Homestead-Miami Speedway to honor past NASCAR champs
For the first time, Homestead-Miami Speedway will honor past NASCAR Cup champions during Ford Championship week, starting what it hopes will be an annual tradition.
At least 10 of the living Cup champions will be recognized during a special prerace ceremony prior to the season-ending Ford 400 on Nov. 16. Those scheduled to be part of the festivities are Rex White, Ned Jarrett, Richard Petty, Bobby Allison, Darrell Waltrip, Rusty Wallace, Terry Labonte, Bobby Labonte, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart.
The speedway will include the past champions as part of its Cup contenders news conference and media luncheon Nov. 14.
"It's a natural for Homestead-Miami Speedway to host a past champions reunion and celebration because we are NASCAR's championship track," speedway president Curtis Gray said Friday. "Really, it's all about the championship and those who have won the championship."
White, 79, won the title in 1960 and is the oldest living Cup champion. Allison, a Miami native, captured the championship in 1983. Petty is a seven-time champion.
"I think it's really special,"
Allison said of the plans. "They haven't done that in the past that I can remember and the idea of having that kind of an event was a very pleasant surprise for me."
Gray said officials began discussing the idea about three years ago, but noted that starting the tradition this year fits well since NASCAR is commemorating its 60th anniversary.
"We want to bring that tradition back into the sport and into the championship,"
Gray said. "We're the only racetrack where it makes sense to honor champions. There will be drivers in the Hall of Fame that have never won the championship. Our recognition is about the champions because this is where we crown NASCAR's champions."
The Ford 400 could be especially historic this year because two-time reigning champion Jimmie Johnson is on pace to capture a third straight title. Cale Yarborough achieved a three-peat in 1978, the only NASCAR driver to do so. Yarborough will not be able to attend the Ford 400 because of a prior commitment.
The sport is making a concerted effort to honor it history, building the Hall of Fame, which is set to open in spring 2010 in Charlotte, N.C., and paying homage to past Daytona 500 winners at the 50th running of the race in February. Now Gray wants to grow championship weekend by incorporating an important part of the sport's past and present.
"We look at other sports and they bring in a lot of their Hall of Famers, and their past champions to Super Bowl week or the NBA finals,"
Gray said. "Every major league sport, they recognize their past athletes. It's something we feel fits very well with NASCAR. These are the heroes of our sport."
Each champion will be called on stage prerace and a video will highlight his accomplishments and championship run. The champions who are not competing will also receive access to the garage area and suites.
Waltrip, a three-time champion and Fox analyst, applauded Homestead's decision to commemorate Cup champions.
"It's fun to get around those guys, share stories and I think, people always talk about the history of our sport, the history of our sport is still alive,"
Waltrip said. "Having the former champions there, it's kind of like you're passing the torch from one generation to the next."
