backing, but he did have spirit and his family: wife Mary, sons Wendell Jr., Franklin, and Michael, and daughters Willie Ann, Deborah, Cheryl, and Sybil.

 

Janet Guthrie pioneer FEMALE driver

Janet Guthrie was born March 7, 1938, in Iowa City, Iowa. In 1976 she became the first woman to compete in a NASCAR Winston Cup stock car race. The next year, she was the first woman to race in the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500. Guthrie was named to the Women's Sports Hall of Fame in 1980 and the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2006.

Race car driver and pilot Janet Guthrie was born on March 7, 1938, in Iowa City, Iowa. Janet Guthrie broke into the dangerous sport of professional auto racing to become the first woman to compete in the Indianapolis 500. Before she got behind the wheel of a race car, she was an experienced pilot. Guthrie learned to learn fly while she was in her teens. 

After graduating from the University of Michigan with a bachelor's degree in physics in 1960, Guthrie worked as a research and development engineer for Republic Aviation. There she was involved in work that would later evolve into Project Apollo. Guthrie even applied to be an astronaut in 1964. While that dream didn't work out, she soon found her life's ambition behind the wheel of a race car.

Janet Guthrie bought her first race car, a Jaguar XK 120, in the early 1960s. She later switched to a Jaguar XK 140, which helped secure two Sports Car Club of America race victories. Guthrie also scored wins in her class in the 1967 and 1970 Sebring 12-hour races. By the early 1970s, she raced cars full time. Guthrie was the first woman to compete in a NASCAR Winston Cup stock car race in 1976. And she made history again the next year as the first woman to race in the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500. At Indianapolis she came in 29th, and at Daytona she was the twelfth driver to cross the finish line. Guthrie also had her best Winston Cup finish that same year with a 6th place showing at Bristol.

In 1978, Guthrie returned to Indianapolis where she set the fastest time of the day twice. She ended up coming in 9th. Guthrie finished fifth at the Bettenhausen 200 in Milwaukee the following year, which was her best finish in Indy car racing. Also in 1979, she was the fourth driver to qualify at the Pocono 500, coming in after A.J. Foyt, Danny Ongais and Johnny Parsons. Guthrie went on to compete in the Daytona 500 the next year where she came in 11th. But after that, her career fizzled out because of a lack of funds. As she told AARP Bulletin, "I ran out of money. For the next three years I tried to find sponsorships and get back in the game. Finally I decided if I didn't cut it out I was going to jump through a window."

Despite the lackluster end of her career, Guthrie has been recognized for her contributions to her sport. She was named to the Women's Sports Hall of Fame in 1980 and to the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2006. Guthrie has shared her experiences with the 2005 memoir Janet Guthrie: A Life at Full Throttle. By out maneuvering many of her competitors, she showed the critics that women have what it takes to make it on the track.  Her efforts have made it easier for later female drivers, such as Danica Patrick, to get into racing.

Willie T. Ribbs first African American driver to qualify for indianapolis 500

William Theodore Ribbs, Jr. was born on January 3, 1956, in San Jose, California, to Geraldine and William T. Ribbs, Sr. Rather than managing the successful family plumbing business founded by his grandfather in 1927, Willy T. Ribbs races cars professionally. He is the first African American to compete in the Indianapolis 500 and one of the only African American NASCAR racers.

Ribbs' love of cars and racing began at the age of four. At age nine, Ribbs worked as a ranch hand on his grandfather's ranch. His first foray into motorsports was driving Formula Ford cars in Europe soon after his high school graduation in 1975. He won the Dunlop Championship in his first year of competition, then returned to the United States and raced Formula Atlantic cars. Ribbs won the pole in the Long Beach Formula Atlantic race in 1982, outpacing veteran drivers before his engine failed. In 1983, he won five races in the SCCA Trans-Am and was honored as Pro Rookie of the Year. After competing in two NASCAR Winston Cup races in 1986, financial difficulties including the lack of corporate sponsorship kept his team from finishing the season.

