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The East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame is part of an annual weekend event held in Henderson, North Carolina during the middle of October. The first event was held in 2002 and honors east coast drag racers and hot rodders. Henderson is a quiet and small town located in north central North Carolina near the Virginia border. To the north are three large lakes straddling the state line between the commonwealth of Virginia and North Carolina, the Tar Heel state. The town is not far from Interstate 85 and borders on the Tar River which flows into the Pamlico Sound just west of Cape Hatteras. The wooded forests, farmlands, wineries, vineyards and scenic hills make Henderson an idyllic and beautiful spot to hold an annual car show and hall of fame. To the south on old Highway 1 is the small town of Wake Forest and the University of Wake Forest. Further south is Durham, Raleigh and Chapel Hill, where the universities of Duke, North Carolina and North Carolina State are located. The hill country of North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama and Georgia was the home of the old moonshiners who brewed that hard kicking drink that was famous all up and down the East Coast. Hot rodders drove the back roads in hopped up cars, avoiding the police and delivering their brew. Many of them became such great drivers that they raced on oval tracks for NASCAR and drag raced in the IHRA, NHRA and AHRA sanctioned meets. The South has always had a culture of car racing and a love of fine looking automobiles. So in 2002 the local car clubs, Vance County Chamber of Commerce and merchants in Henderson and around the county organized a festival to the car culture. A board was established to create the East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame, car show and other automobile related events. It quickly became an event that drew racing fans from outside the region as well.
We often only look at the names of the racers being honored at events like the one in Henderson, but that doesn’t tell us how or why the organization was formed. We wouldn’t have these halls of fame or car shows if it wasn’t for the dedicated support of sponsors and organizers. One of the most important is the Vance County Tourism Development Authority. That’s a mouthful, but we can say that the lady that runs this group is vital to the event. Her name is Nancy Wilson and she may have a lot of help from others, but Ernie Schorb is constantly telling me just how important Nancy is to keeping the show and hall of fame alive and thriving. Who is Ernie Schorb? Unfortunately he’s not a household name, but he should be. Ernie, along with Nancy, Jerry Ayscue, Fred Bear, Marco DeCesaris and Jim Hill make up the East Coast Drag Racing Hall of Fame Museum Board of Directors. Ernie is also a family friend, longtime employee of the NHRA and a man honored and respected by those that know him. He has been honored at the California Hot Rod Reunion and at other racing events around the country, especially in his beloved south. Ernie is also known for his loyalty and zeal. My father put his faith in Ernie Schorb to help run the NHRA in the Southeast and Ernie never betrayed that trust. He pesters my brother and me constantly to contribute articles and our family name to promote the history of drag racing in the South. Ernie lives, breathes and loves everything about drag racing and the people in the South who made it what it is today. Another supporter on the board who I know is Jim Hill and he is another owner in the speed equipment manufacturing business who is dedicated to preserving the history of car racing. Jim rightly points out that it wasn’t just the Southern California area that pioneered hot rodding and racing. Southern California was a leader in car racing; drags, land speed and oval racing. But other regions of the country also produced innovative and important men and women who made these sports what they are today. Another man in the region who must be mentioned is Don Garlits. He isn’t on the board, but his influence in drag racing is of the first rank and his support of drag racing is critical to the health of the sport. Don has a great museum in Ocala, Florida that keeps the history of the sport in the forefront of our attention. He has a Hall of Fame that is well respected. Don also supports the East Coast Drag Racing Hall of Fame. It is such support by these fine men and women that make this car show and hall of fame what it is.
But no matter how hard the volunteers work to make these events happen, it is the sponsors who provide the money that keeps the show going. To that end we must thank men like DeVoe Moore and the Tallahassee Automobile Museum, Ambassador’s Inn & Suites, Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Jameson Inn, Sleep Inn, Tonya Evans, Iron Gate Vineyards & Winery, Chatham Hill Winery, Kerr Lake Volunteer Fire Department, Vance County REACT, Vance County Sheriff’s Department, Henderson Police Department, City of Henderson, and the North Carolina Department of Transportation. The main host and sponsor is the Vance County Tourism Development Authority and the co-sponsor is Progress Energy Carolinas. These sponsors and the volunteers who give their time freely are the reason we have this car show and hall of fame. It takes people and money to create these events. There are a lot of deserving people who need to be recognized and honored. I encourage groups to form regionally and do exactly what Vance County is doing. It is important what they are doing. Of course it helps the local tourism of an area to sponsor such an event, but it also helps the hot rodding and racing groups in an area to be recognized and honored. We need the local merchants and they need us. Every year the board and volunteers put in a great amount of thought and research to find the people that should be honored and the group that puts forward the list of honorees is called the nominating committee and includes; Nancy Wilson, David Dilbeck, John Anzelmo and Jim Hill. Announcer, racing historian and journalist Bret Kepner is also involved.
