John Force, one of drag racings most legendary figures, will add yet another racing accomplishment to his illustrious career resume when he becomes just the fourth NHRA racer inducted into the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame. Force will be honored Thursday, April 7, at the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame Gala held in the Speedway Clubs Grand Ballroom at Texas Motor Speedway during the Samsung Mobile 500 NASCAR doubleheader race weekend. Forces induction will highlight an evening that recognizes the accomplishments of some of the biggest names in motorsports, all while benefitting Speedway Childrens Charities at Texas Motor Speedway. Others being recognized are seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Richard Petty; defending race winner of Texas Motor Speedways Samsung Mobile 500 and AAA Texas 500 Denny Hamlin; five-time Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson; four-time Sprint Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon; and veteran motorsports reporter Terry Blount. Force will become the 13th member enshrined into the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame. He joins previous inductees A.J. Foyt (2003), Johnny Rutherford (03), Terry Labonte (04), Lee Shepherd (04), Kenny Bernstein (05), Jim Hall (05), Eddie Hill (06), Mark Martin (07), Jim McElreath (07), Bobby Labonte (08), Bruton Smith (08) and Joe Gibbs (09). Petty will be honored with the Bruton Smith Legend Award. Hamlin will be awarded the Texas Motor Speedway Racer of the Year. Hamlin became just the second driver in speedway history to sweep both Sprint Cup Series races in the same season winning Aprils Samsung Mobile 500 and Novembers AAA Texas 500. Johnson will receive the Texas Motor Speedway Sportsmanship Award. Johnson’s charitable contributions through the Jimmie Johnson Foundation have helped raise more than $3.5 million for charitable organizations. Gordon also will be recognized for his contributions off the track as he will receive the Maj. General Thomas Sadler Award. He has championed the efforts of Speedway Childrens Charities through his contributions with the Jeff Gordon Foundation Corvette Raffle. Veteran motorsports journalist and Houston native Terry Blount will receive the Excellence in Motorsports Journalism Award. Blounts career has spanned more than 30 years with tenures at some of the largest newspapers in the United States. He has worked at the Houston Post, Houston Chronicle and The Dallas Morning News and currently is a motorsports writer/columnist for ESPN.com. During his career, he has missed only one major race at Texas Motor Speedway since it opened in 1997. Blount has earned numerous writing honors, including the Citation for Writing Excellence from Hearst Newspapers and the Excellence in Journalism Award from the Houston Press Club.(TMS)(3-14-2011)
