Acceleration Weekend
CHARLOTTE — NASCAR gathers at the Hall of Fame Friday evening to induct five men who helped shape the history of NASCAR — Richie Evans, Dale Inman, Darrell Waltrip, Glen Wood, and Cale Yarborough. From Daytona to Talladega, Watkins Glen to Riverside, in the pits and on the tracks the legacy of the sport comes to life at the Hall of Fame.
Saturday at the Hall of Fame kicks off with an early breakfast hosted by Hall of Famer Junior Johnson, followed by tours led by many legends of NASCAR. The afternoon includes a presentation by Jeff Gordon and Richard Petty as they recall November 15, 1992, and what many believe is the greatest race of all time. (I was there. It has my vote.) This was the last stop on the Richard Petty retirement tour and as a bonus the championship race was red hot. Davey Allison, Bill Elliott or Alan Kulwicki all had a shot at the trophy.
Elliott won the race but Kulwicki grabbed the title by the closest margin in Cup history. (That is until the tie of last season.)
NASCAR Hall of Fame caps the day as exhibits come to life through the stars that made them famous. Legends of the sport, Cale Yarborough, Bobby Allison, Donnie Allison, Ned Jarrett, Darrell Waltrip, Jeff Hammond, Junior Johnson, Tom Higgins, Dale Inman, Glen Wood, Leonard Wood and Bud Moore, all sign in for a intimate evening of storytelling, fan question and answer sessions with exclusive up close and personal insights into the legends behind the exhibits.
The inductees for the Class of 2012:
RICHIE EVANS – Driver (b. 7-23-41 – d. 10-24-85)
Hometown: Rome, N.Y.
Competed: 1973-85
Starts: 1,300 (estimated)
Wins: 475 (estimated)
The recognized “king” of Modified racing, Evans captured nine NASCAR Modified titles in a 13-year span, including eight in a row from 1978-85.
In the first year of the current NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour format in 1985, Evans won 12 races, including a sweep of all four events at Thompson, Conn.
Evans ranked No. 1 in the 2003 voting of the “NASCAR All-Time Modified Top 10 Drivers,” and he was named one of NASCAR’s “50 Greatest Drivers” in 1998.
Continued on the next page
Follow Technorati