National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame Announces Induction Class of 2021

Walton, Kentucky (October 17, 2020) - National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame Vice President James Essex formally announced the 2021 Induction Class on Saturday at the Dirt Track World Championship. The class includes five drivers - two each from Iowa and Georgia along with one from Kentucky and three contributors to the sport will scribe their names into history as members of the 21st Induction class during a ceremony at the Hall of Fame building planned for Saturday, August 14, 2021 during North-South 100 weekend at Florence Speedway.

The National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame is composed of drivers and other contributors to the sport who have been the cornerstone of building Dirt Late Model racing into the prominence it enjoys today. Each year more than 70 racing industry voters from all around the country cast their votes on ballots which are built from nominations from the Nomination Committee as well as the public at large. To date more than 120 drivers, 57 contributors and many special award winners have been enshrined in the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame.

Among the drivers inducted for 2021: one is deceased while three others remain at least partially active still today. Only one has retired and settled into acting as crew chief for his son's Late Model program. Drivers to be inducted include: Iowa's Bob Shryock; Georgians Wade Knowles and Clint Smith; Kentucky's Darrell Lanigan and Jeff Aikey also of Iowa. The three contributors to be inducted include chassis builder Audie Swartz, former car owner Bobby Allen and Arizona Sport Shirts' Gerald Newton, who also serves as the President of the Hall of Fame currently.

The NDLMHoF is a 501c3 non-profit organization which is maintained and operates solely on donations and fund-raising efforts. The HoF annually hosts a large memorabilia auction in conjunction with the induction event which is on the same weekend as Florence's North-South 100. The NDLMHoF also handles the 50/50 ticket sales at Florence Speedway, the Gateway Dirt Nationals, the Dirt Track World Championship and other select events. To learn more about the ways you can help support the NDLMHoF please contact one of our board members from the Contact page of our website.

The National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame is located on the grounds of Florence Speedway at 12234 US 42 in Walton, Kentucky (41094). Visit the NDLMHoF on the World Wide Web at www.ndlmhof.com and be sure to like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @NDLMHoF to stay on top of all the latest happenings at the newly renovated National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame.

2021 Class

Drivers:
Jeff Aikey - Iowa
Wade Knowles - Georgia
Darrell Lanigan - Kentucky
Bob Shryock - Iowa
Clint Smith - Georgia

Contributors:
Bobby Allen - Maryland
Gerald Newton - Indiana
Audie Swartz - Ohio

National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Postponed to August 2021

Walton, Kentucky (July 28, 2020) - After much deliberation and discussion with area health officials regarding the continuing issues presented by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Board Officers of the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame have made the difficult decision to postpone the 2020 Induction Ceremony. The 2020 Inductees will still have a complete luncheon and ceremony of their own on the Friday that coincides with the 2021 North-South 100 at Florence Speedway. The 2021 Class will still have their own luncheon and ceremony on Saturday.

"This is not something that we want to do. We were pained over the decision. But at the end of the day we have to ensure the health and safety of our inductees. We simply don't have enough space to be able to follow the current guidelines. And the majority of our inductees fall within the age range of the most at-risk group. We certainly don't want to shortchange any of our class members on their induction so this was the most logical option available to us. This is also very difficult for our officers and staff. We spend all year planning and building up for our induction ceremony. There is a lot that goes into putting that together and it is disheartening to just have to put it all on hold for a year. But we will be more prepared than ever when we come back in 2021. We have some additional building upgrades that will be happening in the near future that will welcome both classes in 2021." said Gerald Newton, CEO and President of the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame.

The NDLMHoF is a 501c3 non-profit organization which is maintained and operates solely on donations and fund-raising efforts. The HoF annually hosts a large memorabilia auction in conjunction with the induction event which is on the same weekend as Florence's North-South 100. The NDLMHoF also handles the 50/50 ticket sales at Florence Speedway, the Gateway Dirt Nationals, the Dirt Track World Championship and other select events. To learn more about the ways you can help support the NDLMHoF please contact one of our board members from the Contact page of our website.

The National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame is located on the grounds of Florence Speedway at 12234 US 42 in Walton, Kentucky (41094). Visit the NDLMHoF on the World Wide Web at www.ndlmhof.com and be sure to like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @NDLMHoF to stay on top of all the latest happenings at the newly renovated National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame.

The National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame Launches All New Website

Walton, Kentucky (April 24, 2020) - The Officers of the Board of the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame (NDLMHoF) are pleased to announce the launch of their all new home on the World Wide Web. The newly refurbished website offers a very clean and easy to navigate layout by Thomas Clarke Performance. The website is still accessed at www.ndlmhof.com and the site is mobile friendly. Fans can find information on everything about the NDLMHoF including how to nominate someone for consideration.

