Cars, trucks, and memorabilia showcasing the team’s success in off-road, NASCAR, ASA, and NHRA will be on permanent display; TV documentary to air in fall on the Fox Network.
ST. JOSEPH, MO – Herzog Motorsports, the team that competed successfully in a variety of racing series from 1987 until 2014, and was instrumental in helping launch the careers of such drivers as Jimmie Johnson, will be honored at Speedway Motors Museum of American Speed in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Oct. 15-16, 2021.
The two-day celebration at the Museum will commemorate the Herzog Family’s history in the sport and will include a public welcome party, autograph signings, a Cars and Coffee event and a private gala.
The celebration will not only recognize the Herzog Family’s racing legacy, it will kick off a long-term display and relationship with the Museum, and create a ‘family reunion’ of many former Herzog drivers, crew people, and other supporters.
The iconic cars and trucks that raced under the Herzog Motorsports banner and other memorabilia will be featured permanently at the Museum, and the display will be open to the public following the celebration. Race vehicles will include Baja and Pikes Peak-winning trucks, and Jimmie Johnson’s NASCAR Busch Series and ASA Monte Carlos.
A one-hour TV special on the history of the team and founders Stanley and Randy Herzog, with support from father Bill, is scheduled to air on Fox Network in September, produced by renowned motorsports reporter Rick Benjamin.
“It’s hard to believe that my family is being recognized for our racing efforts seven years after we stopped racing,” said Randy Herzog, who survived both his father and brother. “The days that our team campaigned in off-road, NASCAR, and even NHRA, were incredibly challenging and yet very rewarding. It’s such an honor to have our racing history on display at the American Museum of Speed. I know my dad Bill and my brother Stan would be thrilled.”
The elder Herzog and his sons built a multi-million-dollar business, Herzog Contracting Corp., based in St. Joseph, Missouri, and racing became a way for the adventurous family to entertain their company’s commercial customers, and build their interest in engineering challenges.
Herzog Motorsports started up in 1987, when Herzog Contracting was well into its second decade. Stan convinced brother Randy to try off-road competition and soon caught the attention of Ford Motorsports executives while they competed in the Southern California Off Road Enthusiasts (SCORE) race series, with partner George Wagenblast.
In the ‘90s the family fielded trucks in the High Desert Racing Association (HDRA) with Danny Ashcraft and Dave Mason, and also in the Short Course Off Road Drivers Association (SODA) with short-course master Scott Douglas.
With support from General Motors in 1996, Herzog Motorsports signed on young California native Jimmie Johnson, who took top honors in the SODA Chevrolet Off-Road Winter Series in the Herzog Motorsports Chevrolet.
The team went on to compete successfully in ASA with Jimmie and also Ricky Johnson; in NASCAR’s Busch Grand National Series with Jimmie and Todd Bodine; Larry Ragland in off-road and the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb. Ragland would become desert racing’s second most winning driver in history and was inducted in the 2016 Off Road Motorsports Hall of Fame.
Following the team’s last year competing in the NASCAR Busch Series, the Herzogs turned to NHRA drag racing in 2005. They were a major associate sponsor of Tony and Cruz Pedregon’s Funny Car teams for nearly a decade, as a means of engaging with their customers in a high-energy environment. Between them, the Pedregons won numerous races, and two of their four World Championships came under the Herzog banner.
After wrapping up a quarter century of motorsports involvement, the Herzogs searched for the right opportunity to display their collected trove of racing hardware. They found that when they met Clay Smith, President of the Museum of American Speed, in nearby Lincoln, Nebraska.
The Herzogs owned or sponsored race teams that won championships in SCORE, CORR, SODA, NHRA Funny Car class, and have scored victories in such prestigious events as the Baja 1000 and Pikes Peak International Hillclimb.
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About Speedway Motors Museum of American Speed:
Founded in 1992 by “Speedy” Bill and Joyce Smith, the Museum of American Speed is dedicated to preserving, interpreting and displaying physical items significant in racing and automotive history. It is a federally recognized 501 (c) (3) private foundation and currently encompasses more than 150,000 sq. ft. over three levels. The vast collection resulted from the Smiths’ personal involvement in racing and hot rodding for more than six decades, and their lifelong passion for collecting and preserving historic automotive artifacts.