will be held tonight at the Texas Grand Ballroom in The Speedway Club at Texas Motor Speedway. Who will be honored:
HOF Inductees: Terry Labonte, Lee Shepherd (posthumously)
Texas Motor Speedway Racer of the Year: Tony Kanaan
Bruton Smith Legends Award: Lloyd Tuby
Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame Sportsmanship Award: Kyle & Pattie Petty
Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame Vision Award: Dr. Dean Sicking
* Terry Labonte won at Texas Motor Speedway in 1999 and is a two-time Nextel Cup Series champion (1984, 1996). He is retiring from the series after the 2006 season. Terry owns a Busch Series team for which his son, Justin, is the driver of the #44 Coast Guard car.
* Lee Shepherd won four consecutive National Hot Rod Association championships in 1981-84. He was on his way to a fifth straight title when he died in a testing accident in Oklahoma on March 11, 1985.
* Tony Kanaan won the June Bombardier Learjet 500k in June 2004 in a photo finish with teammate Dario Franchitti. Kanaan came back last October to clinch the IRL IndyCar Series Championship with his runner-up finish at Texas. Kanaan is testing and will not be in attendance at the banquet.
* Kyle & Pattie Petty have long been known for their charitable work and contributions throughout the NASCAR community.
* Dr. Dean Sicking has helped revolutionize safety in motorsports with his development of the SAFER barriers or “soft walls”. He is a graduate of Texas A&M University.
* Lloyd Ruby raced for more than 30 years in open-wheel cars, including 18 appearances in the Indy 500. The Wichita Falls, Texas, native has been called “The Greatest Driver Never to Win the Indy 500”.(TMS PR)(4-13-2005)
