The NASCAR industry has selected three drivers and a Landmark Award winner for its Hall of Fame ... but neither the organization nor the hall itself will tell you who they are until next week.
In addition to dramatically overhauling its selection process, the Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina, no longer reveals its newest class on Voting Day. For 11 years the Voting Panel selected the five-person class early on a weekday afternoon, then NASCAR and the hall hosted a gala TV show later that same afternoon to showcase their new class.
This year’s four honorees won’t be publicly introduced until Tuesday, June 16, as part of NBCSN’s daily NASCAR America television program at 5 p.m. (ET). Hall of Fame driver Dale Jarrett, former driver Kyle Petty and commentators Krista Voda and Nate Ryan will host the half-hour cable program.
The Voting Panel gathered electronically on Tuesday to select two candidates from a 10-person “modern era” slate (competitors since 1960) and one candidate from the five-man “pioneer era” slate (competitors before 1960 and those on the ballot for 10 years).
The modern era nominees were retired drivers Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards, Harry Gant and Ricky Rudd, retired crew chief Kirk Shelmerdine, plus the late drivers Neil Bonnett, Larry Phillips and Mike Stefanik, and retired crew chief the late Harry Hyde.
Burton, Earnhardt and Edwards were on the ballot for the first time. This was the second year of eligibility for Shelmerdine and Bonnett, the third for Gant, fifth for Rudd, sixth for Hyde, seventh for Stefanik and eighth for Phillips.
The pioneer era candidates were retired driver Hershel McGriff and Red Farmer (still active in his late 80s), plus the late crew chiefs/car builder/owners Jake Elder, Banjo Matthews and Ralph Moody. Of that group, Elder and Matthews were first-timers, Moody has been on the ballot three times, Farmer four times and McGriff six times.
Voters also considered five candidates for the annual Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR. That group included retired driver Janet Guthrie, longtime NASCAR executive Mike Helton, track owner the late Dr. Joe Mattioli, marketing and promotions legend the late Ralph Seagraves and the late NASCAR official Alvin Hawkins.
As always, the deliberations fell along what could best be described as loyalty lines. Voters with ties to Fox and NBC strongly lobbied for their broadcast colleagues, Earnhardt Jr. and Burton. Voters with connections to racing in the Northeast spoke passionately for Stefanik, Mattioli and Moody. Older members of the panel urged voters to consider long-retired drivers Rudd, Bonnett and Gant, and Hyde and Shelmerdine over first-ballot newbies Edwards, Burton and Earnhardt.
Many were emphatic in their praise of Seagraves for the Landmark Award. Others praised Matthews for being an important safety crusader in NASCAR’s early years and reminded all of the mechanical genius of Elder, a two-time champ who helped Mario Andretti win the 1967 Daytona 500. The panel’s strongest western voice called McGriff “the Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt of the West Coast.”
It’s certainly unofficial—but almost a lead-pipe cinch—that Earnhardt Jr. will be a modern era selection … although not unanimously. (His career was notable; his popularity and character, both things of beauty, probably swayed many of the 50-some voters). The guess here is that Rudd or Stefanik will be the other modern era selections.
Farmer seemed a favorite among the pioneer era candidates, although it seemed slightly odd to consider anyone to any hall of fame while he’s actively building his resume.
And unless there was a huge last-minute change of heart, it’s seems that Seagraves—just a guess here—will be the Landmark Award winner. After all, where would NASCAR be if R.J. Reynolds Inc. hadn’t given him endless truckloads of money to sponsor and promote the Grand National Series in the early 1970s?
This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io
"complete" - Google News
June 10, 2020 at 09:02AM
https://ift.tt/2Utc9kc
Class of 2021 NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Complete, but the Results Will Have to Wait - Autoweek
"complete" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2Fvz4Dj
https://ift.tt/2YsogAP
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Class of 2021 NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Complete, but the Results Will Have to Wait - Autoweek"
Post a Comment