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NASCAR HALL-OF-FAME INDUCTION CEREMONYJanuary 23, 2016Patsy IsaacRandy IsaacRyan NewmanCharlotte, North Carolina RYAN NEWMAN: Winning a pole in NASCAR's premier series means you've taken your race car right to the edge of mayhem. One false move equals disaster. Perfection equals glory, and our next inductee did it better than anyone. His 19 poles in 1969 still stands as NASCAR's single‑season record. I know I've tried to beat it. Also a skilled racer, he won 37 races and took home the premier series championship in 1970. He sat on the pole many times, and now he stands at NASCAR's pinnacle. (Video shown.) Accepting on behalf of 2016 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Bobby Isaac, please welcome Patsy Isaac. RANDY ISAAC: It is now my honor on today, the 23rd day of January, 2016, to present the NASCAR Hall of Fame ring and officially induct my father, the late great Bobby Isaac, into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. PATSY ISAAC: On behalf of Bobby's children and grandchildren, I want to thank you so much for selecting him for this honor. Bobby's life is a true American rags to riches story. He was born into a poor family in Catawba County in 1932. He was the second youngest of nine children, and was on his own by the age of 12. One fateful night, Bobby attended a race at Hickory Speedway. Not having enough money to purchase a ticket, he watched the race from a tree outside the track. He was inspired to believe that racing was his opportunity for a better life. Bobby soon realized that God had blessed him with the ambition and talent to be a race car driver. He loved to win, but he hated to lose, and he used this passion to drive his success. Those early years were difficult, but after bouncing around various car owners, he found success in the sportsman and modified division of NASCAR. It took him seven years to realize his dream of competing at the highest level in NASCAR. The racing world began to notice Bobby after he drove a Smokey Yunick car in 1963. Smokey's endorsement was, "The man can drive a race car." In the fall of 1963, Bobby's friend and race car mechanic, Bud Allman, convinced him to temporarily move to Highland, Indiana, to work at Ray Nichels' factory building race cars. This gave him the opportunity to race at Daytona Speedway, where Bobby and Bud impressed Mr.Nichels by winning a qualifying race. The racing world began to recognize his potential. Bobby's most successful years were in the No.71 K & K Insurance Dodge. Nord Krauskopf, Harry Hyde, and Bobby were an awesome team. Mr.Krauskopf's ultimate goal was to win the Winston Cup championship within three years. It only took them two years to win the 1970 championship. As a special bonus, they traveled to Talladega Speedway to set a world closed speed record of 201.104 miles per hour. This record was unbroken for 13 years. In September, 1971, the team conquered the Bonneville Salt Flats by setting 28 world speed records, many of them still intact. Mr.Krauskopf liked to set records. Two events at Talladega Speedway had a tremendous impact on Bobby's life. On September 14, 1969, he chose to compete in the opening event while most of the well‑known drivers boycotted for safety concerns. Mr.France recognized Bobby's contribution to the success of that race and his speedway and rewarded him with a Rolex watch engraved with these words: "Winners never quit; quitters never win." It became his most prized possession. The second event was on August 12, 1973, when midway through the race, a voice told him to park this thing. He pitted the Bud Moore car and announced his retirement. As happens with so many athletes, retirement did not last long. However, he never found the success he had enjoyed earlier in his career. Bobby began his racing career at Hickory Speedway in 1949 at the age of 17. He ended his career at Hickory Speedway on August 13, 1977. He died at the age of 45 doing what he loved to do, but he died far too soon. Bobby would have been so proud of this honor. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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