West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame Inducts Class of 2022
The West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame has announced its Class of 2022, which includes industry pioneers representing the west’s short tracks, Indianapolis 500, NASCAR’s national competitions and international tracks of Europe.
Elected for induction in the Class of 2022 are Greg Biffle, NASCAR Xfinity and Craftsman Truck Series champion; Garrett Evans, inaugural and four-time NASCAR Northwest Series champion; Brendan Gaughan, two-time ARCA Menards Series champion; David Gilliland, two-time ARCA Menards Series West championship crew chief; John Moore, 2021 NASCAR State of California champion and Spears Racing League championship owner; and Jimmy Sills, three-time United States Auto Club Silver Crown champion.
2022 Heritage inductees are Art and Michael Atkinson, father and son officials and track operators; Phil Casey, nine-time United States Auto Club national championship chief mechanic winner; Ron Esau, 1996 NASCAR Southwest Series champion; Phil Hill, first American-born Formula 1 champion; Ken Sapper, three-time Saugus (CA) Speedway modified stock car champion; and Jim Walker, Riverside (CA) Raceway Permatex 300 winner and multiple Redwood Acres (CA) Raceway champion.
The second annual Knockin Doorz Down Philanthropist of the Year award, presented by 51FIFTY, was announced for Speedway Children’s Charities, the charitable arm of Speedway Motorsports LLC. For more information, visit westcoaststockcarhalloffame.com.
BMW Unveils LMDh Prototype Race Car
Highlights of the design for the BMW M Hybrid V8 include the “wide kidney,” the 50th-anniversary logo on the hood, twin NMW icon lights, dynamic body sides, Hofmeister kink window graphic, plus “hook” mirrors and taillights.
Ahead of the testing phase for the LMDh prototype for the 2023 season in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, BMW M Motorsport has announced the name, the design, and livery its new prototype car.
The BMW M Hybrid V8 will sport a look designed by BMW Group Designworks and celebrates the history of BMW M Motorsport in North America while “defining a dynamic hybrid electric future.” Highlights of the design for the BMW M Hybrid V8 include the “wide kidney,” the 50th-anniversary logo on the hood, twin NMW icon lights, dynamic body sides, Hofmeister kink window graphic, plus “hook” mirrors and taillights.
In addition, the livery includes many elements from BMW’s five decades of motor racing history, including images of iconic race cars, including the ’76 BMW 3.0 CSL, the ’81 BMW M1/C, the ’78 BMW 320i Turbo, the ’86 BMW GTP, the BMW M3 E36 GTS-2, the BMW Z4 GTLM and the BMW M8 GTE. For more information, visit bmwgroup.com.
Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America Raises $1.8 Million for Victory Junction
The Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America has announced it raised more than $1.8 million after completing its 26th Anniversary Ride. The amount marks the most funds raised during a single ride since 2006. The funds will directly benefit Victory Junction, a camp in Randleman, North Carolina, servicing children with chronic and serious medical illnesses. Donations will support summer camperships, building projects and maintenance programs, including upkeep with the Kyle Petty Charity Ride Water Park.
The 26th installment of the event followed two postponements due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On April 30, Petty and the riders left Phoenix, Arizona, riding more than 1,500 miles through Arizona and Utah over seven days before returning to Phoenix on May 6. For more information about the 26th Anniversary Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America or to donate, please visit kylepettycharityride.com.
Lori Collier Waran Named Richmond Raceway Track President
Richmond Raceway—the 0.75 miles, D-shaped asphalt race track in Richmond, Virginia—has announced Lori Collier Waran as track president. She will assume her new role on July 11. Waran is a longtime Virginia media executive and serves as the fourth track president and the first female president in the 76-year history of “America’s Premier Short Track.”
Prior, Waran served as the chief revenue officer and associate publisher at Virginia Business Magazine + Media. Before this, Waran spent more than a decade as the general manager and publisher for Tribune Publishing and Landmark Media Enterprises’ Richmond-based Style Weekly.
NASCAR returns to Richmond Raceway for its first-ever summer race weekend on August 13–14, featuring the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs on Saturday, August 13, and the Federated Auto Parts 400 NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday, August 14.
For more racing news, visit Performance Racing Industry’s (PRI) website.