National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and Museum

National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and Museum "Promoting the Future by Preserving the Past"
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Adelbert "Deb" Snyder was born this day in 1910. Deb would ride his bike to the board track in Akron. He developed a fri...
05/29/2026

Adelbert "Deb" Snyder was born this day in 1910. Deb would ride his bike to the board track in Akron. He developed a friendship with Arthur Chevrolet's team and driver and fellow Hall of Famer Charles "Dutch" Baumann. Deb would start racing himself in 1932 and in the early years campaigned with AAA and CSRA. He would run his first IMCA race in Des Moines in 1938. Despite suffering three serious crashes, Deb would blossom with IMCA. By 1952, he was the champion, winning 32 out of 37 feature races, held seventy track records and seven national records. He won 26 of 32 races in 1953 and repeated his title. He would retire in 1954, having won nearly 200 races, including 121 with IMCA. Deb was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1994 and passed away in 1997.

National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Induction Weekend Ceremonies!Friday, May 29At Noon, refreshments from Subway will be se...
05/29/2026

National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Induction Weekend Ceremonies!

Friday, May 29

At Noon, refreshments from Subway will be served on the second floor.

From 1-3 p.m., our annual “bench racing session” featuring past Hall of Fame inductees will commence. Dave Hare will once again be our emcee, and inductees who may possibly join us include Jimmy Sills, Shane Carson, Craig Dollansky, Doug Clark, Pat Sullivan, Dave Argabright, Steve Beitler, Shirley Kear, Terry Gray, Max Dolder and others.

The Events on Friday are FREE to the public.

Saturday, May 30

Saturday, the 36th National Sprint Car Hall of Fame banquet will commence at the Dyer-Hudson Hall on the Marion County Fairgrounds behind the grandstands. The doors will open at 11 a.m. with dinner catered by the Rib Shack at Noon. The induction festivities will follow.

The late Bob Gregg, Eloy Gutierrez, Ed Iskenderian and Bob Westphal, as well as Jimmy Carr, Steve Chassey, Allan Holland, Jerry McClung and Jerry Stone will be enshrined Saturday as inductees in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame.

Following the banquet, everyone is invited to the second floor of the museum for the plaque unveiling for the new inductees!

Born this day in 1927, Eddie Sachs was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1999. The 1958 USAC Midwest...
05/28/2026

Born this day in 1927, Eddie Sachs was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1999. The 1958 USAC Midwest Point champion started by chance. He attended a race in North Carolina after being in the service and got hooked. He followed "Dutch" Culp to Pennsylvania and settled in Allentown. He followed the AAA "B" circuit in 1949 landing a few midget rides. Soon, he was landing "Big Car" rides as well. Probably one of the most determined drivers ever, Eddie would not give up. Despite failing his Indy test three straight years (1953-55), he took his talents to the high banks of Salem, Wi******er and Dayton. He also honed his skills in the Dirt Champ cars on the mile tracks. In 1954, he would finish second to Pat O'Connor in the AAA Midwestern standings. He repeated the feat in 1955 and 1956, a year in which he also passed his Indy Rookie test. He would qualify for the front row in 1957, but suffered an injury at 16th Street Speedway in August. Eddie would recover and win the USAC Midwest championship (including a win at the Hoosier Hundred) in 1958 and was fourth in the Eastern points as well. His last year in the sprints would come in 1960, and tragically he lost his life at Indy in 1964. His best finishes at Indy came in 1961 (2nd) and 1962 (3rd).

Happy Birthday Carlton Reimers! For over 30 years, Carlton has been the steady and calming voice when doing business wit...
05/27/2026

Happy Birthday Carlton Reimers! For over 30 years, Carlton has been the steady and calming voice when doing business with the World of Outlaws. He left his job as a policeman in 1992 to join father-in-law Ted Johnson, and soon became a voice of reason for the series. Carlton’s calming presence has soothed many a driver or promoter through the years. His network and relationships with promoters through the years has kept the World of Outlaws at many of the top tracks across the country in good and bad times. He was a recipient of the North American Sprint Car Poll Thomas J. Schmeh Outstanding Contribution to the Sport in 2021. He was inducted in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 2025.

