Miguel Duhamel Headed to the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America

Motorsports Hall of Fame of America Unveils 2025 Induction Class at the 2024 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach

– Skip Barber (Sports Cars), Miguel Duhamel (Motorcycles), Carl Haas (Open Wheel), Ed Iskenderian (At Large), Dale Jarrett (Stock Cars), Tony Schumacher (Drag Racing) and Bill Stroppe (Off Road) in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America “Class of ’25”

– 37th Annual Induction Celebration Presented by Toyota Racing Set for March 10 – 11, 2025 in Daytona Beach

LONG BEACH, California (April 19, 2024) — The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) announced its 2025 Induction Class today at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. The 37th Motorsports Hall of Fame of America Induction Celebration presented by Toyota Racing, which will formally present the “Class of ’25” into the Hall of Fame of ALL motorsports, will be held in the MSHFA’s home in Daytona Beach, Florida, on March 10 -11 of 2025.

The Class of ’25 includes the founder of the driving school of champions Skip Barber (Sports Cars), the rider tied for the most Daytona 200 wins ever Miguel Duhamel (Motorcycles), one of the most prolific team owners in auto racing history Carl Haas (Open Wheel), the towering figure in racing and hot-rodding, the “Camfather” himself, 102-year-old Ed Iskenderian (At Large), Three-time Daytona 500 winner and insightful commentator Dale Jarrett (Stock Cars), the all-time leader in Top Fuel wins and championships, “The Sarge” Tony Schumacher (Drag Racing) and off-road racing legend and multi-time Baja 1000 winner Bill Stroppe (Off Road). Two additional Historic Category inductees will be announced this summer.

The unveiling was made by MSHFA President George Levy who was joined by American auto racing legend Mario Andretti (MSHFA Class of 1990) and inductee Barber, who ably represented the Class of ’25 and its six other “Heroes of Horsepower” confirmed so far to be ushered into the MSHFA next March.

Andretti shared memories of his former team owner Haas just over a month after formally presenting his other boss, 2023 MSHFA inductee Paul Newman, into the Hall at this year’s induction celebration. Together, Newman and Haas were partners in Newman/Haas Racing, one of the most successful teams in IndyCar racing history, winning eight championships and 107 races between 1983 and 2011. 

Andretti, and his son Michael Andretti (MSHFA Class of 2008), both drove for Newman/Haas Racing and were central to the team’s success. Mario debuted with Newman/Haas Racing in a single-car effort in its first year of competition in 1983 and stayed with the team until his retirement at the end of the 1994 season. 

Newman/Haas Racing earned its initial championship in just its second season in 1984 as Mario scored six race wins, a series-leading run that began with his first of four victories at Long Beach with Newman/Haas in the next five years (1984, ’85, ’87 and ’88).  

Sébastien Bourdais later won three-straight at Long Beach with Newman/Haas from 2005 – 2007 but the seven wins with Newman at the “200 MPH Beach Party” weren’t the only memorable triumphs at Long Beach for Haas. The first-ever race on the Long Beach streets was a Formula 5000 event in 1975 won by Brian Redman (MSHFA Class of 2002) in a Haas-owned Lola T332. That successful “proving race” convinced the international Formula 1 organizers the venue and city were suitable for a true F1 Grand Prix, which was run for the first time just six months later in 1976.

It was Mario’s win in 1977, however, that put Long Beach on the map. He drove a Lotus-Ford to a popular victory as the first and only American to win a F1 Grand Prix on his home soil. Still at the height of his mainstream popularity, Mario’s milestone and highly publicized victory was a key moment in cementing the legend of Long Beach Grand Prix. The 50th Anniversary Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach will be celebrated next year, just one month after the Class of ’25 is inducted into the MSHFA.

“Congratulations to Skip and all of our Class of ’25 inductees and we want to thank him and Mario for joining us today,” Levy said. “I tip my hat to all of the voters who make the incredibly difficult choices among hundreds of nominees each year. We can’t wait to welcome the Class of ’25 into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America next March. The preparations begin now, and we also want to thank our friends at Acura, the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach and the NTT INDYCAR SERIES for once again opening the door for us to make this announcement today at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.”

