Twenty five legendary figures have been selected as nominees for the first induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, a list which includes drivers, owners, and other leaders who contributed to the success of the sport.
The list consists of:
Bobby Allison
Buck Baker
Red Byron
Richard Childress
Dale Earnhardt
Richie Evans
Tim Flock
Bill France Jr.
Bill France Sr.
Rick Hendrick
Ned Jarrett
Junior Johnson
Bud Moore
Raymond Parks
Benny Parsons
David Pearson
Lee Petty
Richard Petty
Fireball Roberts
Herb Thomas
Curtis Turner
Darrell Waltrip
Joe Weatherly
Glen Wood
Cale Yarborough
While certainly no one can deny the significance of what owners like Rick Hendrick provided the sport, all the innovations Glen Wood set in motion with the Wood Brothers, or that Bill France Sr. and Bill France Jr. had the vision to create and develop the sport in the first place, the Hall of Fame initially belongs to the drivers. Should Abner Doubleday been included in the first class of baseball Hall of Famers who joined Babe Ruth to be enshrined in Cooperstown? Clearly, for our purposes, we start with drivers to be honored in the NASCAR Hall of Fame soon to be completed in Charlotte, NC the epicenter of NASCAR.
We voted for Dale Earnhardt, Richard Petty, Bobby Allison, David Pearson, and Cale Yarborough. There are plenty of other drivers in this list of 25 who should and most likely will be honored in the near future. Surely Lee Petty, Joe Weatherly, Darrell Waltrip, Junior Johnson, and Ned Jarrett just to name a few are absolute shoe-ins. But the five we selected were by far the most accomplished and dominant drivers during their times as active drivers with Richard Petty standing far above all of them not just for his seven championships, only matched by Dale Earnhardt, his unequalled 200 wins, but also the leadership and character he provided the sport.
The field of current and recently retired drivers provide many can’t miss prospects led by Jeff Gordon and his four championships followed by teammate, Jimmie Johnson with three consecutive championships. Tony Stewart with two championships is also a can’t miss prospect. To think, Johnson’s and Stewart’s best days could still be in front of them and Jeff Gordon is far from being out of it for many more incredible achievements. Dale Jarrett as a former champion and multiple Daytona 500 winner should be right in the thick of consideration. Terry Labonte is in rare company with two championships. Rusty Wallace and Bill Elliot won titles in the late 80’s and were dominant drivers right behind Dale Earnhardt for many years. Mark Martin is like a modern day Junior Johnson, while the sun is setting on his chances for winning a cup championship, his consistency, finishing second in the standings many times makes him look like a strong candidate. Jack Roush, as a team owner, with two championships and a long list of top five finishers in the point standings should also find his spot in the hall.
Perhaps NASCAR might consider having two classifications for the Hall of Fame, one for drivers, one for major figures who helped make the sport successful. Should journalists be included as they are in baseball’s Ford Fricke award? Should drivers who dominated the Nationwide/Busch series be considered?
Having been a popular sport for more than sixty years, having its own Hall of Fame is perhaps long overdue for NASCAR. Just a brief consideration of the names mentioned above, the Charlotte shrine will be a huge attraction for all who love the sport.
The list consists of:
Bobby Allison
Buck Baker
Red Byron
Richard Childress
Dale Earnhardt
Richie Evans
Tim Flock
Bill France Jr.
Bill France Sr.
Rick Hendrick
Ned Jarrett
Junior Johnson
Bud Moore
Raymond Parks
Benny Parsons
David Pearson
Lee Petty
Richard Petty
Fireball Roberts
Herb Thomas
Curtis Turner
Darrell Waltrip
Joe Weatherly
Glen Wood
Cale Yarborough
While certainly no one can deny the significance of what owners like Rick Hendrick provided the sport, all the innovations Glen Wood set in motion with the Wood Brothers, or that Bill France Sr. and Bill France Jr. had the vision to create and develop the sport in the first place, the Hall of Fame initially belongs to the drivers. Should Abner Doubleday been included in the first class of baseball Hall of Famers who joined Babe Ruth to be enshrined in Cooperstown? Clearly, for our purposes, we start with drivers to be honored in the NASCAR Hall of Fame soon to be completed in Charlotte, NC the epicenter of NASCAR.
We voted for Dale Earnhardt, Richard Petty, Bobby Allison, David Pearson, and Cale Yarborough. There are plenty of other drivers in this list of 25 who should and most likely will be honored in the near future. Surely Lee Petty, Joe Weatherly, Darrell Waltrip, Junior Johnson, and Ned Jarrett just to name a few are absolute shoe-ins. But the five we selected were by far the most accomplished and dominant drivers during their times as active drivers with Richard Petty standing far above all of them not just for his seven championships, only matched by Dale Earnhardt, his unequalled 200 wins, but also the leadership and character he provided the sport.
The field of current and recently retired drivers provide many can’t miss prospects led by Jeff Gordon and his four championships followed by teammate, Jimmie Johnson with three consecutive championships. Tony Stewart with two championships is also a can’t miss prospect. To think, Johnson’s and Stewart’s best days could still be in front of them and Jeff Gordon is far from being out of it for many more incredible achievements. Dale Jarrett as a former champion and multiple Daytona 500 winner should be right in the thick of consideration. Terry Labonte is in rare company with two championships. Rusty Wallace and Bill Elliot won titles in the late 80’s and were dominant drivers right behind Dale Earnhardt for many years. Mark Martin is like a modern day Junior Johnson, while the sun is setting on his chances for winning a cup championship, his consistency, finishing second in the standings many times makes him look like a strong candidate. Jack Roush, as a team owner, with two championships and a long list of top five finishers in the point standings should also find his spot in the hall.
Perhaps NASCAR might consider having two classifications for the Hall of Fame, one for drivers, one for major figures who helped make the sport successful. Should journalists be included as they are in baseball’s Ford Fricke award? Should drivers who dominated the Nationwide/Busch series be considered?
Having been a popular sport for more than sixty years, having its own Hall of Fame is perhaps long overdue for NASCAR. Just a brief consideration of the names mentioned above, the Charlotte shrine will be a huge attraction for all who love the sport.
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