IMSA Hall of Fame Unveils Inaugural Class

The inaugural class for the IMSA Hall of Fame has been selected and includes four drivers, three IMSA founders and four iconic race cars from throughout the sanctioning body’s 54-year history.

The inductees will be honored as part of October’s WeatherTech Night of Champions held following the Motul Petit Le Mans season finale to celebrate the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and crown series champions.

The four drivers selected for induction into the inaugural IMSA Hall of Fame class – Peter Gregg, Hurley Haywood, Al Holbert and Scott Pruett – all were multiple-time IMSA champions and multi-time winners of the world’s most prestigious sports car races.

Joining the inaugural IMSA Hall of Fame class are the three founders of the International Motor Sports Association: John and Peggy Bishop and Bill France Sr.

In addition to the seven people selected to the first IMSA Hall of Fame class, four race cars – the Chevrolet Corvette C5-R, Ferrari 333 SP, Mazda RX-7 GTU and the Porsche 962 – also have been selected for enshrinement.

“These seven individuals and four race cars are the epitome of excellence in IMSA and global sports car racing,” said IMSA President John Doonan.

“There can only be one inaugural class, and each of these inductees unquestionably qualifies as a ‘First Ballot Hall of Famer.’ We could not be prouder to welcome John and Peggy, ‘Big Bill,’ Peter, Hurley, Al and Scott – as well as the C5-R, 333 SP, RX-7 GTU and 962 – into the IMSA Hall of Fame.”

These inductees were selected from a larger group determined by a nominating committee comprised of past and present IMSA executives and a group of media members.

BDO, which was introduced as a corporate partner of IMSA earlier this year, validated the accuracy of the 2023 IMSA Hall of Fame voting results.

Plans call for a mix of influential people and race cars to be inducted into the IMSA Hall of Fame each year.

“We are grateful to our nominating committee for thoughtfully presenting several highly successful race cars and key players from the IMSA paddock that were deserving of our consideration,” said Doonan.

“It was challenging to reduce the initial list of nominees into a smaller group for a ‘final ballot,’ and even tougher to decide who would be chosen for this year’s class of inductees.

“We are confident in this year’s selections and know that many of those nominees will one day be enshrined in the IMSA Hall of Fame as well.”

The IMSA Hall of Fame will live in an online environment. A standalone website will launch later this year.