In 1989, Bill and Camille Cosby stepped in and funded the Raynor-Cosby Motorsports team with Ribbs as the star driver. Ribbs won two top-ten events in his 1990 Championship Auto Racing Team (CART) Indianapolis debut. In 1991, he became the first African American to qualify for the Indianapolis 500, and he qualified again in 1993. However, by 1994 it was clear that corporate sponsors were not yet willing to back an African American motorsports athlete, despite Cosby's offer of free television commercials in return for sponsorship. Ribbs was released from his Indianapolis 500 contract and spent the year competing in the CART series, finishing in the top ten at Michigan and Denver Grand Prix races.

In 1999, Ribbs raced in the Las Vegas Indy Racing League (IRL). In 2000, he signed with Victoria Motorsports SCCA Trans-Am team and finished second at Long Beach, third at Detroit and fourth at Las Vegas. He was awarded the Johnson Triple Crown. In 2001, Ribbs joined the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with the support of Dodge, which initiated a motorsports diversity program to provide opportunities for minorities to race. This made Ribbs the first African American in the modern era to compete full-time in a major NASCAR division. Ribbs successfully raised his two children, Sasha and William Theodore Ribbs, III as a single parent.

  Nigel Mansell F-1 Champion

Nigel Ernest James Mansell OBE was born the 8th of August 1953 in Upton-upon-Severn, Worcestershire, England. His early childhood was unremarkable puctuated by frequent moving. He like other young boys was attracted to the exploits of Brutish sports figures including Jimmy Clark. After considerable success in kart racing, he would graduate to the British Formula Ford championship in 1977, despite suffering a broken neck in a testing accident. By now married he somehow convinced his wife Rosanne to sell the family home to finance a move into Formula 3.

In between crashes and breakdowns a certain Colin Chapman saw enough to offer the erstwhile Brit a tryout with Lotus to become a test driver for the Formula One team. Lotus, a shell of its former glory provided the car for his Formula One debut, at the 1980 Austrian Grand Prix, a fuel leak in the cockpit seemed to put him in his place and left him with painful first and second degree burns. There was never a better example of Nietzsche’s dictum, “Was ihn nicht umbringt, macht ihn stärker”, directly translated as “What does not kill him makes him stronger”. Mansell became very close to the legendary Lotus boss Colin Chapman and was devastated by his sudden unexpected death in 1982. Out of a sense of loyalty to his departed mentor he stayed with the team for two more years.

In 1985 he joined another British team, Williams and experienced his first success after years of trials when he won the European Grand Prix at Brands Hatch. This was followed by more success but save for to incidents the World Championship was still out of reach. In 1986 a burst tire in Adelaide destroyed his season at the last possible moment while in 1987 a serious qualifying accident at Suzuka injured his back again and handed the title to his hated Williams teammate Nelson Piquet. The loathing was mutual but 1987 was not without moments of satisfaction for Mansel whose late race charge to beat the Brazilian at Silverstone unleased a flood of adulation in front of his home crowd. Setting lap records 11 times in the final moments of the race as he caught and passed the race leader. To pour salt into any wound that may have been reopened he stopped to kiss the tarmac at the spot where he'd overtaken Piquet.

Williams would suffer a down cycle when they were left to scramble for an engine and ended up with one provided by Judd. A perfectly competent firm Judd lacked the resources of the large automobile manufacturers. Mansell seized an oppurtunity at Ferrari and soon won the hearts of the Tiofosi with his barely controlled agression on the track. At the Hungaroring, a track notorius for it lack of passing oppurtunities Mansell stormed through the field from a lowly 12th on the grid to the top step of the podium. Clouds soon appreared on the horizon in the form of Alain Prost who joined the Prancing horse in 1990. Anouncing his retirement at Silverstone he instead rejoined Williams coming close to winning the title for the resurgent team. In 1992 all of the struggles suffered through the years fell a ways when Mansell driving a Williams-Renault stormed to his first World Championship. Mansell's single season record of nine wins in 16 races, combined with 14 poles and five consecutive GP victories has been matched only by Michael Schumacher.

