NASCAR veteran driver Mark Martin and open-wheel star Jim McElreath were inducted into the Texas Motor Sports Hall of Fame in ceremonies held tonight at The Speedway Club at Texas Motor Speedway. In addition, Texas Motor Speedway and Happy Hill Farm Academy honored Jimmie Johnson, the two-time defending Sprint Cup Series champion and defending Dickies 500 winner; Sam Hornish Jr., a three-time IndyCar Series champion and last season’s Bombardier Learjet 550k winner; and Indy-car veteran Arie Luyendyk, who won the first nighttime Indy car race at Texas Motor Speedway in 1997, with special awards during the ceremony. McElreath and Martin join previous inductees A.J. Foyt (2003), Johnny Rutherford (2003), Terry Labonte (2004), Lee Shepherd (2004), Kenny Bernstein (2005), Jim Hall (2005) and Eddie Hill (2006) into the Texas Motor Sports Hall of Fame. The Bruton Smith Legends Award, a lifetime achievement award given to a legendary figure in motorsports, was presented to Luyendyk. Luyendyk is a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner (1990, ’97) and three-time Indy 500 pole winner. Johnson was honored as the Texas Motor Speedway Racer of the Year. Hornish Jr., now a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rookie after an illustrious IndyCar Series career, was recognized with the Texas Motor Speedway Sportsmanship Award. Hornish Jr.’s charitable contributions to Speedway Children’s Charities-Texas Chapter have not gone unnoticed. For the past three years, Hornish Jr. has hosted the Sam Hornish Jr. Celebrity Bowling Tournament prior to the Bombardier Learjet 550k race weekend.(TMS)(4-3-2008)
