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NASCAR announced its inaugural inductees to the NASCAR Hall of Fame. The inductees to be enshrined are:
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1- Bill France, Sr.
2- Richard Petty
3- Bill France, Jr.
4- Dale Earnhardt
5- Junior Johnson
Some would argue about the inclusion of the Frances’ but given it’s a family operation founded by Sr. and developed into a national major league sport by Jr., their inclusion is appropriate.
No driver personifies the sport the way Richard Petty does. First, he leads the series in wins with 200, though prior to 1973 under the old system drivers participated in many more races before being reduced to 29 to 35 which has been the norm under the “modern” era. Along with Dale Earnhardt, he has earned seven championships. Additionally, from the mid 1960’s through the 1980’s, Richard Petty dominated the sport as the driver to beat.
His citizenship and contributions to the sport are stellar as well. He set the example for being a fan-friendly competitor rivaled by few in any major sport for signing autographs and interacting with fans. For his premier roll in the sport, Richard Petty was affectionately known as “the King.”
Dale Earnhardt personified NASCAR as the dominant driver of the Modern Era from his rookie year, 1979 for which he won “Rookie of the Year” honors. Earnhardt would go on to win seven championships known as “The Intimidator” for his aggressive driving style. Despite his dominance at many of the nation’s top race tracks, a Daytona 500 victory eluded him until 1998, an accomplishment which seemed to punctuate a stellar career. Dale Earnhardt’s career served to show the sport’s tragic side. On the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500 racing in third position behind Michael Waltrip and his son, Dale Jr. both who drove for his operation, he lost control of the famous black #3 Chevrolet crashing into the wall between turns 3 and 4. He was killed instantaneously prompting an exhaustive campaign to upgrade driver safety from the HANS device, SAFER barriers around the race track walls, and ultimately the introduction of “the car of tomorrow.”
Junior Johnson never won a NASCAR championship as a driver. His 50 wins ties him for 10th with Ned Jarrett. Johnson is credited with “discovering” the draft – the first driver to understand the aerodynamic principle as a means to help propel his race car. His accomplishments as a car owner were significant both for victories and in much of how modern teams function. Darrell Waltrip and Cal Yarborough each won three championships for Junior. His operation as owner posted 139 wins, third behind Petty Enterprises and Rick Hendricks. A fascinating part of Junior Johnson’s connection with NACAR lore involves his naughty past as part of another family business, “moonshining.” He opted out of that business in 1955 to become a full-time NASCAR driver, but his past would catch up with him the following year when federal tax agents busted Johnson finding him working on his father’s still. His conviction landed him a two year sentence for which he served 11 months at Chillicothe, Ohio prison. His conviction would later be pardoned by President Ronald Reagan. Retiring from racing in 1995, Johnson now supports products bearing his name including country hams and fried pork skins. Junior Johnson was a far cry from the polished professional image of many of the current Sprint Cup Drivers.
Who could argue the five charter members are not deserving of their induction. There was not a single name give on the original ballot that doesn't deserve inclusion at some point. Five more people will be inducted each year. Among top contenders for the 2010 announcement would have to include David Pearson second in victories who rivaled Richard Petty during the peak of his career and Bobby Allison next in line with the 3rd most victories. Darrell Waltrip is tied for third in victories. With three championships, his victories, and contributions to the sport as a broadcaster, ol’ "boogity-boogity" would be a sure early pick as well.
The sport must do justice to the earliest pioneers of the sport who raced long before most of today’s fans were born. Red Byron, NASCAR’s first champ and Herb Thomas, a two time champion owner/driver helped develop the initial fan base. Lee Petty, NASCAR’s grand patriarch of four generations of drivers won three championships.
Consideration should go to the Wood Brothers’ central figure, Glenn Wood, for their contributions in supporting many top drivers’ careers and developing the modern team approach to carefully orchestrated pit stops.
Other non-driver figures could include Bud Moore, a historic owner for many drivers, and “owner” of two championships. Dale Inman, Richard Petty’s crew chief for much of his successful tenure leads an impressive slate of support crew members without whom top drivers could succeed. Consideration also is due to figures like Sam Ard and Jack Ingram from what would become today’s Nationwide Series. NASCAR modified racing also has noteworthy figures. These divisions must be considered if the NASCAR Hall of Fame is more than a hall of honor.
The NASCAR Hall of Fame is under construction in Charlotte, North Carolina to open to the public in May of next year in conjunction with the racing calendar bringing the Sprint Cup All-Star Race and Coca Cola 600 to the area. The preview of what the hall includes takes advantage of the technology age with dramatic video displays and interactive features. Charlotte was the choice city from a list of finalists including Daytona, Florida; Atlanta, Georgia; Richmond, Virginia; and a site in Kansas. While some cities might have good marketing rationale, only Charlotte and Daytona are truly firmly established hallowed grounds for the sport. Given that Charlotte is the home base for most race teams and how much of the sports’ history grew from that region, it serves as an ideal location while maybe not quite the tourist ready location Daytona could be since the Florida coastal cities are noteworthy tourist destinations to begin with. NASCAR and the City of Charlotte hope that locating the hall in North Carolina will make it a destination for its own sake. Given what they’ve plans indicate the Hall of Fame will offer, count on it.
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