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EARWOOD,
W.J. AND RAMPY ARE
2012 NHRA HALL OF
FAME INDUCTEES
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ATLANTA,
Ga.
–
Steve
Earwood,
who
created
the
Southern
Pro
Stock
Circuit,
managed
Gainesville
Raceway
and
Atlanta
Dragway,
ran
the
NHRA’s
national
media
department
and
directed
Rockingham
Dragway’s
resurgence
in
the
1990s
when
the
North
Carolina
track
played
host
to
the
NHRA’s
Winston
Invitational,
will
be
one
of
three
2012
inductees
into
the
NHRA
Division
2
Hall
of
Fame.
Earwood,
Pro
Stock
legend
Warren
Johnson
of
Sugar
Hill,
Ga.,
and
sportsman
standout
David
Rampy
of
Piedmont,
Ala.,
will
be
inducted
into
the
Division
2
Hall
in
Jan.
14
ceremonies
at
the
Windham
Peachtree
City
Conference
Center.
“This
is a
very
humbling
experience,”
Earwood
said,
“especially
to
go
in
with
two
of
my
racing
idols
– WJ
and
‘Rambo.’
This
isn’t
something
I
ever
expected.
Anything
I
have
achieved
in
the
sport
I
owe
to
Wally
Parks,
who
gave
me a
chance
back
in
1975,
and
to
all
the
friends
I’ve
made
over
the
years.
It’s
been
a
great
ride
–
but
I
hope
it’s
not
over
yet.” |
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Earwood,
whose
Rockingham
track
remains
one
of
the
most
active
in
the
nation
with
more
than
90
events
on
the
schedule
each
year,
began
his
drag
racing
career
in
the
1970s
when
he
and
his
older
brother,
Terry,
managed
Gainesville
Raceway
and
promoted
the
Southern
Pro
Stock
circuit,
which
featured
big
block
outlaw
stock
cars.
In
1975,
after
briefly
working
as a
“hired
gun”
public
relations
specialist,
Earwood
accepted
a
job
as
the
NHRA’s
National
Media
Relations
Manager.
After
eleven
seasons,
during
which
he
gave
the
NHRA
an
identity
in
the
national
media
that
paved
the
way
to
an
eventual
marketing
partnership
with
R.J.
Reynolds
Tobacco
Co.
and
its
Winston
brand,
the
Atlanta
native
left
to
address
the
challenge
of
opening
the
new,
all-concrete
Texas
Motorplex
track
south
of
Dallas,
Texas.
After
two
years
as
the
track’s
Public
Relations
Director,
he
left
Texas
to
become
vice-president
and
General
Manager
of
Atlanta
Dragway,
where
he
supervised
a
complete
makeover
of
the
facility.
Three
years
later,
he
realized
a
career
dream
when
he
purchased
Rockingham
Dragway
from
the
L.G.
Dewitt
family.
Under
Earwood’s
ownership
and
supervision,
the
Top
Fuel
and
Funny
Car
winners’
share
of
the
Winston
Invitational
purse
grew
from
$35,000
in
1992
to
$100,000
in
1997.
At
the
time,
$100,000
was
more
than
a
Top
Fuel
or
Funny
Car
driver
could
earn
as
the
winner
of
any
other
event
in
the
national
series.
The
success
of
the
Invitational
culminated
in
Earwood’s
acceptance
of
the
NHRA
Southeast
Division
“Person
of
the
Year”
Award
in
1994.
Although
his
roots
are
in
drag
racing,
Earwood
grew
up
in
sports
car
racing
as
the
youngest
son
of
former
Georgia
insurance
executive
Charles
L.
Earwood,
who
at
one
time
served
as
chief
steward
for
virtually
every
major
American
road
racing
series
from
IMSA
to
SCCA.
In
addition,
even
after
settling
on
drag
racing
as
his
specialty,
Earwood
independently
promoted
a
number
of
road
racing
events
with
long-time
partner
Dave
Densmore,
most
of
them
at
Road
Atlanta.
Those
included
the
SCCA
national
runoffs,
IMSA
Camel
GT
races
and
SCCA
Trans-Am
races.
The
two
also
promoted
a
Trans-Am
race
featuring
the
late
Paul
Newman
at
what
was
then
Moroso
Motorsports
Park
in
West
Palm
Beach,
Fla.
Today,
Earwood
is a
founding
member
and
chairman
of
the
North
Carolina
Motorsports
Association,
a
member
of
Governor
Beverly
Perdue’s
Governor’s
Motorsports
Advisory
Council,
a
voting
board
member
of
the
National
Fire
Protection
Association,
which
was
responsible
for
drafting
document
610
that
serves
as a
fire
safety
guideline,
a
member
of
the
board
of
the
Richmond
County
Chamber
of
Commerce
and
a
member
of
the
board
of
Racers
for
Christ
International.
In
2010
,
Earwood
accepted
the
Richmond
County
“Citizen
of
the
Year”
Award,
which
recognized
his
contributions
to
the
local
community
and
economy
through
both
the
racetrack
and
his
many
other
charitable
endeavors. |
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