Al Unser Jr., David Hobbs, and Les Richter (l to r above) headline the 2009 class of inductees to the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America during the Hall’s annual August induction ceremonies at the Fillmore Theater in Detroit.
Unser, a two-time winner of both the Indy 500 and the U.S. National Championship, ranks an equal fifth, with his Uncle Bobby, on the all-time Indycar winner’s list. He also collected championships in Super Vee and the Can-Am during his career. Among the accomplishments that earned the quick-witted Hobbs his induction were championship runs in Formula 5000 and the Trans-Am, but the Englishman also drove almost anything with wheels over the course of his career, and is now an esteemed television personality. Following his stellar professional football career, Richter ran Riverside International Raceway, making it one of the sport’s premier venues, then he helped Roger Penske construct California Speedway, and currently serves with distinction as a NASCAR vice president.
They were joined as inductees by multiple championship-winning drag racer, Kenny Bernstein, the first man to run the quarter-mile at more than 300 mph, nine-time AMA dirt-track motorcycle champion Scott Parker, 1963 NASCAR champion Joe Weatherly, and innovative racing promoter Humpy Wheeler.
