The 25 nominees for the inaugural National Association for Stock
Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) Hall of Fame were revealed tonight. Only five
will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on May 10, 2010 in Charlotte,
N.C.
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Legendary Bill France with the media 2004 Daytona 500. Photo by Eric Gilbert.
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The voting panel and the fans will have a very tough decision on
making the final selection for the final five all-stars who will have
the honors as the first class. The panel consists of the nominating
committee, 14 media members, four manufacturer representatives and nine
retired competitors (drivers, owners, crew chiefs -- three each) and two
recognized industry leaders. Fifty in total but the 51st ballot
will be the one that will allow the NASCAR fans to have their say.
In October, the first NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees will be announced.
The sneak peeks that NASCAR sent out were not a surprise, nor were those
on the official nominee list. Both Lee and Richard Petty are included
as are both Bill France Sr. and Bill France Jr. Nor will the fans be
surprised to see Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Bobby Allison as a nominees. The
list of 25 reads like expected, a who's who in NASCAR racing, from its
early days to the present day.
1983 Cup Series champion Bobby Allison starts the A-B-C list. One of the
first members of the "Alabama Gang", Allison hails from Hueytown and had
84 wins in his 718 starts. His final race victory was in 1988, crossing
the start/finish line in the Daytona 500 just edging out from his son
Davey Allison. Later that year, a crash at Pocono ended his career and
nearly ended his life. One of his most competitive years was in 1972
and even with 10 wins and 12 finishes in second, Allison lost the title
fight to one of his greatest rivals: Richard Petty.
Elzie Wylie "Buck" Baker, the first Cup series champion, had a career
that span nearly 30 years. One of the early pioneers in stock car
racing, Baker was the first to notch back-to-back championships; not
once but twice and two of his non-title years were runner-up placements.
In his 26 years as a driver, Baker ran 636 races with 46 wins, 245
top-five and 372 top-10 along with 45 poles.
The first NASCAR champion Red Byron took the honor in 1948 in the
Modified division. Hailing from Alabama, Byron only ran three years with
15 starts and two wins. The next year he took the Strictly Stock title.
What is remarkable is that Byron raced using a special brace attached
to the clutch pedal due to a leg injury during the war. His career
was brief but remarkable and at the time of his death in 1960, he was
involved in the developed of a sportscar to run in the 24 Hours of Le
Mans. Byron has already been inducted in both the National (US-based)
Hall of Fame and the International Hall of Fame.
Next on the list is one of the top NASCAR team owners. Richard Childress
is more well-known has an owner but he was also a racer from 1969 to
1981. His career highlights as a driver was finishing 5th in the Cup
standings in 1975 but as a team owner, Childress has 11 championships
combined the three top NASCAR series. Six of those titles came at the
hands of Earnhardt Sr in th Cup series.
Speaking of Earnhardt, he too is on the list, but of course considering he
co-owns the record for the most Cup titles -- seven in all. Earnhardt's
passion for racing and his desire to always win eventually landed him
the nickname as "The Intimidator". On the track, he was a force to be
reckon with. He formed his own team, Dale Earnhardt, Inc., and until his
tragic death at Daytona in 2001, he had 676 starts with 76 wins, 281 top
five and 428 top-10 finishes plus 22 poles. One of his wins that stands
above the rest was the Daytona 500 in 1998 -- his first and no one will
forget his drive down pit road while every team member stood in a line
to give him their congratulations.
That brings us to a name many may not recognized but those who follow
NASCAR and stockcar racing will know the New York native. Richie Evans
who himself earned his own "king" title -- his was for the NASCAR
Modified series in which he earned nine championships. Eight of the nine
were consecutive titles!
Tim Flock and his Spider Monkey Jocko Flocko were a duo who truly help
NASCAR bring fans out to the track. One of the many Flock family members
who raced, Tim was the one who was a dominating force on track. In his
early years, Flock proved he was one to watch with 39 wins in his first
187 starts. In 1952, he earned his first of two Cup championships.
