|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
NASCAR HALL-OF-FAME INDUCTION CEREMONYJanuary 20, 2012Lynn EvansBilly NacewiczCHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA MIKE JOY: No one in the history of this sport epitomized the dual virtues of work hard, play hard like Richie Evans. Spectacular driver, skilled chassis designer and builder, partier, prankster. We're at Martinsville for one of those big double‑headers, and on the thin taillight panel of Richie's Pinto is a mail slot, a brass one with a flap that opens for the postman to put the letters in like the one on your front door, and it's hooked to a piece of hot air heating duct. When it was a little quiet, I said, Rickie, I don't know much about aerodynamics, but I know that isn't going to create a whole lot of downforce; why is it there? He looks around and nobody is near us, and he leans in and he says, "Because when they all walk by looking at that, they're not looking somewhere else." And to this day, 25, 26 years after his passing, everybody in modified racing will tell you that there is not one of those drivers that raced by the grace of God in 600 horsepower near as good as the Rapid Roman, Richie Evans. BILLY NACEWICZ: I hope everyone is having a good time tonight. I would like to take a moment and congratulate this year's inductees. Together these five men have won 24 NASCAR championships and close to 1,000 races. What an incredible feat by an outstanding class. Richie's induction into the Hall of Fame represents the first driver inductee from outside of NASCAR's top series. As you've heard, Rickie was a nine‑time champion, including eight in a row, in NASCAR's oldest division, the modifieds. Growing up on his parents' farm in upstate New York, Rickie left the farm to work and eventually owned his own service stations. It was there that he began his racing career. Building hotrods to drag race at local tracks, Rickie lined his service station walls with trophies. I remember his last drag car, a 427 '54 Ford that was nearly unbeatable. A friend suggested that he try stock car racing at the newly build Utica Rome Speedway where he could race for money instead of just trophies. Taking his advice, he and his friends cut up that old drag car and made a stock car. Now, having watched him race the first couple years at Utica Rome, I remember mentioning to his friends, it's too bad he cut that drag car up because he's never going to take it in stock car racing. Well, we can see where that came out. With hard work and perseverance Rickie began winning races. In 1973, he was noticed by a man who would become his long‑time sponsor and friend, Gene DeWitt. Gene would later say that in Rickie he saw a diamond in the rough. With Gene's help, Rickie was able to showcase his talents, his diversity, by winning on NASCAR's biggest tracks like Daytona and Pocono to its smallest ones like Islip, Long Island, and North Carolina's own Bowman Gray Stadium. Rickie loved the modifieds. With the respect of his competitors and promoters, he became the face of the division. Rickie was a person that if you ever met him, he would have left a lasting impression. As Richie's crew chief for 11 years, he left me with two lifelong lessons, one, a hard work ethic, and two, to enjoy whatever you're doing, because he would later say, we're all just passing through. It is now my honor on this 20th day of January, 2012, to present the Hall of Fame inductee ring and officially induct NASCAR's greatest modified driver into the Hall of Fame. Accepting his induction, please welcome Richie's wife, Lynn Evans. LYNN EVANS: Good evening. Rich, I've had to do a lot of things for you over the years, but this time I wish you could be here to accept this honor. I know you're here in spirit as the No.61 appears often in my life, even as I checked into the hotel, the number 61 came up. I'd like to congratulate Dale Inman, Cale Yarborough, Glen Wood and Darrell Waltrip at being inducted in NASCAR's Hall of Fame class 2012 with Rich. Rich would be so honored and humbled to be included with the inductees, past, present and future. What a great honor. I'd also like to thank the nominating committee for including Rich. With so many deserving people the task must have been difficult. I'd especially like to thank the Hall of Fame voting panel for stepping outside the box and making Rich the first driver inductee not to have raced in NASCAR's top series full‑time. You have now given hope to thousands of NASCAR competitors throughout the country to maybe someday reach their dream. I'd like to thank NASCAR for providing a stage for competitors to showcase their talents and for the media for bringing that stage to millions of fans. Every champion driver has a championship team. Rich started with the late Gene DeWitt, his longtime sponsor and friend, who along with the family, Byron, Linda and Jamie, helped fulfill his dream. I'd like to thank them along with crew chief Billy Nacewicz and all of Richie's crews over the years, many whom are here tonight. Last but not least, I'd like to say thanks to all of his fans who have kept his memory alive. Racing four or five times a week enabled Rich to build a huge fan following. Rich liked nothing better than to share a story with his friends after a race. One of the things he was most proud of was being voted most popular driver nine times while still enjoying success on the track. Thank you again for honoring Rich. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|