The Dick Hammond Dedication to Auto Racing Award was presented to long time area racer Bill Torrisi, in recognition of his 50 + year involvement in the sport.

Mae Urban, who in 2008, was the first woman to win a Holland points title in a predominantly male racing division, earned the Woman in Racing Award. The Mechanical Achievement Award was presented to TQ Midget team owner Vince Christiano, Sr. Buffalo radio station WEDG-FM (103.3 The Edge) was presented the Promotional Award for their successful Wednesday evening Cruise Nights at Dunn Tire Raceway Park.

Lou Ensworth, who has been a writer, photographer, and racing historian for over 60 years, was presented the Media Award.

Special Recognition Awards were presented to Pete Bicknell, in recognition of his 11th career Ransomville 358 Modified title and his 2008 Mr. DIRTCar 358 Modified crown; Joe Evans, in recognition of his first career SST Sportsman feature race wins and his overall SST Touring Series championship in just his second year of racing; and James Michael Friesen, for his accomplishments dirt sportsman racing, with feature wins at six different speedways and a first career track title (at Ransomville) in 2008.

Contribution to Racing Awards were presented to Friends of Auto Racing Club member Sandy Boczar for her extra efforts in fund raising for the Dunn Tire Raceway Park points fund, and to Dunn Tire Raceway Park Director of tock Car Events Lori Overdorf for her work maintaining a successful oval track program at the Lancaster speedplant.


The annual banquet fetes top drivers in Western New York and Ontario’s Niagara Region, and introduces the newest members to the select Hall of those who have had a significant impact in the region’s rich motorsports history. Each of the inductees received a recognition award, while the permanent Hall of Fame trophy and display is housed at the International Motor Racing Research Center at Watkins Glen. The banquet was held at the Elks Club in Lancaster, NY. Masters of Ceremonies Rick Mooney and Dave Buchanan presided over the inductions.

Over the course of a 20 year racing career, John Julicher raced his way to 84 career wins and ten track titles. 74 of those wins and nine of those championships were at his home track of Lancaster Speedway. He was part of the relatively new Lancaster Street Stock class in the mid-70's which evolved into the current Dunn Tire Raceway Park Late Model division, and was a winner and titleist in all phases of that evolution. He was a two-time winner of the Late Model Race of Champions at Oswego Speedway (1998 and 2002), and was the 1988 Spencer Speedway Late Model champion. His victory total at Lancaster puts him fourth on the oval’s all-time winner’s list. Retired racer and Foar Score Hall of Fame member Ron Martin made the presentation.

The late Jack Veach was a well-respected area racing official for over 35 years. He handled virtually every officials job at some point in his career, from registering to flagging to serving as race director, and at numerous tracks, both dirt and asphalt. He was a regular at the Syracuse mile as part of the Super DIRT Week officials staff, and assisted at major special events on both sides of the American/Canadian border. His efforts were recognized by DIRT in 2000, as he was the recipient of the Leonard J. Sammons Contribution to Racing Award.  Jack’s wife Bonnie, daughter Dawn, and son John accepted the award; Foar Score Recording Secretary and Historian Mark Southcott made the presentation.

From the mid-50's to the late-70's, the Turner Brothers were considered among the leading race car builders and owners in the northeast. Their successes were the result of imagination, innovation, and a strong work ethic, producing some top notch equipment in their Scottsville, NY shop. The roster of drivers who competed and won in their equipment reads like a who’s who of area racing, and includes Elmer Musclow,
Dutch Hoag, Lee Osborne, Booby Merz, Mike Miller, and Gary Reichert. Notable among their well over 200 wins were the 1967 Race of Champions at Langhorne, with Hoag behind the wheel, the initial Modified Bud 150 at Oswego in 1969 with Merz driving, and the amazing 28 victory 1967 season for Osborne. Track championships at such venues as Monroe County, Hemlock, Spencer, and Shangri-La are part of their record.
Gail Turner accepted the award on behalf of her late husband Ray, while Ken Turner accepted the award on behalf of his father Don. Modified car owner Dave DeLange made the presentation..

This induction class brings the total membership in the Friends of Auto
Racing Hall of Fame to 100.