The North Carolina Motorsports Association will honor one of North Carolina’s first racing families — the Jarretts — with its Achievement in Motorsports Tribute Award at the eighth annual North Carolina Motorsports Industry Awards Ceremony presented by Fifth Third Bank. The ceremony will take place Jan. 20, 2014 at the Embassy Suites in Concord, N.C.
The NCMA Motorsports Industry Awards Ceremony presented by Fifth Third Bank pays tribute to North Carolina’s $6 billion motorsports industry. Each year, the Achievement in Motorsports Tribute Award recognizes a person whose contributions to racing have made an immeasurable impact on motorsports in North Carolina. Previous recipients were Benny Parsons, Richard Petty, Richard Childress, Dale Earnhardt, Junior Johnson, O. Bruton Smith and H.A. Humpy Wheeler. In addition, NCMA presents industry awards to various North Carolina entities that have positively affected the motorsports community within the state.
Ned and Martha Jarrett, along with their children Glenn, Dale, Patti and grandson Jason will be honored for their lifelong contributions to motorsports in North Carolina. Ned, Glenn, Dale and Jason Jarrett each spent time behind the wheel with Ned and Dale being named to NASCAR’s “50 Greatest Drivers” list in 1998. They will become only the second father-son drivers to be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame when Dale Jarrett is honored in January. Ned, Glenn and Dale Jarrett have each worked in broadcasting, covering NASCAR’s major series. Ned Jarrett, working for CBS Sports in the broadcast booth, calling his son, Dale, to victory in the 1993 Daytona 500 is remembered as one of the greatest moments in stock car racing history.
“That isn’t just a great racing moment, it was an amazing family moment in a sport where family is the cornerstone of everything we do,” said Greg Fornelli, NCMA Chairman of the Board. “The Jarrett family epitomizes everything that is good about our sport, and while their individual accomplishments are immense, their impact as a whole is immeasurable. From their home, to the race track, the broadcasting booth and everywhere in between, the Jarrett family is the heart of racing in North Carolina. And we honor that legacy.”
In addition to honoring the Jarrett family, NCMA will also pay tribute to Jim Hunter with its media recognition award. Hunter, who passed away in 2010, spent more than 40 years working in motorsports, first as a journalist with the Columbia (S.C.) Record and Atlanta Journal-Constitution before moving to public relations positions with Darlington Raceway, Talladega Superspeedway and NASCAR. He served as president of Darlington, vice-president of International Speedway Corp. from 1993 to 2001 when he became NASCAR’s vice-president of corporate communication, a position he held until his death at age 71.
In 2014, NCMA will honor the following companies with industry awards – DCE, Inc., Motorsports Authentics, Carolina Speedway, The Dirt Track @ Charlotte’s World Finals, Rev Racing and Stocks for Tots.
NCMA PR
