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

National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and Museum, 1 Sprint Capital Place, Knoxville, IA (2026)

06/18/2026

Hoyt “Greg” Hodnett was born this day in 1969. Greg was born into a racing family. Grandfather Hoyette Sr. and father Hoyette Jr. were both revered in the racing culture of West Memphis. Greg was always interested in the mechanical side of things. So much, that he would graduate with a degree in mechanical engineering from Memphis State University. His father made sure he knew the mechanical side of the car before jumping behind the wheel, and when he did, he won in just his second outing. Greg would advance quickly, setting records, winning in 360’s and 410’s before winning Rookie of the Year honors with the World of Outlaws in 1993. An opportunity with Two Winners Racing followed, and he made a famous charge from the middle of the C main to fifth in the 1994 A main at the Knoxville Nationals. He won his first World of Outlaws feature (of 20) the following spring at Battleground Speedway near Houston. He also drove for the Selma Shell team, finishing second in the 1997 Nationals. In 1998, he made the choice to move his racing to central Pennsylvania behind the wheel of the potent Bob Stewart #12 “Apple Car.” Over 100 wins in the ride followed. He added rides with Guy Forbrook (back with the WoO in 2000), Al Hamilton, Jim and Sandy Kline (2009 Williams Grove National Open winners), John Trone and Mike Heffner. Over 250 feature wins, and virtually every track title and championship in central PA were conquered by Hodnett. His untimely passing would come in 2018 during a racing event at BAPS Motor Speedway. He was posthumously awarded the Thomas J. Schmeh “Outstanding Contribution to the Sport” Award in 2019, and he was inducted as part of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame class of 2020.

06/18/2026

Happy Birthday goes out to 2022 National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee Tim Green! From a youngster following his father’s supermodified team to Roseville and West Capital Speedway in California, racing was in his blood. Starting at age eight, Tim spent ten years racing go-karts winning many features and two national championships. In 1976, he started in the supermodifieds at West Capital, winning a feature and Rookie of the Year honors. The big move for Tim came when he met Kenny Woodruff, who urged him towards car owner Bob Trostle and the Midwest. Tim adapted well, winning at Knoxville, and then joining the World of Outlaws, securing the 1979 Rookie of the Year. He also won the prestigious Western World at Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix. 1981 and 1982 saw a pair of track championships at Knoxville. He then traveled to Australia, winning 11 of 17 main events. Tim returned to California in 1983, hooking up with the Lovell Brothers and then Virgil and Annie Owen in 1986. An accident causing severe burns in 1987 derailed him, but he returned in 1989 to finish fourth in that WoO campaign. He and the Owen’s retired in 1996. In his career, Tim accrued over 200 feature wins, two NARC and one Golden State Challenge and three Skagit Dirt Cup wins. Tim is also a member of the Knoxville Raceway Hall of Fame (1997), West Capital Speedway Hall of Fame (2009), the Calistoga Speedway Hall of Fame and the Motor Sports Press Association Hall of Fame (2010).

06/16/2026

Happy Birthday goes out to Californian Joe Scalzo! The 2002 National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee is one of the most accomplished motorsports authors around. A motorcycle racer early, his first books included "Racer: the Story of Gary Nixon", "The Bart Markel Story", "Motorcycle Ace: The Dick Mann Story", "Even Knievel and Other Daredevils" and "Evel Knievel". "The Unbelievable Unsers", "The Bobby Unser Story", "Indy 500 Mechanic", "Speedway", "Indianapolis Roadsters 1952-1964" and "The American Dirt Track Racer" listed more than stats and dates. They conveyed the colorful history of our sport with a look behind the scenes on heroes that were larger than life for many. In "Dirt Track Daredevils", he examined the personalities of AJ Foyt, Mario Andretti, Ernie Triplett, Al Gordon, Don Hawley, Parnelli Jones, Johnny Thomson, Mel Kenyon and many more. Joe's crown jewel may be "Stand on the Gas! Sprint Car Racing in America". Compiled during the 1972 and 1973 seasons, it looks in depth at Jan Opperman, Kenny Weld, Larry Dickson, Gary Bettenhausen, Eddie Sachs, Greg Weld, Wally Meskowski, Gordon Woolley, Roger McCluskey, Don Branson, Tommy Hinnersh*tz, Bobby Grim, Sammy Sessions, Rollie Beale and Lee Kunzman. The evolution of Offenhausers to Chevys was examined through the eyes of Foyt, Parnelli and Jim Hurtubise. In addition to his many titles, Joe has penned thousands of articles for magazines and newspapers in his day.

