The United States Auto Club (USAC) has announced its 2026 seven-member Hall of Fame class that will be inducted during a ceremony at USAC headquarters in Speedway, IN. on Wednesday, July 1. The ceremonies will be presented by AME Electrical and RDI Development, together with Avanti Windows and Doors.
This 13th induction ceremony is tuned to coordinate with the running of the seventh annual BC39, which is presented by Avanti Windows & Doors and held annually at The Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS), just a breath or two away from USAC headquarters. The event brackets IMS’ Ferrari Challenge races on June 21-22 on the Speedway’s road course and the NASCAR weekend that follows at the end of the month on July 26. July 1 marks the first day of competition for the BC39.
The newest members of USAC’s Hall of Fame represent drivers, mechanics, team owners and officials. Jack Becklev, John Cooper, Blackie Fortune, Sam Nunis, Johnny Parsons, Tom Sneva and George Snider all elevate this series’ Hall of Fame on their merits.
Beckley’s mechanical talents saw him wrench on a pair of Indianapolis 500 winners for Bill Vukovich and Gordon Johncock before he joined USAC on its technical committee. He was also a winning mechanic on USAC’s National Championship Trail. Cooper, in addition to his work at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, was one of USAC’s founding fathers and was the first employee of the United States Auto Club.
A four-time USAC national championship car owner, Fortune worked with drivers Ken Schrader and Rick Hood. Longtime race organizer Nunis promoted a large number of AAA and USAC Champ Car, Sprint Car, Midget and Stock Car events over his career. Parsons secured 38 combined USAC national feature wins in his long career, tallying 12 Indy 500 starts, including a pair of top-five results.
Sneva, the first driver to break the 200mph barrier during qualifications for the 500 in 1977, won the Indianapolis 500 in 1983 and secured back-to-back USAC National Championships in 1977 and 1978. Snider was successful both in the driver’s seat and as a car owner, winning the USAC Championship Dirt / Silver Crown titles in both categories throughout his extended career.
USAC will reveal more information about the 2026 Hall of Fame induction ceremonies, including the timing of the event and ticket availability. For more info, go to www.usacracing.com.
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