His record of 18 victories in a single season in 1955 withstood many
challenges until 1967. Over his 13 year career, Flock had 187 starts, 39
wins, 102 top-5s and 129 top-10s plus he landed 37 pole positions,
The next nominee in the A-B-C list is William "Bill" Clifton France, Jr.
who passed away in 2007. France Jr. took the helm of NASCAR in 1972. The
CEO and president of one of the world's most prestigious motor racing
series and sanctioning bodies. Like his dad, he also had a vision or
one or two or .... and lead the series to become spot one of the most
popular sports in the USA.
Next of course is William Henry Getty France, more commonly known as
"Big Bill", but he was truly anything but common. Arriving in Daytona
Beach from the Nation's capital, France helped with the design of the
first road course on the sandy beach in Daytona in 1936. He finished
fifth. Two years later he was busy promoting the idea of racing on the
beach. War interrupted but France never gave up his vision and in 1947,
France was the force in forming NASCAR and its first president. He
passed away in 1992.
Tied with Childress in championships, team owner Rick Hendrick was
nominated. Like his counterpart, Hendrick also has team titles in all
three top series. Hendrick has eight championships in the Cup series
inducing the last three with driver Jimmie Johnson. Jeff Gordon, still
racing for Hendrick Motorsports, has four and Terry Labonte earned one
of the eight. Hendrick actually started in drag racing before forming a
NASCAR team.
Two-time champion Ned Jarrett started his career in 1953 which ended in
1966. With 353 starts, Jarrett has 50 victories and 35 poles. Known as
"Gentleman Ned", Jarrett turned to broadcasting and helped to promote
NASCAR. One of his most memorable calls was when his son, Dale Jarrett,
won the Daytona 500 in 1993. It was also an emotional moment which the
North Carolinian was not one bit embarrassed about, after all that was his
son taking the win. His two titles came in 1961 and 1965.
Robert Glenn "Junior" Johnson is next on the list of nominees. His
career spanned 14 years as a driver from 1953 to 1966. He had to wait to
turn to team ownership to notch a championship -- six in all -- three
consecutive titles with Cale Yarborough and three later with Darrell
Waltrip. As a driver, Johnson has been named as the racer who invented
drafting on a superspeedway.
Bud Moore -- his short name speaks volumes in NASCAR history -- when
in his second year as a team owner, Moore had his first championship.
Returning from the War, he was crew chief for Buck Baker in 1957. Moore
always called himself a "country mechanic" yet as a Cup team owner,
he saw success with multiple when his driver Joe Weatherly not only
won in 1962 but repeated the championship in 1963. From 1961 to 2000,
Moore-owned cars were seen frequently in Victory Circle.
Team owner Raymond Parks was one of the first owners in stock car and
later NASCAR history. His time span has an Cup owner was short, from
1949 to 1955 but he learned the ropes starting in 1938. One of his first
drivers is also a nominee: Red Byron.
The Detroit taxi driver from North Carolina turned racer Benny Parson
is on the list of 25. Parsons, who passed away in 2006, won the 1973 Cup
championship. His career covered the years 1964 to 1988 with 526 starts
and 21 wins plus 20 pole positions. Like Jarrett, Parsons also ventured
into broadcasting after his retirement. He holds the record as the first
driver to turn a qualifying lap at Talladega at more than 200 mph in
1982.
With three Cup championships, David Pearson, "The Silver Fox", still
ranks second in the all-time victories with 105. His percentage for
winning or finishing in the top five is remarkable. He did not always
run a full-season but when he did, Pearson was one to contend with
for the year-end titles. He has three titles: 1966, 1968 and 1969. He
only competed in 42 of the then 49 races in his first championship run.
He missed one race but still took the Cup crown in '68 and for his
back-to-back title, he ran 51 of 54 races. Known for his consistency,
one only needs to view his 1974 racing year. Pearson only ran in 19 of
30 races and yet finished third in the standings that season. He ranks
second in the record book for wins and poles. In his 27 years, not all
full seasons, Pearson had 574 starts with the already mentioned 105
wins. The remarkable numbers included 301 top five finishes and 366 in
the top-10. Top that off with 113 poles.
Lee Petty -- the first three-time Cup champion and the first winner
of the Daytona 500 -- what more can one say. Well for one thing, he
was declared the winner at Daytona for three days. Petty and Johnny
Beauchamp raced to the finish line and the race was so close that the
final outcome had to wait for the photo finish. The term "The Great
American Race" came into play due to the finish. Petty's Cup career
had a 16 year span starting in 1949 -- one of the pioneers in NASCAR
history. He had 427 starts with 54 wins and 18 poles. Later Petty would
formed his own team: Petty Enterprises and he passed his legacy to his
son, Richard.
