Berlin Announces 2006 Hall of Fame Nominations
Online fan voting begins today
Berlin Raceway announced today the names of the 15 nominees to be considered for induction into the track's Hall of Fame in 2006. These 15 people will be voted on by the public over the course of the 2006 season, and up to three of them will be inducted into the Hall of Fame at the annual Boyne Machine Berlin Raceway Driver Awards Banquet in November.

This fall's inductees will join the inaugural inductees announced along with the announcement of the establishment of the Berlin Raceway Hall of Fame presented by Boyne Machine at last November's banquet: track co-founders Chester and Rose Mysliwiec, Charles Mysliwiec and Richard Mysliwiec. This will be the first "class" to be voted on by Berlin Raceway fans.

The Berlin Raceway Hall of Fame was created as a means to permanently immortalize its greatest drivers and contributors. Its mission is to preserve the rich history and heritage of Berlin Raceway by recognizing and honoring outstanding individuals who have made significant accomplishments in and contributions to the sport of auto racing at Berlin Raceway. Inductees are commemorated with high-quality engraved bronze plaques permanently placed on a concrete "Hall of Fame" wall outside Turn 1 at the track.

The nominees were selected from submissions made by Berlin Raceway fans. The selection committee narrowed the long and impressive list down to 15 names, among them drivers, track employees, car owners and engine and chassis builders. Drivers must have been retired from the sport of race car driving for a minimum of five years and must have achieved significant accomplishments on the track at Berlin Raceway. Lifetime Achievement candidates must have a minimum of 20 years service to auto racing at Berlin Raceway and must have made a considerable impact upon Berlin Raceway.

Starting now, fans can vote for their top three choices online at http://www.berlinraceway.com. Fans may also vote via ballot in the raceday program during races (beginning on Saturday, April 15). To be inducted, a nominee must be listed on at least two thirds of the ballots. The top three qualified vote-getters will be inducted.

John Benson Sr., Grand Rapids, MI, Driver
(born April 24, 1937)
Benson's 25-year Berlin Raceway career (1966-1980) began with a supermodified before he switched to a late model in 1969. Benson dominated the 1970's at Berlin, winning seven track championships ('71, '72, '73, '74, '76, '77, '78). He won more than 191 features in his career at tracks all over the Midwest, mostly at Berlin. Benson is one of the most knowledgable racers in the industry and, after retiring from racing himself, became a car owner and passed his knowledge on to many drivers, including his son, NASCAR driver Johnny Benson Jr. He owns and operates Benson Speed Equipment.

The remaining 2006 Berlin Raceway Hall of Fame nominees, in alphabetical order, are:

Ralph Baker, Holland, MI, Driver
(born April 23, 1930)
Baker was one of the premier Berlin Raceway drivers in the late 1950's and 1960's. He began racing at Berlin in 1957, first running modifieds, then becoming one of the first drivers to race late model stock cars when he raced an ARCA race at Berlin. Baker won many races at Berlin, including the 1961 Tri-State race and the 1962 Spring Championship race among many others. His career took him traveling on the USAC and ARCA series tours in the late 1960's, but Baker never forgot his roots at Berlin Raceway, where he can still be found every Saturday night.

Ray Baker, Spring Lake, MI, Engine Builder
(born August 30, 1942)
One of the premier engine builders in Berlin Raceway history, Ray Baker has built winning engines for the likes of Mark Martin, Dale Earnhardt, Sr, Neil Bonnett, and Darrell Waltrip. From 1966 to 1994, the founder and former operater of Baker Engineered Racing Engines supplied engines for Berlin drivers Bob Senneker, Butch Miller, Fred Campbell, Mike Eddy, Ed Howe, Tom Maier, John Benson Sr, Randy Sweet, Bob Sensiba and Don Rand, and many others.

Dick Carter, Breckenridge, MI, Driver
(born August 17, 1934 - died August 14, 1965)
One of the greatest dirt-track racers of all time in Michigan, Carter began racing at Berlin Raceway in 1955 and won the 1957 Season Championship by lapping the entire field of cars in 100 laps. He also won the Spring Championship race in '61 and the Tri-State Championship race in '63. Carter holds the supermodified track record on Berlin's half-mile dirt track at 22.16. Carter's outstanding racing career was cut short on August 14, 1965, when he died in a crash while leading the field (after setting fast time, winning the fast car dash and winning his heat race).

Ed Howe, Beaverton, MI, Driver & Car Builder
(born December 9, 1938)
In addition to over 200 feature wins as a driver, Howe's company, Howe Racing Enterprises (which he still owns and operates), revolutionized the late model chassis. He has had drivers in his house car such as Bob Senneker, Tom Maier, Mike Eddy, Larry Moore, and Rodney Combs.

