Who would you select for NASCAR's inaugural Hall of Fame Class?

Had an e-mail sent to me recently telling me about a vote of NASCAR folks on who should be in the first class of the Hall of Fame, which is scheduled to open in Charlotte in spring 2010.

Following the rules used by the Baseball Hall of Fame -- anyone who enters must receive 75 percent of the vote -- this website came up with the first NASCAR Hall of Fame class. The top first class, according to the stockcarhistoryonline.com, poll would feature Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, David Pearson and Bill France Sr. If you click on the above link, you can see who voted and who they voted for. I'm not on there. They must have seen my 2006 piece on who I think should be in the first class of the Hall of Fame.

Yes, my picks were different. Sure, I picked Petty, France, Earnhardt and Pearson, but I also had Junior Johnson along with Darlington Raceway and the 1979 Daytona 500. Who says the Hall should just enshrine people? Darlington was the first superspeedway in NASCAR and played a key role in the sport's growth. Of course, nothing got NASCAR going like that 1979 Daytona 500, especially the fight between Cale Yarborough and the Allisons.

Anyway, I still stand by my picks. You've seen the picks by other experts. So who would you pick for an inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame class?

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