At the 2015 Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MHOF) Induction Ceremony on June 18, the inductees, as always, will be the stars. And they’ll be complemented by an illustrious lineup of “co-stars” – the men tabbed to present those inductees – at the 27th annual black-tie event set for Detroit’s historic Fillmore Theater. Indy-car great Parnelli Jones and former and current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers Jeff Burton and Brian Vickers head the list of presenters. They’ll be joined by Motocross legend Jeff Emig; Indianapolis Motor Speedway historian Donald Davidson; and Atlanta Dragway announcer Tony Sheffler.
The 2015 class of inductees were announced in January at Daytona International Speedway amid the Rolex 24 At Daytona weekend. The presenter-inductee matchups:
“ Jones, the 1963 Indianapolis 500 champion and MHOF inductee in ’92, will present inductee Walker Evans, whose career evolved from being a volunteer mechanic to an off-road legend. Evans won nine SCORE World Championships, part of his career total of 17 titles.
“ Burton, who won 21 Sprint Cup races prior to his recent retirement, will present his old friend and former Roush Racing teammate Mark Martin who won 40 Sprint Cup races and was Sprint Cup Series championship runner-up five times.
“ Vickers, the former NASCAR XFINITY Series champion, has the honor of introducing sports car legend Tommy Kendall, a former titlist in both Trans-Am and IMSA production-based competition and a two-time class champion in the Rolex 24 At Daytona.
“ Emig, who won 36 races and four Motocross championships in the 1990s, will present the motorcycle racer dubbed “The GOAT” – Greatest of All-Time. That’s former Motocross/Supercross star Ricky Carmichael, who captured 10 consecutive national Motocross championships and a total of 150 race victories.
“ Davidson will do double-duty, presenting both the late Duke Nalon and the late Lloyd Ruby. Nalon was a top midget driver prior to World War II, later gaining acclaim at the wheel of the famed Novi, winning the Indy 500 pole twice. Ruby made 18 consecutive Indy 500 starts from 1960-77, finishing third in ’64; he also was an accomplished sports car racer.
“ Sheffler will bring NHRA drag racing great Warren Johnson to the stage. Johnson is a six-time NHRA Pro Stock champion who was selected the NHRA’s seventh-best driver of the organization’s first 50 years.
Tickets for the 27th annual Motorsports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Wednesday, June 18, can be purchased by calling 248.349.RACE (7223) or at www.mshf.com. The evening’s emcee will be former sports car great David Hobbs, a 2009 MHOF inductee.(MHOF)(6-18-2015)
