NEAR Hall of Fame Celebrates the  26th Class of Inductees

New England Auto Racers (NEAR) President April May Preston-Elms is honored to announce the 2024 Hall of Fame Class. The 26th landmark class for the region’s most highly regarded motorsports shrine was inducted on Sunday, November 3rd at the Log Cabin in Holyoke, MA. With over thirty Hall of Famers and over 200 people in attendance, the event was a huge success.

A wide-ranging group of announcers, drivers, crew chiefs, car owners, fabricator, and promoters Skip Barber, Peter Daniels, Russ Dowd, Mike Greci, “Radical” Rick Martin, Paul Newman, Bobby Seymour and Dale Shaw joined the NEAR Hall of Fame, raising the total to over 280 members enshrined.

Paul Newman, driver/owner Connecticut, was presented by Karl Fredrickson publisher/owner of Speedway Illustrated. Newman had his first start at Thompson Speedway. He began his driving career in cars owned by Bob Sharp. With an interest in all forms of racing, he drove a Supermodified with guidance from Bentley Warren, a center-steer dirt modified guided by Will Cagle and he drove a dirt track Sprint Car.  Driving a car numbered 82, Paul Newman won the final race he drove, a sports car event at Lime Rock. His award was accepted by his youngest daughter Clea Newman, wearing one of her dad’s championship jackets.

Skip Barber, driver/promoter Connecticut, was presented by Dr. Dick Berggren former NASCAR pit road announcer and founder of the New England Racing Museum in Loudon, NH. Barber has had three successful racing careers. He was a champion race car driver, competing in and winning at many levels of road racing. Barber founded and operated one of America’s top racing schools, the Skip Barber Racing School in 1975 which continues to operate today. Barber transformed Lime Rock into one of the world’s premier racing destinations.

Russ Dowd, driver/announcer/promoter, Connecticut,  was presented by Mark Alden NEAR Hall of Fame Selection committee chair. Dowd’s claim to fame in the racing world comes from his voice. Don Hoenig is quoted “that Voice, it was fantastic, just a natural.” Dowd announced Go-Kart races at the Woodstock Fairgrounds as a teenager in the 1960s. He announced throughout New England and as far away as the Carolinas. He announced for 13 years at Stafford. He announced at Pocono, Riverside Park, Waterford, and Westboro. Dowd was the “Voice of Thompson Speedway” for 35 years. Dowd was unable to attend the ceremony, his award was accepted by Mark Alden.

Rick Martin, driver/fabricator Massachusetts, was presented by Brad Cowen NEAR Hall of Fame Selection committee member and friend. Martin holds the record as the winningest driver at Seekonk Speedway with his 110th coming on opening day in 2024. Martin has a racing career that spans over five decades. He has racked up wins at Thompson Speedway, White Mountain Motor Sports Park, Riverside and Groveton Speedways. He holds championship titles in both Pro Stocks and Sports Trucks at Seekonk, and Pro Stocks at Thompson Speedway. Not just a driver but a chassis builder as well at Martin Race Cars, he has built racecars and sport trucks for himself and other competitors.

Peter Daniels, driver New Hampshire, was presented by NEAR Board member and Selection committee member Scott Ingerson. Daniels became one of the most decorated drivers at Claremont Speedway. He won multiple titles in Pro Stocks and Modifieds. Daniels at the age of 44, became the 17th driver to win the NASCAR Whelen All American weekly racing series National Championship in its 42-year history of the series. He was the second consecutive New England Region driver to win the national title, following in the tire tracks of 2001 national titlist Ted Christopher, with only one other New England driver claiming the national championship honors since (Keith Rocco in 2010).

Dale Shaw, driver/crew chief/fabricator Maine, was presented by NEAR Selection committee member Justin St. Louis. Shaw has won at virtually every level in New England in all three of his chosen disciplines. Shaw started racing at age 17 scoring his first win at Oxford Plains Speedways. Shaw has operated Dale Shaw Race Cars in Conway, N.H., since the 1980s. It is safe to say that virtually every track and series in New England and eastern Canada has seen a Dale Shaw-built car in victory lane.  His latest accomplishments have come with his son, D.J. Shaw. Current top drivers in Shaw-built equipment include Joey Doiron, Jimmy Renfrew Jr., Bobby Therrien, Joe Pastore, Christopher Pelkey, Quinny Welch, Jimmy Hebert, Kaiden Fisher, Tommy Carey III, and many others.

Mike Greci, car owner/crew chief Connecticut, was presented by NEAR Hall of Famer class of 2002 Ray Miller. Greci has helped to shape the careers of many successful drivers in New England and beyond. He first rose to prominence as the car owner and crew chief for Miller in the mid-1970s. The “No-Style Racing” No. 01 (a tongue-in-cheek spinoff of Dick Armstrong’s dominant Nu-Style No. 1) and was a regular winner through the early ‘80s. Greci’s H&H Motorsports team boasts a long line of racing lineage with NASCAR Busch North drivers Mike McLaughlin, Kenny Schrader, Jeff Fuller, Andy Santerre, Mike Stefanik, Jerry Marquis, and crew chief Greg Zipadelli. Greci became General Manager at Spire Motorsports in 2022, where he leads operations for NASCAR Cup Series drivers Corey LaJoie, Zane Smith, Carson Hocevar, and Truck Series drivers Rajah Caruth and Chase Purdy.

Bobby Seymour, driver/fabricator/promoter Massachusetts, was presented by the “voice of New Hampshire Motor Speedway” Pete Falconi. Seymour started racing driving Quarter Midgets at the Marlboro Airport quarter midget track for his father, fellow NEAR Hall of Famer Boston Louie Seymour. As a driver Seymour is credited with twenty-six Midget wins, as an owner over a hundred wins with drivers Jeff Abold, Bobby Santos, III; Mark Buonomo, Randy Cabral, Lou Cicconi, Jr., Doug Coby, Ian Cumens, Shaun Gosselin, Chase Locke, Anthony Marvuglio, and David Moniz. Anthony Nocella, P.J. Stergios and Jake Trainor. Notable victories are with Ken Schrader who won USAC Midget races at Rosemont in 1986 and Nashville in 1988. He has owned Seymour Performance Products in Marlboro, MA, a racing parts supplier, since 1991. Under the Seymour Enterprises banner, he designs and builds his own chassis. He is also the promoter of the Boston Louie Memorial which has been held since 1997 for the NEMA Midgets and NEMA Lites.

The following special awards were presented: The Ron Bouchard Memorial Award “for life time achievement in auto racing in New England” was presented by Paula Flemke-Bouchard (widow of Ron Bouchard) and Ed Flemke Jr to Robert “Bergie” Bergeron. The Outstanding Woman in New England auto racing presented by NEAR President April May Preston-Elms. This year’s winners were Lois Matczak late wife of Skip Matczak and Maggie Summers the widow of George Summers. The Ratta/Mitchell Media award “for outstanding media coverage of New England racing “was presented by NEAR Board Member Sid DiMaggio to Ken Meisenhelder. Meisenhelder’s widow and son accepted the award. The Frank Marrata Award “for outstanding contributions to auto racing in New England was presented by NEAR VP Rich Goucher to Justin St. Louis. The Charlie Stebbins Award “for outstanding contributions to New England Auto Racing above and beyond his duties” was presented by Preston-Elms to Sid DiMaggio, and the Danny Pardi Award “for outstanding dedication and contributions to the success of the NEAR Hall of Fame” was presented by former NEAR President Al Fini to Carl Oberg.