Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
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Don Kreitz Jr. has accomplished enough to warrant a trip to the Sprint Car Hall of Fame

What about Bud Grimm?  Some of the best mechanics ever consider him the best.  With everyone being a chevy licker, he should have gone in with Karl Kinser since he overcame the incredibly terrible, dibiliating, subsubstandard Ford engines.

Since tracks are prepared properly about a third of the time, Kreitz certainly deserves to be in the hall of fame.

Luna's Ford engine style that won 2 WoO titles and 3 
Kings Royals before a weight rule against the best EVER
in their prime and now DOMINATES super dirt late model
racing is no longer allowed/wanted in a WoO sprint
car.... Was Luna a miracle worker?

Your   right on both accounts  ,Don Kreitz  and Bud   Grimm  should be in the   NSCHOF . I knew   ,worked and hung out  around Bud Grimm   at his garage  in Pikesville  ,Md , he  was  a genius when it came to a Ford  motor  and  so much more .

I believe, and correct me if I'm wrong, but the 69k has a very, very good ratio of Nationals appearances to Nationals A mains. 

 Jeremy - thanks for bringing this up. He definitely deserves a spot. This article sure can't hurt his chances.

The Outlaws won't be the same without Steve, and central Pa won't be the same when Mr.Kreitz and his right hand man Davey Brown decide they've had enough. Hopefully that isn't anytime soon.

I'm not saying that Kreitz isn't Hall of Fame caliber, but I can counter with the fact that there are drivers with much more impressive resume's that aren't enshrined yet either.

The problem is (IMO) that the competition to be enshrined gets tougher and tougher every year (only 5 in the driver category get enshrined).  In the next year or two, drivers with the same types of #'s (and in some cases more impressive #'s will be added to the list of those to be selected from.

If you can choose only (1) of the below, who is an who isn't a Hall of Famer?

Terry McCarl - multiple track championships @ Huset's and Knoxville, wins in 27 or more states (primarily owned his own equipment too)

Dale Blaney - 100 All Star wins, All Star Championships, WoO wins, etc. etc.

Kreitz - multiple time track champion, wins in 4 states? (PA, MD, NY, OH) and primarily owned his own equipment

Those ar 3 off the top of my head and I know there are many others from years gone by with more impressive resume's that aren't yet enshrined.

Problem is, there were a few years when the class was weak. It was at that time that Kreitz should have been given the nod. That would have avoided this situation where he is competing against a stacked field. 

As far as ranking those three drivers (All deserving): 1. Dale Blaney; 2. Don Kreitz Jr.; 3. Terry McCarl.

But no one is eligible until they turn 50, have been retired for 5 years or unfortunately have met their maker.

Kreitz wasn't eligible during those years that were "weak" in Your Opinion.

Are there drivers inducted I've never heard of or wonder if they deserve it?  Yes, however you have to go with what the competition was when they were racing and who is eligible during that year (otherwise, no one would get inducted until Donny Schatz does (driving or retired, Donny is the class of the field of ANYONE not currently enshrined IMO - and I'm not a fan of his by a long shot (although I do own a couple shirts).

I'll put it to you another way.  Let's say Steve and Karl dominated even more (like won 90% of the WoO races every year in the 1980's.  Does that make drivers like Wolfgang and Swindell less deserving because Steve and Karl dominated?

It makes what some drivers do NOW even more amazing.  23 wins in a season is like winning 60 back in the 1980's IMO (and apparently in Doug Wolfgang's opinion per what he told Kyle Larson on Winged Nation this week).  That puts Schatz into some elite company (if he wasn't there already).

Not debating what you are saying about Schatz or any other driver that dominated or competed against dominant drivers.

You have to take everything into account. You have the eye test, the competition test, big-race performance, championships...it's the complete package.

I know the qualification, but last year — a stacked year with Dave Blaney, Bobby Davis and Mark Kinser in the running — wasn't his first nomination for the ballot. I just believe Kreitz has been dismissed because he was a local driver and didn't travel a ton.

