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USAC Hall Of Fame 2017 Inductees Announced
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The initial eight 2017 inductees into the United States Auto Club (USAC) Hall of Fame have been announced. Performance Racing Industry’s very own founder, Steve Lewis, is among those inducted for his years as one of USAC’s most proficient car owners.
Four more inductees will be announced at a later date, who will be selected by a popular vote from a list of 16 eligibles distributed through social media mediums.
The sixth annual USAC Hall of Fame induction ceremonies will be held July 20 at Lucas Oil Raceway in Brownsburg, Indiana, in conjunction with the “Rich Vogler Classic” USAC Silver Crown race.
The eight-member class of inductees includes three drivers, three car owners and two officials: Donald Davidson, Frank DelRoy, Gene Hartley, Steve Lewis, Howard Linne, Robbie Stanley, Steve Stapp and Johnny Thomson.
Donald Davidson
Davidson, of Salisbury, England and residing in Speedway, Indiana, served as USAC’s statistician and historian from 1965-1997. During that time, he has preserved the bulk of USAC’s historical archives. His work in the sport has earned him a place in the Auto Racing Hall of Fame. During his USAC tenure, he recorded driver and car owner records for all of USAC’s participants, including statistical data and prize money earnings. His enormous ability to retain information has earned him legendary status in our sport and he is constantly sought out for historical correctness. His enormous knowledge of the “World’s Largest Single-Day Sporting Event” began with memorizing the statistics which were displayed in the Indianapolis 500 Floyd Clymer Yearbooks, which he found each year in a downtown London bookstore. Few in our sport have ever exhibited the skill for memory and the passion which Donald has exhibited and he continues to this day as the Official Historian of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and he is constantly in demand for appearances as a speaker, regaling his memories of those persons involved in the sport since its very beginning.
Frank DelRoy
DelRoy, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, served USAC as its Technical Director from 1970 until his untimely death in the chartered USAC plane crash in April of 1978 returning from a Championship race in Trenton, N.J. He grew up in Paterson, New Jersey, location of the famed “Gasoline Alley,” and began racing at age 19. In the 1930s, he served as a riding mechanic at the Indianapolis 500, his car earning the pole in 1937 with driver Bill Cummings. He was involved with 1941 Indy 500 winner Mauri Rose and also worked with legendary driver Ted Horn before Horn’s demise at DuQuoin, Illinois in 1948. In 1951, DelRoy was the chief mechanic for Mike Nazaruk who earned a second place finish in the “500.” His mechanical expertise was immense and he was highly regarded as one of the sport’s top mechanics for many years. He also worked tirelessly for safety in the sport leading to many innovations regarding safety regulations.
Gene Hartley
Hartley, of Roanoke, Indiana, will best be remembered as the driver who captured USAC’s inaugural race, held January 8, 1956, at the Allen County Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The son of Ted Hartley, who himself competed as a midget racer into his 70s, was inducted into the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1985 and earned 31 USAC midget victories, which still ranks among the top-10 on the all-time list and he was among the “top-three” in USAC National Midget points five straight years (1957-1961). In 1959, he was crowned the champion of the USAC National Midget Series. In addition to his midget racing, he also competed in AAA and USAC Championship Cars. Among his ten starts in the Indianapolis 500 was a tenth place ranking in 1957 and three eleventh place rankings. At the famed Langhorne (PA) Speedway in 1956, he finished second behind George Amick. After retiring as a driver, he joined forces with racer Leroy Warriner as co-promoter at the Indianapolis Speedrome. In 2016, the Indiana Racing Memorial Association erected a commemorative plaque in Roanoke to Hartley’s honor. Gene passed in 1993.
