Parker, Weatherly Enter Motorsports Hall

The two motorcycle racers were joined by NHRA drag racing champion Kenny Bernstein, sports car racer and broadcaster David Hobbs, former NFL Pro Bowler and International Race of Champions co-founder Les Richter, CART champion Al Unser, Jr. and H.A. Humpy Wheeler, former president and general manager of Lowes Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C.

Parker is a nine-time AMA Grand National Champion with 94 Grand National wins, both AMA records. Best known as a factory rider for Harley-Davidson, Parker earned victories in all flat track competition categories: miles, half-miles, short track and TT steeplechase. Parker earned the AMA Rookie of the Year award in 1979 with a win at the nationals at Du Quoin, Ill., making him, at the time, the youngest rider to win an AMA Grand National race.

Parker won the AMA Grand National Championship in1988-1991, tying Carroll Reswebers long-standing record of four consecutive titles. After a couple of off-years, by his standard, Parker set a new record with a string of five AMA Grand National Championships in 1994-1998.

With several records to his name, including an unprecedented three AMA Athlete of the Year awards, Parker retired in 2000 and was inducted to the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2003.

Weatherly is best known as a two-time NASCAR champion, but before he began racing stock cars, he was a motorcycle racer. Weatherly won three AMA nationals, including a victory at the 1948 Laconia Classic 100-Mile. In 1952, Weatherly decided to focus on NASCAR racing where he later won championships in 1962 and 1963.

Weatherly died in a NASCAR race in Riverside, Calif. on Jan. 19, 1964. He was inducted to the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1998.