New Enshrinement Criteria to be Implemented for International Motorsports Hall of Fame for 2015, Beyond
No individuals received required percentage of votes for induction this year
The International Motorsports Hall of Fame, adjacent to Talladega Superspeedway, will establish a new process for enshrinement beginning in 2015.
There will not be an International Motorsports Hall of Fame induction ceremony this year, as a result of no individual receiving the required 51 percent of the vote from the 120-person voting panel. The annual event was tentatively scheduled for Thursday, May 1, as a kickoff to the Aaron’s Dream Weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.
In early November last year, the Hall announced its second ballot with 22 finalists for the 2014 induction class. The percentage of votes cast for any of the finalists, however, from the panel which consists of media members as well as current International Motorsports Hall of Famers, didn’t meet the requirement for new membership. All 22, plus others, will be on the 2015 list for possible induction.
Currently, to be eligible for the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, an individual must be retired in his or her line of work in motorsports for at least five years. However, that person may still be active in the sport in a different capacity. The Hall is dedicated to enshrining those who have contributed the most to motorsports, either as a driver, developer, engineer, promoter, etc.
Kyle Busch was Sunday’s winner in the fifth race of the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, holding off the field during an “overtime” restart at Auto Club Speedway. His margin of victory was two-tenths of a second over rookie-of-the-year candidate Kyle Larson. In Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race, it was a role reversal with Larson going to Victory Lane, edging Kevin Harvick and Busch.
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series:
• Busch became the fifth different winner in as many races, virtually cementing his place in NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup, the season-ending 10-race battle for the Championship. Other winners thus far include Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Daytona), Harvick (Phoenix), Brad Keselowski (Las Vegas) and Carl Edwards (Bristol).
• Busch is a former winner at NASCAR’s Most Competitive Track – Talladega Superspeedway. He has actually won in all three of NASCAR’s touring series at the 2.66-mile venue. He was triumphant in the Aaron’s 499 at TSS in 2008 while going to the winner’s circle in the Aaron’s 312 in 2011. He also has two Camping World Truck Series victories (2009, 2010).
• Edwards now leads the championship standings, one point ahead of Earnhardt, Jr. (a five-time winner at TSS) and two over six-time Talladega victor Jeff Gordon.
• Edwards is the only Sprint Cup winner in 2014 who hasn’t gone to Victory Lane at Talladega Superspeedway. His best finish was his third-place effort last May.
NASCAR Nationwide Series:
• Larson, a rookie last season in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, will make his second Talladega start in the Aaron’s 312. He was involved in an accident during the 2013 event.
• Regan Smith, who won last year’s Aaron’s 312 at Talladega, and Trevor Bayne are tied atop the point standings, followed by Ty Dillon, Chase Elliott and Elliott Sadler.
ARCA Racing Series Presented By Menards:
• Grant Enfinger won the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards race this past weekend at Mobile International Speedway (AL).
• The Fairhope, AL, native made it his second straight victory after capturing the season-opener at Daytona last month.
• His best finish at Talladega’s International Motorsports Hall of Fame 200 ARCA race came in 2009 when he was third.
• 10-time ARCA Champion Frank Kimmel, the defending Champion of the International Motorsports Hall of Fame 200, recorded his 33rd consecutive top-10 finish in Mobile.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Martinsville Speedway (VA) this weekend for the STP 500 while NASCAR Nationwide Series returns to action at Texas Motor Speedway on Friday, April 4 for the O’Reilly Auto Parts 300. ARCA returns to action on April 27 at Salem Speedway (IN).
NASCAR returns to Talladega Superspeedway in 2014 with the Aaron’s Dream Weekend, which is set for May 2-4. The NASCAR Nationwide Series and ARCA Racing Series will take to the track on Saturday, May 3 while NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series machines take the green flag on Sunday, May 4. For ticket information, log onto www.talladegasuperspeedway.com
Gwen Deru, Vice President
