February 14, 2009
By Brenda Benedict
I certainly have learned more about NASCAR history this week. In last week’s column I asked readers to submit candidates for inclusion as the first group of inductees into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Readers graciously submitted names. There were names that I expected to see but there were others that I was not familiar with and it took research to understand who they were.
There is still time to submit your names as part of this very unofficial, unscientific survey. Simply email me the names of those you feel who belong in the NASCAR Hall of Fame and if you have time, explain why you want your choices at NascarHallofFamePick@gmail.com. If you want suggestions, you can look at last week’s column, Name Your Pick for the Hall of Fame.
NASCAR is opening a Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina in May 2010 and will induct the first group to be honored at that time.
There were front-runners in reader responses. Richard Petty received the most votes and was on almost everyone’s list.
Colin from Ohio even felt that Richard Petty should be the only person in the Hall of Fame the first year. ”The first year, there should be only one person inducted into the NASCAR Hall Of Fame. That one person would be the one that has had the biggest impact, accomplished the most, and contributed the most to the NASCAR World. That one single individual would be none other than, "THE KING" Richard Petty. From there on out, let the chips fall where they may.”
Dale Earnhardt Senior came in second with the fans. Earnhardt Sr. also appeared on almost every list.
A reader who calls himself Stonecold said, “The #1 should be Dale Earnhardt -the best there ever was and the best there will ever be. Some of these kids on the track today- all they really deserve is a good SWIFT kick in the rear.”
I don’t think Stonecold is really stone cold in his opinion. He seemed quite adamant about his choice.
Brent’s response was a simple two words -- “Dale Sr”. For many people, there is nothing more that needs to be said after that.
After the big two-Petty and Earnhardt Sr. the fun began. There was a second tier of names. Each name appeared on about half of the lists. This included Junior Johnson, Bobby Allison, Ned Jarrett, Lee Petty and Fireball Roberts.
A reader called Dave felt strongly that Junior Johnson should be on the list. He shared, “Junior Johnson without a doubt! No other is more deserving on so many levels.”
D’Angelo agreed by saying, “Junior Johnson should be nominated. He is still alive to appreciate the recognition! He was one of the great beginning racers just like Benny Parsons who dedicated himself to finding and helping young drivers move up in the sport!”
I counted that as a vote for Benny Parsons too. (I always liked Benny Parsons.)
But this is where the voting began to teach me about NASCAR history. Three names that were repeated several times come from the 50 Greatest Drivers of NASCAR. Tiny Lund, Fireball Roberts and Fred Lorenzen. All three were early drivers who had great achievements and were great fan favorites.
Tiny Lund, who was not tiny but rather very tall, came out of Arkansas in the 1950’s. His brilliant career ended in a crash at Talladega in 1975 that took his life.
Fireball Roberts is the most well-known of these three. Roberts began racing in the very early days of the 1940’s in Florida. His career, too, ended in tragedy when he crashed to avoid a wreck involving Ned Jarrett and Junior Johnson. The resulting injuries took his life several weeks later.
There were several other drivers who each received some votes. Most are found on NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers list that was issued in 1998. These included David Pearson, Bobby Allison, Darrell Waltrip, A.J. Foyt, and Tim Flock. The accomplishments of this group cannot be disputed.
The last group of names I received will generate considerable discussion. The names of Janet Guthrie, Brian France and Banjo Matthews each were put out by a loyal fan. Banjo Matthews came from Ohio to the Florida racing circuits before he moved to NASCAR. But his real mark was made in car building. He left racing in 1963 and between 1974 and 1985, the majority of cars that won races were build by Matthews. His cars won 262 out of 362 winning cars during that time-a remarkable 72%. Matthews certainly made a great contribution to racing as we know it today.
Janet Guthrie’s accomplishments in both Indy car and NASCAR have been discussed in previous columns. Her accomplishments stand out because of she reached important milestones as a woman.
Gary from Texas felt that special recognition of achievement downplayed the accomplishments of all. “I’ve never liked HOF categories for any sport. There are so many folks that have made racing what it is. To pick a few and say they deserve Hall of Fame status while others don't seems wrong to me. I know there are always winners and losers but the life of a sport shouldn't be viewed that way. It took the losers to make the winners shine and all of them contributed their blood and sweat to make racing what it has become. I've always had my favorite drivers and some disappoint me sometimes but I really like all of them.”
I agree that it takes many participants to make NASCAR what it is today. However Chuck summed it up best when he said that he was looking to see who “had the biggest impact on the institution we see today.”
There have been many great drivers but I am looking to see those people who impacted NASCAR in the long run. Those who not only achieved but lead to more recognition for the sport and brought it from a regional interest to the national sport that it is today.
With those parameters there seem to be three names that should be on the Hall of Fame without question: Richard Petty, Bill France Sr. and Dale Earnhardt Senior. The remaining two names are where the fun begins. Right now I am going to vote for Junior Johnson and Bobby Allison. I would love to hear from you about why my choices are wrong and why they should include someone else.
You can voice your opinion at NascarHallofFamePick@gmail.com. I’d love to change my mind.
The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN.
