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2023 North Carolina Drag Racing Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
The 2023 Induction Ceremony. I realize this is a long video, but all of the inductees told some amazing stories
Photos from Dragbike.com's post
Photos from NC ProModer's post
Share your North Carolina Drag Racing Hall of Fame inductee memory/pictures ....lets celebrate this great moment in drag racing history.
The 2023 North Carolina Drag Racing Hall of Fame.....come be a part of the Legends in Drag Racing Saturday, February 18th, at the 20th Annual SHRINERS Drag Racing and Hot Rod EXPO at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex. There will be a meet and greet autograph & picture session from 12 noon to 1 PM. with Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies at 1 PM.
The 2023 North Carolina Drag Racing Hall of Fame inductees....come be a part of the Legends in Drag Racing Saturday, February 18th, at the 20th Annual SHRINERS Drag Racing and Hot Rod EXPO at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex. There will be a meet and greet autograph & picture session from 12 noon to 1 PM. with Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies at 1 PM.
Registration forms can be printed at www.shriners-hotrodexpo.com Register now
to guarantee your spot!
2023 EXPO Info !
The North Carolina Drag Racing Hall of Fame is proud to announce the 2023 Inductees into this years Hall of Fame set for Saturday, February 18th, 2023 at the 20th Shriners Drag Racing & Hot Rod Expo at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex.
Shirley Muldowney, Quain Stott, Jay Turner and Todd Tutterow will all be inducted on that Saturday, February 18th, at 1 PM. make your plans to attend.
The North Carolina Drag Racing Hall of Fame lost one its valued members.....our prayers out to family and friends of Steve Heintz.
Today at 12:15pm Steve Heintz made his way to heaven. Although We are all heartbroken, we know without a doubt that Steve is walking the streets of gold with his brother Mike and those who have gone before him. We are going to miss Steve dearly.
For those that haven’t heard, Steve had a massive heart attack on October 8th. He had quintuple bypass surgery to repair his heart. He has been critical ever since. His body just couldn’t fight anymore and took his last breath today.
Please pray for the Heintz family.
Sincerely,
Philip & Matt
Folks keep NCDRHoF member Lones Combs in your prayers.
Please keep long time Gear Jammer Lones Combs in your prayers. He was in a wreck Monday night and is having surgery to fix some injuries from the accident. 🙏🙏🙏
More pics from last weekend from NC Promoder...thanks
It all goes down this weekend......we hope to see you back at the annual Shriners Drag Racing & Hot Rod EXPO and 2021 North Carolina Drag Racing Hall of Fame ceremonies this Saturday, February 18th, @ 2 PM.
Just a week away from them 2022 Shriners Drag Racing & Hot Rod Expo at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex and the induction of the 2021 North Carolina Drag Racing Hall of Fame members. Here's a list of the past members.
The Class of 2021 North Carolina Drag Racing Hall of Fame inductees poster and shirt design. They'll all get officiallu inducted in the NCDRHoF Saturday, February 19th, @ 2PM at the Shriners Drag Racing & Hot Rod EXPO in Greensboro, NC at the Coliseum Complex.
Photos from North Carolina Drag Racing Hall of Fame's post
Don't Forget the Class of 2021 to be inducted into the NORTH CAROLINA DRAG RACING HALL of FAME Saturday, February 19th, @ 2 PM at the Shriners EXPO in Greencboro, NC.
Attention in the PITS ! we're just weeks away from the Greatest Indoor Car Show around ....the Shriners Drag Racing & Hot Rod EXPO February 18-19, at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex. Make your plans to be there !
We're saddened to report that the 2021 Shriners Expo schedule for February, 2021 at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex has been canceled. The Class of 2021 North Carolina Drag Racing Hall of Fame.....Shirley Muldowney, Scotty Cannon, Arthur Bryant, Gene Cromer, Donnie Moore, Jr., Larry Waller and Glenn Blackburn were scheduled to inducted that weekend.
Stay tune for more details about induction ceremonies. Thank you 🇺🇸
So proud to have Scotty Cannon as a part of the 2021 North Carolina Drag Racing Hall of Fame.
The notion he's a Hall of Fame-worthy drag racer still leaves Pro Modified icon Scotty Cannon shaking his head in disbelief.
The Class of 2021 North Carolina Drag Racing Hall of Fame.....Shirley Muldowney, Scotty Cannon, Arthur Bryant, Gene Cromer, Donnie Moore, Jr., Larry Waller and Glenn Blackburn. Stay tune for more details about induction ceremonies.
