NEAR President Rich Goucher is honored and pleased to announce the 2022 NEAR Hall of Fame Class to be inducted on Sunday, October 30, 2022.
New England Antique Racers was formed and incorporated in January 1981. The reason for forming the organization called NEAR was for the drivers and cars of yesteryear where the grass roots of the sport of auto racing would never be forgotten. Club functions have included exhibitions at race tracks and auto shows.
In 1998, NEAR held the first NE Auto Racing Hall of Fame banquet, inducting twelve racing legends. 2022 will be the 25th induction ceremony for the Hall, which now comprises of well over 200 members.
The Hall of Fame ceremony will once again be held at the Westford Regency Inn and Conference Center in Westford Ma on Sunday October 30, 2022. Six individuals will be honored and added to the prestigious NEAR HoF roster along with two Veterans.
In addition, several awards will be presented:
Frank Maratta Award for outstanding contributions to auto racing in New England
Ratta/Mitchell Media Award for outstanding media coverage of New England Racing
Danny Pardi Memorial Award for outstanding dedication and contributions to the success of the NEAR Hall of Fame:
Ron Bouchard Award
Everyone is welcome to join us at the Hall of Fame celebration. The venue has overnight accommodations and plenty of onsite amenities making this a perfect weekend get a way for you and your family. You can check them out at https://www.
The selection process starts out with nominations being submitted to the HoF committee throughout the course of the year. The nominating committee meets to review the nominations and narrow the pool to twelve (12) eligible candidates. Ballots are then sent out to all HoF members for their vote. The sealed ballots are opened during a HoF committee meeting and counted.
The criterial is simple: The individual must be 60 years of age, deceased, or 5-years retired from the sport. They must have made a significant contribution to the racing sport as a track owner, promoter, publicist, driver, car owner or engine builder. An informed biography of the person’s career, and if applicable, include career stats, wins, track championships, and years that the person has competed, is all that is needed to have them considered for this prestigious honor.
The New England Antique Hall of Fame 2022 Inductees are:
Matt Buckler
Dick Houlihan
Russ Stoehr
Veterans
Tony “JAP” Membrino
