By Richie Murray
Speedway, Indiana (January 20, 2026)………Jack Beckley, John Cooper, Blackie Fortune, Sam Nunis, Johnny Parsons, Tom Sneva and George Snider are the newest inductees into the USAC Hall of Fame, class of 2026.
The induction ceremony for USAC’s 13th hall of fame class will take place at USAC headquarters in Speedway, Indiana on Wednesday afternoon, July 1, 2026, presented by AME Electrical, RDI Development and Avanti Windows and Doors.
The event will be held in conjunction with the BC39 Presented by Avanti Windows & Doors at The Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Beckley was a winning mechanic on the USAC National Championship trail, including a pair of Indianapolis 500 victories with Bill Vukovich and Gordon Johncock before joining USAC on its technical committee. Cooper was among USAC’s founding fathers, and in fact, was the first employee of the United States Auto Club.
Fortune was a four-time USAC national championship car owner for drivers Ken Schrader and Rick Hood. Longtime race organizer Nunis promoted numerous AAA and USAC Champ Car, Sprint Car, Midget and Stock Car events. Parsons earned 38 combined USAC national feature wins in his career along with 12 Indianapolis 500 starts, which included a pair of top-fives.
The first driver to break the 200 miles per hour barrier during Indianapolis 500 time trials, Sneva won the 1983 Indianapolis 500 and earned back-to-back USAC National Championships in 1977-1978. Snider found success as both a driver and car owner, capturing USAC Championship Dirt / Silver Crown titles in both categories throughout his career.
Stay tuned for additional information on the USAC Hall of Fame induction ceremonies, including times and tickets, at www.usacracing.com.