The Iowa Hall of Fame and Racing Museum recently announced the 2019 Hall of Fame Inductees. The sixteen individuals being honored this year have deep roots in Iowa’s racing history and have contributed to the sport of racing in Iowa throughout their careers. Earl Wagner of Pleasantville, is one of the drivers that will be inducted into the hall of fame during the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Saturday, November 2nd at the Briggs Woods Conference Center in Webster City, Iowa. Wagner won his first of 43 feature events at Knoxville Raceway in 1958 and continued his career in sprint cars and the USAC series. The Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will begin with a social hour at 5 pm with dinner and the ceremony to follow. The event is open to the public. Tickets are on sale now by contacting Marty Pringle at 515-570-5646 or Teresa Huffman at 515-832-2620 or through our website at www.iowaracingmuseum.com.
The 2019 Class of Inductees are:
Drivers/1946-1979
Dick Gustin, from Union, Iowa, with over 200 races, won his very first stock car race in 1955 at Pioneer Raceway in Des Moines, Iowa.
Joel Rasmussen, Ames, Iowa, was a winning racer for over 25 years in Modified, Sportsman and Hobby Divisions.
Norm Wiemers, from Manson, Iowa, won 27 feature wins in a row in 1963and is an inductee in the National Sprint Care Hall of Fame.
Lee Kunzman was a former driver in the USAC and CART Championship car series and raced in the 1979 Indy 500.
Drivers 1980 to Present
Bill Davis Sr., Des Moines, Iowa, had over 300 wins and won back to back IMCA Modified National Championships in 1989 and 1990.
Dave Farren, Des Moines, Iowa, won over 300 feature races and was a two-time IMCA National Champion
Bob Hill, of Holly Ridge, NC, dominated at Midwest tracks and raced in the Busch Late Model Series and the ARCA series
Motorcycle
Chad Pederson, from Fort Dodge, Iowa, was a contender in thousands of professional motocross and super cross races.
Figure 8
Tony Boger, from Wall Lake, Iowa, competed in over 450 Figure 8 races with multiple track championships.
Drag Racing
Vern Moats, Des Moines, Iowa, had an incredible 48 year drag racing career with 15 NHRA Division 5 Championships.
Owner/Mechanic/Builder/Manufacture/Sponsor
Johnny Johnson was an accomplished late model driver and was also known for his sponsorships and being a multiple track owner.
Gil Sonner, of Des Moines, Iowa had a 60-year career as an owner and mechanic with his cars and drivers winning more than 150 sprint car and modified feature events.
Promoter/Official/Media/Event/Series Sponsor
Bill Haglund, from Waukee, Iowa, was the editor of Hawkeye Racing News from 1979-1990 and is the author of “Racing Through Time – A History of Automobile Racing in Iowa”.
Phil Roberts, from Walcott, Iowa, was a race announcer, news reporter and a publicist for Nascar’s traveling late model all-star series.
Nona Warden, from Urbandale, Iowa, is a well known and respected race scorer in central Iowa for almost 50 years.