It's a humbling experience to be surrounded by such an exceptional group of racers, young and old, from all forms of motorsports. Many thanks to Fred Simmonds, Pontiac Motorsports Marketing Manager and member of the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America board, for providing us the opportunity to represent the sport compact segment of racing.
We shared our table with Pro Stock driver Jason Line and the infamous Pro Stock engine builder Bill âGrumpyâ Jenkins.
Also in attendance were NASCAR's Kyle Busch, road racing's Ron Fellows, and drag racing legend Shirley Muldowney.
The inductees included motorsports greats from stock cars to motorcycles to drag racing.
Bill Elliott, winner of the 1984 Winston Million and 16-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association's Most Popular Driver Award, was inducted in the Stock Car category.
Probably the most entertaining inductee of the evening was 90-year-old John Fitch, who was presented by GM's Bob Lutz, in the Sports Cars category. Mr. Fitch was a WWII bomber pilot and POW before starting racing in the SCCA. He was the SCCA's first national champion in 1951 and began racing for Mercedes-Benz in 1952. In 1955, Mr. Fitch came to GM on the new Chevrolet Corvette racing team. He officially retired from racing in 1966 but continues to race, and is the oldest man ever to attempt a record at the Bonneville Salt Flats. He is also the inventor of several safety advances, including those brightly colored sand- or water-filled barrels that you often see at the offramps of major highways (and featured in the movie "Speed"). Mr. Fitch had the audience laughing out loud with his stories of meeting everyone from famous racers and war heroes to the Wright brothers.
Overall it was an incredible experience and a privilege to be there. Jason did a great job with his Miss America-style crowd wave when he was introduced. And the Matco Tools Chevy Cobalt Pro FWD car looked fabulous parked out front of the Fillmore Theater on Detroitâs famous Woodward Avenue.
See the photos on flickr and come see Jason and his car at this weekend's NHRA Sport Compact event in Indianapolis.
