■ 12 October 2009 | 4:28 PM
Who is your five for inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame Class?
Wednesday, I'll be one of 50 voters who will determine the five inductees for the inauguarl class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. I'll admit as I write this, I don't have my five (fortunatley, a long flight from California from this weekend's race is giving me time to contemplate my picks.).
So, who is your five? List them and feel free to explain/defend why you picked the way you did.
To help you, here's the 25 nominees that I will have to choose from (listed in alphabetical order)
1. Bobby Allison -- 1983 series champion. ... Tied for third on all-time wins list with 84. ... 3-time Daytona 500 winner.
2. Buck Baker -- 1956 and 1957 series champion. ... First driver to win back-to-back titles. ... Has 46 career wins.
3. Red Byron -- Won 1949 series title, becoming first NASCAR strictly stock champion.
4. Richard Childress -- Has won 11 NASCAR titles as an owner in sport's top three series. ... Six of those titles with Dale Earnhardt. ... First NASCAR owner to win at least one title in each of three top series (Cup, Nationwide, Trucks)
5. Dale Earnhardt -- Tied with Richard Petty for most series titles with seven. ... Won back-to-back titles three times. ... Has 76 career victories. ... Won a Daytona 500. ... All-time race winner at Daytona.
6. Richie Evans --- Won nine modifield titles in 13 years, including eight from 1978-85. ... Won at estimated 475 modified races.
7. Tim Flock -- Two-time series champ (1952 and 1955). ... won 39 races. ... Won 18 of 39 races in 1955.
8. Bill France Jr. -- Took over from his father as NASCAR President in 1972 and oversaw sport's tremendous growth until he stepped down from role in 2000.
9. Bill France Sr. -- The driving force to start NASCAR. ... Served as sport's first President. ... Driving force in building Daytona International Speedway.
10. Rick Hendrick -- Won eight Cup championships as an owner and 11 overall in NASCAR's top series. ... Won four consecutive titles from 1995-98 with drivers Jeff Gordon and Terry Labonte. ... Jimmie Johnson has won the past three titles for Hendrick.
11. Ned Jarrett -- Series champ in 1961 and 1965. ... Won 50 races. ... Remembered for winning 1965 Southern 500 by 14 laps, largest margin of victory in series history.
12. Junior Johnson -- Won 50 races as a driver. ... As an owner, his teams won more than 130 races and six championships. ... Credited with discovering drafting. ... Credited with playing a role in Winston becoming a series sponsor,opening a new chapter for the sport.
13. Bud Moore -- Won 1962 and 1963 titles as car owner. ... Was crew chief for Buck Baker when Baker won 1957 title. ... Among drivers who competed for him: Dale Earnhardt, Joe Weatherly, Fireball Roberts, David Pearson, Benny Parsons and Bobby Allison.
14. Raymond Parks -- One of stock-car racing's earliest and most successful car owners. ... Began career in 1938 before NASCAR was formed. ... Won first NASCAR championship as car owner in 1949.
15. Benny Parsons -- Won 1973 series championship. .... First driver to qualify a stock car at more than 200 mph. ... 1975 Daytona 500 winner.
16. David Pearson -- Ranks 2nd on all-time wins list with 105 victories. ... Three-time series champion. ... 1976 Daytona 500 winner. ... Won 18.29 percent of all his stars, second on the all-time list.
17. Lee Petty -- First three-time series champion, winning crowns in 1954, 1958 and 1959. ... Won 54 races and was winningest driver in series history upon his retirement. ... Never finished lower than fourth in the points from 1949-1959.
18. Richard Petty -- Tied with Dale Earnhardt for most series titles with 7. ... All-time record holder for wins (200) and poles (123). ... Won 7 Daytona 500s. ... Won 27 races in one season, including 10 in a row.
19. Fireball Roberts -- Won 33 races. .. Won 1962 Daytona 500. ... Two-time Southern 500 winner.
20. Herb Thomas -- Won 1951 and 1953 series titles, becoming first two-time series champ in the sport's history. ... Finished 2nd in points in 1952 and 1954. ... Won 48 races.
21. Curtis Turner -- Won 17 races. ... Won Southern 500 in 1956. ... Won first race at Rockingham in 1965.
22. Darrell Waltrip -- Three-time series champion, winning crowns in 1981, 1982 and 1985. ... His 84 victories ties him with Bobby Allison for third on the all-time wins list. ... Won Daytona 500.
23. Joe Weatherly -- Two-time series champion, winning titles in 1962 and 1963. ... Drove for nine different car owners in 1963 championship season. ... Won 101 modified races and 1953 series title.
24. Glen Wood -- One of founders of the Wood Brothers team. ... Helped revolutionize pit stops ... Among the drivers who raced for the Wood Brothers were: David Pearson, Curtis Turner, Fireball Roberts, Junior Johnson and Cale Yarborough.
25. Cale Yarborough -- First driver to win three consecutive series titles, capturing crowns in 1976, 1977 and 1978. ... His 83 victories put him fifth on the all-time wins list. ... He won four Daytona 500s.
OK, so who do you have as your five for the Hall of Fame and why?
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Hall of Fame
Here is my list in no particular order:
Junior Johnson, Wendell Scott, Fireball Roberts, Richard Petty,
Bill France,Sr.
Some are a given and one is not even on the list of 25.
Fireball Roberts held many records and held some until recently and
may still have some that I'm not aware of.
Wendell Scott, the first black driver in NASCAR, put up with more
adversity in his career than most of the other drivers combined.
Read Hard Driving- The Wendell Scott Story and it will open your
eyes and amaze you. He was from Danville and I had the good fortune
to meet him in the pits at Langley after a race. ( yes, they had
Winston Cup races there in the 60's and 70's as well as a track in Moyock.) I asked to take Scott's picture and he said " let me get a beer first. " He came back and sat on the hood of his car and I still
treasure that photo. I also took photos of Bobby Allison, Bobby Isaccs,
and others. Please read Hard Driving if you are a Nascar fan.
Hey Dustin, can you do write-in votes ?
Early pioneers
I believe you have to start with the people who made this sport in the early years. My 5 would be Bill France Sr. and Jr., Lee and Richard Petty and David Pearson. Big Bill started the sport and little Bill took it to another level. Lee Petty was the first "big" team and bought the "king" Richard into the fold. David Pearsons winning percentage is far greater than any other driver in history and total wins are only second the Richard Petty. A lot of people will say Dale Earnhardt should be in the inaugeral class but I disagree, he should most defintely be in the second class nominated next year though.
I do….
…not envy anyone charged with making the choices. That’s going to be tough. All of them deserve to be included, they earned it.
I must agree with the others making comments. The people who built the foundation should be the first inductees.
Good luck, Dustin.
I agree
I agree with the other comment. There should have been 3-5 "founding fathers" automatically inducted. Bill France, then a driver, promoter, track owner, etc. Since there wasn't, the first five should include one from each category. I'd say Lee Petty should be one because his name started a legacy. There wouldn't have been a Richard Petty (who should be inducted next year) if Lee hadn't sold his trucking business to go racing.
NASCAR Hall of Fame
While I believe the first class of inductees is too small (only five?), I have been saying that it should be the founding or original ground breakers of NASCAR. Richard Petty on Speed last night said the same thing - without those first people who had the insight, NASCAR wouldn't be on the map now. I also do not believe those currently involved in NASCAR should be on the list, whether it be owners, broadcasters, or anyone else involved in the sport.
Given what I just wrote, here's my list of inductees: Bill France Sr., Red Byron, Tim Flock, Raymond Parks, Herb Thomas. I would also consider Lee Petty.
Thanks for letting give you input!