The 2009 auto racing season is entering its stretch run and USA Raceway in Tucson has several major events on its remaining schedule. The track will be staging its first ever Hall of Fame Classic Saturday night, an event that was run at Manzanita Speedway in the past. USA added the race, headed by the Discount Tire American Sprint Car Series, when the Hall of Fame came calling.
Charles Davis, Jr., winner of the 2003 Hall of Fame Classic when the race was sanctioned by the West Coast based Sprint Car group as he beat three SCRA champions. Richard Griffin, Damion Gardner and Mike Kirby trailed Davis to the checkered flag.
Davis is atop the points standings with a comfortable 46 point lead over R.J. Johnson with Nathan High and 12 points in arrears and are the only ones with a serious shot at overtaking Davis.
The Western World Championships, another race that was home at Manzanita before it was sold earlier this year has a three night run November 19-21 and each driver will be running in a qualifying night and the championship finals. With his 46 point lead Davis needs only top ten finishes in the remaining races. He has won three times this year and has a second, a third and a fifth in a season cut short when Manzanita was sold.
Jeremy Sherman has won the Hall of Fame race twice, once in a SCRA sanctioned event and last year when is was run under the ASCS banner.
Five people with impressive Motorsports credential will be inducted into the Hall of Fame which was formed in 1986 and now has 79 members of the Hall.
Hershel McGriff who is a resident of Green Valley was selected as he is currently listed as one of NASCAR’s top fifty drivers. He already is in the Motorsports Hall of Fame. Gene Giles was selected for induction with several championships as a crew chief. He was crew chief for Lealand McSpadden who won the 1975 sprint car championship and helped Robert Harrell earn two super modified titles. As crew chief he won 31 super modified races and 25 sprint car features. Harlan Fike (deceased) was the car owner that helped get Parnelli Jones to Indy. After racing on the West Coast the two headed to the Midwest and won the USAC sprint car title. Don Massetto, known as the Madman, was a terror on Arizona tracks and later won two Midget championships as a car owner. Joe Dillon (deceased) was first in drag racing as a mechanic and then switched to dirt ovals where he continued his success.
Ten former drivers, most of them from Tucson, will take part in an autograph session that begins when the front gate opens at 5:00 Saturday night. Two of the best known drivers on the list are Hall of Fame drivers Carl Trimmer and Lealand McSpadden. Other members are Tucson’s Bob Huebner, Benton Burns, Bob Cleberg, Billy Shuman, Frank McDaniel and Marion Smiley. Possible future Hall of Fame inductees Don Sink and Hoot Gibson will also be at the autograph table.