06/16/2026

1999 National Sprint Car inductee Don Basile was born this day in 1916. The family moved from Michigan to California when Don was young. Introduced to the Agajanian family, Don would soon be running errands for JT "Pappy" Agajanian. Aggie took him to Turkey Night in 1937 and Don was hooked from there! Following World War II, Carrell Speedway was reopened by Emmett Malloy, and Don worked for Malloy, Agajanian and Bill White in the racing promotion business. He got his start selling programs, and was involved in creating the Western States Stock Car Racing Association in 1947. He also drove and was the inaugural champion. He also owned cars driven by Walt James, Andy Linden, Jack McGrath and Troy Ruttman. By the early '50's, he was general manager of Carrell Speedway. He was a hit with fans with his checkered pace car, flamboyant outfits and enthusiasm! When Carrell Speedway closed for a new interstate, Don owned Clovis Speedway for a short time before joining Agajanian Enterprises full-time. The relationship lasted 18 years, and a wide variety of motorsports was promoted. Many tracks were run through the West, but the crown jewel was Ascot Park in Gardena until 1972 when Basile and Agajanian had a dispute with ownership. Don was even the team manager for Agajanian's Indy 500 win with Parnelli Jones in 1963. Following the stint at Ascot, Don bought South Bay Speedway in Chula Vista near San Diego. The next ten years would see the newly named 117 Speedway become one of the most diverse in the country before the track was closed for "development" in 1983. Don would go on to manage Petaluma Speedway. He passed away in 1998. His name lives on each year with the presentation of the "Don Basile Rookie of the Race" Award.

06/16/2026

JC Agajanian was born this day in 1913, six months after his parents had immigrated to the United States from war-torn Armenia. "Aggie" was a car owner, USAC official and race organizer (he didn't like the word promoter, even though he was one of the best ever). Shortly after turning 20, he bought a '30's big car. He was able to get dirt drivers like Johnny Mantz, Walt Faulkner, Chuck Daigh, Lloyd Ruby, Parnelli Jones, Dick Atkins, Bill Vukovich and Gary Bettenhausen, among others, a shot at Indy. Troy Ruttman was one of those, and he won the Indy 500 in 1952. Parnelli would win it for Aggie in 1963. He promoted mainly oval races from Los Angeles to Daytona and points in between. Ascot Park in Gardena, California was his love. He promoted Motorcyles, midgets and sprints there. Ascot became known as one of the greatest dirt tracks in the world, and Aggie oversaw the inception of such events there as the Pacific Coast Nationals and the Turkey Night Midget Grand Prix, races that have continued since Ascot's closing in 1990. One of his great contributions was helping in the creation of USAC, after the dissolving of the AAA. He served on the USAC board of directors from 1956 through 1980. Aggie would be inducted in the first class of National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductees in 1990, and has also been inducted in the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame, the International Motorsports Hall of Fame (2009), the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (1992), the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame (1999) and the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame in its first class (2002). Aggie passed away in 1984.

06/15/2026

2005 National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee Dick Simonek was born this day in 1907. He worked with Fred "Jiggs" Peters at his machine shop in Paterson, New Jersey's "Gasoline Alley". He would field a car in 1936 that was driven by Hall of Famers Granville "Buster" Warke and Joie Chitwood Sr. During World War II, he worked with Ted Horn as they partnered in a machine shop. Together, when racing resumed, they would make history. Three cars were fielded, with Horn, Tommy Hinnersh*tz and Walt Ader driving. Horn would win the AAA Eastern title three straight years before his passing late in 1948. Dick designed a new piston for the Offenhauser made of magnesium. It cut the weight in half and created higher revolutions. An excellent machinist, Dick built the steering and gear boxes for the team, and before fuel injection, built his own carburetors. Although AAA was home to the 270 Offenhauser, he made his own crankshafts for the 220 Offy, turning it into a 233. Dick and Hinnersh*tz would partner until 1951 when Bill Schindler drove for him, until he had enough of car ownership. He went into engine-balancing, and had the only such shop on the east coast. His top clients were Hinnersh*tz and Lee Petty, who would often bring ten assemblies up from North Carolina in the offseason. In the late '50's, Dick would become a tech inspector for NASCAR before retiring in 1967. He would pass away in 1997 at the age of 90.

06/15/2026

Happy Birthday goes out to 2011 National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee Gene Marderness! Through Gene's camera lens, legends of the sport have been captured and heroes displayed for all to see. At not even the age of ten, Gene's father shared a Kodak "Brownie" camera and Gene was snapping photos at Williams Grove in the late '40's. In the '50's he graduated to a 35mm to capture shots of his heroes like Bill Schindler and Tommy Hinnersh*tz. The school teacher moved to Florida in 1970. He was photographer for the TBARA (Tampa Bay Area Racing Association), the CFSS (Checkered Flag Sprint Series) and Collier County Speedway. Gene found his way from coast to coast, however, and soon became one of the more respected shooters in the country. For several years in the late '60's and early '70's, Gene concentrated on 8mm filming, but he returned to photography. Some of his most famous shots were of the first WoO Awards banquet in 1978 and his shot of Steve Kinser, Sammy Swindell, Rick Ferkel and Ted Johnson in the first edition of Open Wheel magazine. Gene credits fellow Hall of Famers John Mahoney, Mike Arthur and Ken Coles among others for secrets of the trade over the years.

