Racing HOF will add four new members

The NorthWest Montana Stock Car Racing Association will induct four new members into its Hall of Fame at Montana Raceway Park during a special ceremony on Saturday night. The inductees are Dan Morris, Marilyn Vickhammer and Dave and Cindy McManus.

Those four will join 12 other members previously inducted. Gaylon "Lum" Owens was the HOF first inductee in 1996.

This will be the HOF's largest class. Six inductions have featured just one racer, while two have been inducted three times.

The HOF did not induct anyone from 2000-2003.

The NWMSCRA and stock car community will also have a special remembrance on Saturday for fellow racer Al Bjornrud, who passed away last spring.

Morris raced for 34 years and is perhaps the winningest driver in Flathead Valley history.

His storied career began in 1975 in the C-class with a 1957 Chevy. From that humble beginning, he went on to become the season points champ in Street Stocks, Limited Sportsman and Late Models.

He competed in five Montana 200 races, placing second once and third another time. He won a number of Limited Sportsman 125 races.

Morris turned more laps around Montana Raceway Park and Big Sky Speedway than anyone, partly because most years he ran two cars in different classes.

Vickhammer was named MRP Sportsman of the Year in 1988 for her contributions and dedication to stock car racing in the community.

She wrote a weekly results article for the Daily Inter Lake and the track programs in 1987. The following year, she was elected secretary of the NWMSCRA and held that position for a record seven years.

She also ran the pit board on raceday and served as a race judge and scorer in the tower. That was an extremely exhausting job as all race cars had to be physically counted as they crossed the finish line and quite often there were 20 or more cars in each race.

Vickhammer met World of Outlaws driver Jan Opperman and Indy 500 winner Bobby Unser in Thompson Falls in the 1970s. This sparked a fire in her about racing that has burned for almost 40 years.

Her husband Larry Lessor started racing in Bombers at Big Sky Speedway and she was a member of his pit crew.

Her son Alex races at MRP and her daughter Sarita pits for him.

The McManuses are the first couple to be inducted into the HOF.

Dave's racing career began in 1974 when he and Dave Elgin put together a claimer car and Cindy was right there beside him.

During the 1980s, there wasn't a more dominant driver in the valley. He won the season championship in the Limited Sportsman class for a record five straight years, competing against drivers who are already in the HOF.

He also raced in Pablo and Cranbrook, B.C.

Dave was president of the club and influential in setting class rules.

Cindy was the club secretary and chief scoring judge. She helped institute many of the scoring, judging and format rules still used today.

In 1982 Dave and Cindy were honored with the Sportsman of the Year trophy, and Cindy was honored again in 1984.

NWMSCRA

Hall of Fame

1996 - Gaylon "Lum" Owens

1997 - Harold Little

1998 - Bert Seymour

1999 - Clem Wisher

2000-2003 - No inductees

2004 - Wilbur Rohrbach

2005 - Gary Gudmundson and Bob Eacker

2006 - Vance McMillan and Bob Schweigert

2007 - Don Aadsen and Chuck Ferree

2008 - Bruce Corpron