National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and Museum

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National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and Museum "Promoting the Future by Preserving the Past"
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2016 National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee Mark Light was born this day in 1910. Both of his parents passed before h...
10/27/2026

2016 National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee Mark Light was born this day in 1910. Both of his parents passed before he was 11, so he was sent to the Milton S. Hershey School for Orphans. He later lived with his great uncle. By 1930, Mark was a lathe operator at a nut and bolt works. The first record of Mark in a racecar was in 1932, and he was involved in serious crashes in both 1933 and 1934. In early 1935, Mark started promoting at the Lebanon fairgrounds dirt track. The track hosted many of the great drivers of the day, including Mark himself. Many of the drivers, such as Tommy Hinnersh*tz (a.k.a. Tommy Milton) had to use nicknames to avoid the scrutiny of the AAA. Mark also promoted the independent Dirt Track Championship at Reading in 1935, and won himself at several tracks including Central Speedway in Bird-in-Hand, Pennsylvania, Lebanon, the Kutztown Fairgrounds, and the Alcyon Speedway in Pitman, New Jersey. In 1936, the Central Pennsylvania Racing Association (CPRA) was established. He won nine times and took the inaugural title, while directing the series. He was leading the points again in 1937 after winning seven times, when he suffered severe burns. In 1938, he competed in his first AAA event, and started promoting the series at Lebanon. He continued his winning ways behind the wheel. He was named the AAA Eastern Circuit Class "B" champion. In 1939, he took AAA events at Reading, Williams Grove and Langhorne. He would finish second to Joie Chitwood in the AAA standings that season. Four wins came in 1940, his last as Lebanon promoter. He was sixth in AAA points. He was leading the AAA Eastern Circuit points in 1941 when he enlisted in the Army. Shortly after his return to racing following the war, Mark was involved in a serious crash that took a spectator's life at Williams Grove in 1945. Mark raced about another ten years, with wins coming frequently, though he didn't follow any particular circuit. Mark was a mentor to drivers like Hinnersh*tz and Harold "Lucky" Lutz. He introduced Tommy to his future wife, Betty. Mark ran an Esso station, then a Tydol station with a speed shop, and finally an auto repair and muffler shop in Lebanon. He passed away in 1975.

August "Gus" Hoffman was born this day in 1910. The 2000 National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee came from a German fa...
10/27/2026

August "Gus" Hoffman was born this day in 1910. The 2000 National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee came from a German family that lived modestly. In fact, he quit school at the age of 16 to help support the family. He worked as a tool and die-maker, and would graduate from night school, and eventually the Littleford Business School. In 1929, Gus and two classmates found an old car in a field and made a sprinter out of it. They hired Don Turner as the driver, and they campaigned it in Kentucky and Ohio. During World War II, he turned a career in realty into his own business, Suburban Realtors and Business. A new business Park Lumber was also born, but Gus had time to field a Hal-powered sprinter for "Tex" Shackleford on the high banks of Dayton, Wi******er, Salem and Converse, Indiana. In the mid-fifties, he hired "Mutt" Anderson to maintain the KurtisKraft midget for drivers like Eddie Sachs and Andy Linden. In 1956, Gus bought an Eddie-Kuzma built sprinter and would campaign it until 1964. "Mutt" restored the car to its original condition, a JC Agajanian #98. He finished sixth in the USAC Midwest points in 1957 with Don Branson behind the wheel. His first USAC win came that season at New Bremen, Ohio. He was fourth with Branson in 1958, fifth in 1959 with Bud Tinglestad, tenth in 1960 with Al Miller. In the first year of USAC National points in 1961, he was 19th with Jim Hemmings. Starting in 1964, son Richard was listed as owner, and the pair owned Dynamics, Inc., doing business as Hoffman Auto Racing. In 1971, the team took off with driver Larry "Boom Boom" Cannon. They won at Cincinnati and Reading and placed ninth in USAC points. The first of six Indy 500 starts came in 1974. They concentrated on Indy from the late seventies through the mid-1980's. When they came back to USAC, they had talented drivers like Indiana Andy Hillenburg, Kerry Norris, Rocky Hodges and Kevin Huntley. In 1989, everything clicked with a championship with Rich Vogler behind the wheel. After Vogler's tragic death, Steve Butler stepped in, running third in the 1991 standings and winning the title in 1992. Robbie Stanley would win the championship for the Hoffman's in 1993, before he too passed away in 1994. In 1996 and 1997, they won owner championships with USAC again, with Dave Darland on the dirt and a combination of Andy Michner, Jim Mahoney and Pat Abold on pavement. 1999 would see another championship with Dave Darland. Counting titles since Gus's passing in 2001, the team has won 11, and racked up over 106 USAC Sanctioned National wins.

