For racing fans, Talladega seems to have put together the ultimate weekend.

While a few events are taking place Friday night, the fun Saturday night begins at 5 p.m with a reception at Heritage Hall Museum. The reception is being held for the Talladega-Texaco Walk of Fame Davey Allison Memorial Exhibition inductees.

The museum’s director and resident artist Tommy Moorhead completed the sketches of this year’s two inductees earlier this month, and they have been on display with the rest of the portraits throughout October.

Moorehead said the reception should attract not only the drivers and their extended families, but also members of the Texaco Walk of Fame committee, dignitaries from the track, city officials and representatives from Texaco.

“We will have a big reception here with an enormous spread of food,” Moorehead said. “My wife, Marsha Moorehead will also be playing piano. We will leave here and go to the Texaco Walk of Fame for a public induction ceremony at 7 before enjoying a free concert from Aaron Tippin and a fireworks show.”

Moorehead said the reception has been held at Heritage Hall since 1996. The Gables, a landmark project in Talladega, had originally housed the event starting in 1994, but after only two years the event outgrew that facility.

Typically, two drivers will be inducted into the Walk of Fame each year – an active driver and an inactive driver. The facility pays tribute to racing’s brightest stars, although the memorial park in Talladega is named after Davey Allison.

This year, Morgan Shepherd of Ferguson, N.C., beat Michael Waltrip and Kasey Khane in the active driver category. Jack Smith of Metropolis, Ill., won the most fan votes in the inactive driver category.

Shepherd, 67, made his NASCAR Winston Cup – now the Sprint Cup – debut in 1970 at Hickory Motor Speedway. For nearly 40 years since his debut, Shepherd has competed in one of NASCAR’s top divisions. He is a four-time winner in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and has 15 wins in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, where he currently competes.

Shepherd is the 1980 NASCAR Late Model Sportsman division champion and recipient of the 2005 NMPA Pocono Spirit Award.

For Shepherd, his time spent in the racecar is only part of his duties at the track each time he races. As co-owner of the Faith Motorsports team, he oversees all daily operations of the race team including car preparation, engine building, testing and racing. He also serves as a lay minister, spreading the gospel to the NASCAR community.

Smith, who passed away in 2001 at the age of 78, was one of NASCAR’s pioneers. He first raced in what is now considered the NASCAR Sprint Cup in 1949, beginning a career that would span 15 years. Smith recorded 21 wins and is a member of the NMPA Hall of Fame.

“Jack Smith came out of the bootlegging tradition where NASCAR and racing were born,” Moorehead said. “And Shepherd will have religious services at the track. He has done a tremendous amount of work with his religious connections.”

Past active driver inductees have included Dale Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Ernie Irvan, Dale Jarrett, Bill Elliott, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Bobby Hamilton, Ricky Rudd, Mark Martin, Kyle Petty, Darrell Waltrip, Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth and Bobby Labonte.

Richard Petty and Benny Parsons were the first inactive drivers inducted, followed by Alan Kulwicki, Cale Yarborough, Ned Jarrett, Buddy Baker, David Pearson, Junior Johnson, Harry Gant, Lee Petty, Tim Flock, Fireball Roberts, Buck Baker, Joe Weatherly, Red Byron, Bobby Isaac, Fred Lorenzen, Fonty Flock, Herb Thomas, Terry Labonte and Rex White.

The first inductees, known as the “Alabama Gang” included drivers Bobby Allison, Donnie Allison, Red Farmer and Neil Bonnett, who were inducted by decree of the board.

Moorehead said it can be a little crazy having receptions for the younger drivers, so this year’s reception should go smoothly with mostly extended family attending.

“I remember back before Jeff Gordon was married and we had his reception when he was inducted,” Moorehead said. “About 35 uninvited female guests showed up in miniskirts and crashed the reception. Later, at the ceremony in Davey Allison Memorial Park, he had to jump over some hedges to get away from them during an autograph session.”

For more information about Heritage Hall Museum or the exhibit of drivers on display throughout October, visit www.heritagehallmuseum.org.