West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame announces 2026 Pioneers of Speed
Indianapolis 500 champions, a legendary Funny Car drag racer, race engine innovators and builders and a pair of sprint car legends comprise the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame’s 2026 Pioneers of Speed.
The 2026 Pioneers of Speed are:
· Clint Brawner, Phoenix, Arizona, 1969 Indianapolis 500-winning crew chief with Mario Andretti and multiple American Automobile Association(AAA)/United States Auto Club (USAC) titles
· Jimmy Bryan, Phoenix, Arizona, 1958 Indianapolis 500 winner and three-time AAA/USCAC championship car champion
· Al Dean, Long Beach, California, his Clint Brawner-wrenched Dean Van Lines Specials won five AAA/USAC titles with Bryan and Andretti
· Bill Deschamps, Lakeport, California, one of the founding fathers of the Northern California Racing Association (NARC) and winner at more than 55 West Coast tracks
· Jim Dunn, La Mirada, California, a fixture in drag racing for more than 70 years, campaigning some of iconic Funny Cars in history while winning the most significant races
· Vic Edelbrock Sr., Beverly Hills, California, hot rod and midget speed equipment innovator and manufacturer
· Joe and Walt James, Los Angeles, California. Joe was the 1952 AAA Midwest Sprint Car champion and two-time Indianapolis 500 qualifier. Walt, an auto recycler, became president of the California Roadster Association in 1951 and guided it in transition to the California Racing Association, a premier West Coast sprint car sanctioning body
· The Morales Brothers, Anaheim, California. Led by National Sprint Car Hall of Famer Alex, the nine Morales brothers owned the famed Tamale Wagon sprint car and Indianapolis car. The team hired some of motorsports’ most famous stars – including AJ Foyt and Parnelli Jones
· Ed Pink, Los Angeles, California, Ed Pink Racing Engines (EPRE) quickly became known for its work with the 426 Hemi in Top Fuel, as well as cylinder head and ignition work and the Buick V-6 program for IndyCar racing
· George and Harold (Hal) Robson, Huntington Park, California. George was born in England and was the winner of the 1946 Indianapolis 500, the first running following the war. He was killed the same year in a AAA race at Atlanta, Georgia. Hal, a Canadian by birth, began racing sprint cars in the pre-War era in Southern California, winning 50 features at a variety of tracks. He competed in three Indianapolis 500s.
Complete biographical information for each inductee can be found at www.westcoaststockcarhalloffame.com
“This year’s Pioneers of Speed inductees represent the true picture of the greats that played such an important role in growing the sport of motor racing during the first 75 years of our great racing industry we all love,” said Ken Clapp, Chairman and CEO of the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame. “Just wish I had known all of them personally. It truly would have been an honor.”
“This year’s Pioneers of Speed inductees represent the true picture of the greats that played such an important role in growing the sport of motor racing during the first 75 years of our great racing industry we all love,” said Ken Clapp, Chairman and CEO of the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame. “Just wish I had known all of them personally. It truly would have been an honor.”
The 2026 West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports class of inductees has been chosen and will be announced during the June 26-28 NASCAR Cup, O’Reilly Auto Parts and ARCA Menards Series West weekend at Sonoma Raceway. The Hall’s 2026 Heritage class of Chris Evans, David Fuge, Jim Michaelian, George and David Philpott, Chris Pook and the Stockman family were previously announced.
Inductions will be held on October 1 at the South Point Hotel Casino & Spa in Las Vegas, Nevada. The sixth Kickin’ Doorz Down Philanthropist of the Year by 51FIFTY will be announced during the festivities.
The West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame gala, presented by Wide World Technology Raceway at Gateway, kicks off a weekend of speed at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. NASCAR ARCA Menards Series West racing takes place at The Bullring short track on October 2, followed by the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (October 3) and NASCAR Cup Series (Oct. 4) on the 1.5-mile track.
About the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame:
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, soon to be (c)4 charitable organization, dedicated to supporting a variety of organizations and groups from coast to coast. The Hall 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 on the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame visit: www.WestCoastStockCarHallofFame.com