Each of the MSHFA’s inductees is elected by a straight vote of 200-plus motorsports experts — half of them inductees themselves. Regular voters include Andretti, Don Garlits (MSHFA Class of 1989), Chip Ganassi (MSHFA Class of 2016), Tom D’Eath (MSHFA Class of 2000), Scott Parker (MSHFA Class of 2009), Richard Petty (MSHFA Class of 1989), Don Prudhomme (MSHFA Class of 1991), Rusty Wallace (MSHFA Class of 2014) and other titans of the sport.

The Class of ’25 honorees will be formally brought into the Hall next year on Tuesday, March 11, in the 37th Annual Induction Ceremony Presented by Toyota Racing, the traditional black-tie gala that is the crowning event of the two-day, multi-function MSHFA Induction Celebration. The Induction Ceremony, which was sold out for the Class of 2024 celebration, will be preceded the night before on Monday, March 10, by the traditional “Heroes of Horsepower” reception and strolling dinner at the MSHFA Museum on the grounds of Daytona International Speedway. PNC Bank sponsored this year’s Heroes of Horsepower reception that was another sellout event.

Daytime events include the annual Inductee Welcome Luncheon on Monday, presented by Firestone for the Class of 2023, and the annual Inductee Brunch on Tuesday morning. 2024’s Historic inductees will be ushered into the MSHFA as a featured highlight of the brunch, which was sponsored by American Honda this year.

Through last month’s Class of 2024 induction, 297 Heroes of Horsepower are currently in the MSHFA, a number that will grow to 306 with the 37th Induction Class.

The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America Class of 2025: 

Skip Barber (1936-) — John “Skip” Barber III won three consecutive SCCA national titles, then founded and ran the famed Skip Barber Racing School, guiding a generation of racers, including Newman, Michael Andretti, Jeff Gordon, Danny Sullivan, Helio Castroneves and Juan Pablo Montoya. Later he became owner/operator of Lime Rock Park. Barber began racing in 1958 while a student at Harvard. He won back-to-back SCCA Formula Ford national crowns in 1969 and ’70 and a third straight title the following year in Formula B. He entered six F1 races, with a best finish of 16th at the 1972 US Grand Prix. The Philadelphia native started his driving school in 1975. It quickly became known as one of the best in the world. Skip Barber alumni have won every major American racing series, including NASCAR Cup Series and IndyCar. A three-day course, said actor-turned-racer Patrick Dempsey, “changed the direction to the next chapter of my life.” 

Miguel Duhamel

Miguel Duhamel (1968-) — Quebec-born Duhamel is the third-winningest rider in AMA Superbike history (32 wins) and a five-time Daytona 200 winner (1991, ’96, ’99, 2003, 2005). As of 2024, he’s tied with fellow nominee Scott Russell for all-time Daytona 200 triumphs. Throughout his career, Duhamel won the 1995 AMA Superbike championship, five AMA Supersport titles, two Formula Xtreme crowns and the 1991 Bol d’Or 24 hour. In all, he scored 86 AMA wins, a record 40 in Supersport. He won his first Superbike race in 1990, a victory that helped propel him to AMA Superbike Rookie of the Year. He took his first Daytona 200 the following season. A horrific 1998 accident looked to end his career, but he used a cane to approach his bike at the 1999 Daytona 200. “I was thinking that I just wanted to get some points to start the season,” Duhamel said. “But I wound up winning both races — the 200 and the Supersport.” 

Carl Haas (1929-2016) — Best known for his multi-championship-winning Newman/Haas Racing IndyCar team and Formula 5000, Can-Am and Super Vee titles, Haas also fielded an American Formula 1 effort. The Chicagoan began racing sports cars in 1952, giving up driving in the ‘60s to focus on team ownership and related businesses. In 1967, he became US importer for Lola cars and Hewland gearboxes. In 1983, he formed Newman/Haas Racing with 2024 inductee Paul Newman, which won CART titles with Mario Andretti in 1984, Mario’s son Michael in 1991, former F1 champ Nigel Mansell in 1993, Cristiano da Matta in 2002 and then four-straight crowns with Sébastien Bourdais (2004-’07). In 1985, Haas ran the Beatrice F1 team, using a Lola-designed chassis. Haas served on CART’s Board of Governors and retired as chair of SCCA Pro Racing in 2001. With 11 titles over three decades, USA Today called him one of the “most powerful men in the history of auto racing.” 