The first year that the East Coast Drag Times conducted their Hall of Fame ceremonies was in 2002 and they inducted the following; Sam Auxier, Jerri Ball, Bob Bernardon, Linwood Craft, Harold Denton, Darwin Doll, Terry Earwood, Bud Faubel, John Fogg, John Garrett, Al Gore, Shirl Greer, Hoyt Grimes, Hemi Hunter Team, Gene Hinson, Bill Jeunette, Julio Marra, Ed Miller, Butch Mori, Gene Mori, Herb McCandless, Hubert Platt, Quartermasters, Jack Redd, Dee Simmons, Tom Sneden, Ronnie Sox, Jeff Tinsley, Pee Wee Wallace, Billy West, Marco DeCesaris, Rick Demarco, Don Fezell, Lee Malkemes and Dave Strickler. Doll was a longtime family friend and NHRA employee and we used to watch Platt, Sox, and Greer race. This was a great start in putting together their hall of fame. The local community and racers now understood that they had made an important start and they embraced this annual car show and honors program. The next year the committee inducted into the hall of fame these fine racers and car owners; Jerry Baltes, Philip Donner, Malcolm Durham, Bob Fermier, Gene Altizer, Fred Bear, Dave Hales, K. S. Pittman, Chuck Stolze, Horace “Pork” Zartman, Joe Jacono, Jack Merkel, Bruce Larson, Jack Olcott, Tom Raley, Ed Sarkisian, Tom “Smoker” Smith, Bill Stiles, Joel Thomas, Bobby Warren, Kenny Warren, Becky White, Charlie Hill, Julius Hughes Jr, U.S. Army/Schumacher Racing Team, Robert Brown (“Calvert Shaker”), Dickie Harrell. The Hall of Fame was going as far west as Missouri to find great eastern drag racing talent. K. S. Pittman and the other gassers kept us all glued to our seats as we watched the fascinating and unpredictable gassers power down the drag strip. In 2004 the following men and women were honored; “Jersey John” Anzelmo, Dick Brannan, Sam Carroll, Chick DeNinno, Steve Earwood, Dick Estevez, Dick Gore, Gary Gore, Carroll Hahn, Richard Hahn, Barbara Hamilton, Jim Hill, Billy Holt, “Coney Island Ralph” Landolfi, Jim Oddy, Bob Plumer, Horace Reinford, Paul Reinford, Bogan Renfroe, Sy Sidebotham, Don Snyder, Ralph Hamilton, Joe Pirrone, Johnny Walker, and George Weiler.
Along with the hall of fame there is also the Show, Shine, Shag & Dine car show with 45 categories of cars in which to enter a car, truck or bike and seven additional awards. Among the extra awards are; oldest, most unique, longest distance traveled to the show, best paint job for a custom, best standard paint color, best engine compartment and best upholstery. Only cars, trucks and bikes built before 1976 are allowed to enter. The Ambassador’s Inn & Suites hosts a Southern style barbecue cookout on Friday. Later on that day several inns and motels host receptions. Also on Friday there is a cruise-in held at the Raleigh Road Drive-In. Hot rodders and custom cars can also cruise the streets of Henderson without being hassled by the police. On Saturday the cars are judged, live bands play rock and roll music and you can cruise the town or return to the Drive-In to talk to your friends and view the cars. On Sunday the Hall of Fame presents the honorees to the public and following that there is a photo session and reception. The inductees for the 2005 event included; Jim Amos, Steve Bagwell, Harold Dutton, Ed Eaton, Tony Feil, Gene Fulton, John Livingston, Jack Musilli, Randy Payne, George Reese, Dave Reitz, Sherman Sligh, Frank Spittle, Nancy Wilson, Clayton Harris, Tony Russo, Bob Banning, Wally Parks, Everett “Cotton” Owens and Robert L. Blake. Ed Eaton was a longtime NHRA Division Director and Wally Parks was the founder of the NHRA (and my brother’s and my father). The next year (2006) they created an award in my father’s name; the Wally Parks Motorsports Statesperson of the Year Award and honored Linda Vaughn. The rest of the honorees for 2006 included; Frank Barnett, Jim Barnett, Warren Barnett, Wyman Barnett, Dave Bishop, Jerry Coley, Sonny DeCesaris, Gwyn Hartsoe, Billy “Cigar” Holt, Carol Hynson, Wayne Jeffers, Jim and Alison Lee, Michael “Mashie” Mihalko, Earl “Skeets” Phillips, Ernie Schorb, Dan Smoker, Wendell Snowden, Al Brown, Bill Tanner and John P. “Jake” King Jr. It was nice to see Ernie Schorb honored this year.
