David Poole's picks for NASCAR's hall

Friday, Jul. 03, 2009

Dave Poole, the Observer and ThatsRacin.com motorsports writer who died in late April, was on top of NASCAR's hall, its induction process and procedures. That was pretty much standard for David. He also had his opinions about who belonged in the hall and when, and said so in the column below.

Filed Jan. 18, 2009

Who are the five greatest legends in stock-car racing?

That was the question when NASCAR announced selection procedures for the NASCAR Hall of Fame scheduled to open in 2010 in uptown Charlotte.

With 60 seasons of competition, there will be no shortage of worthy candidates for the first several induction ceremonies, which are planned for each May when fans and the sport gather here for the Sprint All-Star Challenge and the Coca-Cola 600.

The results of the voting will be announced each October, presumably during the week of each fall's race at Lowe's Motor Speedway, with induction the following May.

It should be relatively easy, I think, for the voters to select the inaugural class. After that, however, things get a lot more interesting. On the first pass, here's who I believe should be inducted in the first three years of voting:

2010 inductees: Bill France Sr., Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, David Pearson and Junior Johnson.

France was the sport's founder and the visionary who oversaw the building of its foundation. NASCAR's history begins there.

Petty was the face of the sport for a generation. He's the all-time leader with 200 victories. He and Earnhardt share the record with seven championships at the sport's top level. As Petty's driving career moved toward its end, Earnhardt took up the mantle as the sport's most prominent figure and carried it brilliantly.

Pearson won 105 races and won championships every time he ran close to full seasons during his prime. Johnson won 50 races as a driver, added six championships as a car owner and his story of a former moonshine runner turned racing legend is a major thread in the tapestry of the sport's history.

2011 inductees: Bill France Jr., Lee Petty, Darrell Waltrip, Bobby Allison and Cale Yarborough.

France followed his father into the sport's top job and led NASCAR through a period of explosive growth that carried it from regional curiosity to national success story.

Petty was the scion of stock-car racing's greatest competitive family. He won 54 races and three championships, then helped shepherd his son, Richard, through the early years of his career.

Waltrip and Yarborough each won three championships driving for Johnson. Waltrip won 84 races and continues to serve the sport as a broadcaster for Fox. Yarborough won 83 races and defined the word "tough."

Allison, a rival of Waltrip and Yarborough, won one championship and is officially credited by NASCAR with 84 wins. Some historians say that number should be 85, but either way he is one of the greatest drivers in the sport's history.

2012 inductees: Bruton Smith, Ned Jarrett, Buck Baker, Herb Thomas and Leonard and Glen Wood

Smith, the chairman of Speedway Motorsports, was promoting races before there was a NASCAR. He owns many of the sport's top-tier facilities and has brought fan amenities and showmanship to a new level as a track owner.

Jarrett, Baker and Thomas are among the sport's driving heroes. Each won a pair of championships with Jarrett winning 50 races, Thomas 48 and Baker 46.

The Wood Brothers, Leonard and Glen, have fielded cars in more than 1,300 races with 97 victories. The unassuming Virginians have had many of the greatest drivers in their cars and brought a legendary mechanical wizardry to bear in helping them make history.

NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting

Eligibility

In general, candidates will be considered eligible after 10 years of competition or work in the industry. Careers of shorter duration can be considered under unusual circumstances. Individuals must be retired for at least three years.

Nominating committee (20 members)

Who: Seven top-ranking NASCAR officials (chairman of the board, president and five vice presidents); the NASCAR Hall of Fame executive director and its historian; two track owner representatives from International Speedway Corp. tracks, two from Speedway Motorsports Inc. tracks, one from Indianapolis, one from Dover (Del.), and one from Pocono (Pa.), and one representative from each of four historic short tracks - Bowman-Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, Greenville-Pickens Speedway in South Carolina, Riverhead in New York and Irwindale in California.

How: Must nominate no more than 25 candidates each June.

Voting committee (47 members plus a fan vote)

Who: Members of the nominating committee plus 14 media representatives (three each from the National Motorsports Press Association, the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Eastern Motorsports Press Association and one each from Fox, Turner, ESPN, Motor Racing Network and Performance Racing Network); one representative from each of the four manufacturers, and three retired drivers, three retired owners and three retired crew chiefs. Fans will vote between June and Sept. 1 and their selections will count as one vote.

When: Voting will be completed by Sept. 15.

Election

The top five in balloting will be elected to the Hall of Fame. Ties will be broken by the Hall of Fame nominating committee. The class is scheduled to be announced in October with induction the following May. "Founding Members"

NASCAR's board of directors will designate a special Hall of Fame exhibit honoring those who helped build the sport from its roots. Additional members can be added in the future. Those selected among "founding members" also can be nominated for election to the Hall of Fame.