A Hall of Fame Evening

Tonight I attended the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Charlotte, N.C. This year the inductees were Rusty Wallace, Robert Yates, Roger Penske and Jack Roush. All four of these men have undoubtedly left their mark on motorsports.

One of the coolest things about attending this event each year is being in the room with so many legends that helped shape NASCAR into what it is today. I tried counting the number of championships represented in the room but I lost count. Seeing guys like Bobby Allison, Rex White, Cotton Owens and Ned Jarrett makes me think of the early days of NASCAR. The sport was built on the backs of guys like this and it is nice to honor them.

I don't find myself being star-struck often but tonight I did have a 'wow' moment. My favorite driver growing up was Dale Jarrett. I think it was mainly due to the fact that I enjoyed listening to his dad, Ned Jarrett, and Ken Squire call races on TV. I will always remember listening to Ned call the last few laps of the 1993 Daytona 500 when DJ out dueled Dale Earnhardt Sr. to capture the win. It was a special father-son moment that transcended the television screen to the viewing audience.

One of the coolest things that happened to me as a young NASCAR fan was getting DJ's autograph at Michigan International Speedway. I remember standing outside of his hauler waiting for him to come to the truck following a practice session. When he came by and signed my photo I thought it was the best thing ever. I also got his crew chief, Todd Parrott and car owner Robert Yates to sign a photo that day and still have each of the framed prints hanging on the wall. How special it was tonight to listen as DJ gave the introduction speech when Robert Yates was inducted into the NMPA Hall of Fame. Wow, pretty cool.