A local family will be recognized this coming weekend by being inducted into the South-Central Kentucky Dirt Racing Hall of Fame.
Billy and Dennis Selby will be inducted into the Hall of Fame at a ceremony at the Center for Rural Development in Somerset on Saturday.
Billy began the family tradition of Selby Motorsports in 1970, racing for many years at racetracks across the area. Dennis joined in the early 1980s, racing into the 2000s. Dennis passed away in 2017.
Billy and Dennis will be inducted into the Hall of Fame along with 14 other recipients of the honor.
Here is an excerpt from the organization regarding the Selby’s being inducted into the Hall of Fame.
- Billy & Dennis Selby – Both were longtime residents of Russell Springs, KY. Billy would begin the “family tradition” of Selby Motorsports when he began his racing career in 1970. Billy would race for many years and would compete and win at many South-Central Kentucky race tracks and lay the groundwork for the Selby Motorsports racing operation.
In the early 1980’s, Billy would step out of the driver’s seat for a bit and became a car owner for a couple of seasons, with fellow South-Central Kentucky Dirt Racing Hall of Fame member Ricky Spalding piloting cars for Billy. However, Billy would get back behind the wheel again and continue to race, running Open Wheel Modifieds in the 1990’s before doing some more Late Model racing prior to the end of his driving career in 2002.
Billy’s son, Dennis, would turn sixteen in 1982 and begin his driving career in the local Street Stock divisions. Dennis would move up the ranks and Dennis and Billy would both get the opportunity to race together in Open Wheel Modifieds during the 1990’s. The father and son duo would race at tracks such as Taylor County Speedway, Barren County Speedway, Bluegrass Speedway, Ponderosa Speedway, Perry County Speedway, Mountain Motor Speedway, Richmond Raceway, Lake Cumberland Speedway, and Crossville (TN) Raceway. Both competed at Volusia Speedway Park during Florida Speedweeks on several occasions. Dennis would make the Open Wheel Modified feature at the Four Crown event at Eldora Speedway in 1996 and would eventually go Late Model racing in later years.
After racing locally for a bit, Dennis competed with the Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series and was named the tour’s most improved driver in 2004, which would turn out to be his last full season behind the wheel. Dennis would crew chief for Big Dawg Motorsports in 2005 for driver and fellow South-Central Kentucky Dirt Racing Hall of Fame member Whitney McQueary and the duo would finish second in the final BoB Series points. Dennis passed away unexpectedly in January 2017 at the age of 50.
