NASCAR Hall of Fame Inductees
Ken Willis writing in Daytona News Journal’s Speed Magazine has jumped the gun and listed his choices for the first inductees in the NASCAR Hall of Fame, assuming it ever gets built of course. (see preceding entry)
But who goes in first? Before things eventually get watered down and we start letting in the . . . um, no offense, but . . . Red Byrons, Buddy Bakers and Ernie Irvans, who are the absolute Rushmorian giants who should make up that first class of Hall of Famers?Since Cooperstown’s first class had eight, let’s accept the precedent and try to pick eight. And tell Jeff Gordon, unlike the World Golf Hall of Fame, this one will make you wait until retirement. Now, let the arguments begin . . .
RICHARD PETTY
I never said some of these wouldn’t be very easy.DAVID PEARSON
See above. But since I always feel the need to remind you late arrivals, the Silver Fox isn’t just the second-winningest driver ever, but won three championships in just four full-time attempts. And, by the way, is simply the most talented stock-car racer ever.DALE EARNHARDT
Trust me, the hard picks are coming, but this guy, along with the two above, should already have the sculptors busy.BIG BILL FRANCE
Old-timers will tell you, as a racer, he made one helluva promoter. This is no Abner Doubleday myth — this guy horse-collared an entire cross-section of rag-tag racers and promoters and formed an actual sport. We have the pictures, cigar butts and Jim Beam empties to prove it.JUNIOR JOHNSON
OK, now it’s getting tougher. But I go with Junior because he epitomized what it was all about in the early days — moonshining legend slips into his Sunday-go-to-meetin’ Dickies, goes to town and becomes a racin’ god. After it’s over, he steps to the other side of pit wall and fields six championship teams as an owner. And if there’s a ham-sandwich Hall of Fame somewhere, he gets in that one too.LEE PETTY
If only he were alive and could personally turn down the invitation to the induction ceremony . . . Nope, Lee wouldn’t get in on his charm and warmth, but should make the cut based on his three championships, 54 victories in just 429 starts and the long-running Petty Enterprises dynasty he built (ask your dad, he remembers).CALE YARBOROUGH
At least four drivers could conceivably get into my final two spots, and Cale gets the first nod. Had 83 wins, three consecutive championships in the 1970s and once tried to move the Daytona airport over to Turn 4.HERB THOMAS
Between 1951-54, he was champ twice and runner-up twice. He won 48 times in just 230 career starts (kinda like the Sandy Koufax of stock-car racing), and while his career survived many long trips with car builder Smokey Yunick, it was short-circuited by a 1956 crash that likely kept him from more titles.LOOKING IN
How do you leave out Darrell Waltrip and Bobby Allison? Beats me, but knowing that those two are out in the waiting room trying to act nice to one another, well, I couldn’t resist.Those two would certainly be part of my second class of inductees, followed shortly by guys like Buck Baker, Tim Flock, Joe Weatherly, Fireball Roberts, Fred Lorenzen, Ned Jarrett, Bobby Isaac, the other Bill France, Raymond Parks, Red Vogt and, to make sure the induction ceremony includes a loud pre-game show, Humpy Wheeler.
Looking at Willis’ list of those “looking in” how do you exclude any from the first Hall class?
How do you leave out Smoky Yunick? If for no other reason Smoky deserves a place due to his “creative use” of the NASCAR rule book. His infamous black and gold number 13 Chevelle at first glance looked “stock,” but when sitting beside it’s showroom cousin revealed it to be 7/8ths size replica. When NASCAR mandated a maximum fuel tank size, Smokey noticed there was no rule about the length of the fuel line. He ran a fuel line back and forth the length of the car four times allowing his drivers to carry an extra five gallons of gas. The man was a genius, an evil genius to the NASCAR Tech inspectors, but a genius none the less.
Shouldn’t Carl Kiekhafer be given the nod? Competing for only two years, Kiekhafer presaged todays team concept by forty years. His immaculately dressed crew members (all white no less) and “Fabulous Hudson Hornets” devastated the competition and provided the model todays multi-car teams are based on.
It will be an interesting list if and when it’s needed and I don’t envy whoever decides the initial inductees.
