2023 LANDMARK AWARD NOMINEES
ALVIN HAWKINS
(B. 3/3/1915 - D. 7/8/1970)
Hometown: Spartanburg, SC
As Bill France Sr. began the daunting task of building the foundation of NASCAR, Alvin Hawkins was there as a foremost advisor. Hawkins, NASCAR’s first flagman, attended the momentous 1947 meeting at the Streamline Hotel in Daytona Beach, Florida, that signaled the start of what would become the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. Later, France and Hawkins established NASCAR racing at Bowman Gray Stadium. The Hawkins family continues to operate the quarter-mile track, one that is an institution in the sport and a crown jewel for short track racers throughout the country. In 2015, Bowman Gray Stadium celebrated its 1,000th NASCAR race. Through the years, the Stadium has hosted a variety of NASCAR series, including the premier series from 1958-71. Its premier series winners list includes NASCAR Hall of Famers Lee Petty, Rex White, Glen Wood, Richard Petty, Junior Johnson, David Pearson and Bobby Allison.
JANET GUTHRIE
(B. 3/7/1938)
Hometown: Miami, FL
Janet Guthrie moved on from a successful career as an aerospace engineer in the early 1960s, trading equations for a wheel to become a full-time racer in 1972. A true pioneer in motorsports, Guthrie became the first woman to compete in a NASCAR premier series superspeedway race when she drove to a 15th-place finish in the 1976 World 600. The next year, she piloted cars in the Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500, becoming the first female to participate in both events. Guthrie steered her car to a sixth-place finish at Bristol in 1977, a career-best finish. Overall, the University of Michigan graduate made 33 premier series starts, logging five top-10 finishes. Guthrie was a member of the first class inducted into the International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame. Her helmet and firesuit are on display at the Smithsonian Institution.
MIKE HELTON
(B. 8/30/1953)
Hometown: Bristol, VA
Mike Helton is easily one of the most familiar faces and names in the NASCAR community. The first person outside the France family to be named NASCAR President (in 2000), he started his leadership career with the sport back in 1980 and now serves as Vice Chairman of NASCAR. His nearly five-decade long career in the sport has been spent in a variety of jobs. He was a track operator at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, and even raced a little himself, before joining NASCAR. During his time as President, Helton cemented NASCAR’s presence in major markets both within the United States, as well as Mexico, Canada and Europe. His hard work on the competition side of the sport included a push to increase safety standards – something NASCAR took the lead on and continues to revolutionize today. His influence is also seen in the NASCAR Research & Development Center in Concord, N.C. – the first such facility owned and operated by a racing sanctioning body. Helton currently serves as a member of the NASCAR Board of Directors as well as the Board of Directors for The NASCAR Foundation.
DR. JOSEPH MATTIOLI
(B. 8/11/25 - D. 1/26/1912)
Hometown: Pocono, PA
One of the most universally revered members of the sport of auto racing, Dr. Joseph (Doc) Mattioli founded Pocono Raceway in 1968 in the lush and scenic Pocono Mountains. Doc, a dentist and World War II veteran, and his wife Rose, a podiatrist, purchased property in the area and were approached about building a race track on site – something that intrigued the couple even though they had never been to a race. The rest is history – as they. The 2.5-mile triangular-shaped track has hosted all of America’s top racing series but has been a particularly prime stop on the NASCAR schedule. It was designed by two-time Indy 500 winner Rodger Ward and each of the three turns is completely different – each modeled off another track. Some of NASCAR’s biggest heroes own Pocono trophies, including all three seven-time champions (Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and Jimmie Johnson). In all, 13 NASCAR Hall of Famers have a Pocono Cup Series win. Unique to the facility is solar energy “farm” set on dozens of acres surrounding the track making it the largest solar-powered sports facility in the world.
Lesa France Kennedy
(B. 05/24/1961)
Hometown: Daytona Beach, Florida
Lesa France Kennedy is the Executive Vice Chair of NASCAR and one of the most influential women in sports. In her more than 30-year career with ISC (International Speedway Corporation), Kennedy advanced through several key executive positions with increasing responsibility including Secretary, Treasurer, Executive Vice President and CEO. Kennedy spearheaded the revitalization of Phoenix Raceway, and the state-of-the-art Daytona Rising project at Daytona International Speedway. She also helped cement NASCAR’s presence in the Midwest with the building of Kansas Speedway. Kennedy has been honored by Forbes, Adweek, Sports Business Journal, the National Women’s History Museum and is enshrined in the Cynopsis Sports Hall of Fame.
Images courtesy of ISC Archives/Getty Images
