2011 Hall of Fame
Craig Hennige
December 5, 1948 -
August 15, 2009
Racer & Car Show
Promoter
Drag racing and hot
rodding go hand in hand
with great music and in
Maryland, there was one
racer and promoter who
brought together these
favorite pastimes like
no other. That man was
Craig Hennige. Craig had
success as a racer, as a
car show promoter, and
as a disc jockey, where
he tied together his two
great loves, cars and
music.
Craig started racing in
'65 with his mother’s
new Mustang, but soon
moved on to serious
machines. His use of
“Whooppee” as a car name
began with a Porsche
powered '57 VW named the
"Whooppee Wagon." The
second was a Chevy II
called the "Whooppee
II." Finally, Craig
purchased a 1948 Anglia
from Lee Edwards in
August 1971. The gasser,
now called the “Whooppee
Car,” began the legend.
With coverage in drag
racing magazines, Craig
and the Whooppee Car
garnered worldwide fame.
Not just a showman,
Craig and the Whooppee
Car enjoyed a lot of
racing success. He was a
multiple track champion
in Super Pro, and even
won the A/Gas category
at the 1973 NHRA
Gatornationals. Craig
also competed in a
popular four car match
racing circuit in the
‘70s, teaming up with
the Mori Bros. and their
popular ChevWagon, Dan
Crites, and Roy Wilcher
of Speed Unlimited to
entertain fans on the
East Coast. He continued
to race the Whooppee car
into the late 1990s.
In the 1980s, Craig
began to move into the
promotion side of the
sport. He founded
Motorsports Promotions,
which put on highly
successful car shows in
the Washington, DC,
area. In 1991, Craig
joined radio station
Xtra 104, then worked at
Oldies 100 FM from 1993
through 2006 as the
voice of the Rolling
Oldies Show. Craig
appeared at more than
1,000 events as the
front man and the face
of the station, and was
the "CarTunes" DJ at
many events and car
shows.
Craig and the Whooppee
Car thrilled drag racing
fans at MIR for nearly
three decades. But his
car shows, special
events, and radio shows
thrilled thousands more
and helped keep in place
the time honored
tradition of hot cars,
friendly people, and
great music.
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