Steve Lewis
Lewis, of Laguna Beach, California, was one of USAC’s most proficient car owners. Nearly every major name driver competed for him during his tenure with USAC, racing up a record 133 national victories, more than anyone in history. His victories included basically every major race in America. Between 1993 and 2004, he was nearly unbeatable, winning 10 USAC National Car Owner titles with drivers Stevie Reeves, Tony Stewart, Kenny Irwin Jr., Jason Leffler, Kasey Kahne, Dave Darland, J.J. Yeley and Bobby East. The founder of the sport’s highly acclaimed Performance Racing Industry Trade Show and Performance Racing Industry magazine, Steve set new standards for excellence in the sport which may never be matched. As a race promoter, he organized lucrative race events in Indianapolis, Indiana and Orlando, Florida, which offered a $50,000 bonus for any driver who could claim double victories in either. In 2006, he was inducted into the Belleville High Banks Hall of Fame in Kansas and in 2004, he was inducted into the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame. He also earned USAC’s coveted Roger McCluskey Award of Excellence in 2009.
Howard Linne
Linne, of Mendota, Illinois, amassed 69 USAC National Midget feature wins during his long career which involved a multi-car stable which attracted many of the top drivers of his day. In 1961, he won the USAC National Midget Car Owner title with driver Jimmy Davies. In 1996, he was inducted into the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame and drivers of his cars included the likes of the great Tony Bettenhausen, Bob Tattersall, Parnelli Jones, Mike McGreevy, Lee Kunzman and Henry Pens. He operated a race car parts shop in Mendota and also owned a farm implement dealership. In 2005, he was inducted into the Mazon Speed Bowl and Grundy County Speedway Halls of Fame. He passed away in 2008.
Robbie Stanley
Stanley, of Brownsburg, Indiana, ushered in a new era of USAC Sprint Car racing in the 1990s. In just three full-time seasons (1991-1993), Stanley became one of just three drivers to have won three consecutive USAC National Sprint Car titles. His initial series victory in the 1991 season opener at Winchester (IN) Speedway was considered a major upset at the time, but soon, many would discover that the driver who cut his sprint car racing teeth on the dirt and with a wing affixed up top, had a transcendent talent that would make him one of the sport’s greatest young stars. The 1989 the All Star Circuit of Champions series champion was one of two drivers between 1991 and early 1994 to win a USAC National Sprint Car feature on both dirt and pavement. In fact, of his nine career series wins, six came on the high banked paved oval in Winchester where his brief but a bright shining light was dimmed during a feature event on May 26, 1994, when he lost his life in a fiery crash. For several years, a USAC event at Lawrenceburg (IN) Speedway bore his name and the phrase “No Regrets” became a rallying cry among the racing community. Stanley is a 2005 inductee of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame.
Steve Stapp
Stapp, of Brownsburg, Indiana, held the top spot among USAC winning sprint car owners for many years when his 51 victories were eventually eclipsed by Dynamics, Inc. and Tony Stewart Racing. He continues to rank third all-time in USAC National Sprint feature wins and among his most memorable wins were those posted by Pancho Carter. USAC National Sprint Car Owner Championships came in 1974 and 1976. A 1999 inductee into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame, he is the son of famed racer Babe Stapp. He even tried a stint as a driver with much success. A total of 40 wins came with Carter as his driver between 1973 and 1980, including “Tony Hulman Classic” wins at Terre Haute, Indiana in 1975 and 1979. He also claimed the prestigious “Joe James/Pat O’Connor” Memorial at Salem, Indiana for four straight years, 1974-77. An outstanding car builder, Steve’s final USAC victory came at Lawrenceburg (IN) Speedway in 1996 with driver Mark Cassella.
Johnny Thomson
Thomson, of Boyertown, Pennsylvania, was one of the sport’s most beloved competitors. In 1948, he won the UCOA New England Midget title after winning 32 races. He would repeat as UCOA champion in 1950. In 1952, he claimed the AAA Eastern Midget crown. Known as the “Flying Scot,” he was the first driver to complete a 100-mile dirt-track race in less than an hour in winning at Langhorne (PA) Speedway in 1957. He was proficient in the AAA and USAC Championship Cars, finishing third in the final standings three times, and started the Indianapolis 500 each year from 1953-1960, recording a third in 1959 after starting from the pole. Among his Championship race victories were four during the 1958 season. In 1958, he won the USAC Eastern Sprint Car title, a title he had earlier won under AAA sanction in 1954. Inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1996 and the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1997, he perished in a Sprint race at the Allentown Fairgrounds (PA) in 1960. As an aside, he was a competitor on the highly-acclaimed TV show, Bud Collyer’s Beat the Clock.
