NEMA’s Humphrey Earns Midget Hall of Fame Spot
Six time Northeastern Midget Association champion Dave Humphrey has been elected to the National Midget Hall of Fame. He will be inducted with Phil Walters (aka Ted Tappett), Jeff Gordon and Kevin Doty.
The introduction will be Jan. 10 as part of the pre-race ceremonies at the Chili Bowl Nationals in Tulsa, OK. The Midget Hall of Fame is located at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, WI.
Humphrey, a member of the New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame, ranks second in all-time NEMA victories with 72. Driving for, among others, Bob Pascale, Mike Scrivani and John McCarthy, he was a NEMA standout for over two decades. Prior to NEMA, he was successful in stock cars and sprint cars.
Fittingly, Humphrey’s first (July 5, 1965) and last (Oct. 12, 1986) NEMA wins came at Seekonk Speedway.
Long Islander Walters took the name “Ted Tappett” when he began Midget racing before World War II. After the war, he was an ARDC standout before spending a brief but very successful time in stock cars. As Phil Walters, he moved up to sports cars with Briggs Cunningham running all over the world.
Humphrey joins a group with impressive NEMA credentials including Ken Breen Sr., Johnny Coy and Dutch Schaefer. He and Tappett bolster the northeastern representation that includes Johnny Thomson and Joe Sostillo. Both raced with the Bay State Cub in the 40s and early 50s before going on to national fame.
Sources: Pete Zanardi