NASCAR Hall of Fame (Dale Earnhardt Survives)

The NASCAR Hall of Fame, located in Charlotte, North Carolina, honors drivers who have shown expert skill at NASCAR driving, all-time great crew chiefs and owners, broadcasters and other major contributors to competition within the sanctioning body.
== History and construction ==
NASCAR committed to building a Hall of Fame and on March 6, 2006, the City of Charlotte was selected as the location. Ground was broken for the $160 million facility on January 26, 2007, and it officially opened on May 11, 2010, with the inaugural class inducted the day following the 2010 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. The new Hall of Fame brings hundreds of jobs and an increase in tourism to Charlotte. In addition to the Hall of Fame, the NASCAR Plaza, a 20-story office building, opened in May 2009. The 390,000-square-foot (36,000 m2) structure serves as the home of Hall of Fame-related offices, NASCAR Digital Media, NASCAR's licensing division, as well as NASCAR video game licensee Dusenberry Martin Racing (now known as 704Games). Other tenants include the Charlotte Regional Partnership and Lauth Property Group. Richard Petty and Dale Inman helped unveil the first artifact at the Hall of Fame—the Plymouth Belvedere that Petty drove to 27 wins in 1967.
The City of Charlotte was responsible for the construction of the building and is the owner of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. However, it is operated by the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority. Winston Kelley is the NASCAR Hall of Fame executive director. Internationally renowned Pei Cobb Freed & Partners led the design effort, and Leslie E. Robertson Associates were the structural engineers. Little Diversified Architectural Consulting based in Charlotte is the local architectural firm overseeing many aspects of design and construction of the project. LS3P Associates, Ltd. was the associate architect for the office tower. Tobin Starr + Partners served as site architect, providing full-time representation for Pei Cobb Freed & Partners during construction. Engineering and fabrication of the stainless steel möbius that wraps around the structure was completed by Zahner, of Kansas City. Exhibition design is by Ralph Appelbaum Associates, and exhibition lighting by Technical Artistry. Tobin Starr + Partners is architect-of-record for exhibit and auditorium spaces. Jaros, Baum & Bolles (JB&B) was the mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineer. Site excavation and grading services started on May 21, 2007. The facility features a Hall of Fame and a 19-story office tower. The NASCAR Hall of Fame is set on a 150,000 square feet surface. In June 2008, NASCAR announced that the inauguration is planned on May 11, 2010. In 2009, NASCAR Hall of Fame established a partnership with Buffalo Wild Wings to be its exclusive restaurant partner in Charlotte.
== History and construction ==
NASCAR committed to building a Hall of Fame and on March 6, 2006, the City of Charlotte was selected as the location. Ground was broken for the $160 million facility on January 26, 2007, and it officially opened on May 11, 2010, with the inaugural class inducted the day following the 2010 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. The new Hall of Fame brings hundreds of jobs and an increase in tourism to Charlotte. In addition to the Hall of Fame, the NASCAR Plaza, a 20-story office building, opened in May 2009. The 390,000-square-foot (36,000 m2) structure serves as the home of Hall of Fame-related offices, NASCAR Digital Media, NASCAR's licensing division, as well as NASCAR video game licensee Dusenberry Martin Racing (now known as 704Games). Other tenants include the Charlotte Regional Partnership and Lauth Property Group. Richard Petty and Dale Inman helped unveil the first artifact at the Hall of Fame—the Plymouth Belvedere that Petty drove to 27 wins in 1967.
The City of Charlotte was responsible for the construction of the building and is the owner of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. However, it is operated by the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority. Winston Kelley is the NASCAR Hall of Fame executive director. Internationally renowned Pei Cobb Freed & Partners led the design effort, and Leslie E. Robertson Associates were the structural engineers. Little Diversified Architectural Consulting based in Charlotte is the local architectural firm overseeing many aspects of design and construction of the project. LS3P Associates, Ltd. was the associate architect for the office tower. Tobin Starr + Partners served as site architect, providing full-time representation for Pei Cobb Freed & Partners during construction. Engineering and fabrication of the stainless steel möbius that wraps around the structure was completed by Zahner, of Kansas City. Exhibition design is by Ralph Appelbaum Associates, and exhibition lighting by Technical Artistry. Tobin Starr + Partners is architect-of-record for exhibit and auditorium spaces. Jaros, Baum & Bolles (JB&B) was the mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineer. Site excavation and grading services started on May 21, 2007. The facility features a Hall of Fame and a 19-story office tower. The NASCAR Hall of Fame is set on a 150,000 square feet surface. In June 2008, NASCAR announced that the inauguration is planned on May 11, 2010. In 2009, NASCAR Hall of Fame established a partnership with Buffalo Wild Wings to be its exclusive restaurant partner in Charlotte.
