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Okay, we haven't even inducted -- or "indicted" as the late coach Bill Peterson of Florida State was wont to say -- the 2005 International Motorsports Hall of Fame class and here's the information for nominations to the class of 2006. A tip of the hat to Executive Director Jim Freeman, his board of directors and his staff, for keeping our international media panel updated and aware of the deadlines for the various nominating and voting deadlines. Hopefully, not to bore you, but this whole process involves the current nominating ballot, then the first round ballot which will narrow the field to 20 nominees and the final ballot, which will decide those last five. As you know, drag racing scored a very big hit, when both Joe Amato and Bob Glidden were voted into the class of '05, which will be honored at IMHOF Speed Channel Dome on Thursday, April 28, at Talladega, Ala. Those two inductees comprise exactly half of the total number of drag racers honored up to this point. They join Chip Hanauer, Nigel Mansell and Darrell Waltrip in this year's class. So who will be the next drag racer or racers to be honored, and will they receive their laurels this next year? Remember, to be inducted, a person must be inactive (retired or deceased) from racing for five years. However, they may be active in a different capacity, i.e. a driver becomes an announcer or a crew chief becomes an owner, and so forth. However, their is one exception to the five-year rule. Anyone who is still active at the age of 62 and has otherwise distinguished themselves as a candidate to be inducted, may be nominated. That means Warren Johnson, "The Professor" who is in the midst of his "School's Out" Tour became eligible last July 7. What's he done lately, well, you'll notice he became eligible, And in case you wondered, W.J. is a six-time (right 6-time) Pro Stock World Champion and has 92 career wins on his resume, It was back in 2001 that "The Professor" surpassed current inductee Glidden with his 86th triumph. And that was the same year he was named to NHRA's Top Fifty Drivers honor. Yeah, he'll be nominated by this writer.
But about the other nominees, both drag racing and other forms of racing? Well, that's where you the reader, might give ol' Stormin Norman a hand. I would welcome your input or suggestions for a drag racer on my email address, which is simply Normfro@aol.com, but no attachments, please.
First, however, here's a little quiz, centering on the quarter pounders. Which of these have already been nominated and are automatically on this year's ballot? A. Grumpy Jenkins ( ). B. Don Prudhomme ( ). C. Raymond Beadle ( ). D. A and C ( ). Gotcha! The correct answer is D., Grumpy Jenkins and Raymond Beadle. If you selected B, Don "Snake" Prudhomme, you need to pay better attention. Snake was inducted in April 2000. Others you will quickly recognize on that "carry over" list of nominees include Danny Ongais, Jack Roush, Ralph Seagraves, Lee Shepard, Ronnie Sox and Linda Vaughn. There you have it. Those are the drag racers currently eligible. I already have mentioned at least one nominee for the Class of 2006, but if you have any other suggestions, please let me know at the address above. If your nominee is already on the list as those mentioned above, then your work is done and mine is just beginning. That entails paring down my personal list to the top twenty, then voting for five of those to receive the honor. I'll keep you informed, through this means, of how I vote as things move along.
Although this year's banquet is an anticipated sell-out, you might still be able to get reservations by telephoning (256) 362-5002 or emailing LynzAU@gmail.com.
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