A star-studded Class of 2019 will be inducted into the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame on Thursday, June 20, before the largest audience in the event’s 16 enshrinements.
The event, presented by World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, returns to the Meritage Resort & Spa in Napa, Calif. and serves as the kickoff to the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup and K&N Pro Series West weekend at nearby Sonoma Raceway.
For the first time, highlights of the induction will be aired as a one-hour special on MAVTV. Two broadcasts are slated on the national cable channel, 3 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT on Aug. 27 and 1 a.m. ET/10 p.m. PT Aug. 29.
Elected for induction are NASCAR team owners Gary Bechtel and Bob Bruncati; the late Joe Gibbs Racing president J.D. Gibbs; four-time NASCAR premier series champion Jeff Gordon; 1985 NASCAR Weekly Racing Series national champion Doug McCoun; NASCAR K&N Pro Series champion Eric Norris.
Joining them are Heritage honorees – individuals from an earlier era of motorsport – NASCAR national and state of California champion Rick Henderson; multiple road racing champion George Follmer; hardtop and supermodified star Marshall Sargent and Indianapolis 500 winners Bob Sweikert and Bill Vukovich.
The roster of presenters includes several notable motorsports figures: West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame member and NASCAR Hall of Fame nominee Hershel McGriff; Indianapolis 500 winner Danny Sullivan; NASCAR premier series champion and 2017 Daytona 500 winner Kurt Busch; 1991 Daytona 500 winner and West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame member Ernie Irvin; and longtime NASCAR television journalist Dr. Jerry Punch.
Serving again as master of ceremonies is Ralph Sheheen, owner and publisher of National Speed Sport News and current television voice of Monster Energy AMA Supercross.
The annual affair serves as the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame’s major charity fundraiser. The Hall, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit, expects its giving since inception to reach $600,000 later this year.
“I see a huge upward trajectory for the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame,” said Chairman and CEO Ken Clapp. “This year’s event by far will see the largest number of guests – by quite a bit. We expect to be up at least 10 percent over last year’s audience, which was our previous largest.”
Clapp recognized the Hall’s roster of national sponsors that include Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Hoosier Tires and Sunoco.
The West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame is supported by International Speedway Corp. and its west coast tracks Auto Club Speedway and ISM Raceway. Speedway Motorsports Inc. properties Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Sonoma Raceway also are participating sponsors.
Weekly and special events tracks from four western states are among sponsors: The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Evergreen (Wash.) Speedway, Irwindale (Calif.) Speedway, Madera (Calif.) Speedway, Roseville (Calif.) Speedway, Stockton 99 (Calif.) Speedway and Tucson (Ariz.) Speedway.
Mike Curb and Curb Records, backers of the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame since its inception in 2001, remains a major supporter. The event’s hospitality hour again will be hosted by the South Point Hotel & Casino.
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