BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – Eight first-time nominees, including a two-time NASCAR national champion, two ARCA Menards Series West titleholders and a USAC Silver Crown champion, are among the 21 individuals under consideration for induction into the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2022.
The inaugural nominees are:
- Greg Biffle, NASCAR Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series champion and 19-time NASCAR Cup Series winner
- Brendan Gaughan, two-time ARCA Menards Series champion and NASCAR Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series winner
- David Gilliland, two-time ARCA Menards Series West championship crew chief and Daytona 500 pole winner
- Eric Holmes, two-time ARCA Menards Series West champion and 17-time race winner
- John Moore, 2021 All-American Speedway champion, longtime team owner and race sponsor
- Brad Noffsinger, two-time California Racing Association sprint car champion and NASCAR Cup Series crew chief
- Ken Sapper, three-time modified stock car champion at the old Saugus (Calif.) Speedway and president of Speedway Engineering
- Jimmy Sills, three-time United States Auto Club Silver Crown champion and World of Outlaws sprint car winner
Nominated again after appearing on previous ballots are Ken Boyd, Ernie Cope, Mike David, Garrett Evans, Dave Fuge, Lance Hooper, Tony Hunt, Brent Kaeding, Danny Ongais, Greg Pickett, Nick Rescino, Carl Trimmer and Sean Woodside. Five inductees will be named in early 2022, following two rounds of voting by the organization’s Board of Directors. First-round voting begins next week.
The organization also will induct its fifth Heritage class of five individuals whose careers began prior to 1970. The Heritage inductees will be named in spring 2022.
The 2022 induction ceremonies, presented by World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, will be held Thursday, June 9 as part of the NASCAR Cup Series and ARCA Menard Series West weekend at Sonoma Raceway. The gala will be held in Sonoma Raceway’s beautiful, new VIP/hospitality complex and will feature naming of the 2nd Annual Knockin Doorz Down Philanthropist of the Year presented by 51FIFTY.
“Several things are notable about the Class of 2022 nominees,” said West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame Chairman and CEO Ken Clapp. “First, this year marks the first in which individuals under the age of 50 will be considered. The Hall has concluded that racing careers in the current era begin at a younger age and 20 years of achievement at a high-level of competition is significant enough to determine an individual’s Hall of Fame credentials.
“Secondly, expansion of the Hall’s membership criteria allows us to consider broadest number of stars from throughout the motorsports universe – notably from sports car, open-wheel and drag racing, as well as traditional stock car racing. The nominees for our 2022 class are among the most qualified and diverse in the 21-year history of the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame.”
The West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame annually nominates for induction worthy individuals who competed in traditional stock car racing as well as other racing vehicles primarily on road courses under international and national sanction by the FIA, International Motor Sports Association (IMSA), Grand-Am and the Sports Car Club of America. The Hall also is open to winners and champions of other forms of racing, as determined by the Hall’s nominating committee.