== Site selection ==
Photo taken from the CATS Stonewall Station (May 2009)
Because of stock car racing's roots in and wealth of famous drivers from North Carolina, Charlotte was considered the favorite by many fans and commentators. There are many NASCAR offices in the area and many teams in the three major NASCAR series (Cup, Xfinity and Truck Series) totaling over 73% of motorsports employees in the United States, in what the committee called "NASCAR Valley." The Hall of Fame is in Uptown Charlotte, about 25 minutes south of Charlotte Motor Speedway. The bid was led by NASCAR car owner Rick Hendrick, then Mayor Pat McCrory, and business leaders in Charlotte. Pei Cobb Freed & Partners were enlisted to design the complex, which is near the Charlotte Convention Center.
=== Hall of Fame building ===
The building contains the following:
Glory Road
* First Floor:
** High Octane Theater – A screening room below ground level which shows videos to guests, including a primer video for first-time visitors.
* Second Floor:
** Ceremonial Plaza – An outdoor "patio" with a video screen.
** Glory Road – A 33-degree banked ramp (matching that of Talladega Superspeedway) featuring 18 different cars and saluting 46 past and current tracks.
** The Great Hall – Dubbed as the Times Square of the hall, a 14 feet (4.3 m)-by-18 feet (5.5 m) video screen and rotating exhibits will be staged here.
** "Studio 43" – Named in honor of Richard Petty's car number – used for television production.
* Third Floor:
** Hall of Honor – A 360-degree wall with the honorees enshrined serves as the centerpiece of the building with each enshrinee with their own exhibit.
** Transporter and Racecar Simulators – Simulators provided by iRacing.com.
** Inside NASCAR – Simulates an actual week in a NASCAR team, from race prep through inspection, practice, time trials and the race.
* Fourth Floor:
** Heritage Speedway – The seven decade history of NASCAR is focused here, including a glass-enclosed section with historic artifacts from the history of stock car racing.
There is a gift shop, the Hall of Fame Café and a Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant on site. An expansion, which includes a new ballroom, is part of the project.
While most information on the Charlotte bid has been released voluntarily, the Charlotte Observer has asked the state Attorney General for an opinion requiring full disclosure of the financial details.
The self-proclaimed slogan used by Charlotte for the Hall of Fame was "Racing Was Built Here. Racing Belongs Here." The NASCAR Hall of Fame's current slogan is, "This is our sport. This is our house."
=== Other final candidates ===
The other two cities at the time of the announcement that were in the running were the cities of Atlanta and Daytona Beach.
==== Other bids ====
The state of Alabama had been mentioned as a potential candidate location, and was no longer seen as a contender, possibly because Lincoln, Alabama is home to the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, which is not affiliated with NASCAR. The only northern area that considered bidding was in the state of Michigan. Detroit prepared bids, but state officials decided not to submit the proposals. The cities of Richmond, Virginia and Kansas City, Kansas, were among the five finalists, but on January 5, 2006, NASCAR announced they had been eliminated from the running, leaving just Atlanta, Charlotte and Daytona Beach as the remaining cities.
== Eligibility and selection process ==
=== Eligibility ===
Former drivers must have been active in NASCAR for at least 10 years and retired for at least three. Starting with the 2015 Hall of Fame nominations that were voted in the 2014 nomination process, the three-year rule is waived for drivers who compete in 30 or more years in NASCAR-sanctioned competition or turn 55 years of age. The rule applies to all NASCAR-sanctioned competitions; some drivers in the Hall of Fame did not participate in the Cup Series.
Non-drivers must have been involved in the industry at least ten years. Some candidates with shorter careers will be considered if there were special circumstances.
=== Selection process ===
Hall of Honor, where the inductees are enshrined
==== Nomination ====
A 20-member nominating committee chooses nominees from those who are eligible. The committee consists of:
* Seven NASCAR representatives;
* NASCAR Hall of Fame Executive Director Winston Kelley;
* NASCAR Hall of Fame Historian;
* Track owners (Two each from International Speedway Corporation and Speedway Motorsports Inc.), a representative of Penske Corporation (Indianapolis Motor Speedway), a representative of Mattco Inc. (Pocono Raceway) and a representative of Dover Motorsports Inc. (Dover International Speedway)
* Four track owners from historic short tracks: Bowman Gray Stadium, Rockford Speedway, the Holland Motorsports Complex, and West Coast track operator Ken Clapp.
==== Induction ====
After the nomination committee selects the list of candidates, a total of 48 votes are cast by a voting committee consisting of the nominating committee and the following:
* 14 media representatives: Three each from the National Motorsports Press Association, the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Eastern Motorsports Press Association; one each from current media rights holders Fox Broadcasting Company, Comcast Corporation, Motor Racing Network, Performance Racing Network and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.