Saddened hear about the passing of NCDRHOF member Mike Kennedy.....R.I.P.
Mike Kennedy from High Point, NC holding his plaque and poster after being inducted into the North Carolina Drag Racing Hall of Fame in Greensboro, 2014 - with Bill Blair
It’s with great sadness we have to report the loss fellow racer, an engine builder, a father, a friend ….Mike Heintz went to be with Lord after a four month battle with cancer. He and his brother Steve was inducted into the 2013 North Carolina Drag Racing Hall of Fame and his memory will always be in our hearts. Our condolences and prayers go out to his family.
Don't forget this Saturday, February 15th, at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex.....will inductee the Class of 2020 into the North Carolina Drag Racing Hall of Fame. Meet and Greet Autograph and Picture session starts at 12:30 PM and goes right up to the time the Hall of Fame Ceremonies start at 2PM. Hope you can attend...Thank you!
Jerry Williams
Motivation to Succeed
To stay loyal to the same brand for over five decades is a accomplishment in it’s right as Pfafftown, NC’s Jerry Williams has been a blue oval racer and car owner since day one.
It all started back in 1965 when Jerry Williams took his Ford street car to East Bend Drag Strip to see just how fast it would go. Paired up against a quicker Chevrolet Chevelle that day and getting beat is what motivated Jerry to work harder and make his Ford faster to make sure he won the next time.
Not a hair out place could best describe Jerry Williams and his class way of drag racing….whether in was in his Maverick, Thunderbird, long list of Ford Probes or the new model Mustang Williams has always been spot on and a major contender to take home the victory.
Jerry’s 50 plus years in drag racing has seen him drive his Super Stock Ford Maverick to a big IHRA Winston WTS win over legendary Mopar racer Roy Johnson at Farmngton’s divisional race back in the late ‘70’s. Winning not only IHRA victories at Rockingham…. but NHRA Div. 2 win at Costal Plains in his Modified Thunderbird. The ‘90’s brought a new Ford Probe to the racing game to first compete in the legal classes…..but a quicker way to race was right around the corner for JW…..Quick 8 ! and more motivation to succeed.
Jerry and his two sons…Bryan and Jonathan campaigned Probe’s in the Quick 8 Racers Association events through out the southeast…picking up many wins with the Ford powered entry. In 1998 the Williams family captured a well deserved Quick 8 Racers championship in the late model Probe.
After a top end accident in the early 2000’s ending his days of driving…..just set up another motivation in life’s racing road…..his next step in motorsports was to become a winning car owner. Dale Brinsfield taking over the control of the family Ford for several years….until former Q8RA champion Todd Howard got behind the controls of a new Mustang to not only compete in Pro Mod with…but Piedmont’s Big Dog class. 2011 was a banner year for the Fulton powered Ford with the JW Motorsports entry taking the 2011 Big Dog championship and also become the first Big Dog entry in the 3 second zone in winning the race. They also won several Fun Ford events in quarter mile trim.
In the last few years the JW Motorsports team has competed in the PDRA Pro Nitrous class. Family and business obligations here recently has sidelined the team…..but after 50 plus years in the sports of drag racing 2020 NCDRH0F inductee Jerry Williams is well deserved of this award. Jerry has matched race against one of his NCDRHoF fellow 2020 inductee’s Arnie Beseick at Piedmont and also another fellow Hall of Fame member Ronnie Sox.
Motivation….is what put Jerry Williams in the class of 2020’s North Carolina Drag Racing Hall of Fame.
That Virginia Hillbilly!
By Becky White
Lones Combs has been racing most of his life and racers all over North Carolina and Virginia know that name and the car. He started racing at 17 (gonna tell his age now) in 1966 in a ’55 Chevy. He bought his ’57 Chevy in ‘71 from Randy Johnson after seeing it run at East Bend Drag Strip! Lones has had several different jobs but has always loved and messed with old cars. Now he is retired and has his own garage where he can work on them whenever he wants.
He never could run the entire IHRA circuit but he managed to run most of the national events at Rockingham, Bristol and Darlington Dragways along with many IHRA points races through the years… racing at more than 50 dragstrips…setting many records as he went. His wife Helen of 51 years, has always been his number one pit crew help and still attends all the races with him. “None of this would not have been possible without Helen…she is my strong right arm.”
