By Bob Baker
KNOXVILLE, IOWA (January 18, 2014) – Retiring National Sprint Car Hall of Fame sprint car driver Fred Rahmer of central Pennsylvania has been named the recipient of the 2013 “Outstanding Contribution to the Sport Award” by all three voting panels of the North American Sprint Car Poll. According to National Sprint Car Museum executive director Bob Baker, “The poll’s Outstanding Contribution Award is the museum foundation’s highest honor for current achievers in the sport, as it is voted on by industry insiders from the 360-, 410-cubic-inch, and non-winged sprint car divisions. Clearly the voters in all three categories have a real respect for what Fred has accomplished on the track during his lifetime. But, beyond that, they honor the man for doing it with total class throughout his long and storied career. He is another great ambassador for the sport of sprint car racing.”
Past recipients of the North American Sprint Car Poll’s “Outstanding Contribution to the Sport Award” are as follows: Johnny Gibson, the late Jerry Reigle, Steve Sinclair, Kasey Kahne, Tom Schmeh, Dick Jordan, the late Fred Brownfield, Doug Auld, the late Hank Gentzler, Tony Stewart, Emmett Hahn, Allan Holland, Dave Argabright, Ron Shuman, the late Kevin Gobrecht, Jack Hewitt, the late Jack Miller, Brad Doty, Art & Carol Malies, Dave Bowman, Ralph Capitani, the late Ted Johnson, Mark Kuchan, Steve Kinser, the late Don Martin, Steve Beitler, Lee Brewer, Mark Kinser, Frank Lewis, Earl Baltes, Casey & Beverly Luna, Elayne Hoff, Jean Lynch, the late J.W. Hunt, and Bert Emick.
The North American Sprint Car Poll is an annual awards program of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum. All awards will be distributed in the spring of 2014 at tracks throughout North America. This award was announced on the fourth day of the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Midget Nationals in Tulsa, Oklahoma.