NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Photos courtesy of MSHFA/Brian Cleary and Cindy Gibbs

Former longtime NHRA Competition Director and Vice President Steve Gibbs was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America’s Class of 2026, March 10, adding another impressive honor to a lifelong career in drag racing.

NHRA President Glen Cromwell and NHRA legends Don “the Snake” Prudhomme and Darrell Gwynn were among those in attendance at the induction ceremony in Daytona Beach, Fla.

NHRA founder Wally Parks hired Gibbs in 1969 to sell ads for NHRA National Dragster. Six months later, they decided they needed the man who started in the sport helping out at the San Gabriel, Irwindale, and Fremont tracks, even more, to help run the burgeoning number of NHRA national events.

Soon, he was the sanctioning body’s competition director, where he became known as “a racer’s best friend.” During his 25-year tenure, he oversaw more than 400 national events and implemented numerous ideas to make the sport faster, better, and safer, including reestablishing the NHRA Safety Safari. In 1990, Gibbs started NHRA Historical Services. In 1992, he created the California Hot Rod Reunion to raise funds for the proposed Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum. Six years later, it became a reality, and Gibbs was its first director.

Gibbs, who was inducted into the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame in 2006, was also the recipient of an NHRA Lifetime Achievement award in 1995 and an Ollie Award, recognizing career-long contributions to drag racing, from the Car Craft Magazine All-Star Drag Racing Team in 1991.

Gibbs was joined in the class of 2026 by road racer John Morton (Sports Cars), 2000 MotoGP world champion Kenny Roberts Jr. (Motorcycles), winged Sprint Car racer Sammy Swindell (Open Wheel), Unlimited Hydroplane champion Dave Villwock (Powerboats), Bill Holland and Joe Boyer (Historic), and motorsports reporter Pete Lyons (Media).

Gibbs joins a distinguished list of drag racing personalities previously inducted in the MSHFA: Joe Amato, Dale Armstrong, Raymond Beadle, Kenny Bernstein, Keith Black, John Buttera, Art Chrisman, Jack Chrisman, Austin Coil, Larry Dixon Jr., Ed Donovan, John Force, Don Garlits, Bob Glidden, Darrell Gwynn, C. J. Hart, Eddie Hill, Tommy Ivo, Bill Jenkins, Warren Johnson, Connie Kalitta, Chris Karamesines, Dick LaHaie, Dave McClelland, Ed McCulloch, Tom McEwen, "Ohio George" Montgomery, Shirley Muldowney, Paula Murphy, Don Nicholson, Danny Ongais, Wally Parks, Ed Pink, Don Prudhomme, Tony Schumacher, Don Schumacher, and Ronnie Sox and Buddy Martin.