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CUP: Bob Dillner, Mike Joy Talk NHoF, Penske Engines
SPEED’s Bob Dillner and Mike Joy, Voice of NASCAR on FOX & SPEED, discuss who should be added to the pool of NHoF nominees...
SPEED Staff  |  Posted April 11, 2012   Charlotte, NC
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BOB DILLNER & MIKE JOY DISCUSS WHO THEY WOULD LIKE ADDED to HALL of FAME POOL on SPEED’S NASCAR RACE HUB

ALSO: INTERESTING NOTE on PENSKE RACING ENGINE DEVELOPMENT FOR 2013

SPEED’s Bob Dillner and Mike Joy, Voice of NASCAR on FOX & SPEED, talked about which five people they feel should be added to the pool of 25 nominees eligible to be inducted into the 2013 NASCAR Hall of Fame. Those five additions are set to be rolled out exclusively on tomorrow night’s (April 11) edition of the NASCAR Race Hub.

In addition, Dillner offered some interesting insights on Penske Racing’s 2013 engine program.

Bob Dillner, SPEED NASCAR Insider

I’ve been looking at this all day long because I’ve been wondering who they were going to be. I look at a couple of drivers; “Handsome” Harry Gant, one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers, won 18 races; even back in the short track days, he was track champion at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway. What a great guy and I would love to see Harry a part of that top-25 list.

I also think former Cup champion, Rusty Wallace, could be one of those guys. Rusty is the king of the short tracks around the Midwest. I look at those guys and, of course, I also like Ken Squier. I think there is a place in the (NASCAR) Hall of Fame, like there is in the Baseball Hall of Fame, for some TV people, radio people and journalists. I think Ken Squier, the dean of motor sports broadcasting, deserves it for all he’s done for our sport.

Mike Joy, Voice of NASCAR on FOX & SPEED

Here’s who he would love to see enter the nominating pool:

Ken Squier was not only NASCAR’s premiere broadcaster from 1970 until the turn of the century, but he founded Motor Racing Network for Bill France, and convinced (former) CBS (president) Neil Pilson to sit down with Bill France, Jr., and craft the agreement that put the Daytona 500 on network TV. He also created MotorWeek Illustrated on television - a show that validated the need for SPEED, this very network.

Bruton Smith founded Charlotte Motor Speedway with Curtis Turner in 1960. It went bankrupt, brought it back, and built it into the gem of superspeedways. Bruton went on acquiring, building and re-building tracks that are now the showplace of the sport. Bristol when he bought it, sat what, 65,000, and turned it into a 160,000-seat, rolling coliseum of racing and filled it.

Wendell Scott was a pioneering driver from Danville, Virginia. He was the one fellow (moonshine runner) the local police couldn’t catch, so the race promoter offered him a stock car in hopes from drawing black race fans. Scott persisted as an independent for many years, racing in NASCAR, scoring one win, in which he didn’t get the trophy. Buck Baker got that. But later, Scott was declared the winner in Jacksonville, Florida. For his pioneering spirit and accomplishing everything in long odds, Wendell Scott deserves a chance to be in the Hall of Fame.

Against long odds was also the story of Alan Kulwicki. The Wisconsin short tracker, who packed everything he had into a pickup truck and trailer and moved south. Ran for rookie of the year with one race car, and a small crew, then went on to become an owner/driver champion. The last soul owner, driver and team engineer to win the championship in that manner. It happened in 1992, tragically, we lost Alan the following season.

***NASCAR Race Hub Note on Potential Penske Engine Arrangements***

Dillner also spoke with NASCAR Race Hub host Danielle Trotta on the rumors of Penske Racing manufacturing both Ford & Dodge engines for 2013:

Trotta: Your followers on Twitter want you to address this rumor. Penske will continue to manufacturer Dodge engines even next year, even when they switch to Ford; True or False?

Dillner: It’s true from what I was told. A lot of people over on the inside at Penske told me that they will continue to build the Dodge engine. There are a lot of reasons for that. Dodge still hasn’t picked a team or negotiated with a team, but from what we’re hearing, Richard Petty Motorsports may be that team. Richard Petty Motorsports got their engines from Roush-Fenway. Well, if they go to Dodge, they’ll need to get their engines from somewhere, so why not get them from Penske, which has some history in making the Dodge engine. I think you have to look at next year as well, from a Ford perspective. Will Penske run the Ford engine I spoke said that everything would be kind of speculation at this point, no decision has been made.

Trotta: The Ford engine with Roush…

Dillner: Exactly. Roush-Yates builds all the Ford engines for the Ford camps, but Roger Penske is about putting the best product on the race track. I think in a way, he might want his own product, not a rival product in his race cars.
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