Founders and racers, ten pioneers in 1946, voters in Daytona Beach and a hall in Alabama that has inducted nobody since 2014.
The Automotive Hall of Fame honours industry figures, among them the founders of Ford, Ferrari, Toyota and Porsche. The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America honours US racers and contributors chosen by 200 experts. The International Motorsports Hall of Fame has inducted 145 people but none since 2014, and the FIA Hall of Fame honours world champions.
Barney Oldfield turns up in the opening rolls of three different halls of fame. He was one of ten pioneers named by the Automotive Hall of Fame in 1946, a member of the first class of the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, in 1989, and one of the founding names of the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1990.
The halls themselves have little else in common. One honours the people who built the car industry, one celebrates American racers chosen by a vote of 200 experts, and one has not inducted anybody since 2014. The FIA keeps a fourth list, made up of world champions.
What is the Automotive Hall of Fame?
The Automotive Hall of Fame, in Dearborn, Michigan, is both a museum and a hall of fame for influential figures from every corner of the car business. A group calling itself the Automobile Old Timers set it up in New York City on 18 October 1939, with the aim of preserving the memory of early pioneers and honouring people from all parts of the industry worldwide.
The name did not settle quickly. In its first three decades the organisation changed names four times. It became Automotive Old Timers in 1957, to take in a broader base of related industries, then The Automotive Organization Team in 1971, before ending up as The Automotive Hall of Fame.
The address moved even more often. The hall went to Washington, D.C. in 1960, where it shared premises with the National Automobile Dealers Association, and to Midland, Michigan in 1971, where Northwood University gave it its first proper home. Since 1997 it has occupied a 25,000-square-foot building in Dearborn next to The Henry Ford, with a small theatre, a central enclosed area for events and displays of automobile history. In 2016 its president said the hall was exploring a move to downtown Detroit, but those plans never materialised. It celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2014.
Barney Oldfield is the one name that turns up in the opening rolls of three different halls of fame.
Who were the first ten pioneers in the Automotive Hall of Fame?
In 1946 the hall took part in the National Golden Jubilee, held for the 50th anniversary of the automobile's invention. William S. Knudsen, president of the Jubilee committee, praised the chosen group as ten pioneers whose engineering and managerial brilliance underpinned the modern industry. The selection was made together with the Automobile Manufacturers Association, and George W. Romney was managing director of the event.
Henry Ford, Alfred P. Sloan Jr. and Ransom E. Olds stood alongside William Crapo Durant and Charles W. Nash. The other five were Edgar Apperson, J. Frank Duryea, George M. Holley, Charles B. King and Barney Oldfield. The list mixes manufacturers and engineers with Oldfield, and the jubilee events also sparked interest in older cars.
Which carmakers' founders are in the Automotive Hall of Fame?
A great many. By the end of 2016 the hall had inducted 271 people, and the founders of Ferrari, Porsche, Toyota and Honda sit there alongside those of Ford, Chrysler, Renault, Peugeot and Citroen. Daimler, Maybach, Bosch and Bugatti are also on the roll. The reach is worldwide, as the original mission said it should be.
Induction is one of four yearly honours. The other three are the Industry Leader of the Year Award, the Distinguished Service Citation and the Young Leader and Excellence Award. Nominations for induction, the Citation or the Young Leader award can come from anybody, by form or by letter, with reference material to help the committee that judges them. The Industry Leader of the Year is the exception, because that committee alone nominates and awards it and outside suggestions are not taken.
There is a European sibling, too. It was established in 2001 and inducted 13 members in its first class, and its permanent plaques of honour are to be placed at Palexpo, the venue for the Geneva Auto Show.
How does the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America pick its inductees?
By a straight vote among 200 racing experts, made up of historians, experienced journalists, category specialists and existing inductees, with certified accountants overseeing the count. There are two rounds each year. A 100-voter nominating committee first narrows each category to six finalists, and then all 200 voters choose that year's inductee in each one.