Bob Knight, Grand Rapids, MI, Driver
(died 1980)
Knight raced at Berlin Raceway on the dirt from 1951 to 1966. He won the Mid Season Championship race at Berlin for four straight years (1960-1963, as well as the season championship in 1961. That same year, he also won Kalamazoo Speedway's season championship on pavement, making him a track champion on two different surfaces in the same year. He won the Capital Airlines Trophy race in 1954, and won the most feature races in 1960.

Jimmy Meyer, Holland, MI, Flagman
(born December 14, 1934)
Meyer served as Berlin Raceway's official flagman from 1967 to 1997, earning the respect of drivers, car owners, officials and fans for his authoritative and flamboyant flagging style.

Harry Obie, Grand Rapids, MI, Car Owner, Engine and Car Builder
(born September 31, 1931 - died October 30, 1996)
Obie was a longtime car owner and innovater at Berlin Raceway. After a short driving career (1952 to 1955, when he was forced to retire after he was injured going to the aid of a fellow driver who had crashed), Obie became a car owner, fielding a car for Eddie VanderLaan beginning 1956. Randy Sweet was his next driver, from 1972 until Obie's retirement from racing in 1980. The Obie/Sweet team won the 1975 Berlin Raceway Late Model championship. With the help of Sweet, in 1980 Harry founded Obie Manufacturing, a maker of race car parts, and was a major innovator of new racing products such as the rack and pinion steering, spindles, and much of the equipment that both Sweet Manufacturing and Obie Manufacuring sell today. Sweet claims he wouldn't be Randy Sweet without the guidance and influence of Obie.

Johnny Roberts, Wheeler, MI, Driver
(born January 18, 1931)
Roberts raced at Berlin Raceway from 1955 to 1961. He changed the racing landscape at Berlin in 1957 when he built a radically new race car, the first true super modified race car to race at Berlin. His speedy new super modified car forced the rest of the field to imitate him in order to keep up. Throughout his career Roberts was almost unbeatable. The mid-season championships in 1957, 1958 and 1959 were among many victories in his seven-year Berlin Raceway career.

John Shipman, Grand Rapids, MI, PA Announcer
(born May 1, 1919)
Shipman was known as "the voice of Berlin Raceway" for most of the track's history, from 1957 through 1997. During his illustrious 40-year Berlin Raceway career, Shipman made it a point to know each driver personally, which greatly enhanced his commentary. He connected well with the fans and was a very popular announcer.

Robert "Smokey" Steele, Grand Rapids, MI, Car and Engine Builder and Track Maintenance
(born 1924 - died 1976)
Smokey was a race car builder, engine builder and crew chief for fellow Hall of Fame nominee Bob Knight from 1957 to 1964. Together they won several championship races at Berlin Raceway in cars owned by track owner Chet Mysliwiec. In addition, his "day" job was maintaining Berlin Raceway, including grading and watering the dirt track surface, for Mysliwiec. He was the grandfather of current Berlin Raceway driver Tim Steele.

AJ Stehouwer, Walker, MI, Car Owner and Race Official
(born Feb. 3, 1924 - died 1998)
A.J. was a car owner during Berlin's dirt era, from 1951 until Berlin paved its track in 1966. He was then hired as pit steward, a position he held until retiring in 1989. A.J. ran the entire pits during that time, handling lineups on restarts making the decision on who was running where. In addition, Stehouwer was the mayor of Walker for 11 years. He was the father of current Berlin Raceway driver Dave Stehouwer and his car owner/crew chief, Ed Stehouwer.

Eddie Vanderlaan, Grand Rapids, MI, Driver
(born April 7, 1933 - died November 24, 1991)
Brother of fellow nominee Gordy VanderLaan, Eddie was one of Berlin Raceway's top drivers from 1953 to 1976. He was Berlin's Rookie of the Year in 1953 and won the season championship in 1962. Was successful on dirt as well as on asphalt after the track was paved in 1966.

Gordy Vanderlaan, Grand Rapids, MI, Driver
(born July 25, 1928)
Brother of fellow nominee Eddie VanderLaan, Gordy raced at Berlin Raceway for 12 years, beginning when the track opened in 1951 and ending in 1962, when he was forced to retire from racing due to a non-racing injury. He was a three-time track champion (1952, 1955 and 1959). He also won the longest race ever held at a short track in Michigan when he finished first at the 500-lap race at the Ionia Fairgrounds (a race that was promoted by Chet Mysliwiec).

Bill Wiltse, Grand Rapids, MI, Driver
(born June 17, 1923 - died November 5, 1993)
Wiltse began racing at Berlin when the track opened in 1951 and raced here through 1959, racing jalopies, stock cars and super modifieds. Bill won the 1952 mid-season championship and the 1959 Michigan state championship race.

Ballots, nomination forms, complete eligibility criteria and selection procedures are available online:  www.berlinraceway.com/HOF.shtml.