Pursley, Sperber among 2018 inductees into West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame

  • John Kenney

(Note: This is the second of a series of press releases on the 2018 inductees into the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame. The 15th Annual Induction, presented by Gateway Motorsports Park,will be held June 21 at the Meritage Resort in Napa, Calif.)

AVONDALE, Ariz. (June 4, 2018) – Two-time NASCAR K&N Pro Series champion Greg Pursley and ISM Raceway president Bryan R. Sperber are among 2018 inductees into the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame.

The 15th annual enshrinement ceremonies, presented by Gateway Motorsports Park, will be held June 21 at the Meritage Resort and Spa in Napa, Calif., the annual kick-off event for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup and K&N Pro Series West weekend at nearby Sonoma Raceway.

A former desert and motocross competitor, Pursley was a late comer to four-wheel competition at age 25. With Gene Price, a 2017 West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame inductee, Pursley won the 2011 and 2014 NASCAR K&N Pro Series Westchampionships. 

In 2011, Pursley won six of his 12 starts. Over 100 races, Pursley posted 20 victories, won 20 poles, and logged 58 top-five and 75 top-10 finishes. He won races in six consecutive K&N Pro Series West seasons.

Previously, Pursley had won 13 of 18 races at Irwindale (Calif.) Event Center in 2004 to capture NASCAR’s national weekly title, one of the most difficult championship to win. Moving to the NASCAR Elite Series Southwest Series, the Canyon Country, Calif. driver won two races along with four poles. Pursley, 50, resides in Parker City, Ariz.

For nearly 30 years, Sperber has been an integral part of the motorsports and entertainment industry at its highest levels. Currently the president of ISM Raceway, Sperber has guided the strategic and operational vision for one of the most popular venues in the sports.

Throughout his 15 years as president of ISM Raceway, he has guided the track through significant capital expansion, overseen addition of a second Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race, as well as helped secure the return of the Verizon IndyCar Series to the raceway.

The jewel of his tenure at ISM Raceway is the current $178 million modernization project being completed in time for November’s MENCS weekend. Prior to arriving at ISM Raceway, Sperber was president of Watkins Glen International, where he was the youngest track president in NASCAR at age 30. Sperber is president of the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame.

Pursley and Sperber join Joe Garone, Oren Prosser, Richard “Dick” Woodland and the late Larry Albedi in the 2018WCSCHOF class of inductees. Five Heritage figures also are slated for induction: Freddie Agabashian, George Bignotti, Bill Cheesbourg, Clyde Prickett and Mickey Thompson. All but Prickett are deceased.

The 2018 Induction, presented by Gateway Motorsports Park, is open to the public on a limited, space-available basis. Reservation information is available by emailing the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame at jwentzel@ismraceway.com.

About the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame:

The West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame was conceived in 2001 as a means of recognizing significant contributors and contributions to the sport of stock car racing. The mission of the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame is founded to preserve history and heritage of the important role west coast stock car competitors 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.

Over the past three years, the induction has helped raise more than quarter million dollars for charitable causes. The West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization which hopes to see charitable giving reach the $500,000 mark in the coming years. The group’s current list of charities and foundations – expected to increase – counts 25 different groups. They include charities dedicated to health, including autism research, children’s cancer, breast cancer and Parkinson’s; education; history; animal rescue; homelessness and military and veterans’ assistance.

For a complete list of the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame’s charity partners please go to http://westcoaststockcarhalloffame.com/our-charities/.

About Gateway Motorsports Park

Gateway Motorsports Park is the home of INDYCAR, NASCAR and NHRA racing in the St. Louis region. Located just five minutes from downtown St. Louis and covering more than 340 acres, Gateway Motorsports Park is the largest outdoor entertainment facility in the area. Gateway Motorsports Park’s facilities include a 1/4-mile drag strip, 1.25-mile superspeedway, 1.6-mile road course, a state-of-the-art karting facility and a 14-acre, multi-purpose dirt off-road venue. Gateway Motorsports Park was the recipient of the 2017 Outstanding Facility of the Year Award from the Race Track Business Conference and the 2017 Spirit of St. Louis Award from St. Louis Attractions Association.

Contact:

West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame

Owen A. Kearns

661-342-2983

okearns@bak.rr.com

Gateway Motorsports Park

John Bisci

(618) 215-8888 ext. 119

John.Bisci@Gatewaymsp.com