"We appreciate the hard work that Thomas put into the new site. It looks nice while being very easy to read and navigate. We wanted to make it as easy as possible to find information about the NDLMHoF and I think that is what we have accomplished with the redesign. All of our classes are on there, including the 20th Anniversary Class which will be inducted this August. It also has contacts for all of our officers in case anyone has questions. Of course, we also hope that this will open new streams of revenue as we move forward with enhancing our building." offered NDLMHoF President and CEO Gerald Newton.

The NDLMHoF is a 501c3 non-profit organization which is maintained and operates solely on donations and fund-raising efforts. We host a large memorabilia auction in conjunction with our induction event which is on the same weekend as Florence's North-South 100. The NDLMHoF also handles the 50/50 ticket sales at Florence Speedway, the Gateway Dirt Nationals, the Dirt Track World Championship and other select events. To learn more about the ways you can help support the NDLMHoF please contact one of our board members from the Contact page of our website.

The National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame is located on the grounds of Florence Speedway at 12234 US 42 in Walton, Kentucky (41094). Visit the NDLMHoF on the World Wide Web at www.ndlmhof.com and be sure to like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @NDLMHoF to stay on top of all the latest happenings at the newly renovated National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame.

 

20th Anniversary National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame Class Set for August 2020 Enshrinement

The Officers of the Board of Trustees and the Voting Members of the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame are very pleased to introduce the 2020 induction class. The Induction Ceremony set for August of 2020 in conjunction with Florence Speedway's North South 100 will mark the 20th Anniversary of the institution which is located on the grounds of the Speedway in Union, Kentucky. The class made up of 5 drivers and 3 contributors to the sport was announced to during this past weekend's Dirt Track World Championship at Portsmouth Raceway. Along with the inductees 2 Lifetime Achievement Awards will be presented.

The NDLMHoF 2020 class is led by drivers: Dick Barton, Ashville, N.Y.: A legendary standout on the famed Stateline-Eriez circuit in western New York and Pennsylvania, the retired Barton racked up 47 career track and series titles and reigns as the winningest driver at Stateline Speedway in Busti, N.Y. He scored more than 225 career feature victories at 14 tracks in four states, including STARS (1991) and World of Outlaws (2006) victories at Stateline, where he was a 10-time champion. Amid a career stretching longer than 40 years, Barton's heyday came driving the The Bolt Place-sponsored No. 28B owned by Ron Nielson that he steered to 172 victories from 1993-2009. His 80th career Stateline victory in 2014 (at age 59) broke the 79-victory mark of Bobby Schnars. Major non-Stateline victories included 1996's Budweiser 101 at Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa.; 2003's Fall Classic at Raceway 7 in Conneaut, Ohio; 1994's Race of Champions at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway; and 2002's MACS Fall Fest at Challenger Raceway in Kent, Pa., his richest victory at $15,000.

Kevin Claycomb, Vincennes, Ind.: The driver for a tight-knit family that operated Prestige Auto Service on weekdays and barnstormed Midwestern dirt tracks on weekends was one of the Hoosier State's most successful racers during a 25-year career that included a 1991 UMP (now DIRTcar) crown. With father Bill building engines, brother J.R. turning wrenches and mother Barb providing support with other family members and friends, Claycomb was a two-time UMP runner-up before capturing his title during an 87-race season. Claycomb, now 59, scored his first major victory in 1986 by overtaking Billy Moyer on the final lap of the Thrush 100 at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Ind., and went on to hundreds of feature victories. Major wins for his family-owned team came at Brownstown (Ind.) Speedway for the Kenny Simpson Memorial (1993 and '99), at Richmond (Ky.) Raceway for the Butterball Wooldridge Memorial ('91), at Paducah (Ky.) International Raceway for the USA World 50 ('96) and at Florence Speedway in Union, Ky., for the Spring 50 (1996). The family team shut down after the 2004 season, but a 47-year-old Claycomb got behind the wheel again for Scott Clippinger Racing in '08, adding another Florence Spring 50 victory and a DIRTcar Summer Nationals triumph at Paducah, his career fourth on the tour. He was a four-time World 100 starter with a best finish of 11th in 1987.

Terry English, Benton, Ky.: The richest UMP weekly champion ever with 2002's $100,000 points fund windfall coming after a 44-victory season, English dominated at Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway and Paducah International Raceway for years as the generation's best western Kentucky dirt racer. His six-figure payout came amid UMP founder Bob Memmer's most lucrative season and followed a 2001 campaign when English won an astounding 34 features in 41 races. Along with his weekly domination from the late 1990s through mid-2000s, the now 57-year-old English captured major victories including 1999's Magnolia State 100 at Jackson (Miss.) Motor Speedway, 2000's Ice Bowl at Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, Ala., and 2005's Hoosier Dirt Classic at Brownstown (Ind.) Speedway. He was a four-time winner of Paducah’s USA World 50 ('98, '00, '02 and '04), five-time winner on the DIRTcar Summer Nationals and two-time winner on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, where he finished fifth in the 2007 standings. His first Lucas Oil victory in 2005 came over a 110-car field at East Bay Raceway Park in Gibsonton, Fla. He was a five-time World 100 starter with a best finish of 10th in 2001.

