NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Day – Who Do You Think will Make the Cut?
The 2014 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees will be announced Wednesday evening, May 22.
On Wednesday, May 22, the 54 members of the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Nominating Committee and Voting Panel will gather at North Carolina’s Charlotte Convention Center to whittle down the class of 25 nominees to five worthy inductees, including one nominated by fan vote. Come 6pm ET, the rest of the world will know who they’ve picked.
Of course a driver or two will make the list. More than half of the 20 current members were nominated based upon their behind-the-wheel talent. But like any well-oiled machine, it takes many different parts, people and functions to run a professional sport that challenges its participants, makes celebrities of its stars, entertains its fans and inspires the next generation of racing professionals.
The list of 2014 nominees includes 14 drivers, three team owners, two legendary engine builders, three track owner/operators and three from the executive ranks. Who do you hope will nab one of the five inductee spots? Peruse the nominee list below, then post your votes on the E3 Spark Plugs Facebook Fan Page. And be sure to log onto NASCAR.com at 6pm Eastern Time on Wednesday when the 2014 class is announced.
- Red Byron: NASCAR’s first Strictly Stock champion
- Jerry Cook: Six-time NASCAR Modified champion; 342 wins
- Tim Flock: Two-time NASCAR premier series champion; 39 wins
- Jack Ingram: Two-time NASCAR Busch (now Nationwide) champ; 31 wins; also three-time Late Model Sportsman champ
- Bobby Isaac: Won 1970 Cup championship; 37 career wins, 49 poles
- Dale Jarrett: 1999 Cup champion; 32 wins
- Fred Lorenzen: Twenty-six wins in just 158 career starts, including Daytona 500 and World 600 winner in 1965
- Benny Parsons: 1973 Cup champion; 21 wins
- Larry Phillips: Five-time NASCAR Weekly Series champion; 226 wins in 308 starts
- Fireball Roberts: Thirty-three career wins, including Southern 500 (twice) and Daytona 500
- Wendell Scott: First black owner/driver to win in NASCAR’s Cup series
- Curtis Turner: Seventeen career wins in premier series, including Southern 500; 38 wins in 79 starts in NASCAR’s convertible division
- Joe Weatherly: Two-time premier series champion with 25 career wins; Modified champ (1953)
- Rex White: 1960 premier series champ; 28 wins in 233 starts
- Richard Childress: Former driver; 11 championships as owner (6 Cup, 4 Nationwide, 1 Truck)
- Rick Hendrick: Thirteen championships (10 Cup, 3 Truck)
- Raymond Parks: Won inaugural Strictly Stock championship
- Maurice Petty: Seven Cup titles and 198 wins as head engine builder for driver Richard Petty
- Ray Fox: Built some of the most durable, most powerful engines of the day before finding success as a car owner (14 wins). Engine and mechanical expertise helped Carl Kiekhaefer teams win 22 of first 26 races in 1956
- H. Clay Earles: Founder of Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, the only track that has hosted Cup races every year since 1949
- Les Richter: Former president and general manager of Riverside International Raceway
- O. Bruton Smith: Chairman and CEO of Speedway Motorsports Inc., which owns eight facilities that host 12 Cup points races annually
- Anne Bledsoe France: Secretary and treasurer for sanctioning body during its formative years
- T. Wayne Robertson: Former Senior VP for series sponsor R.J. Reynolds and president of its sports marketing arm; helped develop series’ all-star race
- Ralph Seagraves: Former RJR official, instrumental in pairing sponsor with NASCAR to create Winston Cup Series; helped develop NASCAR Weekly Racing Series program
