ANDRETTI, EARNHARDT AMONG TOP NOMINEES.

Byline: - Tim Haddock

The finalsts for the American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association's Newsmaker of the Half-Century were released Tuesday. The winner will be announced May 15 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway during AARWBA's 50th anniversary celebration.

The finalists were chosen by members of AARWBA from an original list of 50 nominees. They are:

--Mario Andretti, versatile driver who won the Indianapolis 500, Daytona 500, 12 Hours of Sebring and was the 1978 Formula One champion. Andretti retired from racing in 1994 with four Indy Car championships and 52 career race wins.

--Dale Earnhardt, the Intimidator, won a record seven NASCAR Cup championships, a feat equaled only by Richard Petty. Earnhardt died in a race accident on the last lap of the Daytona 500 in 2001.

--The France family, the first family of NASCAR, began when William H.G. France decided to run a road race, partially on the sand, in Daytona Beach, Fla., and created the stock car racing sanctioning body in 1947.

--The Hulman-George family, the caretakers of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, have kept the Indianapolis 500 a rite of spring for decades. The Indianapolis 500 has been around since 1911, but Anton (Tony) Hulman bought the track in 1945 and made the race an American institution.

--Roger Penske, the winningest car owner in Indianapolis 500 history, has 13 career victories at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He has also won 11 open-wheel championships, and his drivers have won 120 races.

The winner of the Newsmaker of the Half-Century will receive a commissioned painting, and a donation will be made to the winner's charity of choice.