Scott D. Harvey, Sr.

Scott D. Harvey, Sr., SCCA Hall of Fame class of 2020, passed away on April 27, 2022, at the age of 92. His accomplishments through the years were as varied as they were impressive, but to many, he was known simply as “Mr. Rally.”

After serving in the Navy during the Korean War, Mr. Harvey earned an engineering degree from UCLA. He then moved to the Detroit area and went to work for Chrysler. Already an SCCA member, Mr. Harvey convinced Chrysler to loan him a 300D to rally.

He developed the Plymouth Valiant and then the Barracuda with disc brakes and V-8 engines. Mr. Harvey found success in road racing, and his Team Starfish finished second in the 1966 Trans-Am Championship with the aforementioned Barracuda. The knowledge he and his team gained through SCCA activities made possible the development and availability of performance parts through Chrysler dealerships. That accomplishment was recognized in 2018 when he was inducted into the Mopar Collectors Guide Hall of Fame.

But Mr. Harvey really became known for his influence on the world of rally.

Chrysler backed a three-car team of Plymouth Valiants for a trip to the Monte Carlo Rallye in January 1964. One of the three teams paired Mr. Harvey with fellow SCCA Hall of Famer Gene Henderson.

Originally a Time-Speed-Distance participant, Mr. Harvey’s love quickly became performance rally. In 1968, he earned the biggest win of his career at the FIA Shell 4000 Trans-Canada Rally. Working with Henderson, Mr. Harvey brought European style rally to the Detroit area and created the MONY Rally series across Michigan, Ohio, and New York. That led to the creation of SCCA Pro Rally in 1973, where he became SCCA’s first Pro Rally champion with co-driver, and fellow SCCA Hall of Famer, Wayne Zitkus.

Mr. Harvey served as the Chairman and Rallymaster of the Press on Regardless Rally, which included the Connors Flat stage – the first closed course stage in SCCA rally history. In 1972, Mr. Harvey was instrumental in the Press on Regardless Rally becoming a World Championship event on the FIA Rally stage.

Mr. Harvey was a true pioneer in the United States rally world, so much so that SCCA Hall of Famer John Buffum was quoted calling Harvey and Henderson the “Lewis and Clark of American Rally.”

Audio from the 2020 SCCA Hall of Fame induction ceremony can be found below, with the acceptance speech made by Randy Graves, Mr. Harvey's navigator from 1976-'82.