Seemingly on the top of the world he may have been excused if he only saw enemies when he learned that Prost was negotiating the other seat at Williams to replace the more pliable Ricardo Patrese. Mansell decided to seek exile in America where he when IndyCar racing. He would soon find that the wall at Phoenix was where bravery ended and a respect for America’s fearsome ovals would have to be born if he were to survive if not prosper. Remarkably it was the short ovals where he seemed to thrive the most and won the IndyCar Championship at his first go. Having won in the new series there was nothing left to prove and his enthusiasm began to wane and disputes with the team took a life of their own. Mario Andretti, a name synonymous with American racing and a racers racer would later remark that; “I guess if Ronnie Peterson was the best team-mate I ever had, Nigel Mansell was the worst”. To be fair none of the other top stars of the period, Piquet, Senna, or Prost could be called easy teammates and they often got along best with those teammates of inferior talent.

The tragic death of Ayrton Senna and retirement of Prost would see Mansell return a third time to Williams. His last season in Formula One involved an aborted fling with McLaren where he was needlessly embarrassed by the team when it was found that he could not fit and drive the car safely and it had to be widened. He would not see the end of the season and retired for good. Was Mansell misunderstood, possibly, was he brave and quick, without a doubt.

 Alain Prost F-1 Champion

Alain Prost was deservingly dubbed ‘The Professor’ for his intelligent approach to racing. That, and his astute manoeuvrings outside the cockpit, which often paved his way into the right cars at the right times.

The result was 51 wins – more than any other driver at the time of his retirement – and four world championship titles. Had it not been for his notorious rivalry with Ayrton Senna, which descended into outright war during their two seasons as McLaren team mates, his career tallies might have been even more impressive.

Prost arrived in F1 with McLaren in 1980, having declined the offer of a one-off drive at Watkins Glen the year before. He often led team mate John Watson in his debut campaign, but his confidence in the car suffered after a series of dangerous suspension failures. He left to join Renault team who, with turbo engines, powered him to his first win on home ground in 1981.

The championship was a possibility in 1982 but chronic unreliability wounded his cause. He was also famously undermined by team mate Rene Arnoux, who refused to heed the team’s instructions for Prost to be given the win as the pair led the field at Paul Ricard.

Arnoux left for Ferrari and Prost led the 1983 title race until the final round, when he lost out to Nelson Piquet. Renault then dropped him after he dared to criticise them for not keeping the car apace with technological developments.

But Prost had the last laugh – while Renault endured two winless seasons and then withdrew from F1, he returned to McLaren and won first time out at Jacarepagua. However six further wins that year were still not enough for him to capture that first-ever title – he was beaten by team mate Niki Lauda by the smallest-ever margin of half a point.

Prost finally clinched the crown in 1985 and added a second in 1986 in a dramatic finale in Adelaide. By 1987 McLaren’s TAG-Porsche engines had fallen behind but McLaren boss Ron Dennis secured the coveted Honda powerplants – and the services of Ayrton Senna – for the next season.

The MP4-4s were untouchable in 1988. Prost held the upper hand for the first few races but Senna hit back hard, winning four in a row at mid-season. Although Prost accrued more points during the season, drivers could only count their best eleven finishes, and Senna’s eighth win of the year saw him clinch the championship at the penultimate round.

The pressures of the championship had taken its inevitable toll on their relationship, particularly in Portugal where Senna forced Prost alarmingly close to the pit wall at high speed. Matters worsened in 1989 when Prost accused Senna of reneging on a pre-race agreement at Imola.

That championship was decided in controversial fashion. Prost went into the penultimate race ahead on points and when Senna made to overtake his team mate Prost, well off the normal racing line, tangled with his team mate. Both were seemingly out on the spot and although Senna recovered and went on to win the race, his subsequent disqualification secured Prost’s third title.

Prost had already made arrangements to move to Ferrari. He took the number one with him and took the fight to Senna in the middle of the season. But returning to Suzuka the McLaren driver had the initiative and repaid Prost in kind for his tactics twelve months earlier. Though not quite with the same degree of subtltety – Senna rammed Prost off the track at the first corner at over a hundred miles an hour.

