Charlotte, North Carolina has been announced as the future home of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. While the site and the proposed building are beautiful the real question is who should be enshrined inside. Who should be in the very first NASCAR Hall of Fame class? Here are my picks for that first, very special, group.
Bill France Sr. was the founder of NASCAR and served as its very first president and CEO. It was Bill's vision and strong leadership that created the sport and nurtured it through the early years. NASCAR would not exist today without Bill France and he should be the very first inductee.
With Seven Championships and 200 wins as a driver NASCAR has only one man they call "The King." Richard Petty was the face of NASCAR for decades and is still one name that everyone instantly associates with the sport. King Richard Petty certainly belongs in the Hall of Fame and I believe he should be the first driver inducted.
The only other driver with seven Championships is Dale Earnhardt. Earnhardt left us behind in 2001 while still at the top of his game. "The Intimidator" could drive the wheels off of it when he needed to but he knew enough to take it easy on his equipment until it counted. Nobody was ever better than Dale Earnhardt in the driver's seat and there is no doubt that he belongs in the Hall of Fame.
Dale Inman was crew chief for Richard Petty when he won all seven of his Championships. Plus Inman scored another Championship as crew chief for Terry Labonte in 1984. With eight NASCAR Championships he is, by far, the most decorated crew chief in the history of NASCAR.
David Pearson ended his career with 105 wins in NASCAR. In the four years from 1967 through 1969 Pearson won three Championships. In 1974 Pearson finished third in points with seven wins and fifteen top five finishes in spite of only starting 19 of the 30 races on the schedule. David Pearson was as smooth as they come behind the wheel. A master of tricky tracks Pearson thrived at Darlington where he had ten career victories and twelve poles.
On December 1st, 1963 Wendell Scott became the first (and so far the only) African-American to win a race in NASCAR's top series. Scott won the Grand National race in Jacksonville, Florida that day to set the record and help to break down barriers.
H. Clay Earles built Martinsville Speedway in 1947. He was good friends with Bill France Sr. and shared his vision for the future of stock car racing. As a pioneer of the sport and a man who dedicated himself to NASCAR he belongs in this extra-special class.
In Darrell Waltrip's 29 year career in NASCAR's top series he amassed 84 wins and three Championships. This solidified him a spot in my list of the best drivers of all-time and should be enough to get him into the Hall of Fame on the first try. Darrell continues supporting NASCAR today as an ambassador for the sport through his work in the Fox broadcast booth.
Junior Johnson won NASCAR's Most Popular Driver award in 1959 and ended his career with fifty wins in NASCAR's top series. However, he is better known to NASCAR fans as a car owner. From 1976 to 1985 his drivers won six Championships (three each with Cale Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip). Junior was the car owner who brought "Double Bud Thunder" to life with his two-car team, both sponsored by Budweiser. Junior Johnson was the Rick Hendrick or Jack Roush of his time.
Lee Petty was one of the early pioneers of the sport. In NASCAR's first eleven seasons Lee Petty had three Championships and never finished worse than fourth in points. He would end his career with 54 wins in sixteen seasons but Lee Petty left a family legacy behind that still affects the sport today. NASCAR has such a great history of families in the sport that inducting both Lee and Richard in the first group would be a fitting tribute.
