By: Ashley McCubbin

TORONTO, Ontario —- After spending over 30 years involved in the world of motorsports, Murray Timm was honored for his accomplishments in the sport by being inducted into the Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame on Saturday, February 15.

“It’s a huge honor because obviously I’m a Canadian – I live in America now but my heart has always been in Canada,” he told News From The Pits. “I raced for many years here and worked for many teams, built motors for a lot of different racecar drivers through my dad’s business, so it’s very special for me to get this. Of course, where I work in America, are super happy which made it extra special because they know the significance so it was really special the people I work with are happy that I got it.”

Timm’s racing journey began behind the wheel for nine seasons with the Canadian Vintage Modified club travelling across Southern Ontario. The on-track accomplishments meant a lot, but it was the relationships that mattered more. The club gave him the chance to meet people who have become special in his life, including his wife Wendy and best friend Steve Laking.

“We all travled together as a club through Michigan and Canada traveling together, which was really cool,” he commented. “I loved racing in the hobby club, but the memories I made and people I met was the most important to me.”

Timm followed it up by crewing for fellow Canadian Peter Gibbons, crewing on his CASCAR and ARCA efforts, before moving down to North Carolina. The move paid off as he was hired on by Hendrick Motorsports as a fabricator, before transitioning to being a pit crew member, jumping over the wall to change tires.

#24: William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports, Axalta Chevrolet

Timm has been with Hendrick Motorsports ever since being hired in the mid 1990s, becoming an aero specialist with the team and helping develop their current car for competition with the series. His commitment to the team, as well as starting the Pit Crews for Kids organization, saw him honored with the Papa Joe Hendrick Award in 2019. He currently works in the shop with the No. 24 car entry for William Byron and Hendrick Motorsports.

When asked about his most memorable moment with HMS through the years, he noted “winning races to me feels better than winning championships, just because you’re in the moment.”

“But I’ve never had my car win the championship,” he added. “I’m on the 24 car now – I was with Jeff when he was with us, but I wasn’t exclusively with him. But I exclusively build William’s cars now so I’m hoping we can pull a championship off.

“We have really good cars. I think we are getting better but the problem with this car, the more other teams learn, the more the playing field gets even. So it’s even harder to get an advantage. Years ago, our rulebook was so open that we could almost do what we wanted. But now we’re in a box – everybody almost runs the same set-ups so it comes down to the driver’s hands and strategy. That’s what we’re working towards every week – trying to get an advantage. William does a good job. Our pit crew is awesome. It really comes down to the tiny details every single week.”

His involvement in motorsports extends to his children with both Cole and Ryan. He helped lead Cole to a CARS Super Late Model Championship in 2015 with Cole currently working for Joe Gibbs Racing. Ryan, meanwhile, is one of the helmet painters currently with Off Axis Paint.

While stating he was “super proud” of both kids, he expressed gratitude in having his son Cole surprise him at the ceremony last month.

“I didn’t even know he was coming this weekend. I knew he was gone to Daytona,” he said. “I’m the type of person that if you’re coming to do something with me, I wouldn’t want you to upset your whole world. I didn’t want to ask him to come knowing he was down there.”

With the success he has been able to experience for both himself and his children, Timm emphasised “anybody can make it if they really want to try.”

“When I was a kid, I didn’t think I’d make it to where I am, so never give up,” he commented. “I always tell my kids that the hill looks really big, but you can climb it – anybody can climb it. I don’t want anybody to get frustrated because it looks like it’s impossible. If I made it, anybody else can make it – I promise. We have Canadian fabricaters and builders down there, which is awesome, and I hope more come – but I don’t want to drag them out of Canada.”