06/15/2026

Born this day in 1989, Bryan Clauson etched his name in the racing annals almost immediately. Born in California to racer Tim Clauson and wife Diane, Bryan's career blossomed when the family moved to Indiana. His first title came with the NAMARS midgets in 2002. He started in sprint cars at age 13 at Kokomo Speedway and had his first win at 15. He was a Kenyon Midget winner six times before turning sixteen, and became the youngest USAC Midget and Sprint Car winner as well. In Keith Kunz's midget he won at 16 years, four months and 23 days. He then became the youngest USAC sprint car winner in the Rich Vogler Classic at Wi******er aboard Keith Kunz's sprint car. At 17, he was signed by Chip Ganassi for NASCAR. By the time his team folded, he had five starts with ARCA including a pole at Daytona and a win at Gateway International, and 26 Busch Series starts. Happy to be back in the midgets and sprints, he went on a tear from there. Before his untimely death on the Belleville Highbanks in August of 2016 at the age of 27, he had registered 112 Career USAC wins (fifth all-time), was a three-time National USAC Driver Champion, and a two-time National Midget and National Sprint champion. He won the Belleville Midget Nationals three times, the Turkey Night Grand Prix twice, and the 2014 Chili Bowl. He was a two-time Indiana Sprintweek champ, and garnered 41 USAC National Sprint car wins (sixth all-time). Bryan made three starts in the Indy 500 (2012, 2015, 2016). He was always looking for the next challenge and started dabbling in wing sprint cars in 2013, winning his first feature with the MOWA series in Jacksonville, Illinois. He qualified for two straight Knoxville Nationals finales (2014 and 2015), and struck for an Ohio Speedweek win at Sharon in 2016. More than anything, Bryan was known as a great person and sportsman, and gave his time to causes including the National Autism society. Upon his death, as an organ donor, he gave life to five others. Thousands of others have pledged to be donors in Bryan's honor, and Driven 2 Save Lives has continued his legacy as well. The Bryan Clauson Suite Tower overlooking Knoxville Raceway opened in 2018 at the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum. He was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 2018.

06/15/2026

A big Happy Birthday goes out to Johnny Anderson! Born in Florida, Johnny's family would move to Sacramento when he was two. Johnny graduated from quarter-midgets to half-midgets to micro-midgets, in which he won Rookie of the Year honors in 1960. He would quickly advance to hardtops (as Rookie of the Year with CSRA), which would evolve into super-modifieds. He was the first to use large "humper" tires, as well as side wings and power steering. He won the first sprint car race he entered in 1966 at Champion Speedway in San Francisco. He also won the next day at West Capital Speedway's half-mile. Johnny's success was one of the reasons the NARC series lowered their legal driving age from 21 to 18. He would keep on winning on the dirt and pavement, in California, Oregon, Washington and Nevada. He was one of the first to be invited to Australia, where drivers turned right, not left. The year was 1971, and he adapted quickly. In three months in Australia and New Zealand he raced midgets, stock cars and sprint cars, and won at Rowley Park in Adelaide, South Australia. Back in the states, he would race nine times with the NASCAR Grand National series. In 1972, he brought the first-ever sprint car to Australia, a Hank Henry ex-Fike Plumbing special. During his three weeks there, the Aussies dubbed him "The Fastest Man on Wheels". He sold his car to multi-time Australian champion, Garry Rush. He won the Gold Cup Race of Champions in California in 1974, and would also race midgets often, taking extra money to start at the back and win. He was the 1976 NARC champ with Hall of Fame mechanic Kenny Woodruff. The following two years, he'd win races in open competition, with NARC, with the World of Outlaws, and won the WoO Western Tour in 1978. He hit the road with the WoO in 1979, winning events at Champaign, East Bay and Tulsa, finishing tenth in points. He would win another Gold Cup in 1980, a year that saw a terrible accident in which he was hospitalized for three months. He would retire later in the 1980's. Johnny has been instrumental in vintage racing events and alumni associations in California since his retirement. He was inducted in the West Capital Raceway Hall of Fame in 2000, the BCRA Hall of Fame in 2004, the Motor Sports Press Association Hall of Fame in 2007 and the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 2012.

06/14/2026

Grant King was born this day in 1933 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He became obsessed with race cars as a youngster, working in older brother Len’s garage. He became a quick study and built his first sprint car, driven by B**g Eng. Each car Grant built got better, and he moved to Portland, becoming one of the most renowned builders of roadsters, sprint cars and modifieds in the region. His cars were not only fast, but beautiful. After working with fellow Hall of Fame inductee, AJ Watson, in Burbank, California, Grant pulled up everything and moved to Indianapolis, where he set up shop on Crawfordsville Road next to Watson. There he would build over 250 cars including sprints, midgets and champ cars with his own hands. Grant’s cars would win championships with IMCA, USAC and other organizations. A few Hall of Famers who found rides in a King car were Tom Bigelow, Rich Vogler, Mario Andretti, AJ Foyt, Sheldon Kinser, Greg Weld, Kenny Weld, Bobby Allen, Rollie Beale and Gary Bettenhausen. Grant also built and owned Indy cars through the 1970’s. He passed away in 1999.

National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and Museum

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