Kelly Souza of Aromas Calif., NASCAR ARCA Menards Series West team owner and founder of Spay and Neuter Education (SANE) has joined the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame board of directors.
Souza has been a part of stock car racing since 1993, building a small race team for her husband Todd Souza. Her current NASCAR ARCA Menards Toyota organization, backed by Central Coast Cabinets, fields two fulltime entries – the No. 3 for Todd and the No. 13 for Tyler Reif of Henderson, Nev.
Reif currently ranks second and Souza sixth in series points standings, following the first two rounds of the 2024 schedule.
SANE, a non-profit, is modeled on the principle of feline trap-neuter-return, an effective and compassionate method to support and prevent feral cat populations through trapping of unowned animals, fixing them and returning them to the place they know as home.
Souza also manages Central Coast Management, a two-decade-old property management company.
“As a strong supporter of women in racing, it gave me great pleasure when my longtime and good friend Kelly Souza accepted a seat on the Board of Directors of the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame,” said Ken Clapp, the organization’s chairman and CEO. “Kelly has been a big part in forming one of the very top teams that compete in the NASCAR ARCA Menards Series West, the very top level of stock car racing in western America.
“She will bring more respect to the table for all women in racing and frankly she will be a big help to myself and our executive staff as we continue to build the entire Hall to recognize all persons and entities who go the extra yard while helping charities that are good for all.”
Souza said she is grateful and honored to be part of the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame team. “What a wonderful organization, recognizing the sport so near and dear to my heart and those West Coasters who have made an impact on it.”
In 2023, the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame recognized SANE and vowed to partner with it. The Hall’s logo has been prominently displayed on each of Souza’s Central Coast racing cars.
“We not only set out to educate the public, but also elected officials about the crisis level this country is at and how affordable and accessible spay and neuter resources can prevent the estimated 2 million euthanasias we see in shelter every year due to over-population,” said Souza.
“Through racing, I can promote the importance of spay and neuter. Awareness is everything and racing gives me a big audience.”
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Kelly Souza
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The West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame will celebrate its 2024 inductions, presented by World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, on Thursday, June 6 at Sonoma Raceway’s Turn 11 Club in Sonoma, Calif.
Members of the Class of 2024 are the late Dick Cobb, Las Vegas, Nev., winner of eight track championships over a 45-year racing career in Nevada and California; Eric Holmes, Escalon, Calif., winner of three NASCAR West (now ARCA Menards Series West) titles; Jimmie Johnson, El Cajon, Calif., seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion; Jimmy Vasser, Canoga Park, Calif., 10-time Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) winner, Indianapolis 500 co-owner champion and 2023 IMSA GTD championship co-owner; and Calvin (Cal) Wells III, NASCAR Cup Series race winning team owner, Off-Road Hall of Fame inductee and current chief executive officer of Legacy Motor Club.
The 2024 Heritage class, which also will be inducted, is comprised of the late Joe Huffaker, San Francisco, Indianapolis car builder and Sports Car Club of America owner’s champion; Steve Lewis, Colton, Calif., 10-time United States Auto Club National Midget car owner’s champion; Emmett Malloy, Inglewood, Calif., builder of famed Carrell Speedway in Southern Calif. and son Tom Malloy, Villa Park, Calif., two-decade historic car competitor and USAC midget team owner; and Paula Murphy, Granada Hills, Calif., first woman licensed by the National Hod Rod Association to drive a nitromethane-fueled car and land speed record holder.
The organization’s first Pioneers of Speed will be enshrined in June. They are Johnny Boyd, Jack Dill, Fred Frame, Ted Horn, Frank Lockhart, Rex Mays, Jimmy Murphy, Bob Swanson, Ernie Triplett and Louis Vermeil.
The event also will be highlighted by presentation of the 4th Annual Knockin’ Doorz Down Philanthropist of the Year Award presented by 51FIFTY.
Highlights of the induction ceremonies will be broadcast later this summer, network, air dates and broadcast times to be announced.
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, dedicated to supporting a variety of organizations and groups from coast to coast. The Hall has raised nearly $1 million during the past 6-1/2 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
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