Happy Birthday Sammy Swindell! The 2006 National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee is "still winning"! At the age of 15, ...
10/26/2026

Happy Birthday Sammy Swindell! The 2006 National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee is "still winning"! At the age of 15, Sammy climbed in father Sam's B-mod, won 11 times and never looked back. In fact, before he was 25, he'd accumulated over 140 modified wins, over 100 in sprint cars, 20 in late models, and a USAC midget win in Denver. His travel began in Bruce Cogle's #44 with great success. He then locked down one of the first corporate sponsors in Fed Ex. He was second in World of Outlaw points in 1979 grabbing eleven wins. He scored ten more in 1980. At the end of that season, he partnered with Kansas car builder LaVern Nance. The result was two straight WoO titles and 42 wins along the way. The "Big Three" of sprint car racing was born, Sammy, Steve Kinser and Doug Wolfgang. In 1983, Sammy paired with Raymond Beadle and won the Knoxville Nationals. Much success came in the late '80's and early '90's with Harrold Annett's TMC team. Since his early days, Sammy was known as having a spotless operation from the trailer to the car to the appearance of the team. He wouldn't chase points with the WoO every season, as he ventured into other forms of racing over the years. In 1986, he missed the Indy 500 by one spot. He competed in NASCAR in the early '90's, and ran the full Craftsman Truck Series in 1995. He returned to the WoO in 1997, and racked up another title, this time in his own entry, becoming the first owner/driver champ in history. Many big events have been won by Sammy. In addition to the Knoxville Nationals, he has scored there King's Royals at Eldora, the Western World at Manzanita, both $65,000 Fram Dashes in 1990 and 1991, the $50,000 Selinsgrove National Open in 1990, the 1991 All Stars Ohio Speedweek, the Don Martin Silver Cup at Lernerville, three Syracuse Supernationals, the Knoxville 360 Nationals, five Short Track Nationals and five Chili Bowls to name just a handful! Sammy's 394 wins with the World of Outlaws is second to only Steve Kinser on the all-time list. Maybe more of an impact than even his hundreds of wins has been his role in the advancement of sprint car technology and innovation. Center-line brakes, tire bleeders, beadlocks, rear-ends, and even the tire patterns have Sammy's innovations to thank. His independent suspension creation was so successful, it was banned by the WoO. He had a hand in building most of the cars he drove, and he has always thought about one thing...getting faster.

Jack Miller was born this day in 1935 in Danvers, Illinois. Jack grew up in a family that loved racing, and visited the ...
10/25/2026

Jack Miller was born this day in 1935 in Danvers, Illinois. Jack grew up in a family that loved racing, and visited the State Fair Speedway in Springfield often. Jack raced motorcycles in Illinois as a youngster with the likes of Bubby Jones. When Jack didn't make the feature (which was often), he would announce it. He admitted he made more announcing than he ever would have on a bike. By 1958, he was announcing on a regular basis, filling in for Bobby Baugh. He covered AMA national and regional events. He caught the attention of Hall of Famer Bud Carson, and that would change Jack's life forever. Before he could work for Bud, he needed to learn every job at the track. It gave him a real appreciation for ins and outs of running a racetrack. He worked for the MAR-CAR organization, announcing usually on Friday's in Oklahoma City and Sunday's IMCA races. During the week, Jack worked as a weatherman. Working for Lanny Edwards Devil's Bowl Speedway, Jack would get hooked on the action of sprint cars. In turn, he worked for some of the greatest promoters and at some of the greatest events in the history of the sport. Two of his clients in the '70's were the Joie Chitwood Thrill Show and Evel Knievel. Jack learned that the events were a show. The announcer should talk with his audience, not "at them". His first Knoxville Nationals work was in 1974 with Chris Economaki and others, and he also worked Manzanita's Western World and Ascot's Pacific Coast Nationals with Gary Gerould, Windy McDonald and Bruce Flanders. He managed the bowling alley in Knoxville while their announcer and p.r. man in 1975 and 1976. After that he headed to Tampa, where he resided every winter. He announced the first World of Outlaws event at Devil's Bowl in 1978, and followed the series thereafter. He continued announcing at the Knoxville Nationals for 25 years. His generosity to low buck racers and to charity earned him the 1998 National Sprint Car Poll "Outstanding Contribution to the Sport" Award. He also was a columnist for Open Wheel magazine. In his later announcing years, he called events at East Bay Raceway and of course, the Chili Bowl. For those who were fortunate enough to know Jack, they can still hear him say "Holy Cow!" What a career! Jack was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 2001 and passed away in 2010.

