NOMINEES ANNOUNCED FOR SPECIAL EMPA AWARDS AND CONVENTION PLANS
LANGHORNE, PA November 9, 2005 . . . Nominees have been announced for a variety of special awards to be presented at the annual Eastern Motorsport Press Association Convention set to take place January 27-29th, 2006 at the Radisson Hotel & Conference Center in Trevose, PA (just north of Philadelphia). More than 100 media professionals are expected to attend the three day convention that will include press conferences featuring key figures in motorsports, workshops, seminars and more. Nominations for the EMPA Hall of Fame include modified car owners Dick Cozze and Joe Bullock; modified racers Buzzy Reuttiman, C.D.Coville, Merv Treichler, Don LaJoie, Sammy Beavers and Tony Siscone; sprint car owner Al Hamilton; sprint car racer Van May; NASCAR Winston Cup champion Darrell Waltrip; and drag racing champion Bob Glidden. Five of these nominees will be voted into the EMPA Hall of Fame by vote of the professional membership. Legendary sprint car racer, the original outlaw, Bobby Allen has been selected for induction by the Board of Directors. World of Outlaws sprint car champion Steve Kinser, NHRA drag racing champion Tony Schumacher, IHRA drag racing champion Clay Millican, Champ Car Series champion Sebastian Bourdais, NASCAR Nextel Cup star Tony Stewart and Indy Racing League champion Dan Wheldon have all been nominated for the prestigious Al Holbert Memorial EMPA Driver of the Year honors. Nominees for the Richie Evans Northeast Driver of the Year Award include sprint car star Fred Rahmer, Busch North Series champion Andy Santerre, Hooters Cup star Benny Gordon, DIRT Motorsports Modified ace Tim Fuller and ARDC midget racing champion Ray Bull. Morgan Shephard will be honored with the Junie Donlavey Spirit of the Sport award. The T. Wayne Robertson Newsmaker of the Year Award will go to either IRL racer Danica Patrick or the new National Sprintcar League. EMPA members will decide on the award recipient. John Wyckoff, the former head of motorsports in the state of New Jersey, will receive a special Outstanding Achievement Award. Six time American Racing Drivers Club champion Ray Bull will receive a President’s Award for his dedication to the sport and his support of the EMPA. One of the most prestigious awards that a journalist can earn is the Frank Blunk Memorial Award (presented in memory of the late New York Times motorsports writer who was instrumental in improving the way the sport was covered). Nominees are Pete Schnatz (Philadelphia Inquirer), Bill Fleischmann (Philadelphia Daily News) and Brett Deyo (Area Auto Racing News). The Ace Lane Memorial Award, presented to an outstanding photographer in the industry, will go to Bill Nuver, Rich Kepner, Jim Smith or Rich Grunert. The annual Art McHugh Memorial Award, presented to an EMPA member who has shown great support for the organization and works behind the scenes to improve the organization, will go to Ron Hedger, Ace Lane, Monte Dutton or Jerry Reigle. In addtion awards will be presented to winners in the Valvoline Journalism Contest, the Performance Racing Industry Broadcasters competition and the annual EMPA Photographers contests. Awards will be presented on Saturday, January 28th at the annual NASCAR/EMPA Hall of Fame Dinner. Sponsorship support of the annual convention, EMPA was founded in 1969, comes from Valvoline, Pocono Raceway, NASCAR, American LeMans Series, ARCA, Indy Racing League, Performance Racing Industry Magazine and others. Sanctioning organizations, sponsors, promoters (national and local), and race teams are invited to participate. “Often times we hear that race teams, sanctioning organizations and speedways, especially on the local level, complain that they do not get coverage from the media,” said EMPA president Ernie Saxton. “Here is a great opportunity to reach many of the media that cover the sport on a regular basis.” Information on participating in the convention, sponsorship, or EMPA membership may be had by contacting Ernie Saxton at Esaxton144@aol.com or telephone 215.752.7797.
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