Prost’s relationship with Ferrari soured in 1991. Winless against the might of McLaren and Williams, he was fired before the final round for criticising his car in circumstances not dissimilar to his departure from Renault.

But, as ever, he had a contingency plan – a contract with Williams team for 1993. The team had dominated the 1992 campaign and Prost was rarely tested as he collected a fourth title, though Senna headed him in the points early in the season.

Having departed the sport seemingly for good Prost tested for McLaren at the beginning of 1994, then decided to remain in retirement. In 1997 he returned as boss of an eponymous team, formerly Ligier, but over the next five years the team dwindled from race-winners in 1996 to non-points-scorers in 2000. Prost quit for good after the team folded in 2001. He now serves as an ambassador for Renault.

Niki Lauda  F-1 Champion

Lauda was a champion Formula 1 race car driver known for his long-standing rivalry with fellow driver James Hunt.

was born into a wealthy Austrian family in 1949. Always interested in cars, Lauda began racing in his early 20s, joining Ferrari in 1974. He took his first world championship a year later, but his career took a nasty turn in August 1976 when he was involved in a terrible crash. Lauda returned to the driver's seat just six weeks later, and he reclaimed the championship in 1977. After initially retiring in 1979 to run an airline he had founded, Lauda returned to racing in 1982, taking the championship for the last time in 1984. He has since served as an adviser to Ferrari and as a television commentator, in addition to running his airline, Lauda Air.

Famed race car driver Niki Lauda was born Andreas Nikolaus Lauda on February 22, 1949, into a wealthy Vienna family, but he nevertheless had to earn his way into the world of Formula 1 racing. He became interested in auto racing at a young age through a general love of automobiles, getting his fix parking relatives' cars and thrashing around the Austrian countryside in a 1949 Volkswagen Beetle convertible. Lauda's first race came along in 1968, but, despite his early success (he came in second in that race), his family was fully against the idea of him becoming a race car driver.

Lauda worked his way through the Formula 3 and 2 circuits, supporting his struggling career through bank loans, before landing a spot on the Ferrari Formula 1 team in 1974. Ferrari was a company with a stellar reputation, but one that had not had a racing champion since 1964. Lauda turned that around in his second year as he compiled enough wins to take the championship with a wide margin over second place.

In 1975, Niki Lauda came head-to-head with James Hunt, the flamboyant British driver, for the first time at the Dutch Grand Prix. Hunt took the race, but more importantly Lauda took the championship that year, and the two began a career-long rivalry/friendship. The two drivers would meet again and again over the years, but a key race in 1976 would be different.

2017 INDUCTEES

Anton Hulman "Tony" George Indy Racing league founder

Anton Hulman "Tony" George (born December 30, 1959) is the chairman and former President and CEO of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Hulman & Company, serving from 1989 to 2009. He was also formerly on the Board of Directors of both entities. He founded the Indy Racing League and co-owned Vision Racing. Many commentators, such as Gordon Kirby, suggest that George's actions at the head of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and in creating the IRL to rival the then-dominant CART led to a sharp decline in popularity of open-wheel racing in the United States as it split the fanbase, and gave a significant boost to the national popularity of NASCAR.

Tony George's grandfather, Tony Hulman purchased the Indianapolis Motor Speedway at the end of World War II. George is a former driver, having competed in the 1989 Indy Lights championship, finishing 12th in points and capturing 5 top-tens. His mother (Tony Hulman's daughter), Mari Hulman George (born 1934), formerly served as the speedway's Chairman and delivers its famed "ladies and gentlemen, start your engines" public address before every Indianapolis 500 from 1997-2015 and the Brickyard 400 from 1997, 1999-2015. He delivered the command for the 2017 Indy 500 using the Drivers Start Your Engines command.

Tony George became president and CEO of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation after the death of Joe Cloutier in 1989.

During his first few years as Speedway head, he oversaw new projects such as an infield road-circuit, Tower Terrace Suites, pit lane reconstruction (including the addition of a warm-up lane requested by many influential Speedway alumni), and a control tower.