Happy Birthday Bob Frey! Bob was born in 1950 in Elyria, Ohio and was hooked on racing after attending Lorain County Sp...
10/25/2026

Happy Birthday Bob Frey! Bob was born in 1950 in Elyria, Ohio and was hooked on racing after attending Lorain County Speedway as a youngster with his father. At the age of 20 (his parents had to sign), he began his racing at the same track in a stock car. His father Rudy and he paid half each for Bob’s first sprint car, and then a short time later bought a roadster to compete at Sandusky and Lorain County. A couple of podium finishes caught the attention of Ohio car owner, Ernie Ensign. In 1973, they campaigned a Paul Leffler built sprint car, and captured their first victory in ASA action at West Chester, Ohio in April. A ninth place finish in his first Little 500 was followed by several more wins that season. After winning the Florida Winter championship in 1974, Bob seemed poised for a Little 500 win. He earned the pole position, but broke his arm at Sandusky the next day. He waited helplessly in the hospital as Larry Dickson drove his car to victory. He returned that season for ASA wins at IRP and Anderson. He competed with USAC from 1975-79 with several different owners, and returned to the Little 500 in 1980 after an absence of seven years. Success came immediately, as Bob won in Urbie Dumwald’s Ford powered sprinter. Glen closed the season with a Snowball 100 win driving for Glen Niebel at Wi******er. Between 1981 and 1987, Bob and Niebel captured four Copper World Classics and four more Little 500 wins. Driving for Niebel, Bob found success in the USAC Sprint Car, USAC Silver Crown and ICAR events. Bob retired at the age of 42 after the 1993 season to concentrate on his Arizona mortuary businesses. He is an inductee in the Little 500 Hall of Fame, the Lorain County Speedway Hall of Fame, and was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 2022.

Happy Birthday CK Spurlock! CK’s involvement in sprint cars started with National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee Don ...
10/24/2026

Happy Birthday CK Spurlock! CK’s involvement in sprint cars started with National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee Don Edmunds’ cars in the Ohio and West Virginia area while in his mid-20’s. He moved to the Nashville area, and became a high-profile manager and promoter in the country music world. He brought that to sprint car racing, when he hired Dub May to drive the Loretta Lynn Special. A manager for singer Kenny Rogers, CK formed the Kenny Rogers Racing team. CK brought professionalism to the early days of the World of Outlaws. An admirer of car builder Bob Trostle, CK campaigned Bob’s cars until his driver, Charlie Swartz destroyed a couple in Florida and there were none to race. After calling different chassis builders and finding that it was going to take weeks to acquire a car to campaign, eventually CK was convinced that building his own and having spares would be the key to staying on the road. Gambler Chassis was born. What started as an in-house effort, became worldwide. Competitors noticed not only the workmanship of the new cars, but the safety innovations as well. In addition, there were plenty of replacement parts that were ready on a moment’s notice and would fit any of their chassis. Quickly, Gambler chassis became the standard and highest winning car in the sport. There were no special cars made for any driver, and that meant the average racer could order the same chassis that the World of Outlaws champion was campaigning. CK stayed an important part of the operation, design, material selection, fabricating and marketing of Gambler, despite a busy schedule with Rogers. In the early days, Hall of Fame driver Danny Smith played an important part in Gambler’s success. Doug Wolfgang, Brady Doty, Sammy Swindell and Steve Kinser were just a few who enjoyed their success in a Gambler in the 1980’s and 1990’s. CK served as President of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum in its early years from 1989-1991 as well. He was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum in 2019, and displays his plaque prominently amongst his CMA Awards in his Gallatin, Tennessee home.

Happy Birthday Dave Blaney! As Lou Blaney's oldest son, racing would be inevitable for Dave and younger brother Dale. Da...
10/24/2026

