Tom Earhart

DATE OF INDUCTION: January 13, 1994
CAREER SPAN: 1968-1987

COMPETITION TYPE: Oval, Drag & Speed Run
BRANDS RACED: Rupp, Speedway, Polaris & Arctic Cat
AGE AT INDUCTION: 51

A daring and talented snowmobile innovator, engineer and racer, Tom Earhart began his career building and racing drag and oval track sleds in Michigan as chief engineer for Rupp. His Rupp and later Speedway teams dominated Michigan racing in the early 1970’s, winning three State Championships and winning again during the era of the well financed factory teams of early Sno-Pro with Earhart designed ultra lightweight sleds.

Racing with partner Bob Gaudreau in the early 1980’s, Earhart set a series of snowmobile speed records with the Mercury outboard engine-powered Budweiser Polaris, breaking the National Snowmobile Speed Record four times en route to creating track and suspension engineering breakthroughs that punctured the 140 MPH barrier. In his final season of speed run competition,
he posted a top speed of 177.04 MPH with the Arctic Cat Silver Bullet in 1986.

Racing against strong competition during the “big engine” days of the National Snowmobile Speed Run circuit in the 1980’s, Tom proved adept at building sleds capable of posting record speeds and also delivered the consistent piloting necessary for many victories in the NSSR.