The car show and hall of fame were now firmly entrenched in the local community and drag racers and hot rodders were coming from all parts of the country to attend. Some of the eastern and southern racers had retired out west, and they too made the long trip and brought their race and show cars to the event. The 2007 Hall of Fame inductees included; Brian Beattie, Edward Bliss Sr, John Bliss, Lamar “Bunky” Bobo, Andy and Donna Boeye, James Bullock, Ed Hedrick, Larry Holland, Max Hurley, Reed Koeppe, Ed Kohler, Billy Lynch, Scotty McLendon, Mike Sforza, Bill Wilcom, Thomas “Woody” Andrews, Ken Poffenberger, Buddy Martin, Bret Kepner, Bob and Eileen Daniels, Steve Gibbs and David Pearson. To see Bob and Eileen Daniels honored was a special treat. The Daniels’ had been longtime Division Directors for the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) and good friends of the family. Steve Gibbs was the race director for NHRA National races and another very deserving recipient of the award, but he was from the west coast and I never knew that he ever lived in the east. Sometimes the committee just has to waive a rule when the circumstances call for it. The 2008 Hall of Fame included these deserving honorees; Wally Bell, Harry Coombs, Ken Ewing, Gary Ewing, Wayne Ewing, David Fry Jr, Joe Gerdelmann, Tommy Grove, Dave Koffel, Herman Lewis, George Snizek, Charlie “Dodge” Hagenmayer, Otto Qualliotine, Ken “KB” Braun, Mack Pressley, Johnny Rocca, Dan Weis Jr, Ronald Lyles, Dick Swecker, Herb McCandless, Ed Iskenderian, Robert “Bones” Balogh, Arnie Beswick and Bobby Starr. This was a well rounded selection with Balogh, Beswick and the “Camfather” Isky leading the way. Again, Ed is a friend of the family and yet he was born in Southern California and has always lived on the west coast. Perhaps the awards are not quite as regional as they seemed. The 2009 Hall of Fame inductees were; Al Ackerman, Sam Auxier Sr, Milton Bullard, Dick Burgess, Carol “Bunny” Burkett, Bill Carroll, Roger Taylor, Harvey J. Crane Jr, R. L. “Petie” Eavers, Chuck Finders, Roy Hill, Bob Lee, DeVoe Moore, Houston Platt, Ted Thomas, Jim Walther, Gene Fulton, Dave Christie, and Tommy Mauney. My brother, David Parks, flew back to Henderson to present the Wally Parks Motorsports Statesman Memorial Award to Mickey Thompson. Mickey, who had been murdered in 1988, was honored posthumously. Mickey’s son, Danny Thompson, received the award on behalf of his famous father.
This year’s (2010) Hall of Fame inductees are; Gene Altizer, John DiBartolomeo, Michael Evegens, Amy Faulk, Ron Hassel, Milt Hunt, James Keese Jr, Bo Laws, Tom C. Lemons, Sonny Leonard, Larry Reyes, Bernie Schacker, E. Stephen and Allison Malise, Bob Reed, Chuck DeNinno. The Wally Parks Motorsports Statesman Memorial Award was presented to Tom Hoover. The East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame is here to stay. It will only grow larger and more popular and the community of Henderson and the county of Vance, North Carolina will support this fine event. The website for the Hall of Fame can be found at http://www.eastcoastdragtimeshalloffame.com/inductees/.
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