Before George's arrival, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (or "the Speedway") traditionally had only one race: the Indianapolis 500. He changed that with the announcement that a NASCAR race would be held at the Speedway. The Brickyard 400 made its debut on August 6, 1994, with Jeff Gordon taking the checkered flag. Many Indianapolis purists despise stock car racing at the most famous circuit in North American open-wheel lore. Some fans believe the configuration of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as well as the diamond cutting of the track surface makes it a poor facility for stock car racing, traditionally exhibited on high banked ovals.

In 1998, the IROC series came to the track, to little fanfare, and less success.

Later, George helped bring Formula One back to the U.S. with the United States Grand Prix held at the Speedway in 2000. This project involved building a road course inside the oval. The inaugural event in 2000 set an F1 attendance record. Controversy surrounded the 2005 United States Grand Prix, where only 6 of the 20 cars took the green due to problems with Michelin tires, which likely damaged the reputation of the event and the F1 in general in the USA market. Michael Schumacher became the first driver to win 5 races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway by winning the 2006 race on July 2. The UK's Lewis Hamilton won the 2007 event, which turned out to be the last running. George and Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone could not reach an agreement to continue the US Grand Prix at the Brickyard for 2008 and beyond.

The Speedway hosted its first MotoGP event in 2008. The motorcycles could not safely race through the banked turns at high speed, so a portion of the infield was plowed and paved to provide a bypass to Turn 13 of the original road course.

George resigned on June 30, 2009 as President and CEO of IMS and Hulman & Company claiming it to be so he could focus more time on the Indy Racing League. It has been reported that while George's mother Mari Hulman George (who is also chairman of the board) supported him, his sisters (who are the other directors) wanted him forced out. The board also rejected George's request to continue funding Vision Racing. George had spent hundreds of millions of dollars on IRL teams, drivers, entry fees, marketing plans, airplanes, personnel and his own team. However the IRL has been said to be continually losing money, and after the estimated $60 million overhaul of the Speedway to accommodate Formula One in 2000, George’s sisters, Nancy George, Josie George and Kathi Conforti-George, voiced their concern to their mother over the spending habits of their brother, finally convincing Mari Hulman George to take unchecked power away from George in June 2009.

In January 2010, George resigned from the board of directors. In February 2011, however George again became a director of Hulman & Company when the board was expanded.[6] At a July 2016 NASCAR event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Tony George was described as Chairman of the Board of Hulman & Company, which owns IMS and the IndyCar Series.

Shortly after being removed from the CART Board of Directors, George announced the creation of the Indy Racing League, which began racing in 1996. He claimed to create the IRL to challenge the already established CART series, and to encourage a more even playing field in open wheel racing. He claimed he wanted a series to run entirely on oval tracks, making it distinct from CART, which raced on road and street courses in addition to short ovals and superspeedways. George angered many CART participants by requiring 25 of the 33 spots in the Indianapolis 500 to be occupied by drivers in the IRL circuit. This meant that CART could not hold the Indianapolis 500 as a points scoring event on their calendar as not enough teams would be allowed to compete and earn points. CART decided to stage their own race on the same day, the U.S. 500 at Michigan International Speedway. Due to the lack of participation from the established CART teams, most of the biggest names did not enter the Indianapolis 500 for several years. Tony George became a figure of derision among some racing fans, and he is blamed for open wheel racing losing fans, sponsors and drivers to NASCAR.[8]

George was successful in increasing the visibility of Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Indy 500 remains one of the highlights of the IRL race season and maintained a strong attendance. George also attracted NASCAR and Formula One (from 2000 to 2007) to Indianapolis. In 2008, the MotoGP series added the oval circuit to its schedule. However the IndyCar series had trouble drawing fans, plus it lost IndyCar drivers to NASCAR such as Sam Hornish, Dario Franchitti, and Danica Patrick. Despite the absorption of the Champ Car World Series (the successor to CART) to IndyCar series, the merged series is nowhere as popular or commercially successful as CART in the early 1990s.[2]

IRL The IRL was founded in 1994 and began racing in 1996 claiming to offer a cost-effective, all-oval alternative to the PPG CART Indycar World Series. The basic beliefs behind the creation of the series were:

• Cost controlled racing
• Driver Safety
• All-oval schedule
• Give a better opportunity for American drivers to succeed in motorsports and compete at the Indianapolis 500, particularly USAC drivers whose numerical representation at the 500 had dwindled.