The hall honours American competitors and contributors from every discipline. It has ten categories, from Stock Cars and Open Wheel to Powerboats and Aviation, taking in Drag Racing, Sports Cars, Off-Road, Motorcycles, Historic and At Large. Specialty categories such as Speed Records, Business and Technology are recognised from time to time. Drivers, pilots, owners, designers, builders and mechanics all qualify, as do the people who promote or support them.
The entry rules are firm. A candidate needs either three years of retirement or 20 years at the highest level of their discipline. Induction is limited to US citizens, or to non-citizens who have done notable things in motorsport within the US. Under the 20-year route a person can go in while still active, and Scott Dixon's induction in 2024 was handled that way.
Each inductee receives the "Horsepower" award, a bronze statuette made by the Ann Arbor sculptor Michael Curtis. The hall was incorporated in 1986 as a nonprofit organisation by civic leaders in Novi, Michigan, under founding chairman Larry G. Ciancio. Ron Watson was its president from the start until his death in October 2019, when the author and historian George Levy took over. The stated aim is to promote the American values of leadership, creativity, originality, teamwork and competitive spirit through motorsport.
Who was in the first Motorsports Hall of Fame of America class?
The first induction ceremony took place in 1989 and named eight people, one for each of the main strands of the sport. Cannon Ball Baker went in for motorcycles, James Doolittle for aviation, A. J. Foyt for open wheel and Don Garlits for drag racing. Phil Hill represented sports cars, Bill Muncey powerboats, Barney Oldfield the historic category and Richard Petty stock cars.
The black-tie ceremony is held each March at Daytona Beach in Florida, and by tradition another figure from the sport presents each inductee. In 2019, for instance, Jimmie Johnson presented Tony Stewart, Scott Dixon presented Dario Franchitti and the designer Peter Brock presented Phil Remington, while Linda Vaughn, Don Schumacher, Augie Duesenberg and Kevin Schwantz also went in that year.
The Class of 2020 brought in Rick Hendrick for stock cars, Jacky Ickx for sports cars, Wally Dallenbach for open wheel and Ivan "Ironman" Stewart for off-road, with Chris Carr, Floyd Clymer, Red Byron, Tiny Lund and "Ohio George" Montgomery. The Class of 2023 included Zora Arkus-Duntov, Ray Evernham and Ab Jenkins, and the pairing of Stephen Olvey and Terry Trammell. In 2024 the roll took in Jimmie Johnson, Paul Newman and John Surtees, among others, and in 2025 it added Dale Jarrett, Tony Schumacher and Skip Barber, among seven names.
What is the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America museum like?
It sits on the grounds of Daytona International Speedway, inside the Ticket and Tours Building, and welcomes more than 100,000 visitors a year. Admission is part of the regular speedway tours. Inside are historic racing vehicles, memorabilia, information displays and plaques for the more than 260 inductees, plus two movie theatres showing motorsport content.
The collection has travelled. From 1994 to 2010 it occupied rented space at the Novi Expo Center in Novi, birthplace of the Novi Special Indianapolis 500 cars. It then moved to the Detroit Science Center until 2015 before settling in Daytona Beach. The hall also acts as a research body, answering questions from journalists, historians and individual enquirers.
Ceremony weekends add events of their own. The night before, a Heroes of Horsepower reception in the museum lets the new class unveil their permanent sculptures. A Heritage Luncheon spotlights the Historic category, and an Inductee Breakfast gives the incoming class and returning members a lively question-and-answer session. Recent honorary chairmen have included Mario Andretti, Kurt Busch and Chase Carey. Autoweek called the 2019 ceremony, emceed by 2009 inductee David Hobbs, arguably the smoothest and best run in the hall's history.
How did the International Motorsports Hall of Fame begin?
It began with a decision by Bill France Sr., the founder of NASCAR, in early 1970. He hired a short-track promoter, Don Naman, to create a museum and hall that would keep the history of the sport alive. In 1975 Alabama's governor, George Wallace, formed an 18-member commission to choose a site and design. A state-wide bond referendum failed, so France donated 35 acres (14 ha) of land next to the 2.66 mi (4.28 km) Talladega Superspeedway.