Yet, he was tough against the Outlaws, ran against some of the best weekly competition in the country and managed to travel and grab a Kings Royal win. The last one, as well as the Williams Grove National Open, carries a lot of weight when consider he also has over 150 wins and those titles.

the last 5 years induction classes.  Who do you remove?  Remember, many of the drivers in years past raced in the EARLY 1900's.  Who as a driver in the last 5 years would you remove?  Kreitz is only 52 and wasn't eligible for induction until 2012..... 

Is he deserving?  Yes, but more than those that went in before him?  Probably not.

2014 --

Drivers:  Dave Blaney, Bobby Davis (Jr.), Mark Kinser.

 Owners-Mechanics-Builders-Manufacturers-Car Sponsors:  Chuck Merrill, George Nesler.

 Promoters-Officials-Media Members-Event/Series Sponsors:  Dave Argabright, William “Windy” McDonald.

 Pre-1945:  Larry Beckett.

2013 -

2012--

2011 --

2010 --

Last year may have been his first nomination -- the Hall of Fame doesn't do the nominating, the nominating committee does (of which Bruce Ellis is a member).

I don't remember the cut off date for your birthday, but I know Lasoski wasn't ELIGIBLE the year he turned 50 because his birthday was after the cut-off (so he was 51 before BEFORE being inducted in 2010 --he was born in Feb 1959, Kreitz was born in October 1961).

Using the same dates, I would guess tha Kreitz wasn't ELIGIBLE until 2012.  Who do you remove from 2012, 2013 or 2014?

Maybe its because I'm young (25) but of the 49 drivers inducted over the last 4 years I only recognize 14 of them. I have

been to 400+ races in my lifetime and consistently read SpeedSport, Sprint Car & Midget, and Flat Out. I'm glad they

lowered the amount inducted as it seems the honor was beginning to get diluted.

-Austin Rankin

If you asked me, and you didn't, Blaney goes in before McCarl and Kreitz. Don is a great racer with a great resume, but racking up a 150 wins in PA and the bulk of them at 5-6 tracks is not as impressive and Blaney's 100 All Star wins, IMO. They both have 2 big wins that cancel each other out, Blaney before Kreitz.

Perhaps they should add a "Local" or "Regional" category. There are a ton of guys like Charlie Fisher who as a driver, chassis builder and engine builder deserve some credit. I think his engines have own about every big race except Knoxville. Or even a guy like Mark Keegan, unbeatable at Fremont and Attica just ask the travelers. This is a good category for McCarl.

Austin, been to double the races and I am only 35 and don't know half the list.

Just my $.02

Not all 49 are drivers.

And personally, I would take him over Bobby Davis Jr.

According to the people I've talked to, Kreitz has been nominated for the ballot twice.

I would be surprised if Kreitz doesn't get inducted in 2015.  Other drivers that are already eligible are Jeff Swindell, Danny Smith, Tim Green, Andy Hillenburg, and soon to come is Terry McCarl, Dave Darland, Joe Gaerte, Craig Dollansky.  I also hope that Bruce Ellis gets inducted in 2015.  That would be cool to see Ellis and Kreitz both get in the same year.

Eric Arnold
Social Media Manager & Track Historian
Knoxville Raceway

I stated recently in my Directory Assistance column on Hoseheads that I thought Kreitz had better credentials to be in the hall than some. I won't ever stop believing that. My travels have given me a unique perspective, as I've been very fortunate to have seen many of the drivers enshrined race in my 55 years of watching races. However, I can't place Kreitz ahead of Davis. I won't penalize Davis for having to run against Kinser, Wolfgang, Blaney and the Swindells among others. Davis was a winner everywhere he raced in every sanction he raced. I also won't penalize him for walking away in the prime of his career. That's a tough decision few can make. At least the debate has been fairly civil, a rarity that keeps me from commenting here. Chats like these sure can make for good bench racing.

McCarl really?  Ad much as I may root for terry as a driver, it have always viewed him as more of a journeyman than HoF caliber.  Is he good, hell YES!! Is he in the same league as Sammy, Steve, Wolfgang, Shuman, Kauffman, Paxton..? You know the answer to that

Like rpmgordy, I like to think I have some perspective considering the profession I'm in. I don't play favorites and try to be objective. I don't penalize Davis for retiring early or who he raced against. He is a really good driver, no denying that. Hall of Famer even. I just have Kreitz a slight, very slight, cut above.