NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty, Roger Penske, Dick Woodland to attend
BAKERSFIELD, California (February 28, 2025) – It will be a celebration fit for The King.
The March 13 West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame induction gala at the South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, welcomes special guest King Richard Petty, NASCAR’s seven-time Cup Series champion, 200-race winner, NASCAR Hall of famer and Ambassador for Legacy Motor Club.
Petty will be hosted by Craig Keough, a West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports inductee, honorary member of its Board of Directors and owner of Star Nurseries in Las Vegas. Star Nurseries in Nevada, Arizona and at the California/Nevada border in Havasu.
Motorsports legend Roger Penske also is slated to attend. The 20-time Indianapolis 500 winning team owner and reigning NASCAR Cup Series championship car owner will induct the members of the Unser family. Twice Indianapolis 500 winner Al Unser Jr. will accept the award on behalf of his father Al Sr., Uncle Bobby and other family members.
Additional presenters include Chris Rice, president of Kaulig Racing to AJ Allmendinger; and West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports board member Dick Woodland to three generations of the Hunt family – Joe, Tommy and Tony Hunt. Woodland owns the Woodland Auto Display in Paso Robles, Calif. The Estrella Museum includes a wing dedicated to display of West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame memorabilia.
Other presenters will be named in the coming weeks. The 2025 Class of the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame is comprised of (voted members) Allmendinger; Chuck Gurney; Davey Hamilton; Jeff Jefferson; Justin Marks, Boris Said; and Rick Ware; (Heritage category) Hunt family; Unser family; Mike Sargent; and Sleepy Tripp. The Hall’s second Pioneers of Speed class – Michael (Blackie) Gejeian, Ted Halibrand, Ed Iskenderian, Jack London and Wally Parks – also will be inducted.
“I want to personally congratulate all of the 2025 inductees in each of the three categories and those presenting them, as well as the never-ending efforts and caring the Hall’s executive committee puts forth to select our honorees,” said Ken Clapp, Chairman and CEO of the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame. “Each year these selections become more difficult and looking at the history of the Hall of Fame, that will never change.”
The event, presented by World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, marks the first time the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame has conducted its induction ceremonies outside of California. The organization/South Point Hotel and Casino is a natural fit. The Gaughan family’s Michael and Brendan Gaughan are father-son inductees. Brendan is a member of the Hall’s Board of Directors.
The festivities serve as kick-off the March 14-16 NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The gala will feature the naming of the 5th Annual Knockin Doorz Down Philanthropist of the Year presented by 51FIFTY and Allied Packaging. The event will be broadcast, location and times to be announced.
The West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame annually nominates for induction worthy individuals who competed in traditional stock car racing as well as other racing vehicles under international and national sanction by the FIA, IndyCar, International Motor Sports Association (IMSA), United States Auto Club and the Sports Car Club of America. The Hall is also open to winners and champions of other forms of racing, as determined by the Hall’s nominating committee.
To obtain media credentials for coverage of the 24th West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame dinner and awards, please contact Owen A. Kearns at 661-342-2983. To obtain details about table sponsorship for the 2025 awards dinner, please contact Ken Clapp at ckcdeee@gmail.com.
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 charitable organization with (c)4 pending, dedicated to supporting a variety of organizations and groups from coast to coast. The Hall has raised more than $1 million during the past 6-1/2 years for youth, health and safety, hospitals, animal rescue, military and other charitable causes.
Media Contact:
Owen A. Kearns
okearns@bak.rr.com
661-342-2983