WALTON, Ky. – After much deliberation and discussion with area health officials regarding the continuing issues presented by the COCID-19 pandemic, the Board Officers of the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame have made the decision to postpone the 2020 Induction Ceremony.

The 2020 Inductees will still have a complete luncheon and ceremony of their own on the Friday that coincides with the 2021 North-South 100 at Florence Speedway. The 2021 Class will still have their own luncheon and ceremony on Saturday.

“This is not something that we want to do. We were pained over the decision. But at the end of the day we have to ensure the health and safety of our inductees,” said Gerald Newton, CEO and President of the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame. “We simply don’t have enough space to be able to follow the current guidelines. And the majority of our inductees fall within the age range of the most at-risk group. We certainly don’t want to shortchange any of our class members on their induction so this was the most logical option available to us. This is also very difficult for our officers and staff. We spend all year planning and building up for our induction ceremony. There is a lot that goes into putting that together and it is disheartening to just have to put it all on hold for a year. But we will be more prepared than ever when we come back in 2021. We have some additional building upgrades that will be happening in the near future that will welcome both classes in 2021.”

The National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame is a 501c3 non-profit organization which is maintained and operates solely on donations and fund-raising efforts. The Hall of Fame annually hosts a large memorabilia auction in conjunction with the induction event which is on the same weekend as Florence’s North-South 100.

The National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame also handles the 50/50 ticket sales at Florence Speedway, the Gateway Dirt Nationals, the Dirt Track World Championship and other select events.