I wasn’t sure what to expect when I arrived at the Charlotte Convention Center on Wednesday to take part in selecting the first NASCAR Hall of Fame Class.

 

           

I’ll admit I was a bit surprised at the length and breadth of the discussion on the candidates. Budgeted for about an hour, the discussion lasted about 90 minutes and the mood of the room went back and forth with even some people declaring that the discussion was making them rethink their five.

 

           

I was pretty set on my five. I had mulled it for a while and used a long plane trip back from last weekend’s race in California to finalize my selections. The discussion nearly swayed me on changing one vote. In the end, I voted for the five I had intended to do when I entered the room that included such people as Harry Gant, Junior Johnson, Ricky Rudd, Ned Jarrett, Brian France, Mike Helton, Robin Pemberton, Bud Moore, Cotton Owens and others.

 

           

So, here’s how I voted and why I chose each of them.

 

1.      Bill France Sr. _ Without his vision and his drive there wouldn’t be NASCAR. So for that, he was the first name I marked on my ballot. Not only did he leave fans the sport, he also gave them tracks at Daytona and Talladega. Daytona was revolutionary. There was not a track that large with such banking. I’ve heard a number of former drivers talk about how they marveled at the size of the place when they first arrived. An easy selection.

 

 

2.      Richard Petty. The King. You know the stats from his seven titles to 200 championships to his seven Daytona 500s. More than that, he understood and accepted the role as the sport’s ambassador to the fans. Without his graciousness _ hey, he once even autographed a duck  _ the sport might not be as open to fans.

 

 

3.      Dale Earnhardt. The Intimidator. He rose from poverty in Kannapolis, N.C., and became a hero to the working man. Many fans could relate to his humble beginnings. He became the American Dream to some, the one who rose above, the one who was fiery enough that he said and did things many would like to do. For that, he provided a generation of fans hope while also thrilling them with the way he drove and won.

 

 

4.      David Pearson. Some say he was the sport’s greatest driver. The Silver Fox ranks second in all-time wins and won a record 10 times at Darlington, a track where there were few fluke wins. That place rewarded the best and many of the sport’s top drivers have a Darlington win on their resume. To have 10 shows Pearson’s immense ability. He and Richard Petty finished 1-2 in 63 races. Thing is Pearson won 33 of those races.

 

 

5.      Junior Johnson. A folk hero. Immortalized in Tom Wolfe’s 1965 story in Esquire “The Last American Hero is Junior Johnson.’’ Johnson is considered one of the greatest drivers to have never won a series title. He won 50 races. As an owner, he won more than 130 races and six championships, winning titles with Cale Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip. He is given credit for discovering the draft at Daytona in 1960, the year he won the Daytona 500. He also played a role in leading Winston to become series sponsor. Even today he is a larger-than-life person to many veteran fans and for that he earns a spot on my ballot.

 

 

Johnson was the last one on my ballot. It came down to him and Bill France Jr. Both are worthy. During Bill France Jr.’s reign, the sport saw unprecedented growth, went from not being on TV to having every race broadcast live nationally, both the Busch (now Nationwide) and Craftsman (now Camping World) Truck series were created, and he moved the season-ending banquet to New York City.

 

 

 

            The difference between Johnson and Bill France Jr. was slight. I went with Johnson because of his folk-hero status. While France did a lot of work behind the scenes _ and people such as Johnson benefited _ Johnson’s varied impact on the sport as driver and owner was as important and to fans might have been more important because they saw him do those things. For that, he deserved to have my vote to be a part of the first NASCAR Hall of Fame Class. This Hall, after all, is for the fans.

 

           

            Bill France Jr., though was a name discussed more than any other person by the group. They went back and forth on whether the first class should have two Frances or replace Bill France Jr. with a driver and assume Bill France Jr. will be inducted in the second year.

 

 

            That’s how I voted and why I voted the way I did.