Having unjustly been denied a place in the Football Hall of Fame, the man who popularized NASCAR racing in Southern California was among six inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America last week in Detroit.

Les Richter, the long-time general manager at Riverside International Raceway and a major figure in building the California Speedway (now Auto Club Speedway) in Fontana, was part of the Class of 2009. He was joined by drag- racing great Kenny Bernstein, David Hobbs, Scott Parker, Al Unser Jr., H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler and the late Joe Weatherly.

Roger Penske, who called Richter in 1994 to help him build the two-mile speedway on the grounds of the old Kaiser Steel mill, presented Richter in ceremonies at the Fillmore Theater. The pair have worked together since 1967.

Jon Richter accepted on his father's behalf.

"Innovation and competitive spirit are hallmarks of the class of 2009," said Hall of Fame president Ron Watson. "These men have exemplified leadership and teamwork both on the track and in the front office."

The class had a definite Southern California connection. Unser, inducted by his father, Al (a four-time Indianapolis 500 winner), was the master of the street course in Long Beach; Bernstein, the first man in NHRA history to top the 300-mph mark, was a winner at Pomona Raceway; Hobbs won at RIR, where Weatherly lost his life in 1964; and Parker was among the first motorcycle fields that used the horse track at the

L.A. County Fair.

Richter, already in the University of California Athletic Hall of Fame and the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame, turned to racing after a nine-year NFL career with the L.A. Rams during which he made the Pro Bowl eight times. He turned RIR from a dusty track into international prominence, co-founded the International Race of Champions, became a vice president of NASCAR and played a significant role in the development of the Fontana track.

2 In an effort to get another John Force Racing Mustang into the NHRA Countdown to the title, John Force will part ways with his security blanket: crew chief Austin Coil.

Ashley Force Hood is safely in the postseason and Force is eighth. JFR's Mike Neff is ninth, 10 points ahead of Cruz Pedregon, who in turn is 30 points of Matt Hagan in 10th and 60 in front of Robert Hight, the fourth JFR entry, in 11th, with two national events remaining before the cutoff.

"I said I wouldn't shuffle my crew chiefs for three races," said Force, the 14-time series champion, "but I am moving a driver. I have about a 100-point lead with two races to go. Somebody is going to really have to do some damage to catch me, but we've got to get Robert back in the hunt, so I'm going to move Robert over to my car and I'm gonna drive the Auto Club Mustang."

Coil, who has been with Force for every one of his record 126 career wins, will tune for Hight this weekend at Maple Grove, Pa., while Jimmy Prock will wrench for Force.

Hight, winless this season, is optimistic he can make up ground in the little time remaining.

"We're only three rounds behind Cruz for the 10th spot. We have two races (remaining before the field is set), and I am up for the challenge," said Hight, who will drive the Castrol-sponsored racer. "I've been in pressure situations before and I am confident in my abilities."

It's the tightest of the four NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series pro categories. In Pro Stock Motorcycle, 49 points separate three riders, while three drivers are battling for two spots in Pro Stock.

"It all boils down to doing everything right, no matter what race track you are at," said Hight, who compounded matters by not qualifying last weekend in Brainerd, Minn. "If you do that, you put yourself in position to win. We definitely need to qualify and go rounds. Winning would be nice, and that is what we are going for."

3 Auto Club Speedway has come up with another promotion to entice racing fans, but this one has nothing to do with tickets.

Rather, the Fontana track will offer the "All Day Food Fest" for the Oct. 11 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pepsi 500. Fans age 13 and over can purchase a $35 pass ($20 for those 12 and under) that will allow all the food one can eat.

The issued wristband is valid for one (1) entr e, one snack and one nonalcoholic beverage each time through the line at participating locations, and each pass is valid only for one person, cutting out sharing.

Among the participating speedway concessions are Cantor's Deli, which features New York deli fare including corned beef and pastrami sandwiches; "garlic fries" from Gordon Biersch; California rolls, popcorn shrimp, fish sandwiches and fish and chips from Woodie's; hot dogs from the Dog House; BBQ from RPM BBQ; and hamburgers and cheeseburgers from the All American Grill.

That's enough food to fill 250 laps for a race that begins at noon.

The food pass is not good for admission, which will be sold separately.

4 NASCAR's speed circus is Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend, the "world's fastest half-mile."

"It's like you're at a high school football game. It's just all that," said Mark Martin, who's battling to stay in the top 12 in the Cup standings. "The racing itself is not that much different, I don't think, for the competitors. But it's really a cool thing for the fans and all."

It's also a track that will test patience and tempers.

"It's still a tough short track where you are constantly battling for position or battling traffic," said points leader Tony Stewart, "and you can easily get swept up in somebody else's accident."

Perhaps the real secret at Bristol is attitude and equipment.

"I looked at guys like Darrell (Waltrip) and Rusty (Wallace) and saw just how much they genuinely enjoyed each and every time the circuit raced at Bristol," said Kurt Busch. "Having a positive attitude about racing there is so important, and we normally always have that going for us when we get there."

Pat Tryson, Busch's crew chief, experienced success with Wallace.

"The old-school thinking was that Bristol was always such a demanding and physical race that you brought your oldest and most expendable race cars there," said Tryson. "Rusty used to make a big deal about bringing out new race cars for the Bristol races. He won there nine times and showed everyone that he knew exactly what he was doing.

"I dare say that half of his wins at Bristol came behind the wheel of brand-new race cars."

5 For the first time in more than 15 years, the "Civil War of Speedway" returns to San Bernardino and Inland Motorsports Speedway on Friday night.

The best of the northern contingent will battle their Southern California counterparts. Northern California champion Bobby Hedden will come out of retirement to face the likes of Mike Faria, Bobby Schwartz, Shawn McConnell and Rancho Cucamonga's Jimmy Fishback Jr., following in his father's dust trail in San Bernardino.

Racing starts at 7:30 p.m. Additional information is available by calling (714) 255-0088 or on the net at inlandmotorsportspeedway.com. ...

Linny White of Fontana and Riverside's Dwayne Blay will go after their fourth consecutive wins Saturday night at the National Orange Show in San Bernardino. White is the points leader in Super Late Model, while Blay leads in the Factory Fours. The Super Late Models will have twin features, while Pony Stocks, Bandoleros, drifting return and the USAC Ford Focus Midgets are also on the card.

All teachers and students presenting valid identification and the coupon that can be found at www.bestinthewestracing.com will be admitted free. ...

Gary Dionne, a member of the Willow and Beyond committee, said the reopening of the quarter-mile Willow Spring Speedway was a success, with "all divisions getting paid." The second event of the four-race season is set for Sept. 26. ...

Saturday's program at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale includes a 50-lap Late Model race, 40-lap Super Truck race, 35-lap Legends Cars race, a 30-lap Classic Stocks race and a 20-lap Outlaw Figure 8 race.