Happy Birthday Dave Blaney! As Lou Blaney's oldest son, racing would be inevitable for Dave and younger brother Dale. Dave raced go-karts as a youngster, but got his first taste of real racing in sprint cars the summer after his graduation from high school in 1981, as his father transitioned from sprints to modifieds. In 1982, he spread his wings and hit the All Star tour, finishing a strong third behind fellow Hall of Famers Lee Osborne and Fred Linder, and winning Rookie of the Year honors. He ripped off seven All Star wins the following year. In 1984, he switched gears, running the USAC Dirt Champ (now Silver Crown) car with Jim DePalma. He rewarded DePalma with the title. The World of Outlaws meant more racing (and more money) for a driver who wanted to make a living behind the wheel. By 1988, he was fourth in points behind Steve Kinser, Sammy Swindell and Bobby Davis Jr. The following year saw the WoO/USA split. Dave finished fourth in USA points behind Steve, Sammy and Mark, picking up four wins in Verlin Chupp's . He also visited Victory Lane four times with the WoO that season. He moved into Casey Luna's #10 Ford in 1993, and earned 11 wins and a second place standing with the WoO. 1994 saw 10 wins and a second runner-up in a row to Steve. The following year, he reached the mountaintop, winning the WoO title and his second King's Royal at Eldora. He also started venturing into stock cars, finishing third with ARCA in Atlanta. He was WoO runner-up again in 1996 and 1997, which would be his last full-time effort to date with the series. It was also a year he owned his own team, and captured the "Granddaddy of them all" the Knoxville Nationals, the $100,000 Historical Big One at Eldora, and the Gold Cup Race of Champions in Chico, California. It was the fifteenth straight Nationals he had qualified for. Another feather in Dave's cap is the 1993 Chili Bowl Midget Nationals in Tulsa. He was adept on the Syracuse mile as well, winning the 1987 WoO Super Nationals there. He also finished second three times there in the season ending DIRT Modified 200-lap race (1989, '94, '95). Dave ran his first NASCAR Winston Cup event in 1992. In 1998, he moved to NASCAR full-time, graduating from the Busch Grand National racing to Winston Cup. Dave stepped aside from the stock cars in 2014, and son Ryan is carving a career there now. In 2018, he ran full-time with the All Stars finishing fifth in points. In his career, he has garnered 48 All Star wins, seventh all-time, and his 94 wins with the World of Outlaws rank eighth all-time. Dave was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 2014. He is also a member of the Fremont Speedway Hall of Fame. In 2024, he retired from driving, fittingly after winning the Lou Blaney Memorial.

Happy Birthday Dave Argabright! Dave was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 2014. Raised in rural Ind...
10/22/2026

Happy Birthday Dave Argabright! Dave was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 2014. Raised in rural Indiana, trips to the race track were a welcome reprieve from the hard work of the people of the heartland of America. Dave found his love for racing at Anderson Speedway at a young age. He held a number of jobs as a young adult: the gas station, a glass factory, a driver for UPS and finally insurance sales. He took a job with the Anderson Herald, writing sports stories on the side for $15. Like many sprint car fans, Dave was enamored with Open Wheel at its onset. After submitting stories to editor Dick Berggren (and getting them back covered in red ink), Dave honed his writing craft. His first story, a feature on Chuck Amati, appeared in Open Wheel in 1983. At the Anderson Herald, he was now writing a weekly column. In 1988, his first "Indiana Scene" column appeared in the National Speed Sport News, and his work was now truly on a national stage. His column would become "American Scene" as his scope widened. Before the internet, he launched "RaceLine" a 900 number devoted to race results. In 1990, he made his first television appearance, covering his beloved "Little 500" at Anderson. Dave continues to be a familiar face for race fans on television. He was also a voice on IMS radio at the Indy 500 from 2004 to 2010. 1998 was a pivotal year for Dave as he decided to quit the "day job" and devoted his life to motorsports. Freelance writing is a tough gig, so Dave approached Brad Doty about a book, and "Still Wide Open" was written. He became a full-time position as associate editor of Open Wheel, and then after that, has been active with Sprint Car & Midget since its onset. The late '90's and early 2000's also saw Dave's TV jobs increase. Other books have followed as well: Hewitt's Law (2003), EARL! (2004), "Let 'Em All Go" with Chris Economaki (2006), "Lone Wolf" (2007), "Fast Company" with Speedy Bill Smith (2009) and "Let's Go Racing!" with Rex Robbins brought fans closer to their heroes. Dave's fictional series on driver Jimmy Wilson has been published both in Sprint Car & Midget and in print. He has been deemed "Media Member of the Year" seven times by the National Sprint Car Poll and, in 2001, received the "Outstanding Contribution to the Sport Award." That same year, he was honored with the "Frank Blunk Award for Journalism" from the Eastern Motorsports Press Association (EMPA). Dave has also received the "Bloys Britt Writing Award" in 2008 from the American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association (AARWBA), the "Dymag Award of Journalism Excellence," the "Gene Powlen Fan Appreciation Award" from the Hoosier Auto Racing Fans (HARF) and the HARF "Media Member of the Year" award. In addition, Dave has been inducted into the Hoosier Auto Racing Fans (HARF) Hall of Fame, the Dayton Auto Racing Fans (DARF) Hall of Fame, the National Association of Auto Racing Fan Clubs (NAARFC) Hall of Fame and the Little 500 Hall of Fame. He has emceed the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame induction banquet for many years as well.

Congratulations to Rick VanHooser of Springfield, Missouri. Rick is the latest National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and Muse...
10/22/2026

Congratulations to Rick VanHooser of Springfield, Missouri. Rick is the latest National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and Museum Corvette winner. Rick came by yesterday to pick up his 1967 Chevrolet Corvette ZZ502 6-Speed Widebody Restomod plus $20,000 Cash. Rick said, “Getting the phone call from Bob Baker and coming in to pick up his new Vette is like a dream come true”

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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

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+18008744488

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