A month after his demise, Kyle Busch was finally inducted into the Hall of Fame. While it was not the NASCAR Hall of Fame, the honor is no less coming from the West Coast Stock Car HOF, and the 2026 class also had NHRA legend, John Force.

Busch passed away on May 21, and motorsports fans are still in disbelief about the sudden nature of it. Amid this, this honor is surely going to bring smiles to their faces.

On Sunday, the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame announced the class of 2026, which included John Force, Ron Capps, Ernie Cope, Roger & Casey Mears, Brad Noffsinger, and Sean Woodside.

"In reviewing the 2026 final list of inductees, I am simply overwhelmed with the diversity and the tremendous talent voted in," Hall Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ken Clapp said in a statement on their website.

"I feel compelled to tell the public that prior to our loss of Kyle Busch, he already had enough votes to be inducted with the Class of 2026. That's just further testimony to his tremendous talent and contributions he made to the sport over the past 25 years," Clapp further added.

Along with Busch, John Force, the renowned retired NHRA Drag Racer, will also receive the induction. He is a 16-time NHRA, one-time AHRA Funny Car, and the owner of John Force Racing in the NHRA.

The WCSC HOF will conduct the inductions on October 1 at the South Point Hotel Casino & Spa in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The West Coast Hall of Fame is also regarded very highly in Motorsports in the United States. While it might not be considered as famous and prestigious as the NASCAR Hall of Fame, it is no less.

As for the discussion surrounding Kyle Busch being inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, here is where the series stands.

What did NASCAR boss say about Kyle Busch's HoF induction?

The three inductees unanimously voted upon for the Class of 2027 are Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, and Larry Philips. However, many fans and analysts felt NASCAR should also induct Kyle Busch immediately.

NASCAR CEO Steve O'Donnell addressed the possibility in late May, saying (via Motorsport.com):

"I don't know. I know that we put that on the list of ideas that we want to look at. I think, I said earlier there's things we want to do this weekend, and then we have a little bit more time to think about what we could do as well in the future. Who knows, that could be something we look at."

Kyle Busch suffered from acute pneumonia, which rapidly progressed into sepsis. He was taken to the hospital immediately, but did not survive.

At the time of his death, he was 41 and left behind his family, wife Samantha Busch, and two kids, son Brexton and daughter Lennix.

You can read more on the Daytona Racing Digest!

Written by

Sabyasachi Biswas