Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

I was kind of surpised to see that Todd Shaffer did not make it into the HOF this year. What is the process and requirements              ( besides winning a ton of races and championships) who does the voting and how is this regulated across all the states etc?

Thanks

410 INSIGHTS

"I really like his mechanic Jimmy Russel. He was the guy 
that made Todd's car run good"
                    B.STRAWSER26

Congrats to the new inductees!!!!

Thirteen Inductees Announced as “Class of 2023” for National Sprint Car Hall of Fame! (sprintcarhof.com)

Thank God Paul Hazen got in, now we won't have to hear about that for another year. 

(well deserved however) 

Go to the Hall of Fame web site for your information. It explains the process. Every year there are those who some think should be in and are not elected. Even the voters fall into this area. Only so many voters and so many votes and alot of possible excellent candidates.

Outside PA Todd didn't do much.  Does he deserve the hall is a big question mark.  I for one don't think he did enough to get into the National hall of Fame. One outlaw win in his career.  In the National open at the Grove he has never won that race.

Let's go Sprint Car Racing!

Knoxville - Best Track In the USA!
Eldora - 2nd Best Track in the USA!

As usual you are full of shit. With that said Todd gave up a lot of wins and traveling for longtime friendship with the Beams. When they had a dry spell they worked through instead of blameing each other and separating. I am pretty sure Todd gave up chances to be in the top Pa. cars for that friendship which no doubt would have changed the things you mention. He pretty much spent his career in two cars and I think he was like 24 when he first drove a 410 after several National carting championships. As it was he had something like 250 wins and a dozen point titles. He was never a full time racer always a day job while racing.

I am not.  He was good in central PA.  What did he do against the best when they were here?  Not much!   If he were even considered he would have been in already.   He is well above 50.  He might get in down the road when they start running low on drivers to enter.

I really liked his mechanic Jimmy Russell.  He was the guy that made Todd's car run good! 

Let's go Sprint Car Racing!

Knoxville - Best Track In the USA!
Eldora - 2nd Best Track in the USA!

Thank you, I will have a look.

410 INSIGHTS

"I really like his mechanic Jimmy Russel. He was the guy 
that made Todd's car run good"
                    B.STRAWSER26

I think the actual number of wins he had is 196 with 13 track championship. Those numbers were against weekly competition ( Rahmer, Dewease, Hodnet, Krietz, Kauffman ) all HOF members. Your reasoning on why he shouldn't be in is nothing less than I would expect from a fan of your ilk. Its true, he didnt travel much and did turn down WOO rides. I think he did have 3-4 wins in Australia when he went. I just dont understand why you have to be an asshole about everything, doesn't it get tiring? 

410 INSIGHTS

"I really like his mechanic Jimmy Russel. He was the guy 
that made Todd's car run good"
                    B.STRAWSER26

Just being truthful.  Outside of PA what has he done in a sprintcar?  Not much.  What did he do when the big dogs came to PA?  Not much.  That to me is not a National hall of fame career.  

Others have beat the best on multiple occasions.  Todd did it once.  Not looking at anything but stats.  He deserves to be in the one at Lattimore.  Not in the National one.  Maybe someday.  I think he is over 60 now.  So he had at least 10 years to be voted in.  That is why I said he will probably get in when they start running low on drivers to nominate.

Rahmer, Dewease, Hodnet, Krietz, Kauffman all beat the outlaws on multiple occasions.  

Let's go Sprint Car Racing!

Knoxville - Best Track In the USA!
Eldora - 2nd Best Track in the USA!

Kauffman ran with the WOO for many years and still had less than 10 WOO wins I believe. I was never a Shaffer fan but I think he's one of the all time greats regardless of his lack of WOO success. I remember him running 2nd in the National Open to Schatz, passing alot of cars to get there as he never timed well. Didn't he win a track championship at Sharon? That's outside PA. He's a legend in the sport and won a lot of races. Isn't that what hall of fames are for? 

A

Nope.  10 is a lot more than one the last time I checked.  If you want national success and don't travel much....you better beat the best when they are in your area if you want to be in the National hall of Fame.

Winning the Sharon championship now that is something to hang your hat on.   Towards central PA Sharon championship is nothing...back then just about anyone from central Pa would have dominated. So please try again.

Let's go Sprint Car Racing!

Knoxville - Best Track In the USA!
Eldora - 2nd Best Track in the USA!

The problem I see with Halls of Fame is they start out to honor beyond amazing people. Then there becomes an expectation to nominate an amount every year to feed its own  reason to exist. When you go looking for people to nominate because you have "available nomintions" it gets watered down.

To me if there is much debate about a person being indicted, they are not worthy. People in halls of game should basically be shoe ins without debate, meaning the majority of non biased opinion simply agree they are worthy. No surprises to the die hard fan because the person has already earned the award in the minds of most.

Even though I may not know you, I 
care what most of you think!

I don't know if he will ever be in but if you look at the list of members you see two things. One there are many in who accomplished less and two it is tough for eastern drivers to get in.

I know they try to put in an equal amount of non drivers who had an impact in the sport - promoters, car owners and such, but does anyone actually think that Alan Kreitzer is more worthy of induction than Todd Shaffer? 

A

Yes. Alan deserves to be in now. 
Todd will get in at some point. 
Jimmy Russel deserves the honor as well!

Like I said I don't know if Todd or any of that team will ever be in. That team was a decently financed team but I don't think it was close to the top few pa. teams that they competed with and beat often. But that team from the driver, the owners, the crew chief and the rest of the crew members did as much with what they had as anyone around. Not being able to set an engine up to grenade for qualifying would have hurt them against the outlaws. They did not even run the outlaw shows locally all the time but Todd did run the wheels off a car in traffic and won many races when he didn't have the fastest car on the track.

I don't think Raymond T Shaffer will get in the National Hall anytime soon.  Too many drivers for that to happen.

Jimmy Russell - He made the cars he wrenched in PA very fast for a long period of time.   Not sure if he will get in or not.  Great Mechanic with a lot of wins but not against the big dogs.   Great ambassador and man of the sport at the track and away from the track.

As one of his drivers said that he only wrenched for one year.  I never had a car handle this good!

Let's go Sprint Car Racing!

Knoxville - Best Track In the USA!
Eldora - 2nd Best Track in the USA!

The NSCHof&M is always glad to talk with race fans or anyone about the induction process, and how people get to become a National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee.

The answers to all of these questions are on their website at www.sprintcarhof.com

If you'd like further information about the process, Bob Baker is the Executive Director and he can be reached at [email protected]

I've been on the poll voting panel for years and everyone there at the NSCHoF&M are great to work with. 

On a personal note, I would suggest that if you come to Knoxville for the Nationals that you ask about signing up to be a volunteer for one of their many activies or events during that weekend. When I lived up there I helped with various HoF activities and it was a lot of fun...plus it helped offload some task work from the staff.

It's a great way to meet some of the staff and become more actively involved - and who knows - maybe you'll be able to share some of your thoughts and stories about Industry members you'd like to see get inducted in the future. 

That would be fun.  However, I already volunteer 8 to 10 hours a week for an organization on top of my job that I work at 55+ hours a week.

Let's go Sprint Car Racing!

Knoxville - Best Track In the USA!
Eldora - 2nd Best Track in the USA!