DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.
Although some fans claim that the NASCAR has drifted far from its roots, that’s not the case with the 25 men nominated for the sport’s five-person inaugural Hall of Fame Class.
Nearly all 25 on a list released Thursday night are from the South, including eight from North Carolina and four from Virginia. The list pays homage to a time when the sport had a regional following as opposed to its national footprint these days. Saturday’s Sprint Cup race at Daytona will feature no more than three drivers from both North Carolina and Virginia.
The inaugural class will be determined in October and honored in May at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, N.C.
Perhaps one of the biggest surprises with the 25-man list is Roanoke’s Curtis Turner. Bill France Sr. – also a nominee – suspended Turner from 1960 until late in the 1965 season for attempting to unionize the drivers. Turner finished with 17 wins – well short of many other drivers nominated for the first class – but he is considered by those who saw him to be among the sport’s best drivers.
The other Virginia natives on the 25-member list are Norfolk native Joe Weatherly , Glen Wood (Stuart) and Rick Hendrick (Palmer Springs).
North Carolina’s contingent features Richard and Lee Petty (Level Cross), Dale Earnhardt (Kannapolis), Junior Johnson (Ronda), Ned Jarrett (Newton), Richard Childress (Winston-Salem), Herb Thomas (Sanford) and Buck Baker (Charlotte).
Here’s a look at the nominees and an assesment of when they’ll likely make the Hall of Fame:
- BOBBY ALLISON
Hometown: Hueytown, Ala.
Notable: Tied for third on the all-time list ,with 84 wins. Won the 1983 series title and three Daytona 500s.
First-ballot chances:: Good
Hello to Hall:: Should be in by second year. - BUCK BAKER
Hometown: Charlotte
Notable: NASCAR’s first two-time champion (1956, ’57), he was first or second in the points each year from 1955-58. Won 46 races. First-ballot chances: none
Hello to Hall: Likely four or so years away. - RED BYRON
Hometown: Anniston, Ala.
Notable: Inaugural series champion (1949) and winner of the first NASCAR-sanctioned race.
First-ballot chances: None
Hello to Hall: Might be five years off. - RICHARD CHILDRESS
Hometown: Winston-Salem, N.C.
Notable: An independent driver who is a finalist because of his team ownership. He has six titles as an owner and finished second three times.
First-ballot chances: none
Hello to Hall: Chances improve after Year 5. - DALE EARNHARDT
Hometown: Kannapolis, N.C.
Notable: The seven-time points champ won 76 races and is the all-time leader in total victories at Daytona International Speedway, with 34.
First-ballot chances: Lock to make it - RICHIE EVANS
Hometown: Rome, N.Y.
Notable: This nine-time NASCAR modified champion was considered the series’ greatest modified driver before his death at Martinsville.
First-ballot chances: none
Hello to Hall: Maybe within five or so years. - TIM FLOCK
Hometown: Fort Payne, Ala.
Notable: He won 39 races in 187 starts (20.8 win percentage) and was a two-time champion. Drove at times with a monkey in the car.
First-ballot chances: none
Hello to Hall: Doors open in 3-4 years. - BILL FRANCE SR.
Hometown: Washington, D.C.
Notable: He was the driving force behind NASCAR’s creation and ran the sport from its beginnings in 1949 until 1972.
First-ballot chances: Count on it - BILL FRANCE JR.
Hometown: Washington, D.C.
Notable: Took over sport from his father in 1972 and led it until 2000, as NASCAR grew from a regional to a national sport.
First-ballot chances: Possible.
Hello to Hall: No later than Year 2 - RICK HENDRICK
Hometown: Palmer Springs, Va.
Notable: The sport’s top car owner, he’s tied with Richard Childress with 11 total NASCAR titles as an owner. Has eight Cup titles.
First-ballot chances: Try again
Hello to Hall: Maybe 5 years or so away. - NED JARRETT
Hometown: Newton, N.C.
Notable: This two-time points champ won 50 races and retired before age 35.
First-ballot chances: Try again
Hello to Hall: Three to four years away. - JUNIOR JOHNSON
Hometown: Ronda, N.C.
Notable: He won 50 races as a driver and 139 races and six titles as a car owner.
First-ballot chances: His fans might be drinking moonshine in May.
Hello to Hall: If not in Year 1, then surely in Year 2. - BUD MOORE
Hometown: Spartanburg, S.C.
Notable: He was the car owner for Joe Weatherly’s two titles and revolutionized the sport as the first owner to use two-way radio communication. Car owner for 37 years.
First-ballot chances: none
Hello to Hall: Might have a wait awhile. - RAYMOND PARKS
Hometown: Dawson County, Ga.
Notable: One of the sport’s earliest car owners, his car won the first series race and title.
First-ballot chances: none
Hello to Hall: Also might have to wait awhile - BENNY PARSONS
Hometown: Detroit
Notable: He won the 1973 title and collected 21 career wins. He also was the first driver to qualify a stock car at more than 200 mph.
