Daytona Beach, Fla. • Four-time and retired NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon was an obvious choice for the Motorsports Hall of Fame. One of his fellow inductees seemed like a totally random selection.
The other inductees are dragster builder John Buttera, Indianapolis Motor Speedway founder Carl G. Fisher, motorcycle great Fred Merkel, three-time Indianapolis 500 champion owner U.E. Pat Patrick and sports-car team creator Bob Tullius.
"Some of these aviators were the Babe Ruths of their day," Watson said. "So Hughes, with his colorful life, was a tremendous aviator and set records, and this is totally deserved.