By David Morgan, NASCAR Writer
For all of those who participate in NASCAR, from drivers to car owners, crew chiefs, and media members, the upper echelon of the sport is earning a place in the NASCAR Hall of Fame. On Wednesday, the nominating committee for the Hall of Fame announced the 20 names of those who will get their chance to be enshrined among the legends of the sport.
Fifteen of the nominees are those who were carried over from last season, but there were also five new nominees looking to make it into the Hall on their first try.
The 15 nominees that were carried over from last season include such greats as:
Buddy Baker – Won 19 times in NASCAR’s premier (now Sprint Cup) series, including the Daytona 500 and Southern 500
Red Byron – First NASCAR premier series champion in 1949
Richard Childress – 11-time car owner champion in NASCAR’s three national series
Ray Evernham – Three-time NASCAR premier series championship crew chief
Ray Fox – Legendary engine builder, crew chief and car owner
Rick Hendrick – 14-time car owner champion in NASCAR’s three national series
Harry Hyde – 1970 NASCAR premier series championship crew chief
Alan Kulwicki – 1992 NASCAR premier series champion
Mark Martin – 96-time race winner in NASCAR national series competition
Hershel McGriff – 1986 NASCAR west series champion
Raymond Parks – NASCAR’s first champion car owner
Benny Parsons – 1973 NASCAR premier series champion
Larry Phillips – Only five-time NASCAR weekly series national champion
Mike Stefanik – Winner of record-tying nine NASCAR championships
Robert Yates – Won NASCAR premier series championship as both an engine builder and owner
Those 15 will be joined by five new nominees to make up the 20 nominee field and the five new names added to the list are:
Ron Hornaday – Four-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion
Jack Roush – Five-time car owner champion in NASCAR’s three national series
Ricky Rudd – Won 23 times in NASCAR’s premier series, including the 1997 Brickyard 400
Ken Squier – Legendary radio and television broadcaster; inaugural winner/namesake of Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence
Waddell Wilson – Won three NASCAR premier series championships as an engine builder
Along with the 20 nominees to go into the Hall of Fame, the nominating committee also announced the five nominees for the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR. Those five names include: H. Clay Earles, founder of Martinsville Speedway; Janet Guthrie, the first female to compete in a NASCAR premier series superspeedway race; Raymond Parks, NASCAR’s first champion car owner; Ralph Seagraves, who formed groundbreaking Winston-NASCAR partnership as executive with R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company; and Ken Squier, legendary radio and television broadcaster; inaugural winner / namesake of Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence, who also is on the list of nominees for the Hall of Fame.
The 2017 NASCAR Hall of Fame class will be chosen on Wednesday, May 25 in a ceremony held at the Hall of Fame.
Photo by Streeter Lecka/NASCAR via Getty Images
