It’s now been over twenty years since Bill Seebold Jr was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America to join the likes of Offshore legend Betty Cook, and the first man to break the 100-mph barrier on the water, Gar Wood.
Last week he, along with his son NGKF1 Series Promoter Tim Seebold, joined some of motor racing biggest names at Daytona Beach for the 34th Motorsport Hall of Fame of America Induction Ceremony presented by Toyota Racing. Those names included the likes of Roger Penske and Chip Ganassi and that was just the audience.
The honorary 2022 Induction Chairman, twice Indianapolis 500 winner Al Unser Jr declared to the rapt audience.
This Hall of Fame is the most prestigious Hall of Fame in all of America.
In his forty-six-year career Seebold won more than 900 races and 69 World and National titles. He retired after the 1997 season, in which he won the PROP Tour Formula One Championship at the age of 57. Most of the drivers he beat that season were young enough to be his sons, in fact two of them were his sons.
It was once said that Bill Seebold could kick your butt on the water, share a beer with you afterwards and somehow leave you enjoying both experiences.
During the day it gave both Bill and Tim the opportunity to meet up with old friends, including Kevin Schwantz, the American motorcycle road racer who won the 1993 FIM Road Racing World Championship and Derek Stamets, who was on their team prior to becoming a crew chief in NASCAR.
The event also included the ‘Heroes of Horsepower’ held at the MHF Museum at the Daytona Speedway, where one of the Seebold Team’s Mercury boats, Little Red is hanging from the ceiling.
Following the black-tie and gown evening event Bill Seebold said
The board always invites the past inductees to attend, it’s really fun to meet other racing discipline elite.
The evening concluded with one of the most popular drivers in racing being honoured for his amazing accomplishments to date, even as he continues to make history. Brazilian Helio Castroneves, who earned a record-tying fourth Indianapolis 500 victory last May, a second Rolex 24 At Daytona win in January and is also an IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship champion (2020) was inducted by his former team owner and racing legend, Roger Penske.
