Former national series driver one of six members in the class of 2015
The late Jason Leffler will be one of six new members inducted into the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame Class of 2015. The hall’s chairman of the board, Ken Clapp, announced the names Saturday at Phoenix International Raceway.
Leffler, a native of Long Beach, California, died in a crash in June 2013. A winner of two NASCAR Nationwide Series races and a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, Leffler also made 73 Sprint Cup Series starts. A member of the National Midget Hall of Fame, Leffler won three consecutive USAC championships form 1997 to 1999.
"The criteria for the Hall of Fame is you didn’t have to be born on the West Coast; you have to show up out here at a pretty early age," Clapp said. "Two examples, Herschel McGriff came from the Dakotas, came to Portland as a little boy. Another example, 1961 Daytona 500 winner Marvin Panch was from Hayward, California, he actually came from Wisconsin. But he got here when he was just a kid.
"You don’t necessarily have to have achieved your greatest success on the West Coast, if you started here and got a break and went east and made it, you’re eligible."
Crew chief Jerry Baxter, currently atop the pit box for Kyle Busch Motorsports’ No. 54 Camping World Truck ride with Darrell Wallace Jr., started his career in Southern California, building cars for Ivan Baldwin and eventually buying Baldwin Engineering. As a consultant, he helped Michael David win the 2007 K&N Pro Series West title before moving to North Carolina to work for Michael Waltrip Racing, Eddie Sharp Racing and now KBM.
Another pit boss, Doug Richert, is on the list. The youngest Sprint Cup championship crew chief directed Dale Earnhardt’s first title run in 1980 for owner Rod Osterlund. In 509 Sprint Cup starts over 25 years, he won 13 times while working with several drivers including Darrell Waltrip, Neil Bonnett, Buddy Baker, Benny Parsons, Davey Allison and Greg Biffle. Richert also crew-chiefed Ron Hornaday Jr. to his first Camping World Truck title in 1996.
John Cardinale, the vice president of communications at Sonoma Raceway for nearly two decades, was an active member of the board of directors for the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame. Starting as a sportswriter for the Antioch (California) Ledger, Cardinale turned his passion for motorsports into a career at the Napa Valley road course. Cardinale died in 2013 after a battle with gastric cancer.
"We don’t always induct in the media category," Clapp said. "John was on our board of directors. Not only was he a good friend and very instrumental in our Hall of Fame, but it was a unanimous vote."
Warren Razore, a native of Seattle, built a business in refuse disposal and a distributorship of Peterbilt trucks. In the late 1980s, he was among the top car owners in the K&N Pro Series West, fielding cars for Roy Smith and Derrike Cope. He died in 1999 after complications from treatment for Hodgkin’s Disease.
Jim Williams, a self-made man who became a major supplier of beef to various companies including McDonalds, was an associate sponsor of cars owned by Roger Penske. Al Unser drove to his fourth Indianapolis 500 win with Williams’ name on his car. He was a driving force behind the creation of Irwindale (California) Speedway. The Los Angeles area short-track oval hosted the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown, a showcase for young drivers.
The induction ceremony will be held on Thursday, June 25, heading into Sprint Cup race weekend at Sonoma Raceway.
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