At the main entrance, you'll be greeted by Smokin' Joe Petrali... Race fans and history buffs can tell you that Joe was arguably the country's finest motorcycle racer. Winning an astonishing 49 AMA national championship races, his performance stats went unmatched for 55 years. In disciplines ranging from Board Track to Hillclimbs, Joe dominated two-wheeled motorsports from the mid-1920s to the mid-30s. Petrali’s post-racing life was just as interesting. He eventually worked for Howard Hughes as flight engineer during the infamous flight of the "Spruce Goose". It was on the sands of Daytona Beach, just a few miles from this spot, that Joe set a land speed record. On March 13, 1937, Petrali rode a specially built Harley-Davidson to a one-mile motorcycle speed record of 136.183 mph. That record held for 11 years until Rollie Free broke the mark at the Bonneville Salt Flats. This tribute statue was created by Jeff Decker and is one of only six that will be produced.