However, as the series evolved, it moved away from these principles, with more foreign drivers, increased costs and, eventually, racing on road courses and street circuits.

The IRL ("The League") struggled initially, until CART faced financial turmoil and CART teams began to return to the Indianapolis 500 in 2000. The concern over CART's future, financial stability, and the attraction to the sponsorship draw of the Indy 500 saw teams slowly moving over to the IRL from 2001 to 2003.

CART declared bankruptcy in the 2003 off season. George made a bid for certain assets of the company, while a trio of CART owners (Gerald Forsythe, Paul Gentilozzi, and Kevin Kalkhoven), along with Dan Pettit, also made a bid, calling their group the Open Wheel Racing Series (OWRS). George's offer was to purchase only select company assets, in an effort to eliminate any series that would rival his Indy Racing League. However, if George's bid (which was actually higher than the OWRS bid) had been successful, many vendors that were still owed money by CART would have not been paid. Therefore, a judge ruled that the OWRS group should be the purchaser of CART, which ensured a 25th anniversary season in 2004, running as Champ Car. Open Wheel Racing Series. (OWRS) would later change its name to Champ Car World Series (CCWS) LLC.

Prior to 2003 the IRL was unable to use the term "IndyCar" since that was licensed to CART. In 1992, The Speedway trademarked the term "IndyCar" which had been widely used by CART in championship branding and promotion. The Speedway then leased the term to CART through 1997. With the inception of the IRL, a lawsuit, and a six-year non-use agreement, formal use of the term disappeared. Widespread confusion ensued with CART still competing at "Indy" branded events in Canada and Australia, and both CART/Champ Car and IRL cars being popularly referred to as "IndyCars". In 2003 the non-use agreement expired and the IRL was able to adopt the recognized IndyCar moniker once again, thereafter becoming the IRL IndyCar Series.

Road courses entered the IRL schedule in 2005. Adding road courses added significant costs to the increasingly expensive league, because modifications to the chassis and engines (which were initially designed solely for the stresses of oval racing) would be required.[citation needed] This caused much criticism of George, and debate amongst fans, some of whom argued it went against what the IRL was founded. The fans opined that oval racing was more exciting than road and street racing, better represented the heritage of open-wheel, paid homage to the Indianapolis 500, was more cost effective and better allotted American drivers with the opportunity of success in open-wheel racing.[citation needed] The other side of the debate argued it was best for the IRL to adopt more road racing, and become similar to CART, the series that saw American open-wheel racing reach its peak (popularity, manufacturer and sponsor interest) with a diverse schedule, technical package, manufacturer involvement, and large costs.[citation needed] In addition, Champ Car, the successor to CART, had failed at providing as diverse a schedule as in the CART era. Becoming CART-like in its season schedule was suggested as a way to help grow the IRL fan base.

In 2005, George stepped down from his operational duties in the IRL to start his own team, Vision Racing, with his wife Laura George and actor Patrick Dempsey. The team was formed from the remnants of Kelley Racing, which disbanded after the 2004 season. George's stepson, Ed Carpenter, began driving for the team in 2005. Vision Racing shut down operations on January 28, 2009 due to a lack of sponsorship.[9]

On February 22, 2008, the IRL and Champ Car World Series signed a deal to unify the two open-wheel American circuits, bringing them under the umbrella of the IRL IndyCar Series. A statement was released by the two sides, saying, "Owners of Champ Car and the Indy Racing League completed an agreement in principle Friday that will unify the sport for 2008."

"Gerald Forsythe, co-owner of Champ Car, signed an agreement in principle in Chicago, joining his partner Kevin Kalkhoven and Indy Racing League founder and CEO Tony George who had signed late Thursday in Indianapolis."

johnny rutherford  3 time indianapolis 500 winner

John Sherman "Johnny" Rutherford III (born March 12, 1938), also known as "Lone Star JR", is an American former automobile racing driver. He is one of ten drivers to win the prestigious Indianapolis 500 mile race at least three times, winning in 1974, 1976, and 1980.

