This is the single greatest honor in the motor vehicle industry, intended to honor a career and/or lifetime achievement. To become a "Hall of Famer" the nominee must be either retired or deceased. Recipients must have significantly impacted the development of the automobile or the motor vehicle industry. Typically, four to eight individuals are inducted each year.
Wally Parks is considered by many to be the patriarch of the ?performance and specialty? products segment of the automotive industry. As founder of the National Hot Road Association, he was responsible for many safety regulations in racing sports. His articles for Hot Rod magazine inspired generations of young motor sports enthusiasts.
Wally Parks? achievements have earned him induction into the Specialty Equipment Manufacturing Association (SEMA) Hall of Fame and the International Motor Sports Hall of Fame. In 1973, the specialty industry named Parks as their Person of the Year.
Although officially retired, Wally Parks continues his efforts to promote motor sports as a genuinely educational endeavor. He remains dedicated to the progress of automotive hobbies, racing, and the automotive industry itself.
