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Curator's Corner / Artifacts

A Horse’s What?

Red Farmer’s artifact case shows off his championships, his Most Popular Driver Awards and his sense of humor.

Hall of Famer Red Farmer is a four-time NASCAR champion. Photo courtesy of NASCAR Research & Archives Center via Getty Images

When someone is inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, their accomplishments are recognized with a display in the Hall of Honor that includes a car, a case with 20 or so artifacts and a spire with an etched portrait, a video of their career highlights and a brief bio.

The artifacts in the cases serve several purposes: The celebrate the crowning moments of an inductee’s career, showcase what matters to them on and off the track, and informs guests of things they might know about that person.

The really cool thing about the artifact cases is that each one is as unique as the individual they represent.

And that’s as it should be.

The cases are meant to reflect the unique personalities of each and every featured NASCAR legend.

In the Hall of Honor, a diverse collection of artifacts highlights Red Farmer’s remarkable racing career, which began more than 70 years ago. Photo courtesy of NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Take Class of 2021 inductee Red Farmer, for example.

Red is a colorful and funny guy. Given that he’s been racing since 1948, Red is an almost limitless source of racing stories, some serious, some funny and some off the wall. But they’re all entertaining.

When you live to be 89 years old, as Red is, you’ve seen a lot and you know a lot – more on that last point in just a minute.

In Red’s artifact case in the Hall of Honor, you’ll find items like his jacket from his 1956 Modified Division championship, a Late Model Division championship trophy and Most Popular Driver awards from both series.

And, of course, there’s the trophy and the checkered flag from the 1971 Permatex 300 at Daytona International Speedway, which Red considers his single most important race victory.

“Mr. Know It All” is one of Red Farmer’s most unique trophies. Photo courtesy of NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Remember when we wrote about seeing a lot and knowing a lot?

Apparently one of Red’s friends does, too.

So at some point a pal gave Farmer a unique trophy that is part of his artifact case in the Hall of Honor.

Inscribed with “Mr. Know It All,” the trophy consists of a base, an empty 12-ouncde Miller High Life can and the topper, which will politely describe as the south end of a northbound horse.

Red said one of his buddies gave him the trophy after hearing a story or two too many from the Hall of Famer.

In truth, “Mr. Know It All” is a pretty funny choice and one that speaks volumes about the sense of humor Red has. So stop on by the NASCAR Hall of Fame. You never know what you might see next.

Plan your visit to the NASCAR Hall of Fame and purchase tickets at nascarhall.com/tickets.

Tom Jensen

Tom Jensen

Tom is the Curatorial Affairs Manager at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. For more than 25 years, he has been part of the NASCAR media industry.

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