Happy Birthday to 2002 National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee Dick Berggren! In August of 1977 Dr. Dick Berggren beca...
05/27/2026

Happy Birthday to 2002 National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee Dick Berggren! In August of 1977 Dr. Dick Berggren became editor of Stock Car Racing magazine. Five years later, he was instrumental in developing the sprint car fan's bible, Open Wheel! Dick enjoyed racing himself a great degree (to the tune of 24 sprint wins at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Maine, but is also known for his editorial genius. He provided color commentary to the Slick 50 World Series in Arizona in the early '90's, which was really the first real live sprint car racing, and a prelude to TNN's live coverage of the World of Outlaws. Dick was the inaugural recipient of the National Sprint Car Poll's "Media Member of the Year" in 1985, and in 1999, he started Speedway Illustrated. Dick was named National Motorsport Press Association Writer of the Year in 1999. Dick has also announced a variety of motorsports in his career for ESPN, CBS, TBS, TNN and the Speed Channel. He was inducted in the New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame in 2008. Dick also received the 2007 Bobby Isaac Memorial Award for his outstanding contributions to short track racing.

Happy Birthday Stevie Smith! Stevie followed his father’s Hall of Fame footsteps in sprint cars. Starting in his teena...
05/26/2026

Happy Birthday Stevie Smith! Stevie followed his father’s Hall of Fame footsteps in sprint cars. Starting in his teenage years, he accumulated 222 wins along the way, before his retirement in 2016. He won track championships in 1986 at Lincoln and Susquehanna in his native Pennsylvania before hitting the road with the World of Outlaws as Rookie of the Year in 1990 with owner Al Hamilton. His first WoO win had come at his hometown track, Lincoln, in 1988. His 84 career wins with the WoO ranks ninth all-time. In 1992, he was second to Steve Kinser in WoO points. He also sports 19 All Star wins on his resume, as well as an Ohio Speedweek crown in 2012. Stevie was a three-time Williams Grove National Open winner, and also claimed California’s Gold Cup at Chico, and the Brad Doty Classic in Ohio. He also claimed Port Royal’s Tuscarora 50 and the Selinsgrove Open in his home state in 2003. Entering 2020, his 21 appearances in the Knoxville Nationals championship event rank sixth all-time and his 14 top tens are fifth. Stevie currently resides in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma and stays busy with his business, Smith Titanium.

Happy Birthday to 2006 National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee Jimmy Sills! Jimmy was a football standout in North Car...
05/26/2026

Happy Birthday to 2006 National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee Jimmy Sills! Jimmy was a football standout in North Carolina before moving to his birth state of California and starting in the super-modifieds in 1973. Driving for Ed Watson, he won in his sixth time out. "Buckwheat" as he was affectionately nicknamed, made his name with the NARC series in Northern California, and would venture out to race across the country. Jimmy amassed well over 300 wins in midgets, sprint cars (wing and non-wing), super-modifieds, Silver Crown cars and even motocross bikes. He was the all-time winner at the shuttered Baylands Raceway at 43, a back-to-back winner at the Jayhawk Nationals in Kansas, the Perris Oval Nationals champion, and a winner at the Grand Annual Classic in Warrnambool, Australia. His only full assault on the WoO tour came in 1986 with the Cahill Brothers and Lenard McCarl, in which he was fourth in points. He drove for Hall of Famer Bob Weikert in 1988, copping several wins and an Ohio Speedweek title. He was a three-time USAC Silver Crown champion and also won the Knoxville Masters Classic twice. Some of the sanctions that saw Jimmy in Victory Lane include the WoO, All Stars, NARC, USAC, CRA, SCRA, BCRA and many more!

A big Happy Birthday goes out to 2010 National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee Casey Luna! Casey raced locally in modif...
05/26/2026

A big Happy Birthday goes out to 2010 National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee Casey Luna! Casey raced locally in modifieds, sprints and midgets, but found his calling when he became owner of the famous Casey Luna Ford sprint car in 1985. Casey and wife Beverly got into the owning gig thanks to their daughter dating Robby Unser. After having success locally, the team struck out with the World of Outlaws. Robby garnered national Rookie of the Year honors (tying with Ohio's Todd Kane). Feeling odd running a Chevy in a Ford sponsored car, Casey called friend Jack Roush, and Ford started an R&D program with the team. Rocky at first, the team would find Hall of Fame driver Bobby Davis Jr., Hall of Fame mechanic Ken Woodruff, and things clicked. Davis would win both the King's Royal and the WoO title in 1989. Another Hall of Famer Dave Blaney then came on board for four years. The team won the WoO title in 1995, and Luna retired following that season. The team made Ford a winner thanks to Hall of Fame engine builder Ron Shaver. Beverly spearheaded the Sprint Car Drivers Benevolent Fund and the famous driver softball games at the Knoxville Nationals. She won the 1988 "Outstanding Contribution to the Sport" Award along with Elayne Hoff. Casey won the same award the following year for his efforts in helping the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum in its infancy. Casey also had a four-year term as Lieutenant Governor of his beloved home state of New Mexico.

