Dick Berggren
Dick Berggren has had a most varied career, beginning with race car driver. A pretty fair one at that, with 26 career victories in---let’s see if I’ve got them all---sprint cars, Modifieds both dirt (two types) and asphalt, stock cars, and supermods. I actually saw Dick race an asphalt Modified at Beech Ridge Speedway in Maine. Then there’s racing photographer, writer, and public address announcer.
How about college professor (a fair use of one’s PhD in psychology) at Boston’s Emmanuel College. Northeast Editor of Stock Car Racing Magazine, then Editor during the magazine’s greatest period of growth. Started and edited Open Wheel Magazine (perhaps the only person in the country simultaneously editing two national publications). Dick survived the ownership transfer of SCR and OW from Adrian Lopez to Bob Guccione but not a later Prime Media coup d’état. After a long and tedious search for new backers, he started Dick Berggren’s Speedway Illustrated.
Along the way Dick worked some MRN radio broadcasts, which beginning in 1981 led to Television, mostly as an ace pit reporter, for ESPN, CBS, TBS, TNN, and from 2001 through mid-2012 Fox and Fox Sports. And I can’t leave out, movie star. Dick played himself in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby!
Since retiring from TV and pretty much handing the reins of SI over to Karl Fredrickson, Dick is spearheading the construction of the North East Motor Sports Museum being built next door to New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon.
Several of here tonight---writers and photographers---have, over the years, proudly worked with Dick and we along with all of the membership welcome Dr. Dick Berggren to the EMPA Hall of Fame.
How about college professor (a fair use of one’s PhD in psychology) at Boston’s Emmanuel College. Northeast Editor of Stock Car Racing Magazine, then Editor during the magazine’s greatest period of growth. Started and edited Open Wheel Magazine (perhaps the only person in the country simultaneously editing two national publications). Dick survived the ownership transfer of SCR and OW from Adrian Lopez to Bob Guccione but not a later Prime Media coup d’état. After a long and tedious search for new backers, he started Dick Berggren’s Speedway Illustrated.
Along the way Dick worked some MRN radio broadcasts, which beginning in 1981 led to Television, mostly as an ace pit reporter, for ESPN, CBS, TBS, TNN, and from 2001 through mid-2012 Fox and Fox Sports. And I can’t leave out, movie star. Dick played himself in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby!
Since retiring from TV and pretty much handing the reins of SI over to Karl Fredrickson, Dick is spearheading the construction of the North East Motor Sports Museum being built next door to New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon.
Several of here tonight---writers and photographers---have, over the years, proudly worked with Dick and we along with all of the membership welcome Dr. Dick Berggren to the EMPA Hall of Fame.