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.