EMPA Writers Award Renamed In Honor Of Jim Hunter

The Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) has renamed its annual award for excellence in motorsports journalism the EMPA/Jim Hunter Memorial Writers Award. Hunter, NASCAR's Vice President, Corporate Communications, and an avid supporter of the EMPA, passed away in 2010. "Jim was a friend of everyone he ever met," said EMPA President Len Sammons. "And he took great interest in EMPA, helping the organization with its activities, attending our annual Convention several times, and always gently steering us in the right direction. We certainly miss him for his guidance, but especially as a friend. That's why we're proud to rename our Writers Award in his honor and memory."

"Jim Hunter was a rare individual," added EMPA Secretary John Snyder. "I always enjoyed listening to him, whether it was explaining a NASCAR situation, or retelling a great racing story from the past. No matter what title he held, however, in his heart he was always a newspaperman. It's only fitting that our EMPA Writers Award be named in his memory." In conjunction with the renaming of the Award, the late Frank Blunk, in whose honor the Award was originally named, will be inducted into the EMPA Hall of Fame during the organizations' annual Convention in January 2012. Blunk was the first motorsports editor of The New York Times, serving in that capacity from the late 1950s until his retirement in 1968. NASCAR