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NASCAR HALL-OF-FAME INDUCTION CEREMONYJanuary 30, 2015Kevin HarvickRex WhiteCHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA KEVIN HARVICK: Our next inductee set a precedent of excellence while driving the No.4 during his storied career. Though his stature may have been small, the talent and championship shadow he cast loomed large, and the shoes that needed filling for any future driver of the No.4, they're massive. I hope to carry on that legacy and one day end up where he is tonight, in the NASCAR Hall of Fame. (Video shown.) Please welcome 2015 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee, Rex White. REX WHITE: I sat with Darrell Waltrip last night at dinner, and I was trying to get some of his expertise of speaking to rub off on me. I don't know if it helped or not. Words can't express how honored I am to be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame along with the other Hall of Fame members, especially the 2015 fellow inductees. No driver wins a championship by himself. Nobody enters the Hall of Fame alone. I am a symbol of a team effort, my first race in 1953 until now. This effort spans 62 years. The person who started this all was Frankie Schneider. I met Frankie at West Lanham Speedway around 1952, and anyway, I wanted to get in the pits, and I took a board off the fence at the back of the racetrack and got to go in the pits, got to helping Frankie put the axles in, change tires, put the toe bar on, get ready to go. The next week I'd go back to the racetrack. So this went on for quite some time. Some pit crewman that was working for him got drafted into the Army, so Frankie said, do you want to go racing? I said, yeah. He said, I can't pay you anything, I'll buy you something to eat. So one time we was running out of West Palm Beach, Florida, to go to Columbia, South Carolina, to run an Oldsmobile, and we ran out of money. Frankie, I don't know if you want me to tell that story, but I'm going to tell it anyway. On the way to Columbia we ran out of money and didn't have any money except for the gas in the truck and the gas for the race car. Anyway, he bought four bananas, he hate two of them, peeling and all, told me to eat the other two, because the peeling had as much food value as the banana did. Anyway, Frank and I had a great career. Frank taught me a lot about chassis, how to gear the car, how to make the car handle, how to make it be a good race car and beat the competitors, and actually we raced one time on the 4th of July. We ran eight races in seven days, and that's quite a feat. Anyway, he started my career. Bill Steele was my first sponsor. Frankie, I wanted to tell you, also, the check is in the mail. Bill Steele was my first sponsor, had a wealth of engineering knowledge. His son, Sonny, had a lot to do with my entire racing career, my championship and everything. Playing an important role all through my championship career, Louis Clements role ‑‑ Louis Clements name must not be forgotten. His expertise in race car building and cherry bounce spirits were unparalleled. James Hylton, who you've just met, played a huge part in my racing winnings. Anyway, he had as much to do with my career as Louis did. Are you going to give me the ring? (Laughter.) KEVIN HARVICK: It's now our honor, on the 30th day of January, 2015, to present the NASCAR Hall of Fame ring and officially induct Rex White into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Congratulations, Rex. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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