Four more inductees will be announced at a later date, who will be selected by a popular vote from a list of 16 eligibles distributed through social media mediums.
The sixth annual USAC Hall of Fame induction ceremonies will be held July 20 at Lucas Oil Raceway in Brownsburg, Indiana, in conjunction with the “Rich Vogler Classic” USAC Silver Crown race.
The eight-member class of inductees includes three drivers, three car owners and two officials: Donald Davidson, Frank DelRoy, Gene Hartley, Steve Lewis, Howard Linne, Robbie Stanley, Steve Stapp and Johnny Thomson.
Donald Davidson
Davidson, of Salisbury, England and residing in Speedway, Indiana, served as USAC’s statistician and historian from 1965-1997. During that time, he has preserved the bulk of USAC’s historical archives. His work in the sport has earned him a place in the Auto Racing Hall of Fame. During his USAC tenure, he recorded driver and car owner records for all of USAC’s participants, including statistical data and prize money earnings. His enormous ability to retain information has earned him legendary status in our sport and he is constantly sought out for historical correctness. His enormous knowledge of the “World’s Largest Single-Day Sporting Event” began with memorizing the statistics which were displayed in the Indianapolis 500 Floyd Clymer Yearbooks, which he found each year in a downtown London bookstore. Few in our sport have ever exhibited the skill for memory and the passion which Donald has exhibited and he continues to this day as the Official Historian of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and he is constantly in demand for appearances as a speaker, regaling his memories of those persons involved in the sport since its very beginning.
Frank DelRoy
DelRoy, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, served USAC as its Technical Director from 1970 until his untimely death in the chartered USAC plane crash in April of 1978 returning from a Championship race in Trenton, N.J. He grew up in Paterson, New Jersey, location of the famed “Gasoline Alley,” and began racing at age 19. In the 1930s, he served as a riding mechanic at the Indianapolis 500, his car earning the pole in 1937 with driver Bill Cummings. He was involved with 1941 Indy 500 winner Mauri Rose and also worked with legendary driver Ted Horn before Horn’s demise at DuQuoin, Illinois in 1948. In 1951, DelRoy was the chief mechanic for Mike Nazaruk who earned a second place finish in the “500.” His mechanical expertise was immense and he was highly regarded as one of the sport’s top mechanics for many years. He also worked tirelessly for safety in the sport leading to many innovations regarding safety regulations.
Gene Hartley
Hartley, of Roanoke, Indiana, will best be remembered as the driver who captured USAC’s inaugural race, held January 8, 1956, at the Allen County Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The son of Ted Hartley, who himself competed as a midget racer into his 70s, was inducted into the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1985 and earned 31 USAC midget victories, which still ranks among the top-10 on the all-time list and he was among the “top-three” in USAC National Midget points five straight years (1957-1961). In 1959, he was crowned the champion of the USAC National Midget Series. In addition to his midget racing, he also competed in AAA and USAC Championship Cars. Among his ten starts in the Indianapolis 500 was a tenth place ranking in 1957 and three eleventh place rankings. At the famed Langhorne (PA) Speedway in 1956, he finished second behind George Amick. After retiring as a driver, he joined forces with racer Leroy Warriner as co-promoter at the Indianapolis Speedrome. In 2016, the Indiana Racing Memorial Association erected a commemorative plaque in Roanoke to Hartley’s honor. Gene passed in 1993.
Steve Lewis
Lewis, of Laguna Beach, California, was one of USAC’s most proficient car owners. Nearly every major name driver competed for him during his tenure with USAC, racing up a record 133 national victories, more than anyone in history. His victories included basically every major race in America. Between 1993 and 2004, he was nearly unbeatable, winning 10 USAC National Car Owner titles with drivers Stevie Reeves, Tony Stewart, Kenny Irwin Jr., Jason Leffler, Kasey Kahne, Dave Darland, J.J. Yeley and Bobby East. The founder of the sport’s highly acclaimed Performance Racing Industry Trade Show and Performance Racing Industry magazine, Steve set new standards for excellence in the sport which may never be matched. As a race promoter, he organized lucrative race events in Indianapolis, Indiana and Orlando, Florida, which offered a $50,000 bonus for any driver who could claim double victories in either. In 2006, he was inducted into the Belleville High Banks Hall of Fame in Kansas and in 2004, he was inducted into the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame. He also earned USAC’s coveted Roger McCluskey Award of Excellence in 2009.
