Thursday’s October 1 Gala at the South Point Resort and Casino in Las Vegas honors 23rd class
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (September 28, 2026) – The West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame will celebrate its 23rd round of inductions presented by World Wide Technology Raceway, on Thursday, October 1 at the South Point Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
The gala will host luminaries from throughout the motorsports universe and draw an expected audience of nearly 500. The program also honors the late Greg Biffle as the 2026 Knockin’ Doorz Down Philanthropist of the Year presented by 51FIFTY.
The West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame festivities launch a packed NASCAR weekend at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway complex. The NASCAR ARCA Menards Series West Kyle Busch Classic, presented by Star Nursery and the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame, takes place October 2 at The Bullring. The LVMS 1.5-mile oval hosts the October 3 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Focused Health 302, followed by the NASCAR Cup Series South Point 400 on October 4.
“Our return to the South Point Resort Hotel Casino is a great highlight of the for the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame,” said Ken Clapp, Chairman and CEO. “Last year’s Gala and induction dinner evening was by far the biggest and best celebration staged by the Hall of Fame in a quarter century. The ‘above and beyond’ that Michael Gaughan and his staff offers us is unmatched and appreciated by all.”
Members of the Class of 2026 are the late Kyle Busch, the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion; National Hot Rod Association Funny Car legends Ron Capps and John Force; NASCAR national series crew chief and competition director Ernie Cope; Off Road Hall of Famer Roger Mears and his son, Casey Mears; National Sprint Car Hall of Famer Brad Noffsinger and 1999 NASCAR ARCA Menards Series champion Sean Woodside.
The 2026 Heritage Class is comprised of Chris Evans, Trans Am West champion;; Dave Fuge, two-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship crew chief and car builder; Jim Michaelian, the late former president and CEO of Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach; the later John and David Philpott, Stockton 99 Speedway NASCAR crew chief and two-time Sportsman champion; Chris Pook, founder of Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach; The Stockman Family – the late Harry, a post-World War 2 open wheel champion; son Gary, driver, car owner, car builder, crew chief, and track promoter and grandson Danny, a multiple NASCAR national series championship chief.
The organization’s third Pioneers of Speed will be enshrined. They are Clint Brawner, championship Indianapolis 500 chief mechanic; Jimmy Bryan, Indianapolis 500 winner and champion; Al Dean, USAC championship and Indianapolis 500 car owner; Bill Deschamps, Northern California and West Coast open wheel champion; Jim Dunn, pioneer NHRA funny car competitor; Vic Edelbrock Sr., famed speed parrs innovator; Joe and Walt James, Indianapolis 500 competitor and promoter; The Morales Brothers, Southern California sprint car legends; Ed Pink, championship engine builder and George and Harold (Hal) Robson, AAA Big Car competitors, the latter the first post-War Indianapolis 500 winner. All but Dunn and members of the Morales family are deceased.
Dennis Mattish Photography
About the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame:
The West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame was conceived in 2001 as a means of recognizing significant contributors and contributions to the sport of stock car/motorsports competition. The mission of the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame is founded to preserve history and heritage of the important role west coast stock car and motorsports figures have played in the sport’s development and continuation and to recognize, through annual enshrinement, of outstanding individuals and groups within the sport such as, but not limited to, designers, engineers, mechanics, drivers, race track owners, promoters, publicists and members of the motorsports media.
The Hall is a 501(c)3, soon to be (c)4 charitable organization, dedicated to supporting a variety of organizations and groups from coast to coast. The Hall has raised more than $1 million during the past seven years for youth, health and safety, hospitals, animal rescue, military and other charitable causes.
For more information on the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame visit: www.WestCoastStockCarHallofFame.com
Media Contact:
Owen A. Kearns
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661-342-2983