Hall of Fame Stuff: On Saturday, August 31, in an annual ceremony held during Darlington Raceway’s Mountain Dew Southern 500 weekend, motorsports pioneer and former NASCAR official Ed Otto will be one of four people inducted into the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) Stock Car Racing Hall of Fame. Other inductees include Dale Inman, Leonard Wood and Bud Moore. It is appropriate to recall Otto’s accomplishments this month. Sunday, August 7 marked 45 years to the day since Otto promoted the first NASCAR Winston Cup Series race held at Watkins Glen International. Watkins Glen was not the start of Otto’s career as a race promoter. Otto began promoting auto racing events as early as 1927, and continued for half a century. He is credited with promoting more than 1,100 auto racing events, including 25 NASCAR Winston Cup events between 1949 and 1965. Otto was present when Bill France, Sr. convened with auto racing promoters and leaders from around the country on that historic day in December 1947 at the Streamline Hotel in Daytona Beach to help form what is now NASCAR. Born in Newark, NJ in 1903, Otto became NASCAR’s first vice president in 1952. He was a great spokesman for NASCAR not just in the Northeast, but also in the West and Midwest where he helped gain a footing for stock car racing. He is credited with promoting the race in which Lee Petty scored his first victory in Pittsburgh, PA in 1949. He also promoted the race in Toronto, Canada in 1958, where Richard Petty made his first NASCAR Winston Cup start. Otto also was known as an early safety advocate, and an ethical promoter who never let a driver go home empty-handed. Otto will be inducted into the NMPA Hall of Fame by Hal Hamrick.(Darlington Raceway PR) AND The North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame will honor two of racing’s elite at its Sixth Annual Induction Ceremony, October 9, 2002 at the Mooresville, (NC) Citizens Center. Cale Yarborough, one of the most celebrated NASCAR drivers and owners, will be honored as the Hall of Fame’s newest inductee. The late Smokey Yunick, car owner and crew chief will receive the coveted Snap-On Golden Wrench Award for his outstanding contributions to the sport. Cale Yarborough is one of NASCAR’s most successful drivers. He was known for his aggressive, never give up driving style. Teamed with legendary car owner Junior Johnson, Yarborough recorded three back-to-back National Championships (1976-1978) and 28 race wins. Yarborough went on to create a successful career as a Winston Cup car owner, with drivers John Andretti and Jeremy Mayfield. Yarborough closed his racing career with a staggering total of 83 race wins, four Daytona 500 victories and three Winston Cup Championships. The late Smokey Yunick was a car owner, crew chief, engine builder, mechanic, and above all an innovator. He did not limit his racing innovation to stock car racing. Many of his most revolutionary machines were debuted at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in his quest to win the Indy 500. Yunick’s ability to look into the future of automotive development and design was recognized by the big three automakers in Detroit where he was contracted to develop programs ranging from auto racing to emission controls. Yunick succumbed to Leukemia in 2001 and left a motorsports legacy that will be revisited constantly by those that wish to excel in the sport of auto racing. Located in Mooresville, the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame celebrates the rich heritage of motorsports and its cultural contributions to society. It opened its doors to race fans in 1994 and now welcomes more than 300,000 visitors annually. More than 38,000 fans visited during Charlotte’s Speedweeks in May 2002. A non-profit museum, the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame is dedicated to all types of racing – from drag racing to NASCAR. It houses more than 35 cars as well as numerous displays and showcases. Past inductees into the museum’s Hall of Fame include Tim Flock, Bobby Allison, Richard Petty, Bill france, SR., Junior Johnson and Ned Jarrett. For more information about the museum and the sixth annual induction ceremony, log on to its web site at www.ncarhof.com.(Tom Roberts PR), also see more news on my Hall of Fames page.(8-29-2002)
