The NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023 Induction Ceremony will take place Friday, Jan. 20, in Charlotte, NC.
Matt Kenseth, Hershel McGriff and Kirk Shelmerdine make up the Hall of Fame’s 13th class. In addition, Mike Helton was named recipient of the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR.
In celebration of the Class of 2023, the NASCAR Hall of Fame provided this get-to-know bio on Helton: MIKE HELTON HOMETOWN: BRISTOL, VA BORN: 8/30/1953 Beginning with the 2015 class, the Landmark Award for outstanding contributions to NASCAR was introduced to honor significant contributions to the growth and esteem of NASCAR.
Helton is easily one of the most familiar faces and names in the NASCAR community.
The first person outside the France family to be named NASCAR President (in 2000), he started his leadership career with the sport back in 1980 and now serves as Vice Chairman of NASCAR.
His nearly five-decade long career in the sport has been spent in a variety of jobs. He was a track operator at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, and even raced a little himself, before joining NASCAR. During his time as President, Helton cemented NASCAR’s presence in major markets both within the United States, as well as Mexico, Canada and Europe. His hard work on the competition side of the sport included a push to increase safety standards – something NASCAR took the lead on and continues to revolutionize today.
His influence is also seen in the NASCAR Research & Development Center in Concord, N.C. – the first such facility owned and operated by a racing sanctioning body. Helton currently serves as a member of the NASCAR Board of Directors as well as the Board of Directors for The NASCAR Foundation.
THE BLUE JACKET
The legends of the sport are recognized with one of the most unique keepsakes there is: a handcrafted NASCAR Hall of Fame blue jacket.
The jacket is an exclusive NASCAR Hall of Fame blue that’s not available to the general public. It’s handcrafted by Oxxford Clothes in Chicago—one of the only completely handmade suit makers in America. Like a distinguished career in racing, there is no substitute for hard work and each jacket represents 28 hours of stitching, pressing and sewing.
• Designed by Taylor Richards & Conger in Charlotte, NC
• Made of an exclusive mohair fabric from Holland & Sherry in Scotland