Leading the field for racing’s new Hall

By DUSTIN LONG
The Virginian-Pilot

NASCAR’s Hall of Fame will be in Charlotte. That, race fans learned on Monday.

Now what about the inaugural class?

There are so many pivotal people, key moments and unforgettable finishes to reflect upon. But there will be plenty of time: The Hall is not expected to open until at least 2009 .

Everyone will have a chance to pick their own Hall of Fame class, but there’s no harm in throwing out one version of what the first group could be.

A few parameters: Let’s limit this class to seven inductees. Think of it as a way to honor the sport’s only seven-time champions. Think also about accomplishments and impact any possible inductee had on the sport.

BILL FRANCE SR. The man started the sport. His son ran it, and his grandson made Monday’s announcement about the Hall of Fame coming to Charlotte. Enough said.

RICHARD PETTY His 200 career victories will surely never be surpassed. His record of seven Cup titles, though tied by Dale Earnhardt, likely won’t be broken. Petty’s greatest contribution, though, was how he treated fans when the sport needed each one of its supporters just to survive.

DALE EARNHARDT While Petty helped NASCAR thrive in the South, Earnhardt helped carry the sport’s popularity across the country with that black No. 3 car and that intimidating driving style that helped win him seven Cup titles. Earnhardt could perhaps be the last true “people’s champ” — a man who raced to put food on the table. So many can relate.

DAVID PEARSON Many consider him to be NASCAR’s greatest driver. He won 105 races — second only to Petty — and three championships. His 113 poles rank second to Petty’s 126. In an amazing stretch from 1972 to 1976, he won nearly 40 percent of his starts and finished in the top five almost three-fourths of the time.

JUNIOR JOHNSON Johnson never won a title as a driver or even finished in the top five in points. But the former moonshiner’s 50 career victories are still tied for 10th all-time. He also won 139 races as a car owner, more than anyone else except Petty Enterprises and Hendrick Motorsports. Johnson’s biggest impact on the sport, though, is that he’s credited with bringing R. J. Reynolds to NASCAR, leading to Winston’s sponsorship. Without Winston, it’s hard to imagine the sport could have grown the way it did in the 1980s and ’90s.

DARLINGTON RACEWAY Doesn’t an inductee have to be a person? That’s the tradition, but why shouldn’t NASCAR strive to make its Hall unique? And it could start but putting the host track for the Southern 500 in the Hall. The track and race helped make the sport what it is. The Southern 500 was the series’ first 500-mile race and among the most difficult races to win. More importantly, the Southern 500 at Darlington was a Labor Day tradition beginning in 1950 that continued through 2004 before series officials moved a race date from this egg-shaped track to California Speedway.

1979 DAYTONA 500 Hall of Fames don’t enshrine particular games or events, but again, why not? The race introduced the sport to the nation, part of it socked in by a blizzard. This was the first live flag-to-flag coverage of its biggest race. It is viewed by many as one of the sport’s biggest moments. What a finish. Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison raced for the lead on the final lap. They banged into each other down the backstretch and wrecked in turn 3, their cars coming to a stop in the grass. Then they fought. Allison’s brother’s, Bobby, joined the fray, while fans celebrated Richard Petty’s victory.

BEYOND YEAR 1 A lot of big names remain — Cale Yarborough, Bobby Allison, Darrell Waltrip, Tim Flock, Ned Jarrett, Lee Petty, Joe Weatherly and Herb Thomas among them — but they’ll have their day. So should others who played a key role in the sport, from crew chiefs Dale Inman and Jake Elder to car owners such as the Wood Brothers, Holman-Moody and Petty Enterprises. There’s plenty of time to argue. The Hall won’t open for another couple of years.