Bob Frey
Bob Frey parlayed his enthusiasm for automobiles and drag racing into an outstanding career as a journalist, an event announcer and a master of ceremonies. Bob was a member of the U.S.Air Force in 1965 but he didn’t let that keep him from his first job as a event announcer when he took the position at Atco Dragway in New Jersey in 1996. From that position, Bob began announcing NHRA divisional races in 1967 then moving over to IHRA in 1972 to announce its events through 1981.
In 1972 the first Pro National Challenge race, spearheaded by Don Garlits, was introduced, and Bob was the first announcer for this series, while also being the regular announcer for IHRA races from 1972 through 1981. Bob became NHRA’s national event announcer in 1985 and continued as such until 2012. Bob is one of very few people who has announced the rare NASCAR drag races.
Bob moved further into the TV world in 1991 as co-host for TNN’s NHRA Today show and continued his duties there until 1999. He was also the host for TNN’s live national event races from 1997 through 1999.
Bob’s multitude of honors include; Drag Racing Association of Women (DREW) 1997 Person of the Year, and Car Craft Magazine’s Special Award in 2001. Bob has been inducted into five Halls of Fame, Maple Grove Raceway Hall of Fame in 2009, the NHRA Northeast Division Hall of Fame in 2013, the Atco Dragway Hall of Fame in 2017 and, the Eastern Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame in 2020. He is also the first ever recipient of the special NHRA Championship Ring (the only non-driver to receive this award) in 2011, the Don Prudhomme Award in 2012, and was the Grand Marshal for the 2014 NHRA New England Hot Rod Reunion.
Bob is still active in the sport as an NHRA Historian, a statistician and statistical provider for NHRA Fox Sports TV shows and special announcer at NHRA Hot Rod Reunions.