Mario Andretti named Honorary Chairman of Motorsports Hall of Fame of America induction - MotorSportsTalk

Legendary driver and racing champion Mario Andretti has been named as Honorary Chairman for the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America’s 30th annual induction ceremony.

The event will be held March 13 at Shores Resort & Spa in Daytona Beach, Florida.

“Anytime Mario Andretti returns to Daytona, it’s magical,” MSHFA President Ron Watson said in a media release. “This will also add a bit of magic to our induction ceremony. Mario has always been supportive of our efforts and of course, we have always been extremely grateful.”

Andretti, is the only racer to win both the Daytona 500 (1967) and Indianapolis 500 (1969), as well as a Formula One world championship (1978), was inducted into the MSHFA in 1990.

“I’m delighted to be invited and when I got the invitation, I figured, ‘Good, Ron (Watson) has finally given me a job,’ ’’ Andretti laughed. “But this is a good opportunity for me to come and see what I call ‘The Temple.’

“The hall of fame is so important because of what it represents. To me, it’s the ultimate award or reward that any driver could hope for in their career. I’ve had first-hand experience with that (was inducted into the MSHFA in 1990) and also with my son Michael inducted (2008). I know how much that means to us and to be part of an evening like that … I look forward to that very much.”

Andretti’s role as Honorary Chairman is quite fitting as two of this year’s eight inductees come from the IndyCar world: Indianapolis Motor Speedway founder Carl Fisher and former champion car owner Pat Patrick.

Others to be inducted are former Daytona 500 champion Jeff Gordon, drag racing car builder John Buttera, record-setting pilot (and world-famous billionaire) Howard Hughes, motorcycle great Fred Merkel and sports car legend Bob Tullius.

The MSHFA moved to its new home on the grounds of Daytona International Speedway two years ago from its former longtime home in Novi, Michigan.

In a continuing effort to help fans keep track of the on track action, SuperMotocross is in the process of developing and implementing leader lights for the unified series.

Currently Supercross (SMX) utilizes stanchions in the infield that are triggered manually by a race official. At least two stanchions are used in each race as a way to draw the eye to the leader, which is especially useful in the tight confines of the stadium series when lapping often begins before the halfway mark in the 22-bike field. This system has been in place for the past two decades.

Later this year, a fully automated system will move to the bike itself to replace the old system. At that point, fans will be able to identify the leader regardless of where he is on track.

The leader lights were tested in the second Anaheim round this year. An example can be seen at the 1:45 mark in the video above on the No. 69 bike.

“What we don’t want to do is move too fast, where it’s confusing to people,” said Mike Muye, senior director of operations for Supercross and SMX in a press release. “We’ve really just focused on the leader at this point with the thought that maybe down the road we’ll introduce others.”

Scheduled to debut with the first SuperMotocross World Championship race at zMax Dragway, located just outside the Charlotte Motor Speedway, a 3D carbon fiber-printed LED light will be affixed to each motorcycle. Ten timing loops positioned around the track will trigger the lights of the leader, which will turn green.

SMX’s partner LiveTime Scoring helped develop and implement the system that has been tested in some form or fashion since 2019.

When the leader lights are successfully deployed, SuperMotocross will explore expanding the system to identify the second- and third-place riders. Depending on need and fan acceptance, more positions could be added.

SuperMotocross is exploring future enhancements, including allowing for live fan interaction with the lights and ways to use the lighting system during the race’s opening ceremony.

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