Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach founder and visionary Chris Pook — who is largely regarded as the father of modern-day street course road racing in North America — will be doubly honored at the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) 37th Induction Ceremony Presented by Toyota Racing Tuesday, March 11, at the Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort. Just weeks before the 50th running of America’s premier street course race in Long Beach, Calif., Pook will be presented with the prestigious Bob Russo Heritage Award and serve as the Honorary Chair of the formal gala honoring MSHFA’s Class of 2025 inductees.
In addition to Pook’s entry into MSHFA as just the 17th Heritage Award recipient in the Hall’s nearly 40-year history, the complete Class of 2025 includes Skip Barber (Sports Cars), Miguel Duhamel (Motorcycles), Carl Haas (Open Wheel), Ed Iskenderian (At Large), Dale Jarrett (Stock Cars), Tony Schumacher (Drag Racing), Bill Stroppe (Off Road), Louie Unser (Historic) and William K. Vanderbilt (Historic).
The MSHFA’s highest honor next to induction, the Bob Russo Heritage Award is named in recognition of the longtime motorsports journalist and historian and is presented only by the recommendation of the MSHFA Board of Directors in recognition of the recipient’s contributions to motorsports.
Among the recent motorsports powerbrokers awarded the Bob Russo Heritage honor is Bass Pro Shops founder and CEO Johnny Morris, who was the first recipient of the award since 2017 at the 2023 MSHFA Induction Celebration. Last year, the first dual Heritage Award recipients in MSHFA history were presented with the honor, with Lynsi Snyder-Ellingson, the owner and president of In-N-Out Burger, for her efforts to preserve the future of drag racing in the U.S., and Edsel B. Ford II, the “Godfather” of Ford Motor Company’s racing efforts and a prominent ambassador for the sport of auto racing globally.
In addition to his Heritage Award honor, Ford was also the first to simultaneously serve last year as an Induction Ceremony Honorary Chair. Pook will capably fill those big shoes next month in Daytona as he accepts the Bob Russo Heritage Award in addition to presiding over the 37th Induction Ceremony presented by Toyota Racing as the 2025 Honorary Chair.
“It will be with great humility and considerable pride that I will accept this dual honor at the annual Motorsports Hall of Fame of America Induction Ceremony presented by Toyota Racing in March,” Pook said. “Of particular significance is that it comes on the 50th Anniversary of the first Long Beach Grand Prix, which would not have occurred without the help and support of many people, particularly the late Dan Gurney who embraced and supported the concept from the very start! I would also like to thank MSHFA President George Levy and the entire Board of Directors at the Motorsports Hall of Fame for bestowing this great honor, not only to me, but also indirectly on the City of Long Beach and everyone on the GPALB, Inc. team, past and present, who have shepherded the event to where it is today. Thank you!”
Inheriting his entrepreneurial spirit from his father, who ran a variety of small businesses, Pook was properly educated at a series of private schools in his native England before attending the Sorbonne University in Paris. He soon set his sights on America in 1963 when he was 22 and – after a day or two in New York City – decided the sunshine and business potential of Southern California better suited him. He settled in Long Beach, just south of Los Angeles, and started a successful travel agency.
