NASCAR Hall of Fame class of 2017 highlights: Raymond Parks – FOXSports.com

At a news conference at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March of 2009, Parks and his family announces their intentinos to donate many of their NASCAR awards, trophies and other memorarbilia to the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Among those in attendance were (from L-R), NASCAR president Mike Helton, Parks’ wife Vi, Parks and NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty.

“He set the standard,” Petty once said of Parks. “Mr. Parks brought the sport class. It took people like Mr. Parks to lay the foundation we’re living off of. Without him, we wouldn’t have the history we have and we wouldn’t be where we are today.”