BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — The late Kyle Busch, the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and winner of 234 NASCAR national series races, heads the list of 2026 West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports inductees.
The additional seven racing industry figures set to be enshrined later this year are National Hot Rod Association Funny Car legends Ron Capps and John Force; NASCAR national series crew chief and competition director Ernie Cope; Off Road Hall of Famer Roger Mears and his son, Casey Mears; National Sprint Car Hall of Famer Brad Noffsinger and 1999 NASCAR ARCA Menards Series champion Sean Woodside.
Busch is the second member of his family to be inducted into the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame, joining elder brother Kurt Busch, a 2023 inductee.
The enshrinement of Roger and Casey Mears continues the induction of Bakersfield’s Mears Gang — brother and uncle, respectively of Rick Mears, the four-time Indianapolis 500 champion inducted in 2020.
Cope’s induction also continues a family tradition: his cousin, Daytona 500 winner Derrike Cope, was enshrined in 2013.
“In reviewing the 2026 final list of inductees, I am simply overwhelmed with the diversity and the tremendous talent voted in,” said Ken Clapp, Chairman and CEO of the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame. “I feel compelled to tell the public that prior to our loss of Kyle Busch, he already had enough votes to be inducted with the Class of 2026. That’s just further testimony to his tremendous talent and contributions he made to the sport over the past 25 years.”
The Hall’s 2026 Heritage class of Chris Evans, David Fuge, the late Jim Michaelian, the late John and David Philpott, Chris Pook and the Stockman family were previously announced. Also named was the 2026 Pioneers of Speed comprised of Clint Brawner, Jimmy Bryan, Al Dean, Bill Deschamps, Jim Dunn, Vic Edelbrock Sr., Joe and Walt James, The Morales Brothers, Ed Pink, and George and Harold (Hal) Robson. All but Dunn and members of the Morales family are deceased.
Inductions will be held on October 1 at the South Point Hotel Casino & Spa in Las Vegas.