Tommy Joe Pauschert, Carlisle, Ark.: The Arkansas native was a top competitor on pavement in Springfield, Mo., and other tracks before shifting to dirt track racing to become one the region's top drivers in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Pauschert, now 64, racked up more than 350 career feature victories, most of them driving his famed No. 10-4 car. He captured track championships at tracks in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi and major victories including during the National Dirt Racing Association’s opening season at Crawford County Speedway in Van Buren, Ark. Pauschert finished third in NDRA points in the tour's final season in 1985. Other major victories for Pauschert included 1977's Midwest Dirt Track Championship at Thunderbird Speedway in Muskogee, Okla.; 1978's Southeastern Winter Nationals at Volusia County Speedway in Barberville, Fla.; and 1978's FINA Missouri State Dirt Track Championship in Bolivar, Mo.

Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo.: Following the tire tracks of his legendary father, Missouri's winningest Dirt Late Model racer over 25 years won more than 200 combined races and 10 titles on a pair of regional tours along with two national crown jewel victories. Still active, the 53-year-old Phillips won four Lucas Oil Midwest Late Model Racing Association titles (1994, '96, '15 and '17) and six MARS Racing Series championships ('00, '04-05 and '08-10) while posting series leading totals of 116 MLRA victories and 94 MARS victories. His first major victory came in 1995 in the $25,000 MLRA-sanctioned Route 66 Showdown at Joplin (Mo.) 66 Speedway. He added a 1999 crown jewel victory in the Show-Me 100 at West Plains (Mo.) Motor Speedway and another in 2013 at Batesville (Ark.) Motor Speedway's Topless 100, his lone Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series triumph. The 10-time World 100 starter had a career-best fourth-place finish in 2001 at Ohio's Eldora Speedway. He's among the winningest drivers in Arizona's winter Late Model racing and scored a $100,000 dirt modified victory at Batesville in 2005.

Three contributors to the sport will also be enshrined including: Mike Allgaier, Hoosier Tire Midwest: The man who in 1971 founded D&M Speed Shop in Springfield, Ill., from an apartment with his wife Dorothy evolved the business into Hoosier Tire Midwest in the heart of United Midwestern Promoters country. The business included providing parts at area tracks, evolving into dealer sales and a second location in Indianapolis, Ind. Allgaier's is the father of NASCAR driver Justin Allgaier, the 2008 ARCA Series champion who came up through the Dirt Late Model ranks as a teenager in cars fielding by his father.

Sanford Goddard, Warrior Race Cars: The brother of 2008 Hall of Fame inductee Herman Goddard, he founded the Knoxville, Tenn.-based chassis manufacturer in 1984, developing it into one of the sport's most successful car builders with crown jewel victories and national touring championships. Also operating Goddard Performance Parts, Goddard built thousands of chassis for drivers including Hall of Famers Freddy Smith, Scott Bloomquist and Dale McDowell. Warrior Race Cars captured dozens of Late Model touring championships and major events, including the World 100, Dream, Dirt Track World Championship, USA Nationals, North-South 100 and Topless 100. Goddard, 68, sold Warrior to longtime employee Mike Nuchols in 2018.

Dick Murphy, Volusia County Speedway: The longtime owner of one of the nation's most famous dirt tracks near Daytona Beach, Fla., known as "Dickie" was also a National Dirt Racing Association championship-winning car owner on the National Dirt Racing Association. Murphy owned and operated the Barberville, Fla., oval from 1982-92, then repossessed the facility in 1998 and continued operating it until 2005 (it's now owned by the World Racing Group). As a team owner, Murphy fielded Mike Duvall's famed Flintstone F1yer machine that he drove to the 1982 NDRA title and World 100 victory at Eldora Speedway.

In addition to the induction class Ohio's Larry Boos who has been one of the long-time leaders of the management team at the world renowned Eldora Speedway and Tennessean Jimmy "Pup" Thomas who spent many years as a representative of Hoosier Racing Tires in the Dirt Late Model market will both receive the Hall of Fame's Lifetime Achievement Award during the ceremony. Visit the NDLMHoF on the World Wide Web at www.ndlmhof.com and be sure to like our Facebook page to stay on top of all the latest happenings at the newly renovated National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame.
 

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