By SEMA News Editors
Motorsports Hall of Fame of America Unveils Class of 2026
The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) has announced its 2026 Induction Class, which will be inducted into the Hall of Fame during the MSHFA Induction Celebration in Daytona Beach, Florida, March 9-10, 2026.
The Class of 2026 includes two-time Daytona 500 Champion and winner of 15-straight NASCAR Most Popular Driver Awards Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (Stock Cars), NHRA Competition Director Steve Gibbs (Drag Racing), motorsport reporter Pete Lyons (Media), accomplished road racer John Morton (Sports Cars), 2000 MotoGP World Champion Kenny Roberts Jr. (Motorcycles), one of "The Big Three" of modern winged Sprint Car racing Sammy Swindell (Open Wheel), and the winningest driver in Unlimited Hydroplane history Dave Villwock (Powerboats).
"Once again, our voters have chosen a group of all-time motorsports greats," said MSHFA president George Levy. "True 'Heroes of Horsepower' who will be admired today and inspire the champions of tomorrow. The Class of 2026 is another revered and accomplished group of racers, and we can’t wait to welcome them into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America next March."
A pair of Class of 2026 Historic category inductees will be announced this summer and will be enshrined next March along with the seven inductees.
Each of the MSHFA's inductees is elected by a straight vote of 200-plus motorsports experts--half of them inductees themselves. Regular voters include Mario Andretti (MSHFA Class of 1990), Don Garlits (MSHFA Class of 1989), Chip Ganassi (MSHFA Class of 2016), Tom D'Eath (MSHFA Class of 2000), Scott Parker (MSHFA Class of 2009), Richard Petty (MSHFA Class of 1989), Don Prudhomme (MSHFA Class of 1991), Rusty Wallace (MSHFA Class of 2014) and other titans of the sport.
For full biographies of each inductee, visit mshf.com.
SRO Motorsports Group Partners With University of Texas for Racing Executive Education Program
SRO Motorsports Group has partnered with the University of Texas to launch GT RACEXEC, an executive education series designed to provide business leaders with insights directly from the world of motorsports.
GT RACEXEC is based on the Winning! Leadership Accelerator Program currently offered through the University of Texas at Austin's McCombs School of Business and Texas Executive Education. The series will take place across a variety of SRO's events across the country, including the rounds at Circuit of The Americas, Barber Motorsports Park and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, offering participants an immersive experience that blends business education with the high-stakes environment of professional GT racing.
The specialized GT RACEXEC program is exclusively available for SRO America teams, partners and sponsors, presenting them with a unique opportunity to deepen and diversify their industry knowledge and expertise.
GT RACEXEC is designed to enhance participants' ability to align strategy, decision-making, organization and talent to drive successful execution and develop skill sets. According to SRO, the program will provide business leaders with the knowledge and competencies needed to:
- Develop strategies to triumph in a dynamic and competitive world.
- Make data-driven decision-making a core competency.
- Build and sustain high-performing teams and a winning culture.
- Drive execution through effective organizational and operational design.
Participants will have the opportunity to learn in real-world racing environments directly from the faculty of McCombs School of Business and will receive an official Certificate of Business Excellence upon completion of the program.
For more on the program, click here.
Venturini Motorsports Announces Sale of ARCA Menards Series Team to Nitro Motorsports
Venturini Motorsports (VMS) has sold its ARCA Menards Series team to Nitro Motorsports, the team announced.
As part of the agreement, Nitro Motorsports will assume full ownership of the team and continue VMS's longstanding partnership with Toyota GAZOO Racing beginning October 15. Current team owner Billy Venturini will remain on board as general manager of the team through the conclusion of the 2026 season, the team said.
Nitro Motorsports, founded by Nick Tucker, currently competes in multiple disciplines in addition to the ARCA Menards Series, including the Trans Am Series, Toyota GR Cup North America and national go-kart events.
"I want to thank my wife, my parents, my team, Jack Irving, Tyler Gibbs and Ron Drager. Each of them is what has made this journey so very special," said Venturini. "The last 20 years [as owner and general manager] have been very rewarding, but also incredibly demanding. I love what this sport has given to me, but in return, I gave it everything I had. So, the time has come to be able to prioritize other things ahead of racing. As a racer, nothing comes before the sport. I understood, I believed, and lived by it. But it's now time to prepare for my departure."
VMS is the longest-tenured and most successful team in ARCA history, earning 107 all-time series victories.
An official partner of Toyota GAZOO Racing, Venturini Motorsports has played a key role in the development of some of today's top NASCAR series talent, including Joey Logano, Christopher Bell, William Byron, Alex Bowman, Jesse Love, Corey Heim and Christian Eckes.
"Nitro Motorsports foundation has been built on driver development, a pillar of what Venturini Motorsports has been known for and curated," said Tucker. "My partner Joe [Tovo] and I understand the responsibility to carry on that legacy and the history that the Venturini family has poured their life's work into and build on that for many years to come with Toyota GAZOO Racing.
"With the acquisition of Venturini Motorsports, Nitro becomes the most vertically integrated driver development program in the world starting with our premier cadet Go Karting program (Nitro Kart) as the ground floor with progression to cars with Toyota GR Cup, Trans Am and now ARCA."
For more information, visit arcaracing.com.