Lones and Helen were finally able to attend the Tri Five Nationals at Beech Bend a couple years ago. He said he had never seen so many ’55, ’56 and ’57 Chevys…didn’t even know there that many left! With the race cars and car shows at that race, he said there were 2600 cars. He has NEVER raced a car with an automatic transmission and I doubt there are many racers who can say that. Most racers who have always used stick shifts have at least raced one or two cars with automatics…even if only for fun…but not him.
The tracks he has raced at most are Elk Creek, Farmington, East Bend and Piedmont Dragways. In 1992, he bought the Two Ton Honey ’62 Chevy from Bobby Wright for their son Michael to race. Lones said, “My BEST race EVER was August 11, 2012 at Elk Creek Dragway when Michael and I ran each other in the finals and I won!” Michael got a good drag racing lesson when Lones beat him! That will always be the best run ever unless they can repeat it! A couple years ago, they bought a ’68 Camaro from T.J. Mayes for Michael to race and he won the first race out in it last year.
FAN FAVORITES…both the ’57 and the ’62 Chevys are always a big hit anywhere they race and they have fans from southwestern Virginia across both states! Lones won the Gear Jammer championship in 1990 and won it again last year! He has pretty much run SS/3I most of his racing years. Even though he only was able to run local national events, he has set plenty of national records.
They are:
10-7-1978…Farmington Dragway…7.61 at 90.27 (This one was in SS/2I)
4-28-1979…Farmington Dragway…7.59 at 90.81
3-14-1981…Piedmont Dragway…7.60 at 92.40
7-24-1982…Farmington Dragway…7.49 at 92.59
4-22-1983…Rockingham Dragway…11.57 at 101.35
4-7-1984…Roxboro Dragway…11.42 at 117.62
7-1-1989…Elk Creek Dragway…7.226 at 88.617 (This was in the Sportsman Class Racers Association sponsored by Moroso Performance)
We would like to welcome Lones Combs into the North Carolina Drag Racing Hall of Fame.
We're a week away from 2020 North Carolina Drag Racing Hall of Fame Ceremonies next Saturday, February 15th, at 2 PM in conjunction with the 18th Annual Shriners Drag Racing & Hot Rod EXPO at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex in Greensboro, NC.
Here's the 2020 Inductees Arnie Beswick, Lones Combs, Jerry Williams. Buddy Ingold, Pete and Jackie Hill. Jeff Byrd Award- Alvin Dilldine and Pioneer Award to Bill and Nelson Gusler. Posters and T-Shirts will be available on site and don't forget about the MEET and GREET autograph and picture session from 12:30 to 2 PM next Saturday, February 15th, 2020....make your plans today to be there.
Don't for these dates in 2020....for the North Carolina Drag Racing Hall of Fame ceremonies....
Congratulations to the Class of 2020 inductees into the North Carolina Drag Racing Hall of Fame....Arnie Biswick, Lones Combs, Jerry Williams, Buddy Ingold, Pete & Jackie Hill. Jeff Bryd Award Alvin Dilldine and Pioneer Award Bill & Nelson Gusler they'll all be officially inducted in the NCDRHoF on Saturday, Feburary 15, 2020 at the annual Shriners Drag Racing & Hot Rod Expo in Greensboro, NC.
2019 North Carolina Drag Racing Hall of Fame ceremonies.....great memories and times. Photo's by Greg Burrows
What a great turn out for last weekends Shriners Expo and North Carolina Drag Racing Hall of Fame ceremonies. THANKS to ALL former and current NCDRHoF members that could attend and all the folks that supported raising funds for the Shriners Children's Hospital. Photo's by Greg Burrows
Darrin McClaugherty
Darrin aka Mo Dee McClaugherty… the “Voice” of drag racing started like most folks…going to the drag strip with friends…especially Mark “the Kid” Jones…they was born on the same day (March 3, 1967) and both graduated North Forsyth High School. He continued his education at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Forsyth Technical Community College. In 1988, he attained an Associate’s Degree in Applied Science for Mechanical Drafting and Design Technology from Forsyth Technical Community College.
Darrin helped Mark Jones crew his TOP Camaro and evenly also helped Mike Boyles, Ronnnie Skinner and a host of other racers on the local and national levels. He was asked later by the management of Farmington Dragway in the ‘90’s to help with writing their race reports…. that lead later to him being asked if he would be interesting in announcing every Friday and Saturday. After several years of working the Farm…he was asked to help announce the BIG DOG races at Piedmont….and also all the IHRA diviosnal races in the area at the time. Darrin was also on the mic at several IHRA National and ADRL events. It was never a dull moment with the voice of MoDee talking drag racing and yearned for any opportunity to use a microphone to detail every aspect of a race. Beside his announcing jobs…. Darin worked at Varco Pruden throughout his entire career in the building industry and until his passing on December 2, 2014. His “Voice” maybe silent now…but his memory lives on…with all that knew him.
