On Saturday, January 13th, a new chapter of history was cemented with the Alabama Auto Racing Pioneers, as they inducted their 2023 Hall of Fame class. 

Alabama Auto Racing Pioneers (AARP) is an organization of over 300 motor racing advocates that cherish and honor the history of motorsports in the Yellowhammer State. The Pioneers Hall of Fame sees a class of inductees, both living and deceased, enter their ranks every year. In addition to inducting drivers and other racing figures into the Hall of Fame, AARP presents the B.J. Parker Racing Ambassador Award to one honored recipient each year who has promoted and helped grow the sport. 

Many notable names have been added to the Hall of Fame over the years. Names such as Red Farmer, Donnie Allison, Bobby Allison, Davey Allison, and several others. 

The 2023 AARP Hall of Fame class honored four deceased individuals and four living individuals in addition to the B.J. Parker Award. We will go through each of those recipients and shed a little light on their great stories in motorsports. 

Deceased Inductees

John Ozley – A native of Helena, Alabama, “Big John” Ozley got his first taste of racing by working in a race shop in the late 1960’s. The race shop happened to be in possession of a car owned by Dave Mader Jr., a local racing star. Ozley went on to purchase the car years later in a deal organized with another local racer, Windle Morgan. The team went on to win a NASCAR Late Model Sportsman championship shortly thereafter. In 1974, Ozley was recruited by Bill Hamner to fill a position at Bobby Allison Racing, the position being in the parts department. Ozley worked at Bobby Allison Racing in several roles until 1980, when he became employed at RPM Enterprises as a performance parts distributor. Ozley stayed in this role for most of the 1980’s before joining the Southern All-Stars Racing Series in 1990 as a series official, a title he would hold through 2004. Ozley passed away in 2017. 

Clayton Reuse – Originally from Bedford, Ohio, Clayton Reuse moved to Alabama in 1970, competing in several SCCA races throughout the 1970’s. In 1982, Reuse began competing at Birmingham International Raceway in the Limited Sportsman class. A unique opportunity presented itself to Reuse in 1984, as he became the promoter and operator at BIR. After stepping down as promoter in 1985, Reuse became a co-owner/member of Stanley Smith’s racing team. Reuse unfortunately passed away in 2006, but his sons Bobby and Roger Reuse are still very active in the local racing scene. 

Lois Rewis – Lois Rewis was an active member of the local racing community all over the southeast, but she is most notable for being the smiling face that greeted drivers at the pit gate of Montgomery Motor Speedway over the course of several decades. Mrs. Rewis, the wife of local racing star Dennie Rewis, joins her husband in the Alabama Auto Racing Pioneers Hall of Fame, as the couple have become the second husband/wife pair to be added to the Hall of Fame. Lois Rewis would stay a familiar sight at MMS all the way up until her passing in February of 2023. It was evident that her heart was set on being at the track, and it was truly where she was the happiest. With her induction, she becomes the first person ever to be presented the B.J. Parker Award along with being inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Tony Walls – Born and raised in Albertville, Alabama, Tony Walls first began racing in 1987 at his home track, Huntsville Speedway. In 122 starts, Walls collected 16 wins and one Late Model Track Championship. Walls was also active in several touring series, but he had the most success in the Southern All-Stars Racing Series, where he won well over 40 races and was the 1998 series champion. Perhaps the most defining moment of Walls’s storied career came in 1993, where Walls was offered a cash incentive to start in the rear of the field for the World Crown 300 at I-70 Speedway. Walls was working his way through the field, but was involved in a fiery crash that almost killed him. Walls was a fighter, though, and won in only his second race back at Senoia Raceway. Walls passed away in 2013, but leaves behind a legacy of grit and perseverance. 

Living Inductees

Johnny Brazier – Johnny Brazier is a native of Lick Skillet, Alabama, and has been racing for most of his life. His racing career started in the early 1990’s, running Mini Stocks at Huntsville Speedway and Birmingham International Raceway. Brazier soon moved up to Late Models and Open Wheel Modifieds, which you can still see him run today. Brazier was a force to be reckoned with in the Southern All-Stars Racing Series, winning two series championships in the mid-1990’s. In 2006, Brazier would win the pole for that year’s Snowball Derby. He crossed the finish line first, but was later disqualified due to being two pounds light on weight. It is belived that contact from an alteraction in the race was the reason for that weight change. As a sign of good sportsmanship, several of the other competitors pitched in to give Brazier a replica of the winners trophy. Later, in 2012, Brazier would win the Late Model Track Championship at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway.

Billy Melvin – Billy Melvin started his racing career at Sayre Speedway, running in the Pure Street and Street Stock divisions. He later started running in several Southern All-Stars Racing Series and Southern All-Stars Pro Truck Series races. Melvin has picked up premier wins all over the southeast, such as wins in Rattler 250, World Classic, and Snowball Derby features. After semi-retiring in 2015, Melvin received a call from AARP Hall of Famer Bob Massey, asking him to run his late model. The pair have won four championships since then, and you can still see “Wild” Billy Melvin and his family racing at local venues all across the state of Alabama.

Buster Carden – Born in Calhoun County, Alabama, Buster Carden was involved in racing starting at a young age. In the 1960’s, he and his brother Lewis drag raced and later started building oval track cars together. After a short stint of fabrication work in South Carolina for Bog Rogers’s Winston Cup team, Carden returned to Alabama and worked for a few different race car manufacturers and companies. Carden has built and maintained cars for names such as Benny McDaniel, Jerry Goodwin, and Justin McRee just to name a few. Today, Carden still works with several drivers and teams, teaching the younger crowd of racers all he has learned over the years.

Moody Knight – Moody Knight is no stranger to competition. Starting in the 1960’s, he faced off against several contingents of drivers, the first being a group of Nashville Fairgrounds regulars who descended upon his home track of Huntsville Speedway. He later found himself racing against a certain group of racers from south Florida who would later be known as The Alabama Gang. Aside from racing, Knight spent some time operating Huntsville Speedway, and is responsible for NASCAR’s return to the facility. Several racers at Huntsville who went on the path to stardom have Moody Knight to thank. One such driver was Jimmy Means, as Knight played a crucial role in Means’s upbringing in racing. Knight leaves behind a legacy of helping several individuals, being selfless and a class act along the way.

B.J. Parker Racing Ambassador Award

Miley Martin – For well over 50 years, Miley Martin has helped keep Sayre Speedway running, operating in countless roles. Whether it be working the gate, running the flag stand, answering the phone, or well, really anything, her commitment to the track she loves is a testament to her upstanding character. It is no surprise that Ms. Martin is the 2023 recipient of the B.J. Parker Award.

If you are interested in joining the Alabama Auto Racing Pioneers, or are interested in attending one of their upcoming events, you can find more information at aarpinc.org