The fans have spoken… and #39-Ryan Newman and Speedy Thompson will be the next drivers enshrined to the Talladega-Texaco Walk of Fame on Saturday, Oct. 22. The Talladega-Texaco Walk of Fame in downtown Talladega is both a focal point saluting NASCAR’s greatest names and a tribute to one of racing’s brightest stars â the late Davey Allison. Developed in 1994, the Talladega-Texaco Walk of Fame has inducted one active driver and up to two inactive drivers since 1995 based on the fans’ vote chosen from a ballot of nominees selected by strict guidelines. This year’s active driver honoree, Newman, 33, is not your ordinary NASCAR driver. A graduate of Purdue University, Newman not only has immense talent behind the wheel, he also has an in-depth understanding of what a car is designed and built to do on the racetrack. It is that combination that has made him one of the most successful and respected figures in modern motorsports.
Inactive driver nominee, Alfred “Speedy” Thompson was one of the most successful drivers of the late 1950’s. He made 198 starts from 1950 â 1971, winning 20 races along with scoring 78 top-fives, 106 top-tens, and 20 poles. Over the course of the 1957 season, Thompson made 38 starts, notching two wins, 16 top five finishes, and 22 top ten finishes. He earned four poles, won almost $27,000, and his average finish position was 10.2. In over 21 years of racing, Speedy started 198 races, posting 105 top ten finishes, of which 77 were top fives and 20 were victories. Speedy earned just shy of $115,000 over his career, but for four consecutive seasons, the only four he raced anywhere near a full schedule, he was the third greatest stock car racer in the country. Thompson left the sport as a pioneer in stock car racing and is considered to be among the top 50 greatest NASCAR drivers in history. Thompson passed away April 2, 1972.
In the park, Davey Allison is remembered with a large marble monument, while drivers inducted into the Talladega-Texaco Walk of Fame have bronze plaques placed around the park, accessible by walkways that form the shape of Talladega Superspeedway.(Talladega Walk of Fame)(10-21-2011)