Ed Iskenderian (1921-) — The “Camfather” was born July 10, 1921, in Central California to Armenian parents. Young “Isky” was curious about mechanics and technology – his first job was repairing vacuum tube radios. He grew up around cars, particularly fascinated by the racy sounding, lightweight “gow job” hot rods he and his buddies saw around town. Coming home to Los Angeles after WW2 Air Force service, he befriended Ed Winfield (MSHFA Class of 2011) and began grinding his own hot camshafts and valve gear. He ran his Model T rod at the dry lakes and became a major player in the early days of Bonneville and the NHRA. Isky sponsored and supplied his speedware to racing icons including Garlits and Mickey Thompson (MSHFA Class of 1990), boat racers and the early days of NASCAR. Iskenderian Racing Cams became a major force in the performance industry, Ed serving as SEMA’s first president.  

Dale Jarrett (1956-) — Jarrett turned down a full golf scholarship at the University of South Carolina to follow the chosen profession of his father Ned Jarrett (MSHFA Class of 1997). The 1999 NASCAR Cup Series champion collected three Daytona 500s (1993, 1996, 2000), 16 poles and 32 Cup victories. Only inductees Petty (7) and Cale Yarborough (MSHFA Class of 1994) with four victories have won more Daytona 500s, and Dale’s 32 wins put him in the top 25 all-time. Jarrett was at his best in the sport’s marquee events. In addition to his triumphs in “The Great American Race,” Jarrett claimed two Brickyard 400s (1996, 1999), the 1996 Coca-Cola 600, 1998 Winston 500 and three Busch Clashes (1996, 2000, 2004). After retiring from driving in 2008, Jarrett, like his fellow inductee dad, became a lead analyst on NASCAR broadcasts. He was named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998. 

Tony Schumacher (1969-) — Based on statistics, the son of fellow inductee Don Schumacher (MSHFA Class of 2019) is the best Top Fuel driver there ever was. At the start of 2024, “The Sarge” held the all-time NHRA Top Fuel records for wins (86), poles (62) and championships (8: 1999, 2004-2009, 2014). His 86 wins put him 24 ahead of inductee Larry Dixon Jr. (MSHFA Class of 2021) and almost 30 ahead of his nearest active competitor. His eight titles eclipsed the five won by Joe Amato (MSHFA Class of 2004). In 1999, he became the first to exceed 330 mph in ¼ mile competition and made the first 330 mph pass in the 1,000 ft era in 2012. Schumacher made it to the finals of the first event he qualified for, the 1996 U.S. Nationals. His 2008 title run was perhaps the most dominant ever. He won 15 events, including seven in a row, and made 18 final-round appearances. Schumacher returned to a full-time schedule in 2022. He has driven his entire career for his father’s team Don Schumacher Racing. 

Bill Stroppe (1919-1995) — Stroppe once joked he was “a can-opener engineer,” but a sharp and inventive mind made him one of the top builders of his time. Stroppe began a long association with Ford after winning the 1947 Henry Ford Memorial Regatta with a Ford flathead-powered boat. Stroppe Lincolns finished 1-2-3 in the stock car class at the ’52 and ’53 Carreras Panamericana. His Mercurys won early ‘60s NASCAR races, the 1963 Pikes Peak Hill Climb and a ‘64 USAC title. But he made his greatest mark in the desert. First, he convinced pal and inductee Parnelli Jones (MSHFA Class of 1992)to go off-road, garnering national attention for the sport. Then he built a series of Broncos that set trends and records, he and Jones winning consecutive Baja 1000s (1971-72). Soon Larry Minor, Rod Hall, James Garner, Walker Evans (MSHFA Class of 2015) and others were lining up at his door, resulting in scores more SCORE victories. 

For 2025 Induction Celebration tickets, visit the MSHFA at www.mshf.com or contact MSHFA President Levy at (248) 895-1704 or glevy@mshf.com. For museum tickets call 1-800-PIT-SHOP