John Whyte Gunnells, better known as Jack Gunn, was born this day in 1932. Jack loved racing, starting as a pit crew mem...
05/26/2026

John Whyte Gunnells, better known as Jack Gunn, was born this day in 1932. Jack loved racing, starting as a pit crew member and briefly as a driver before becoming a PA announcer in the '50's. By 1968, he had also taken on the promotional duties at Pennsylvania's Williams Grove Speedway and Selinsgrove Speedway. He began what came to be known as the KARS (Keystone Auto Racing on Speedways) series, and also promoted Hagerstown Speedway in his birth state of Maryland, and Penn National Speedway. Jack was instrumental in luring some of the best drivers in the history of the sport to central PA. Many Hall of Famers including Jan Opperman and Kenny Weld migrated East as a part of Gunn's promotions. Jack was a true promoter and many of his promotions became legendary. Jack was in the inaugural class (1990) of National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductees. He passed away of cancer in 1980.

Joe James was born this day in Mississippi in 1925. The 1995 National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee and brother of fe...
05/23/2026

Joe James was born this day in Mississippi in 1925. The 1995 National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee and brother of fellow Hall of Famer Walt James, served in the Navy during World War II after the family's move to California. After drag racing and hot-rodding, Joe first raced on the ovals with the fledgling California Roadster Association (CRA). According to his brother Walt, "Joe was better than I was, but I talked a better race, so I usually had the better ride." Joe would head for the Midwest in 1949 with Hall of Fame mechanic Jud Phillips, bodyman Jack Dulin and an Ardun flathead "Big Car". Results weren't stellar, but things started clicking the following year. Joe upgraded to an "Offy" in the sprint car for 1951. He won on the high banks of Dayton with AAA, and qualified for his first Indy 500. He added a win at Salem that season and finished third in points in both the AAA Midwestern and Pacific Southwest standings. He would drive for the Morales Brothers in California in 1952, and also in the Midwest for Lee Elkins where he picked up wins at Dayton, twice at Wi******er, Springfield (IL), Terre Haute, Boonville (IN) and Cedar Rapids on his way to the AAA Midwestern title. Tragically, Joe lost his life at the age of 27, in November of that year at a race in San Jose. The Joe James/Pat O’Connor Memorial takes place each year at Salem.

Happy Birthday to Ken Hamilton! Ken grew up in California, and it was a hired hand on his father’s farm that took him to...
05/23/2026

Happy Birthday to Ken Hamilton! Ken grew up in California, and it was a hired hand on his father’s farm that took him to his first race. He was hooked. His family moved to Idaho, and he began attending races at Meridian Speedway. Trading a Triumph motorcycle for his first race car, Ken made his driving debut at Meridian at the age of 23 in the “B” Class in 1964. He won immediately and garnered Rookie of the Year honors. By 1967, Ken Sugia had hired Ken to drive and they won the “A” Class title at Meridian. Sugia purchased a brand new Grant King sprint car for 1968. “The Pink Lady” sprint car was born. Ken won the first night out, and 16 more before the year was over. “The Pink Lady” would be the car to beat for the next 50 years, with track titles and championships following. Some of the big races Ken captured were two Copper Cup Classics, two Copper World Classics in Phoenix, went undefeated in a trip to South Africa in 1976, and was a ten-time Meridian Speedway sprint car champion. His prowess in supermodifieds left a big footprint as well. He was the 1986 USAC Supermodified champion. Ken is proud of helping son Davey’s career blossom as well. In addition to his induction in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 2023, he is also an inductee in the Western Idaho Racing Association Hall of Fame.

Address

1 Sprint Capital Place
Knoxville, IA
50138

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 12am
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm
Sunday 12pm - 5pm

Telephone

+18008744488

Website

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