Bass Pro Shops Founder Morris to be Inducted into Ozark Area Racer’s Reunion Hall of Fame:

Bass Pro Shops Founder Morris to be Inducted into Ozark Area Racer’s Reunion Hall of Fame: Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris will be inducted into the Ozark Area Racer’s Reunion “Hall of Fame” Saturday, January 22nd during a special ceremony beginning at 7pm. The 24th annual event will be at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds E-Plex in Springfield, Missouri-a site famous for its great speedways and number of racing legends and pioneers that got their start in the Midwest. Special guests scheduled to attend the ceremony include RCR’s Austin Dillon, driver of the Bass Pro Shops #3 Chevrolet Silverado in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and racing legends, original “Alabama Gang” members Red Farmer and Bobby Allison.
Beginning with the first Bass Pro Shops sponsorship with Richard Childress of the #3 GM Goodwrench Service Plus Monte Carlo driven by Dale Earnhardt in 1998, and continuing to the stellar 2010 season that saw Sprint Cup Series driver Jamie McMurray take the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400, for well over a decade Johnny Morris and Bass Pro Shops have been involved with NASCAR. They have partnered with some of the biggest names in racing–Earnhardt/Ganassi Racing, Richard Childress, Tony Stewart, Jamie McMurray, Juan Montoya , Martin Truex Jr., Austin Dillon and Steve Kinser-all in an effort to help promote the great outdoors.
Morris will be inducted as a “Pioneer” along with Steve Long (Lebanon, Missouri) an expert machinist who is now located in the heart of racing working for TRD (Toyota Racing Development); Gerald Wilson (Bolivar, Missouri) who built cars for Larry Phillips, who became the only 5 time NASCAR short track Champion in history; and Mark Perry (Springfield, Missouri) who, as a kid watched his dad compete on the dusty tracks across the country on the IMCA circuit, then ran a family track for his parents later in life.
“Legend” inductees include drivers Steve Schahuber (Willard, Missouri), Rex McCroskey (Springfield, Missouri) Dave Williams (Pleasant Hope, Missouri) and Bill Frye (Greenbriar, Arkansas).(RCR)(1-22-2011)