First-ballot chances: none
Hello to Hall: Likely four years away or more. - DAVID PEARSON
Hometown: Spartanburg, S.C.
Notable: This three-time champion ranks second all-time with 105 wins and second with 113 poles.
First-ballot chances: He’ll be in Charlotte in May. - LEE PETTY
Hometown: Level Cross, N.C.
Notable: The first driver to win three series titles, his 54 wins ranked first all-time until son Richard surpassed it.
First-ballot chances: Deserving, but unlikely.
Hello to Hall: Year 2, he makes it - RICHARD PETTY
Hometown: Level Cross, N.C.
Notable: The seven-time champion with a series-record 200 wins is known just as much for his popularity with fans.
First-ballot chances: Everyone get your cowboy hats ready. - FIREBALL ROBERTS
Hometown: Daytona Beach, Fla.
Notable: Won 33 races and often is described as the sport’s greatest driver without a title. He died from injuries in a fiery crash in the 1964 World 600.
First-ballot chances: May get a few votes.
Hello to Hall: Definitely by Year 3 - HERB THOMAS
Hometown: Sanford, N.C.
Notable: The first two-time series champ, he won 48 races and was the first three-time winner of Southern 500. His career win percentage (21.0) is highest among those with at least 100 starts.
First-ballot chances: Slim
Hello to Hall: Should be in by Year 3 - CURTIS TURNER
Hometown: Roanoke, Va.
Notable: He won a modest 17 races but is considered among the sport’s greatest drivers, despite being suspended for nearly five seasons for trying to unionize drivers.
First-ballot chances: none
Hello to Hall: May have to wait 4 or more years. - DARRELL WALTRIP
Hometown: Owensboro, Ky.
Notable: A three-time champ, his 84 wins are tied for third all-time.
First-ballot chances:: Outside shot
Hello to Hall: Expect him to “Boogity, boogity, boogity’’ by Year 2. - JOE WEATHERLY
Hometown: Norfolk, Va.
Notable:: Won 25 races and the points title in 1962 and ’63 before his death in a crash early in the 1964 season.
First-ballot chances: none
Hello to Hall: Check back in about four years. - GLEN WOOD
Hometown: Stuart, Va.
Notable: Was a good driver but is better known as one of the leaders of the Wood Brothers race team. He helped revolutionize pit stops.
First-ballot chances: none
Hello to Hall: Check back in about three years. - CALE YARBOROUGH
Hometown: Sardis, S.C.
Notable: He was the first driver to win three straight series titles and collected 83 wins, including four Daytona 500s.
First-ballot chances: He could slip in.
Hello to Hall: Lock by Year 2.
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Curtis Turner as NASCAR Hall of Fame Inductee Nomination
Hi Dustin,
Thank you for your article on the NASCAR Hall of Fame Inductee nominations that also included my Dad, Curtis Turner.
You had mentioned surprise at his nomination into the inaugural class, and so I thought it might help if I could shed some light on it from my perspective anyway. This information below is an excerpt from a letter I had already sent out in support of including Curtis Turner in the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Favorite 5 Fan Vote event which will decide the inaugural Inductees class for May 11, 2010.
It appears that the voting process is a combination of 2 eras with Fans remembering and voting from the early days era in memories of the early days of stockcar racing and racing Legends, as well as the contemporary era Fans remembering and voting from the more contemporary days of the stockcar racing era: each era holding its own in memories, enthusiasm, and Legends and Living Legends.
Below is an excerpt of a letter I sent out from the Curtis Turner Museum in support of including Curtis Turner in the favorite 5 Fan Vote into the NASCAR Hall of Fame inaugural class of Inductees.
'Curtis Turner was already a Legend in the early days of stockcar racing, d
In Support of Curtis Turner as NASCAR Hall of Fame Inductee
'Curtis Turner was already a Legend in the early days of stockcar racing, dirt racing and a big part in the beginnings of NASCAR. He was a NASCAR driver as well as a founding member in the original group who met at the Streamline Hotel, in Daytona Beach FL, to discuss and support the formation of NASCAR.
NASCAR sanctioned races won in his career were 55, which included the 17 Grand National races now called Sprint Cup, and the Convertible Division of which he won 38, 22 of which were won in 1 year. No small feat.
Curtis Turner did a great deal for the entire sport of racing. What many people don’t know is that Curtis Turner won over 350 stockcar races in his lifetime, racing in other events, or events sanctioned by USAC /MARK/ARCA. By 1957, he had won more races than any other driver by that time in his life. RACING, HE LOVED IT-LIVED IT! He was also the first NASCAR driver to appear on the cover of a national magazine, Sports Illustrated in 1968, where we was named the ’Babe Ruth of Stockcar Racing’.
Curtis had such a confident air and way of driving that he excited the racing fans and kept them coming back for more. Hence, the reason the only 2 stockcar drivers ev
Comments for the list
I'm in agreement because I recognize,if not remember, most of the names mentioned and you can be sure I'll have my cowboy hat waving in a couple years for "King Richard's" induction :) !