Clyde Curtis
by Becky White
Clyde Curtis was born and raised in Gamewell in Caldwell County but when he was still young, he moved to Oxford, NC to live with his older sister. In 1959 and ’60, he worked at a Chevy dealership during the week but on weekends, he was at Person County Drag Strip…now Roxboro Dragway! He ran the ticket booth and when things would get slow, he would take off to his car and make a run then run back to the gate and get the ticket sales caught up!
He loved cars all his life…he made racing his life along with his family! When Clyde moved back to Hudson, he opened his own garage and hired Don Carlton to work for him and drive his race car! Clyde made most of the parts he used on the race cars he built. Even when parts were available, if he could make them, he did!
He raced Stock, then Super Stock and when Pro Stock came along, he went right into it, too. He was well known all over the country with his Dodge Dart, then Colt...he was always competitive and always friendly. His brother George drove for him for many years after Don went out on his own. He and George won $1,375 match racing in one weekend in 1973 and they all thought they were rich! That was a LOT of money 44 years ago! They raced at Concord on Saturday and drove to Bristol during the night so there were a lot of miles in those riches! At the time, they were running 11.25 at 128 mph!
Clyde started with a ’63 Plymouth with a 426 wedge engine then he found an Austin roadster with a Hemi! He ran it only a short time then went back to Mopars! His son Jerry told the story about him trying to outrun a Henry J at Farmington in those days but the guy just kept beating him! Finally, Clyde asked Dick Landy to put down the rosin for them and when they made that run, they finally outran that Henry J and were happy!
Clyde worked in his garage every day from 8 am to 6 pm then worked on the race car until around 2 the next morning. They would run Shelby Dragstrip on Friday night, Blaney Dragstrip in Columbia, SC on Saturday night and Shuffletown on Sunday and was back to work in the garage on Monday morning by 8 am! People could not understand how he could keep going the way he did, especially with his health problems.
But nothing much slowed him down because he loved what he was doing. He lived a full life in the time he had and enjoyed it ALL…the traveling, the racing, the fans and especially the friends. Clyde passed away on January 1, 2000 after dealing with a brain tumor for quite some time. He was only 66 years old but he made his mark in this country with his drag racing.
Danny O’Day
By: Steve Earwood
Danny O’Day, 70, a resident of Grassy Creek near the Virginia border, owns the unique distinction of being the first driver of an exhibition vehicle inducted into the North Carolina Drag Racing Hall of Fame.
For more than 30 years, O’Day wowed audiences from coast-to-coast with a series of wheelstanding vehicles, the most famous of which was the Superwinch 1934 Ford roadster in which he set the record for quarter mile performance on the rear wheels only with a time of 8.54 seconds and a finish line speed of 157 miles per hour.
O’Day’s Superwinch roadster was named the No. 5 wheelstander of all time by BangShift, a list that was topped by Bill “Maverick” Golden’s legendary “Little Red Wagon.”
O’Day was pretty much a one-man band, building and maintaining his vehicles in his own shop in Grassy Creek, with his wife of 38 years Donna at his side. Nevertheless, he never set out to be a wheelstanding pioneer. Initially, he was a bracket racer who, for fun, enjoyed popping wheelies on his motorcycle.
Eventually, he merged those two interests, secured initial sponsorship from the late Jim Beattie at ATI Performance Products and, as they say, the rest is history. Danny and Donna plan a limited schedule in 2019 and just may attempt to blast the wheelstander record that should endure for years to come.
Shirl Greer
By: Steve Earwood
Although he was a native of Tennessee and raced for much of his pro career out of Warner Robins, Ga., where he was stationed while in the U.S. Air Force, the late Shirl Greer was a favorite of Carolina race fans even before 1974 when he won the first NHRA championship decided by accumulative points.
Winner of the Molson Grandnational at Montreal, Canada, one of the seven national races comprising that inaugural NHRA championship series, Greer was locked in a tight points battle with Don “the Snake” Prudhomme and Paul Smith entering the season finale at Ontario, Calif., when he suffered a devastating engine explosion and fire during qualifying.
Despite painful burns to his hands and the initial belief that his title bid was over, Greer was the beneficiary of an outpouring of support from friends and rivals who overnight made makeshift repairs to his Ford Mustang and then loaned him everything else he needed to compete including a firesuit, helmet and gloves.