Richard Petty also earned a nomination for the inaugural Hall of Fame.
Known as "The King", he is also not just one of the best racers in
NASCAR history but is often tagged the "greatest ambassador" of the
sport. His records are ones that could stand for years. They include
the most wins at 200, the most poles at 123, the most Daytona 500 wins
at seven, the most consecutive wins at 10. He also holds the most wins
in a single season with 27. Plus one cannot forget he has seven Cup
championships, tied with Earnhardt Sr. The team his dad started has
amassed 268 victories. In 2009, Petty merged with Gillett Evernham
Motorsports and the team has a new name: Richard Petty Motorsports.
They also had their first foray into IndyCar, running in this year's
Indianapolis 500 with John Andretti. The King retired has a driver at
the end of the 1992 season.
Glenn "Fireball" Roberts has 33 Cup victories out of 207 starts. While
Roberts never won a championship, he made his name by winning the big
events on the calendar plus taking seven wins at Daytona. When he did
not win, he was taking top-10 and top five finishes plus 32 poles.
Another of the early racers made the list of nominees. Herb Thomas was
the first two-time Cup champion (1951 and 1953). Thomas' career was from
1949 to 1962 with 228 starts, 48 wins and 39 poles. In 1952 and '54,
Thomas was second in the Cup standings. His title in in '51 was in his
own car. Thomas is known for notching the Darlington Raceway's Southern
500 three times -- the first to make that mark in Cup history. His wins
came in '51 and then he earn the back-to-back victories in '54 and '55.
Curtis Turner made his name in two remarkable ways. He earned his first
of 17 wins in only his sixth race in 1949. Later he became the first
NASCAR driver to take the big three wins in the same year: Daytona 500,
Southern 500 and the 600 in Charlotte. One record that has never been
broken and doubtful that it will be is owned by Turner. He won two
consecutive races starting from the pole and not only lead the most laps
in both races, he lead every lap.
Three-time Cup series champion Darrell Waltrip, who also turned to
broadcasting after his retirement, was nominated. Hailing from Kentucky,
Waltrip sits tied for third on the all-time win list. His first two
title were back-to-back in 1981 and '82. His third one came in '85. His
career ran from 1972 to 2000 with 809 starts, 84 wins and 59 poles.
Joe Weatherly, who competing from 1952 to 1964, has two Cup
championships, back-to-back in 1962 and '63. His personality not only won
over the fans but earned him the nickname the "Clown Prince of Stock Car
Racing. A competitor in the NASCAR Modified series before moving to Cup,
Weatherly won 101 races and a championship in the 1952-53 season. His
229 Cup starts ended with 25 wins, 105 top five finishes and 153 top-10s
plus 18 poles.
Glen Wood was a driver first but he was the one who founded the Wood
Brothers Racing team in NASCAR. While Wood only raced on and off to the
tracks close to his home in Virginia, he did win four times in his 62
starts. He also had 14 pole positions. It was the team, formed with
brothers Leonard and Delano that showed success with 96 wins in 1340
races. In 1965 the team won in open-wheel racing with Jim Clark, taking
the Indianapolis 500 crown.
Last but not least, the man who watched his three consecutive
championship record tied last year. Cale Yarborough landed his three
crowns in 1976, '77 and '78. During those three years, he was very
dominating, winning 28 races in his first title year, nine the next
year and 10 in the final title season. In '78 he earned his crown with
a gap of 474 over his nearest rival. The other two years, his margin
was at least 195 points. His championships was not just good luck or a
fluke. Yarborough was second in the points in 1973, '74 and '80. In his
31 years of Cup racing, Yarborough amassed 83 wins and 69 poles. He also
sits second in number of Daytona 500 wins with four.
The 25 nominees will be hard to whittle down to only five!
"This first list of potential inductees is impressive, to say the
least," said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France. "Now comes the hard
part -- choosing only five to be inducted. Every single person on this
list is worthy to be in the NASCAR Hall of Fame."
