2025 Inductees

Pete  Rose Greatest Baseball Player ever

Peter Edward Rose Sr.  nicknamed "Charlie Hustle", was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1963 to 1986, most prominently as a member of the Cincinnati Reds lineup known as the Big Red Machine for their dominance of the National League in the 1970s. He also played for the Philadelphia Phillies, where he won his third World Series championship in 1980, and had a brief stint with the Montreal Expos. He managed the Reds from 1984 to 1989.

Rose was a switch hitter and is MLB's all-time leader in hits (4,256), games played (3,562), at-bats (14,053), singles (3,215), and outs (10,328). He won three World Series championships, three batting titles, one Most Valuable Player Award, two Gold Glove Awards, and the Rookie of the Year Award. He made 17 All-Star appearances in an unequaled five positions (second baseman, left fielder, right fielder, third baseman, and first baseman). He won two Gold Glove Awards when he was an outfielder, in 1969 and 1970.

In August 1989 (his last year as a manager and three years after retiring as a player), Rose was penalized with permanent ineligibility from baseball amid accusations that he gambled on baseball games while he played for and managed the Reds; the charges of wrongdoing included claims that he bet on his own team. In 1991, the Baseball Hall of Fame formally voted to ban those on the "permanently ineligible" list from induction, after previously excluding such players by informal agreement among voters. After years of public denial, he admitted in 2004 that he bet on baseball and on the Reds. The issue of his election to the Hall of Fame remains contentious throughout baseball.

Pete may be banned from the babeball hall of fame in Cooperstown however we make an exception and welcome him into ours

Mary Fendrich Hulman chairman of board of the Indianapolis motor speedway

Mary Fendrich Hulman was the wife of the late Indiana industrialist Anton "Tony" Hulman, Jr. and matriarch of the Hulman-George family that controls Hulman & Company.

When Tony Hulman died on October 27, 1977, she became the chairman of both the Speedway and Hulman & Co. After his death, Mary took over one of Tony's traditional role during the Indianapolis 500. She voiced the famous line of "Gentlemen, start your engines!" She would continue to give the command (with few exceptions, when daughter Mari delivered it) through 1996[

Larry Bisceglia "Mr. First in Line"

Tony Schumacher eight-time NHRA Champion

Tony Schumacher is an American drag racer who is an eight-time NHRA Champion.as of April 2023, Schumacher is competing in the NHRA Top Fuel class, of which he is an eight-time champion (breaking a record set by Joe Amato), winning the championship in 6 consecutive years (2004–2009) In 1999, he became the first driver to exceed 330 mph in competition. He also has the world record for the fastest 1/4 mile top fuel run: 337.58 mph, earned in 2005 at Brainerd, Minnesota On September 14, 2008, at the inaugural NHRA Carolinas Nationals in Concord, North Carolina, Schumacher surpassed Joe Amato as the driver with most wins in NHRA Top Fuel history with his 53rd career victor On April 15, 2012, at zMax Dragway, Schumacher was the first top fuel driver to reach the 330 m.p.h. mark in the 1,000 foot NHRA era. However, he did not keep the record long as Spencer Massey broke the record the same day going 332.18 m.p.h..

Jeremy McGrath  is an American former professional motocross and supercross racer

Jeremy McGrath  is an American former professional motocross and supercross racer. Considered one of the most popular and influential riders in the history of motorcycle racing, McGrath won seven AMA Supercross 250cc championships, one 250cc AMA Motocross championship, two 125cc West championships and a record 72 premier class supercross wins.[ He was also a two-time FIM Supercross World Champion as well as a two-time Team USA Motocross des Nations winner.

During his career, Supercross experienced significant growth in audience size and media coverage, much of it centered around the dominance and showmanship of McGrath, leading to him being coined the "King of Supercross".Another of McGrath's nicknames, "Showtime," is partly derived from his iconic "nac-nac" move, which helped to spawn what would become known as freestyle motocross. However, McGrath's popularity transcended the world of motorcycles, taking small roles in the movies Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle and Motocrossed, appearing on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno[ licensing a video game series named after him, and featuring in several other offroad racing-related video game titles.

Since retiring from motorcycle racing, McGrath has pursued various other forms of racing both on and off-road, as well business ventures he is involved with.

Harlan Fengler Chief stewart Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Harlan Fengler was an American racing driver and official. Fengler acted as Chief Steward of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from 1958 until 1974 and lived in New Lebanon, Ohio.

Harlan Fengler was a big personality in the American auto racing scene from the early years of his career as a driver in the 1920s, to late in life when he served as a United States Auto Club (USAC) official some 50 years later into the 1970s. Known as the  "Boy Wonder" of the board tracks, Fengler competed in one Indianapolis 500 in 1923, finishing 16th. He was chief steward of the race from 1958 to 1974.

The ..”Boy Wonder”…Harlan Fengler was also a ..great driver…on the fast..&..high banked Board Tracks…he finished 4th…Nov. 29, 1923…at the beautiful…1 1/4 mile…Beverly Hills Speedway…that had large flower Vases..&..blooming flower boxes fronting the grandstands…Fengler then won the last race at Beverly Hills…Feb. 24, 1924….I enjoyed talking to him..back in the early 50,s…in the pits at…Carrell Speedway (Gardena, Calif.)

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