Howard Linne
Linne, of Mendota, Illinois, amassed 69 USAC National Midget feature wins during his long career which involved a multi-car stable which attracted many of the top drivers of his day. In 1961, he won the USAC National Midget Car Owner title with driver Jimmy Davies. In 1996, he was inducted into the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame and drivers of his cars included the likes of the great Tony Bettenhausen, Bob Tattersall, Parnelli Jones, Mike McGreevy, Lee Kunzman and Henry Pens. He operated a race car parts shop in Mendota and also owned a farm implement dealership. In 2005, he was inducted into the Mazon Speed Bowl and Grundy County Speedway Halls of Fame. He passed away in 2008.
Robbie Stanley
Stanley, of Brownsburg, Indiana, ushered in a new era of USAC Sprint Car racing in the 1990s. In just three full-time seasons (1991-1993), Stanley became one of just three drivers to have won three consecutive USAC National Sprint Car titles. His initial series victory in the 1991 season opener at Winchester (IN) Speedway was considered a major upset at the time, but soon, many would discover that the driver who cut his sprint car racing teeth on the dirt and with a wing affixed up top, had a transcendent talent that would make him one of the sport’s greatest young stars. The 1989 the All Star Circuit of Champions series champion was one of two drivers between 1991 and early 1994 to win a USAC National Sprint Car feature on both dirt and pavement. In fact, of his nine career series wins, six came on the high banked paved oval in Winchester where his brief but a bright shining light was dimmed during a feature event on May 26, 1994, when he lost his life in a fiery crash. For several years, a USAC event at Lawrenceburg (IN) Speedway bore his name and the phrase “No Regrets” became a rallying cry among the racing community. Stanley is a 2005 inductee of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame.
Steve Stapp
Stapp, of Brownsburg, Indiana, held the top spot among USAC winning sprint car owners for many years when his 51 victories were eventually eclipsed by Dynamics, Inc. and Tony Stewart Racing. He continues to rank third all-time in USAC National Sprint feature wins and among his most memorable wins were those posted by Pancho Carter. USAC National Sprint Car Owner Championships came in 1974 and 1976. A 1999 inductee into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame, he is the son of famed racer Babe Stapp. He even tried a stint as a driver with much success. A total of 40 wins came with Carter as his driver between 1973 and 1980, including “Tony Hulman Classic” wins at Terre Haute, Indiana in 1975 and 1979. He also claimed the prestigious “Joe James/Pat O’Connor” Memorial at Salem, Indiana for four straight years, 1974-77. An outstanding car builder, Steve’s final USAC victory came at Lawrenceburg (IN) Speedway in 1996 with driver Mark Cassella.
Johnny Thomson
Thomson, of Boyertown, Pennsylvania, was one of the sport’s most beloved competitors. In 1948, he won the UCOA New England Midget title after winning 32 races. He would repeat as UCOA champion in 1950. In 1952, he claimed the AAA Eastern Midget crown. Known as the “Flying Scot,” he was the first driver to complete a 100-mile dirt-track race in less than an hour in winning at Langhorne (PA) Speedway in 1957. He was proficient in the AAA and USAC Championship Cars, finishing third in the final standings three times, and started the Indianapolis 500 each year from 1953-1960, recording a third in 1959 after starting from the pole. Among his Championship race victories were four during the 1958 season. In 1958, he won the USAC Eastern Sprint Car title, a title he had earlier won under AAA sanction in 1954. Inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1996 and the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1997, he perished in a Sprint race at the Allentown Fairgrounds (PA) in 1960. As an aside, he was a competitor on the highly-acclaimed TV show, Bud Collyer’s Beat the Clock.
