Some of the leaders of the Howard’s softball team that won national attention and championships, left to right: the late Bobby Howard Sr., Gene Fisher, Don Arndt and team owner Richard Howard, who died in 1998.
By CHRIS HOBBS
HobbsDailyReport.com
CHARLOTTE — Richard Howard, whose fingerprint remains on NASCAR racing and whose impact guided the organization through some of its tougher earlier times, was honored Sunday with a Hall of Fame induction.
Howard — who died in April of 1998 at age 73 — was one of three inducted into the Class of 2022 for the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) Hall of Fame, acknowledging his contributions to NASCAR, racing and Charlotte Motor Speedway.
His family, still based in Catawba County, attended induction ceremonies at Hendrick Motor Sports.
Howard was a sportsman’s sportsman, from starting a local men’s softball team that became a national power to playing a key role in the development of athletics (and other things) at Bandys High, which his children and grandchildren attended.
Howard’s championship team at Smoky Mountain Classic in Maryville, Tenn./FACEBOOK PHOTO
His role in the development of NASCAR — and the ideas and what he was able to do with Charlotte Motor Speedway while serving as vice president, general manager (1964-1976)and president — is often overlooked.
A majority of the infrastructure, including roads leading into CMS, came with Howard’s vision when he brought the track out of bankruptcy in the 1960s.
But he is best perhaps remembered for his quiet, kind nature — he was like a grandpa his family shared with other grand kids — and he was also respected for his astute business skills and love of community.
When athletic teams at Bandys advanced deep into the state playoffs in a sport, Mr. Howard coordinated team pre-game meals at his restaurants nearest the area the team was playing in. He often came and enjoyed the meal with the student-athletes before attending the games.
While his devotion was to a particular school and he lived on U.S. 150 in Denver, N.C. (proudly), Howard supported high schools and other sports throughout the Catawba County Schools during his lifetime.
The support and networking of Howard’s Western Steer Mom and Pop’s restaurants were a key in the North Carolina High School’s Athletic Association (NCHSAA) ability to launch its idea of having West and East basketball Regionals. The Hickory area was home to the West Regionals for more than the first two decades of that tournament format.
Howard’s softball teams brought him regional and national fame, as did having the home field for Howard’s — his close-knit family softball team — literally in the back yard of his home.
His team produced the late Bobby Lutz Sr., its beloved manager, and his son, Bobby, rose to prominence in both local prep basketball and at the college level (head coach at Pfeiffer University and Charlotte, major assistant at N.C. State and Iowa State, now on staff at Ole Miss).
In baseball, former two-time major league reliever Bryan Harvey, now retired, played and was around Howard’s softball while growing up around his dad, the late Stan Harvey. Stan Harvey was one of softball’s most prolific home run hitters.
Rick (Crusher) Scheer — whose son (Adam, goes by Braun Stroman) is now a big-time wresting star — was one of the stars at Howard’s, and the softball team literally has too many star names to mention without leaving someone of importance off that list.
The teams used to load up as families and travel the Southeast, the country and the world, and among those who was a significant supporter of athletics in the region — and like his father in the community — was Rick Howard.
MORE ON RICHARD HOWARD’S INDUCTION: https://www.speedwaydigest.com/index.php/news/racing-news/65475-dan-gurney-herb-nab-and-richard-howard-elected-to-nmpa-hall-of-fame
LEARN MORE ABOUT HOWARD’S SOFTBALL: https://vimeo.com/259047772