* One representative each from the current manufacturers – Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota;
* Three retired drivers;
* Three retired owners;
* Three retired crew chiefs;
* The reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion;
* One ballot which represents the results of a fan vote on NASCAR.com.
== Inductees into the Hall of Fame ==
=== Inaugural class (2010) ===
Person 	Role 	Notes
Dale Earnhardt 	Driver and owner 	8-time Cup drivers champion, 106 race wins, 331 top-5s, 528 top-10s, 28 poles, 4-time Daytona 500 winner, 4-time Coca-Cola 600 winner, 2-time Brickyard 400 winner, 4-time Southern 500 winner, 5-time All-Star Race winner, leads drivers in wins at Atlanta Motor Speedway (11) and Talladega Superspeedway (12), 1979 Rookie of the Year, founder of Dale Earnhardt, Inc., named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998)
Bill France Sr.	Promoter 	Founder and chairman of NASCAR and International Speedway Corporation, helped build Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.
Bill France Jr.	Promoter 	Chairman of NASCAR and ISC, helped bring NASCAR to live television broadcasts
Junior Johnson 	Driver and owner 	50 race wins as a driver, 121 top-5s, 148 top-10s, 46 poles as a driver, 1960 Daytona 500 winner, founder of Junior Johnson & Associates, 6-time Cup owners champion, 132 wins as an owner, leads drivers in wins at Hickory Motor Speedway (7), named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998), credited with pioneering aerodynamic drafting in NASCAR.
Richard Petty 	Driver, owner and broadcaster	7-time Cup drivers champion, 200 race wins, 555 top-5s, 712 top 10s, 123 poles, 7-time Daytona 500 winner, 2-time Coca-Cola 600 winner, 1967 Southern 500 winner, leads drivers in wins at Daytona International Speedway (10), Martinsville Speedway (15), Richmond International Raceway (13), Nashville Speedway (9), North Wilkesboro Speedway (15), and Rockingham Speedway (11), 1959 Rookie of the Year, record holder for most wins in a single season (1967, 27), record holder for most consecutive wins (1967, 10), named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998)
=== Class of 2011 ===
Person 	Role 	Notes
Bobby Allison	Driver 	1983 Cup champion, 84 race wins, 336 top-5s, 446 top-10s, 58 poles, 3-time Daytona 500 winner, 3-time Coca-Cola 600 winner, 4-time Southern 500 winner, leads drivers in wins at Riverside International Raceway (6), oldest driver to win a championship (1983, 45 years old), named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998)
Ned Jarrett 	Driver and broadcaster	2-time Cup drivers champion, 50 race wins, 185 top-5s, 239 top-10s, 35 poles, 1965 Southern 500 winner, holder of the farthest margin of victory (Darlington Raceway 1965, 14 laps and 2 cars lengths), named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998)
Bud Moore 	Owner and mechanic 	2-time Cup champion as an owner, 63 race wins, founder of Bud Moore Engineering
David Pearson	Driver 	3-time Cup drivers champion, 105 race wins, 301 top-5s, 336 top-10s, 113 poles, 1976 Daytona 500 winner, 3-time Coca-Cola 600 winner, 3-time Southern 500 winner, leads drivers in wins at Darlington Raceway (10) and Michigan International Speedway (9), 1960 Rookie of the Year, named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998)
Lee Petty 	Driver and owner 	3-time Cup drivers champion, 54 race wins, 231 top-5s, 332 top-10s, 18 poles, winner of the first Daytona 500, founder of Petty Enterprises, named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998)
=== Class of 2012 ===
Person 	Image	Role 	Notes
Richie Evans 	 	Driver 	9-time Modified Tour champion, 475 race wins (estimated), only driver to have their number retired in any division (61), named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998), #1 of NASCAR's Whelen Modified All-Time Top 10 Drivers (2003)
Dale Inman 	 	Crew chief 	8-time Cup champion with Richard Petty and Terry Labonte, 193 wins
Darrell Waltrip	 	Driver, owner and broadcaster	3-time Cup drivers champion, 84 race wins, 276 top-5s, 390 top-10s, 59 poles, 1989 Daytona 500 winner, 5-time Coca-Cola 600 winner, 1992 Southern 500 winner, 1985 All-Star Race winner, leads drivers in wins at Bristol Motor Speedway (12), named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998)
Glen Wood 	 	Driver and owner 	Co-founder of Wood Brothers Racing, 99 race wins as owner, 4 wins, 34 top-10s, 14 poles as driver, named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998)
