Shoe Hall of Fame and Museum
was founded in 2020 to pay tribute
to motorcycle racers and their col-
orful careers and achievements, as
well as motorcycle industry leaders
and icons. Past inductees include
Malcolm Smith, Kenny Roberts,
Brad Lackey, Greg Hancock, Wayne
Rainey, Roger DeCoster, Scott
Parker and many others.
Woods, whose Racing Experi-
ence karting track, located in the
Neonopolis portion of Las
Vegas' Fremont Street, houses all
the Hot Shoe Hall of Fame steel
shoes and icon plaques.
The Hot Shoe organization
says, "The Hot Shoe is the sym-
bol that recognizes the cream
of the crop of motorcycle racing
stars who used a very special-
ized tool, the steel shoe, to assist
them in navigating the dirt track
corners. Steel shoe-equipped
riders quickly became known as
Hot Shoes in local and national
events and markets where they
competed."
This year's event again fea-
tured Las Vegas showgirls, an
Elvis Presley tribute artist, the
Hot Show Inductees Go Kart race,
an awards presentation, and, of
course, plenty of bench racing.
Some of the 2026 inductees
included Jay Spring-
steen, Jeff Emig, Guy
Cooper, Kevin LaVoie
and Rick Miller. Taking
center stage this year
was Road Race World
Champion Eddie Lawson,
who was honored with
the prestigious Maely
Lifetime Achievement
Award. (Ken Maely was
the originator of the steel
"Hot" shoe.)
Another annual award
that recognizes mem-
bers of the media, "The
Zeckie Award," named
after longtime media member
"Hardhat Howie" Zechner, was
presented to television announcer
Ralph Sheheen.
The Hot Shoe Inductees Go
Kart race is always a highlight
of the event, and everyone was
looking to knock off back-to-back
winner Jimmy Lewis, but as hard
as they tried, no one could, mak-
ing Lewis a three-time champ.
Jerry Bernardo, one of the night's
emcees, came close but had to
settle for second place. Finish-
ing on the podium was famed
AMA flat tracker Garth "Gonzo"
Brow, who was inducted into the
Hot Shoe Hall of Fame in 2020.
Cooper and Mike Johns rounded
out the top five.
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VOLUME 63 ISSUE 5 FEBRUARY 3, 2026 P29
(Top) Jay
Springsteen was
inducted into the
Hot Shoe Hall of
Fame. (Bottom)
Jimmy Lewis
won for the third
straight time
in the popular
inductee go-
kart race. Jerry
Bernardo (left)
finished a close
second, and Garth
Brow was third.
Gene Woods (far
left) presented
the awards.
