LINCOLN, Neb. — Driver Jack Petty of Salina, Kan., will serve as guest speaker at the annual Nebraska Auto Racing Hall of Fame induction ceremony this coming Friday evening, Oct. 18. The event will take place at the Lincoln Firefighters Hall located at 241 Victory Lane in Lincoln.
Petty has been involved in auto racing for nearly 60 years, winning over 350 main events and eight season track championships in jalopies, sprint cars, super modifieds and late models.
He is a charter member of the 81 Speedway (Park City, Kan.) Hall of Fame, as well as one of the Topeka Racing Legends.
Some of his accolades include being inducted into the Belleville High Banks Hall of Fame and, most recently, the Big Car Racing Association Hall of Fame.
The Old Timers Racing Club presented Petty with the 2013 Tim Flock Championship Award. Flock was a driver in the early days of NASCAR.
In Petty’s current collection of Hudson Hornets is a replica of the #91 Hudson driven by Flock. It is now on display in the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, N.C.
Petty will share details about his will to survive a muliti-car race accident in 1974 which was engulfed in fire. Since then, Petty has served as an ambassador for auto racing safety.
The Nebraska Auto Racing Hall of Fame will be inducting eight new members Friday. This is the 16th class for the NARHoF, which was created in 1998 to honor Nebraskans, both native and adopted, for their contributions to the sport of auto racing.
The eight new members are Stan Cisar Jr., Mike Daly, Guy Deulin, Lawrence Hughes, Joe Kosiski, Eddie Rezac, Carson Smith and David Thomssen.
The mission of the Nebraska Auto Racing Hall of Fame is to perpetuate the memories of individuals who have brought lasting fame and positive recognition to the state of Nebraska through their achievements in the sport of auto racing. Requirements for selection are: an individual must have been a Nebraska resident for at least two years; retired from the activity for which they are being honored for at least four years; or, if still active, have reached the age of 55 and have been involved in the sport for a minimum of 30 years. Further, an individual must have made significant accomplishments locally, regionally and going on to some national prominence.