Long-ago billionaire recluse joins Jeff Gordon and others in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America.
Jeff Gordon … and Howard Hughes?
Does sorta jump out at you, doesn’t it? Gordon, one of NASCAR’s all-time greats, was an easy pick to be among the seven new inductees for the Daytona Beach-based Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. But Howard Hughes? The eccentric billionaire who eventually became an oddball recluse before his 1976 death?
Yes, that Howard Hughes
Prior to going into hiding, one of Hughes’ passions was aviation. He developed planes and as a pilot set several records for speed and distance in the 1930s-40s. He’ll be the 14th Hall inductee falling under the aviation category, joining former airplane racers and pioneers such as Amelia Earhart and Jimmy Doolittle. Hall president Ron Watson called the Gordon-Hughes combo “probably the best example we've ever had to illustrate the breadth of our inductee roll.” Induction ceremony is in March.
Any Danica news?
Yes, but not what we were expecting. She still has no ride to announce for either the Daytona or Indy 500 this year. And while she told a radio audience “you can’t rush things,” in terms of Daytona, it’s practically time for the two-minute drill. But at least she’s back on the gossip pages, now linked to Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. She has neither confirmed or denied that news.
— Ken Willis, ken.willis@news-jrnl.com