Six to Little 500 Hall of Fame in '08

By Dave Argabright

Six well-known Little 500 personalities are slated for induction into the Little 500 Hall of Fame here on Saturday, May 24, part of “Little 500 Week” in Anderson.

From the historic era (1948 to 1975) are Clarence Miller, Carl Reynolds, and Walt Straber, while from the modern era comes Denny Adams, Ken de la Bastide, and Eric Gordon.

Miller, the late car owner from Columbus, Ohio, campaigned cars at the Little 500 from 1974 to 1996, and his familiar No. 65 sprinter completed 6,464 laps, leading 229, with two top-5 finishes.

Reynolds, another car owner dating back to the days of the Roaring Roadsters at the Little 500, won the event in 1951 with Red Renner aboard. His car also finished second here in 1950, ’54, and ’55, leading four of the six races spanning 1950 to 1954. Reynolds was a Dayton native before his death.

Straber, a lifelong resident of Lapel, Indiana until his death, was the winning car owner at the inaugural Little 500 in 1949, with Sam Skinner at the wheel. His car also finished third here in 1950.

Adams, a resident of New Castle, Indiana, took the microphone as the voice of the Little 500 in 1981, and has called every event since. He is a longtime track announcer at Anderson.

de la Bastide is a well-known motorsports writer throughout Indiana, and has brought extensive coverage to the Little 500 since the late 1970s. A resident of Lapel, his column in the Anderson Herald-Bulletin is widely read.

Gordon, who met the required age 40 stipulation this past November, is simply “Mr. Little 500.” He leads or is on track to own every statistical category here, and his unprecedented eight race wins dwarf all others. From 1992 to 2007 he has scored 12 top-5 finishes and led 2,075 laps. Gordon is a native of New Palestine, Indiana, now living in Indianapolis.

The inductions will take place at Anderson Speedway at 12:00 noon on Saturday, May 24, with support from Anderson Speedway, Hoosier Tire, Bell Racing Company, Big Joe’s Services, and the Little 500 Festival.

Tickets are available to the public, with information available at (765) 288-4587.