Bernstein, Richter among racing Hall of Fame inductees

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Kenny Bernstein, the six-time drag-racing champion who was the first to break the sport’s 300-mph barrier, is among seven racing figures to be inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in Novi, Mich., on Aug. 12.

Bernstein, whose son Brandon now drives for his father’s Lake Forest-based team, also was the first driver to win championships in both top-fuel and funny-car dragsters, the two elite classes in the National Hot Rod Assn.’s pro series.

The inductees also include Les Richter, a former Los Angeles Rams player who became a key figure in the growth of motorsports in Southern California. He led the former Riverside International Raceway, was a NASCAR executive and helped oversee development of Auto Club Speedway in Fontana in the 1990s.

The other inductees are Al Unser Jr., a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner; David Hobbs, a former driver in several series and now a TV announcer for racing; motorcycle champion Scott Parker; stock-car driver Joe Weatherly, who was killed in a 1964 accident at Riverside International Raceway; and H.A. ‘Humpy’ Wheeler, longtime racetrack operator and promoter.

-- Jim Peltz