Greer persevered, won his first round race and, when Prudhomme was upset in the second round, claimed the championship as his own. Two years later, he would be runner-up to Prudhomme at the NHRA Gatornationals in his last trip to an NHRA final.
Popular on the match race circuit, Greer also enjoyed success in the IHRA series in which he twice won the All-American Nationals at Bristol, Tenn. In 1974, he was runner-up to Raymond Beadle and the “Blue Max” at the IHRA Pro-Am Nationals at Rockingham and to Kenny Safford and the “Mr. Norm’s” Dodge Charger at the old IHRA Southern Nationals at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Greer began his racing career in 1952 with a flathead-powered 1939 Ford. He later raced in Super Stock and A/FX with a hemi-powered Dodge beneath the hood of a car bearing his familiar “Tension” nameplate. When the FX class transitioned into Funny Car, Greer did too. He passed away in 2012 at the age of 75.
Shirl Greer
By: Steve Earwood
Although he was a native of Tennessee and raced for much of his pro career out of Warner Robins, Ga., where he was stationed while in the U.S. Air Force, the late Shirl Greer was a favorite of Carolina race fans even before 1974 when he won the first NHRA championship decided by accumulative points.
Winner of the Molson Grandnational at Montreal, Canada, one of the seven national races comprising that inaugural NHRA championship series, Greer was locked in a tight points battle with Don “the Snake” Prudhomme and Paul Smith entering the season finale at Ontario, Calif., when he suffered a devastating engine explosion and fire during qualifying.
Despite painful burns to his hands and the initial belief that his title bid was over, Greer was the beneficiary of an outpouring of support from friends and rivals who overnight made makeshift repairs to his Ford Mustang and then loaned him everything else he needed to compete including a firesuit, helmet and gloves.
Greer persevered, won his first round race and, when Prudhomme was upset in the second round, claimed the championship as his own. Two years later, he would be runner-up to Prudhomme at the NHRA Gatornationals in his last trip to an NHRA final.
Popular on the match race circuit, Greer also enjoyed success in the IHRA series in which he twice won the All-American Nationals at Bristol, Tenn. In 1974, he was runner-up to Raymond Beadle and the “Blue Max” at the IHRA Pro-Am Nationals at Rockingham and to Kenny Safford and the “Mr. Norm’s” Dodge Charger at the old IHRA Southern Nationals at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Greer began his racing career in 1952 with a flathead-powered 1939 Ford. He later raced in Super Stock and A/FX with a hemi-powered Dodge beneath the hood of a car bearing his familiar “Tension” nameplate. When the FX class transitioned into Funny Car, Greer did too. He passed away in 2012 at the age of 75.
Clyde Hodges
By Becky White
Clyde Hodges is most well known for his friendship and partnership with Don Carlton and the fact they worked and raced together for Chrysler Corporation during the heyday of factory-backed Pro Stock racing. Clyde was one of the most intelligent men of his time. There was practically nothing he could not engineer or repair when it went wrong. He would run a Hemi engine, IN the race car, at the track, at 10,000 rpms for several minutes…until he heard that tiny little sound he was listening for…the sound which gave him the answer he needed to make it run perfectly!
Shirl Eller worked for Clyde for many years and said, “Clyde was a mechanical genius with an eighth grade education!! When I went to work for him, I had had two years of college and he taught me more than anyone else ever did! He taught me how to ‘think’ when you were building an engine using common sense. He could make things so simple, it was unreal. He built his chassis the same way!”
For those of you who don’t know, Clyde Hodges IS the man who invented the Liberty Clutchless 3-speed transmission…this is the reason you are all privileged to be able to run Lenco transmissions today! After Don passed away, Clyde continued to do what he loved most…he built drag cars AND round track cars. He also built the engines and transmissions which powered them and made them winners!
Before his death, he helped at least 95% of the racers in Caldwell, Catawba, Burke and surrounding counties and even in other states. He answered their questions, gave them advice, worked on their cars if they needed it and helped them in any way he could…even if he had to go racing with them. If you needed a race car, he was your man. If you need an engine, he was your man. He was not limited by those two things, he also built transmissions and rear ends.
If you had a problem no one else could figure out, take it to Clyde and learn something, then get back out on the track. There are racers here this weekend who are here because of Clyde Hodges…his influence remains to this day!
Joe Pappas…Said Clyde was a smart and really nice. It was fun being him…he was a good guy. Always wore white work clothes. The last time he saw him was at the Winter Nationals in Pomona in ’78 and had no contact with him after that.
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