Twenty racing legends were inducted into the Iowa Hall of Fame in front of a sellout crowd on Saturday, November 12, 2022 at the Briggs Woods Conference Center in Webster City. The newest Hall of Fame Class includes Bill Beckman, John Connolly, Dale DeFrance, Ron Jackson, Les Wildin, Gary Crawford, John Logue, Terry McCarl, Joe Merryfield, Ken Walton, Bill Zwanziger, Dean Sylvester, Robert Lawton, Jim Wilson, Justin Brayton, Orval Kinne, Tim Nelson, David Wells, Larry Sommerfelt and The Killen Family – John Killen, Vern Killen, Don Killen and Tom Killen. We all enjoyed a night sharing racing stories, reminiscing about the good ‘ole days, and honoring this group of Iowa racing legends.
It was also announced that our amazing collection of memorabilia representing Iowa’s rich racing history will have a new permanent home at the Kossuth County Agricultural and Motorsports Museum in Algona, Iowa! Groundbreaking on a new addition to the current museum will take place in the spring of 2023. Fundraising efforts are underway to add some additional features to the new building.
It also takes an enthusiastic team with passion and respect to put together this very special celebration for the legends and heroes who have made such a huge impact on racing in Iowa. The Board of Directors would like to thank the following “pit crew” members for being such an important part of this ceremony: Brennen DeCoursey and Raya Lehan, Karlee DeCoursey and Andrew Creger, Paul DeCoursey, Brant and Tine Farrand, Todd and Sam Foster, Dick Griffith, Curt and Lisa Miller, Marji Smith, Choice Printing, and Kelly Haman and staff at the Briggs Woods Conference Center.
We are currently accepting nomination forms for the 2023 Hall of Fame Class. Nomination forms can be found under the Hall of Fame tab on our website or can be mailed or emailed to you by request. Nominations are due by March 31, 2023 and our 2023 Hall of Fame Ceremony will be held on Saturday, November 4th, 2023 at the Briggs Woods Conference Center in Webster City, Iowa.
Front Row: Judy Phelps (daughter of Bill Zwanziger), Bob Lawton, Les Wildin, Darrel DeFrance (son of Dale DeFrance), Bill Beckman, David Wells Second Row: Tim Nelson, Ken Walton, Orval Kinne, Joe Merryfield, Gary Crawford, Jim Wilson, Lyle Sylvester (son of Dean Sylvester), and Board President, Marty Pringle