France had a reason to prefer Alabama over his home town of Daytona Beach: Florida politicians had threatened to tax Daytona International Speedway. Construction used private and federal money, released with the approval of the new governor, Fob James. Groundbreaking was on 26 March 1981. The first half opened on 28 April 1983 and the second on 28 July 1990.
The site holds the museum, the offices of track owners International Speedway Corporation and six halls of fame in total, among them the Alabama Sports Writers, the ARCA, Quarter Midgets of America, Western Auto Mechanics and World Karting halls. A research library is on site as well. Naman became director in 1988 and set out to build a working hall. The Nashville Network carried the first induction ceremony live on 25 July 1990, with the country singer and car sponsor T. G. Sheppard as host, in Birmingham, Alabama. From 1996 the ceremonies moved to the Speedvision Dome, four days before the April Talladega race.
Who is in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame?
The founding class of 1990 was billed as 20 strong, with Juan Manuel Fangio, Stirling Moss, Jim Clark and Jackie Stewart alongside Buck Baker, Lee Petty and Fireball Roberts. Bill France Sr., Tony Hulman and Smokey Yunick were in it, and so were Jack Brabham, Graham Hill, Junior Johnson, Parnelli Jones, Mickey Thompson, Bobby Unser, Mark Donohue, Malcolm Campbell and Barney Oldfield. In all, 145 people were inducted in the years the hall was active, from 1990 to 2013.
Few women are on the list. Louise Smith, a NASCAR driver in the 1940s and 1950s, became the first in 1999. Shirley Muldowney, a multiple NHRA Top Fuel champion, followed in 2004, and Janet Guthrie two years later. Wendell Scott, who in December 1963 became the first African American to win a NASCAR Cup Series race, was the first African American inducted, also in 1999.
The voting rules were strict. Between 120 and 153 motorsport writers from around the world voted, along with inductees. Twenty finalists were drawn from names that panel members sent in, and each candidate needed 51 percent of the vote. Until 1996 ten or more people could go in each year, after which a cap of six applied. Nominees had to be retired for at least five years, and unlike in many sports halls, waivers were not granted to allow stars in sooner.
What happened to the International Motorsports Hall of Fame?
It stopped inducting. Nobody was added in 1995 or 2010, and nobody has been inducted since 2014.
In November 2025 Alabama governor Kay Ivey replaced every member of the hall's commission. An audit had found 35 issues: a former employee had misspent $236,000, and four historic cars had gone under the hammer without permission.
What is the FIA Hall of Fame?
The FIA's own hall honours racing drivers and was established by the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile in 2017. Its first inductees were 33 Formula One champions. Seventeen rally champions and 28 endurance champions followed in 2019.
The four halls compared
| Hall | Started | Honours | How people get in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Automotive Hall of Fame | 18 October 1939, New York | Influential figures of the car industry worldwide; 271 inducted through 2016 | Anyone may nominate; the Awards Committee decides |
| Motorsports Hall of Fame of America | Incorporated 1986; first induction 1989 | US competitors and contributors in all disciplines; more than 260 inductees | Vote of 200 experts; nominating committee picks six finalists per category |
| International Motorsports Hall of Fame | Established early 1970; first induction 25 July 1990 | Developers, drivers, engineers and owners; 145 inducted from 1990 to 2013 | Panel of writers and inductees; 51 percent of the vote needed |
| FIA Hall of Fame | 2017 | Racing drivers | First classes were world champions: 33 in Formula One, 17 in rallying and 28 in endurance racing |
Where the halls stand now
The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America keeps its annual ceremony each March in Daytona Beach, and its Class of 2025 added seven names, from Skip Barber to Bill Stroppe. The Automotive Hall of Fame stays in Dearborn, and the Detroit move floated in 2016 never happened. At Talladega, a new commission has replaced the old one since the audit of November 2025, and nobody has been inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame since 2014.
