Three INDYCAR Icons Inducted Into Motorsports Hall of Fame

Three INDYCAR SERIES veterans have been elected into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) as part of the 2027 Induction Class. The announcement was made on Friday, April 17, 2026, during a ceremony at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.

Lyn St. James, Gary Bettenhausen and Harry Hartz were named among the inductees for the Class of 2027. St. James was recognized in the At Large category, Bettenhausen in the Open Wheel category, and Hartz in the Historic category.

The formal induction ceremony for the Class of 2027 will take place in March 2027 at the Motorsports Hall of Fame museum located at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Other members of the 2027 Induction Class include Ron Capps (Drag Racing), Rob Dyson (Sports Cars), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Stock Cars), Herb Fishel (Business), Steve Hinton (Aviation), Angelle Sampey (Motorcycles) and Robert Yates (Stock Cars).

St. James attended the announcement event as the co-founder and past president of WIMNA (Women In Motorsports North America) but was surprised with the news of her induction. MSHFA President Daren Lucas, INDYCAR and Indianapolis Motor Speedway President J. Douglas Boles and IMSA President John Doonan combined to surprise her with the announcement and then invited her to join them at the podium and head table.

St. James, the first woman to win Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year in 1992, built on the work of earlier inductees Janet Guthrie, Denise McCluggage and others to open doors for women at the highest levels of American racing. Her career includes numerous sports car victories, including IMSA GTO wins at Sebring in 1990 and the Rolex 24 At Daytona in 1987, and 1990. She also competed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

In the INDYCAR SERIES, St. James made 16 starts, with a career-best finish of eighth in 1996 at Walt Disney World. She qualified sixth for the 1994 Indianapolis 500.