The West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame celebrated its 23rd round of inductions Thursday night at the South Point Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, enshrining a class headlined by the late Kyle Busch, NHRA Funny Car legends Ron Capps and John Force, and NASCAR national series crew chief and competition director Ernie Cope.
The gala, presented by World Wide Technology Raceway, drew luminaries from throughout the motorsports world to honor the Class of 2026.
Members of the Class of 2026 are Busch, the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion; Capps and Force; Cope; Off Road Hall of Famer Roger Mears and his son, Casey Mears; National Sprint Car Hall of Famer Brad Noffsinger; 1999 NASCAR ARCA Menards Series champion Sean Woodside.
The program also honored the late Greg Biffle as the 2026 Knockin’ Doorz Down Philanthropist of the Year presented by 51FIFTY.
“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.”
2026 Heritage Class
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 late 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 II 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.
Pioneers of Speed
The organization’s third Pioneers of Speed were also enshrined: 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 parts innovator; Joe and Walt James, Indianapolis 500 competitor and promoter; the Morales Brothers, Southern California sprint car legends; Ed Pink, championship engine builder; 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.
Weekend tie-in
The 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 Friday night at The Bullring. The 1.5-mile oval hosts the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Focused Health 302 on Saturday, followed by the NASCAR Cup Series South Point 400 on Sunday.
About the 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 and motorsports competition. Its mission is to preserve the 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, outstanding individuals and groups within the sport.
The Hall is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that 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, visit www.WestCoastStockCarHallofFame.com.