06/18/2026
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🏁 HICKORY MOTOR SPEEDWAY TO LAUNCH ITS OWN HALL OF FAME
Wednesday, June 17, 2026
CATAWBA COUNTY — Hickory Motor Speedway is creating a Hall of Fame to honor the drivers who built its legend, the historic track announced Wednesday in a video posted to its social media.
In the announcement, James Benfield of Hickory Motor Speedway said the track will recognize competitors stretching back to its earliest days. “We are announcing today that we’re going to have a Hall of Fame,” Benfield said, adding that the speedway intends to honor “drivers from the very start, from the 50s all the way to now.”
The first class will be inducted during the track’s annual Jack Ingram Memorial, one of Hickory’s signature Late Model Stock events, named for the late NASCAR Hall of Famer who won two track championships and the first and last of his eight Hickory wins in what is now the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series. Benfield said the speedway will reveal its nominees in the coming weeks. “Stay tuned, pay attention, and you’ll see,” he said.
A TRACK BUILT ON CHAMPIONS
Opened in 1952, the 0.363-mile asphalt oval bills itself as “The World’s Most Famous Short Track” and “The Birthplace of NASCAR Stars” — and the record backs it up. The facility hosted 35 NASCAR Cup Series races from 1953 through 1971 and 42 races in what is now the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series from 1982 through 1998, according to NASCAR. Cup champions, Hall of Famers and hometown heroes alike cut their teeth on its banking before moving on to the sport’s biggest stages.
10 NAMES TO GET THE DEBATE STARTED
The speedway has not released its official nominees. To get the conversation going, here are 10 names CCNW believes belong in the discussion — drivers judged on what they did at Hickory, not just elsewhere:
1. Ned Jarrett — Catawba County’s own, and a name woven into the track’s history. “Gentleman Ned” was an early Hickory track champion and a two-time champion in NASCAR’s top division, but he gave the speedway far more than wins: he ran the track as its promoter from 1968 to 1977, earning national Promoter of the Year honors twice, before a celebrated broadcasting career. He died June 4, 2026, at age 93.
2. Jack Ingram — The “Iron Man.” Two Hickory track titles (1968 and 1971) and eight wins at the track in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. The induction race already bears his name.
3. Ralph Earnhardt — Five Hickory track championships and the 1956 national Sportsman title. The patriarch who also gave a young Bobby Isaac his start.
4. Bobby Isaac — A Catawba County native and the 1970 Grand National (Cup) champion whose career began — and tragically ended — at Hickory; he is buried in a plot overlooking the track.
5. Junior Johnson — The 1952 Hickory track champion and the winningest driver in the track’s Cup history, with seven victories.
6. Harry Gant — Taylorsville’s “Handsome Harry,” a Hickory track champion and a member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026.
7. Tommy Houston — A former Hickory track champion who tied Ingram for the most O’Reilly Auto Parts Series wins at the track, with eight.
8. Morgan Shepherd — The Conover veteran who sharpened his craft on Hickory’s bullring before a long national career.
9. Dale Jarrett— Ned’s son and a Newton-area product who won at Hickory on his way to the 1999 Cup championship.
10. Gwyn Staley — Winner of Hickory’s very first race in 1952 and its first track champion. The pioneer who started it all.
ALSO IN THE CONVERSATION
Plenty of names just missed the cut and are worth arguing over: seven-time Cup champion Dale Earnhardt, who ran Sportsman races at Hickory early in his career; second-tier-series champion Sam Ard; modern Late Model standout Josh Berry ; championship crew chief Andy Petree; broadcaster Dr. Jerry Punch; and longtime Hickory short-track regulars like the Houston and Canipe families.
Who belongs in the first class? Drop your picks in the comments and share this post to keep fellow race fans across the Catawba Valley in the loop. Follow CCNW for the latest as Hickory Motor Speedway rolls out its official nominees.
Dale Jr.'s Dirty Mo Media Dale Earnhardt Jr.
