OTHO, Iowa – The Iowa Hall of Fame and Racing Museum has announced its 2019 class of inductees.
Sixteen individuals are being honored this year, all of whom have deep roots in Iowa’s racing history and have contributed to the sport of racing in Iowa throughout their careers.
Entering the Hall of Fame from the Drivers/1946-1979 category are Dick Gustin, Joel Rasmussen, Norm Wiemers and Lee Kunzman.
Gustin, from Union, Iowa, competed in more than 200 races and won his first stock car race in 1955 at Pioneer Raceway in Des Moines, Iowa. Rasmussen, hailing from Ames, Iowa, was a winning racer for more than 25 years in Modified, Sportsman and Hobby divisions.
Wiemers, from Manson, Iowa, won 27 feature races in a row in 1963 and is an inductee in the National Sprint Care Hall of Fame. Kunzman was a former driver in the USAC and CART Championship car series and raced in the 1979 Indianapolis 500.
In the Drivers 1980 to Present class, the Hall of Fame will welcome Bill Davis Sr., Dave Farren, Bob Hill and Earl Wagner.
Davis, from Des Moines, Iowa, had more than 300 wins and won back to back IMCA Modified National Championships in 1989 and 1990. Farren, also from Des Moines, won more than 300 features and was a two-time IMCA National Champion
Hill, of Holly Ridge, N.C., dominated at Midwest tracks and raced in the Busch Late Model Series and the ARCA Menards Series Wagner, from Pleasantville, Iowa, won his first of 43 feature events at Knoxville Raceway in 1958 and continued his career in sprint cars and with USAC.
Motorcycle racing will be represented by Fort Dodge, Iowa’s Chad Pederson, who was a contender in thousands of professional motocross and supercross races.
Tony Boger, from Wall Lake Iowa, will joins the Hall of Fame after a lengthy Figure 8 career that saw him compete in more than 450 events and earn multiple track championships.
Representing the Drag Racing category of the Hall of Fame, Des Moines, Iowa’s Vern Moats spent 48 years in drag racing, earning 15 NHRA Division 5 championships.
The Owner/Mechanic/Builder/Manufacture/Sponsor category will be represented by two inductees – Johnny Johnson and Gil Sonner.
Johnson was an accomplished late model driver and was also known for his sponsorships and owning multiple race tracks. 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 features.
Finally, in the Promoter/Official/Media/Event/Series Sponsor category, Bill Haglund, Phil Roberts and Nona Warden will be enshrined.
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.
Roberts, from Walcott, Iowa, was a race announcer, news reporter and a publicist for NASCAR’s traveling late model all-star series. Warden, from Urbandale, Iowa, is a well known and respected race scorer in central Iowa for nearly 50 years.
This year’s Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held on Saturday, Nov. 2 at the Briggs Woods Conference Center in Webster City, Iowa. Social hour begins at 5 p.m., with dinner and induction ceremony to follow.
This 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.