SIX NEWEST INDUCTEES WELCOMED INTO NATIONAL MIDGET AUTO RACING HALL OF FAME
Sun Prairie, Wis. (September 20, 2022)………Robby Flock, Gene Gennetten, Tracy Hines, Earl Kouba, Johnny Mann and Wally Pankratz were announced today as the latest inductees into the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame.
Flock was a four-time USAC Western States Champion, earning his wins in three different decades. He has 51 career USAC Western States Midget victories to his credit and added premier triumphs at the 4-Crown Nationals, Copper World Classic and Belleville Midget Nationals.
Gennetten has won championships in the Midwest Auto Racing Association (MARA), St. Louis Auto Racing Association (SLARA) and Southwest Independent Midget Series (SWIMS) in a career that spanned four decades and encompassed over 200 feature wins.
Hines was an extremely versatile driver, becoming one of seven USAC Triple Crown Champions after capturing the 2015 USAC National Midget title. He has won the Chili Bowl Nationals, 4-Crown Nationals, Hut 100, Pepsi Nationals, Night Before the 500 and the Indiana Midget Week title.
Kouba was the 1939 Denver Midget Racing Association Champion. After the war, he spent most of his time running the Midwest and West Coast circuits as a money racer rather than a points chaser. He started driving in 1930s and retired in 1980 to help his sons run their sprint cars.
Mann captured several driver championships; with the non-Offy divisions for both NASCAR and the American Racing Drivers Club (ARDC) and two with the Northeastern Midget Association (NEMA) in 1972 and 1974.
Pankratz, one of today’s great ambassadors for our sport, has had a career that spans over five decades. He was the 2000 USAC Western States Midget Driver and Entrant Champion and now joins his father Bob Pankratz in the Hall of Fame.
The 38th Annual Luncheon-Induction Ceremony for the six inductees will be held on Friday, January 13, 2023. The event will be held at Fair Meadows Exhibit Hall on the Tulsa (Okla.) Fairgrounds adjacent to the Expo Center which will be hosting the Chili Bowl Nationals.
For additional information, contact Barb Hellyer at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