Rutherford began racing modified stock cars in 1959 and he also dabbled in stock car racing, making 35 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts from 1963 to 1988. Rutherford won in his first start, at Daytona International Speedway driving for Smokey Yunick. This made him one of the youngest drivers ever to win in NASCAR history, in a full points-paying NASCAR race.

.In 1959, Rutherford started driving modified stock cars in Dallas. He joined the International Motor Contest Association sprint car circuit in 1961 leading it for most of 1962. Rutherford later joined the United States Auto Club (USAC) starting in the Hoosier Hundred and later winning his first championship.

Rutherford won his qualifying heat race for the 1963 Daytona 500, becoming the youngest winner of a Duel as a championship race, a record that would stand as the races were taken off the championship schedule in 1971 (though it has since been broken, the race was not a championship race when it happened). Later that year he also had his first start in the Indianapolis 500. Rutherford's first Indy car race win took place at the Atlanta 250. He won the USAC National Sprint Car Championship in 1965.

On April 3, 1966, Rutherford suffered a serious crash at Eldora Speedway. His car flipped out of the track, and he suffered broken arms, a broken finger, and a head injury. He was forced to sit out the 1966 Indy 500.

Rutherford won pole position at the Indy 500 in 1973, 1976, and 1980. In 1973, Rutherford set a one-lap track record of 199.071 mph, falling just shy of becoming the first driver to break the 200 mph barrier at Indianapolis. Victories at the Indy 500 for him came in 1974, 1976 and 1980. In 1984, at Michigan International Speedway, Rutherford set an all time Indy car qualifying lap speed record of 215.189 mph. His win in the 1986 Michigan 500 at age 48 made him the oldest winner of a 500-mile race, a record that still stands. Rutherford recorded nine straight seasons with a victory making him one of just six drivers in Indy Car history to do so

In October 1977, Rutherford travelled 'down under' to compete in Australia's most famous motor race, the Bathurst 1000 km (800 mi) touring car race at the Mount Panorama Circuit. There, partnering fellow Indianapolis racer Janet Guthrie (who earlier that year had become the first woman to qualify for the Indianapolis 500), Rutherford drove a V8 powered Holden Torana for the team that had won the 1976 race, Ron Hodgson Motors. Driving a completely unfamiliar car (Australian cars have the steering wheel on the right side of the car) on a 6.172 km (3.835 mi) public road course carved into the side of a mountain, Rutherford qualified 26th out of 60 starters. During practice he complained about his car as it was not as good as the teams lead car driven by 1976 winners Bob Morris and John Fitzpatrick (JR was 8.2 seconds slower). Morris then got in the car and while not as quick as his own Torana, easily lapped over 5 seconds faster showing the problem was simply JR's lack of familiarity with the car and track. Wisely, JR made a cautious start to the race (another new experience was the standing start), but his race would come effectively to an end on lap 8 when he attempted to lap the Ford Escort RS2000 of 1966 winner Bob Holden. The Torana and Escort made contact and Rutherford ended up crashing into an earth bank at the top of The Mountain. The bent Torana was then brought back to the pits on the back of a tilt-tray truck (with the race still going at full speed and cars passing the truck going along the 2 km long Conrod Straight at over 150 mph (241 km/h)). It was then disqualified before being reinstated. Rutherford then completed another 5 laps before finally retiring with Guthrie not getting to drive.

Rutherford's NASCAR Winston Cup career included 35 starts from 1963 to 1988. He won in his first start, at Daytona International Speedway driving for Smokey Yunick. The win, in the second 100-mile Daytona 500 qualifying race, made him one of the youngest drivers ever to win in NASCAR history, in a full points-paying NASCAR race. (Until 1971, the qualifying races were full points-paying races.) In 1981, Rutherford drove twelve races, the most he ever raced in a single NASCAR season. In addition, Rutherford competed in five runnings of the International Race of Champions – 1975, 1977, 1978, 1980 and 1984.