Wheldon, Jenkins Named to IMS Hall of Fame
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame is adding two big names. Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon and longtime broadcaster and IMS public address announcer Bob Jenkins have been elected to join the hall this year.
Wheldon and Jenkins were selected from a ballot of 14 nominees by a panel of more than 140 auto racing journalists, participants and historians.
Wheldon won the Indy 500 in 2005 and 2011. He earned 16 wins during his career in the NTT IndyCar Series before a crash in late 2011 in Las Vegas claimed his life.
Jenkins, born in Richmond and raised in Liberty, Indiana, was one of the first on-air employees of ESPN covering motorsports in 1979. He served as a the "Voice of the 500" on the IMS Radio Network from 1990-1998 and also anchored the IndyCar Series broadcasts on NBCSN until his retirement in 2012. He continues to be a part of the IMS Public Address team during the month of May.
"We’re extremely pleased that the IMS Hall of Fame voting panel have chosen Dan and Bob to be enshrined with so many legends of motorsport," said Tony George, president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Foundation, which operates the IMS Museum. "Both of these men have never been shy about their love for IMS. Dan was more than a great father, husband, son and friend – we celebrate the man he was and his enthusiasm for life. Bob has brought to life some of the most memorable moments in IMS history – the closest ‘500’ finish in 1992 and Jeff Gordon’s victory at the inaugural Brickyard 400 immediately come to mind. His contributions to the Speedway are many."
Wheldon and Jenkins will be formally inducted May 23 at the 2019 IMS Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Indianapolis 500 Oldtimers Dinner in downtown Indianapolis.