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NORWAY SPEEDWAY’S “IRONMAN” BRUCE WHITE, FOUR OTHERS TO BE INDUCTED INTO NORWAY SPEEDWAY HALL OF FAME JUNE 24
Posted on: Monday March 7, 2022
ATTENTION SPORTS/MOTORSPORTS – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
KINGSFORD’S BRUCE WHITE AMONG FIVE INDUCTEES FOR NORWAY SPEEDWAY 2022 HALL OF FAME NIGHT JUNE 24
(Norway, MI) March 7 – Norway Speedway’s original “Ironman” Bruce White of Kingsford is among the five Norway Speedway drivers scheduled to be ushered into the Norway Speedway 2022 Hall of Fame Friday June 24 during a ceremony at the Dickinson County Fairgrounds.
Bruce White smiles as he buckles up behind the wheel of his familiar orange number 23 at Norway Speedway.
White, who still wheels a late model weekly at the third-mile paved oval on Friday nights, will be joined by four other racers who’ve battled during different time periods at the Speedway: Marquette’s Mike Mattson, Escanaba’s Dale Peterson, Aurora, Wisconsin’s Ed “Big Bird” Hedlund and Menominee’s Red Adair.
White’s career began at Norway in the early 1970’s and is one of the very few racers still competing who’ve raced on both Norway’s dirt oval and when the track was paved in 1980. While White’s resume may not boast multiple titles his dedication to the track’s weekly program has gone unmatched. White can count the number of times he’s missed a race in his entire career at Norway on one hand and when his name is announced over the track’s p.a. system, he often draws a loud chorus of cheers from the old-school, covered wooden grandstands.
In addition, White served as president of the Dickinson County Racing Association (DCRA) – the club that promotes the weekly racing program at Norway.
Marquette’s Mike Mattson was a Norway Speedway late model frontrunner in the 1980’s, beating short track legend Dick Trickle in the popular Stateline Challenge. (Bob Bergeron photo)
Mattson is perhaps the most notable racer to emerge from Marquette. Mattson’s biggest win of his career came at Norway in 1985 when he nipped the nation’s winningest short track driver – Dick Trickle – at the line to capture the Stateline Challenge. Mattson was always a consistent front runner and feature winner, especially in the 1980s.
Peterson hailed from Escanaba and captured the track’s late model track championship in 1997. Peterson was also a two-time winner of the Stateline Challenge race, capturing the popular border contest in 1998 and 2002.
Escanaba’s Dale Peterson was a two time winner of the prestigious Stateline Challenge. (danlewisphoto.net)
Hedlund began racing at Norway when it was still a dirt track in 1974. Hedlund battled weekly at Norway in multiple divisions including hobby stock, bombers, street stocks and eventually wound up competing in the late model division. Hedlund hung up his helmet in 1991 to focus on spending more time with his boys with baseball and other sports.
Ed Hedlund, nicknamed “Big Bird” hailed from Aurora, Wisconsin. (photo courtesy of Tribute to Norway Speedway FB page)
Adair got his start racing at Norway in the old six-cylinder division with a car he obtained from fellow Hall of Famer Fred Gignac. After switching to the late model class Adair raced in Norway’s top division for 20 seasons, also serving as a board member at large for the DCRA for a two-year term in the mid-1990s.
The five inductees will be honored during a ceremony on the frontstretch during intermission. Included as part of the regular racing program that evening will be the Vintage Modifieds who will put on a pair of exhibition races.
Time trials get underway June 24 at 5:30 p.m. with the first green flag flying at 7 p.m.
You can learn more about Norway Speedway Hall of Fame through our Facebook page.