Cale Yarborough	 	Driver 	3-time Cup drivers champion, 83 race wins, 255 top-5s, 319 top-10s, 69 poles, 4-time Daytona 500 winner, 5-time Southern 500 winner, named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998)
=== Class of 2013 ===
Person 	Role 	Notes
Buck Baker 	Driver 	2-time Cup drivers champion, 46 race wins, 246 top-5s, 372 top-10s, 45 poles, 3-time Southern 500 winner, named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998)
Cotton Owens 	Driver and owner 	9 race wins, 52 top-5s, 84 top-10s, 10 poles, owned cars driven by David Pearson and Junior Johnson, named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998)
Herb Thomas 	Driver 	2-time Cup drivers champion, 48 race wins, 122 top-5s, 156 top-10s, 39 poles, 3-time Southern 500 winner, holder of the highest winning percentage (21.053%), named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998)
Rusty Wallace	Driver, broadcaster and owner	1989 Cup champion, 55 race wins, 202 top-5s, 349 top-10s, 36 poles, 1990 Coca-Cola 600 winner, 1989 All-Star Race winner, 1984 Rookie of the Year, designer of Iowa Speedway, named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998)
Leonard Wood 	Owner and crew chief 	99 race wins as owner, 96 wins, 117 poles as crew chief, co-founder of Wood Brothers Racing, helped innovate the modern pit stop
=== Class of 2014 ===
Person 	Image	Role 	Notes
Tim Flock 	 	Driver 	2-time Cup drivers champion, 39 race wins, 102 top-5s, 129 top-10s, 37 poles, named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998)
Jack Ingram 	 	Driver 	2-time Xfinity champion, 31 race wins, 122 top-5s, 164 top-10s, 5 poles, 3-time Late Model Sportsman champion, named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998)
Dale Jarrett 	 	Driver and broadcaster 	1999 Cup champion, 32 race wins, 163 top-5s, 260 top-10s, 16 poles, 3-time Daytona 500 winner, 1996 Coca-Cola 600 winner, 2-time Brickyard 400 winner, named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998)
Maurice Petty 	 	Owner, crew chief, engineer and driver	200 Cup race wins, 7-time Cup champion, and 7-time Daytona 500 winner as Chief Engineer for Petty Enterprises
Fireball Roberts	 	Driver 	33 race wins, 93 top-5s, 122 top-10s, 32 poles, 1962 Daytona 500 winner, 2-time Southern 500 winner, named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998)
=== Class of 2015 ===
Person 	Role 	Notes
Bill Elliott 	Driver and owner	1988 Cup champion, 44 race wins, 175 top-5s, 320 top-10s, 55 poles, 2-time Daytona 500 winner, 2002 Brickyard 400 winner, 3-time Southern 500 winner, 1986 All-Star Race winner, 1985 Winston Million winner, record holder for fastest qualifying speed (Talladega Superspeedway 1987, 212.809 mph), named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998), Voted Most Popular Driver a record 16 times (1984-1988, 1991-2000, 2002)
Fred Lorenzen	Driver 	26 race wins, 75 top-5s, 84 top-10s, 32 poles, 1965 Daytona 500 winner, 2-time Coca-Cola 600 winner, first driver to win over $100,000 in a season (1963, $122,000), named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998)
Wendell Scott	Driver 	1 race win, 20 top-5s, 147 top-10s, 1 pole, first African-American driver to win a race in NASCAR's premier series
Joe Weatherly	Driver 	2-time Cup drivers champion, 25 race wins, 105 top-5s, 153 top-10s, 18 poles, named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998)
Rex White 	Driver 	1960 Cup champion, 28 race wins, 110 top-5s, 163 top-10s, 36 poles, leads drivers in wins at Bowman Gray Stadium (6), named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998)
=== Class of 2016 ===
Person 	Image	Role 	Notes
Jerry Cook 	 	Driver 	6-time Modified Tour Champion, 342 race wins, 26 poles, named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998), #3 of NASCAR's Whelen Modified All-Time Top 10 Drivers (2003)
Bobby Isaac 	 	Driver 	1970 Cup Champion, 37 race wins, 134 top-5s, 170 top-10s, 49 poles, record holder for most poles in a single season (1969, 20), named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998)
Terry Labonte	 	Driver 	2-time Cup drivers champion, 22 race wins, 182 top-5s, 361 top-10s, 27 poles, 2-time Southern 500 winner, 2-time All-Star Race winner, named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998)
Bruton Smith 	 	Promoter	Chairman and CEO of Speedway Motorsports Incorporated, helped build Charlotte Motor Speedway
Curtis Turner	 	Driver 	17 race wins, 54 top-5s, 73 top-10s, 16 poles, 1956 Southern 500 winner, helped build Charlotte Motor Speedway, named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998)
=== Class of 2017 ===
Person 	Role 	Notes
Richard Childress	Owner and driver 	Founder of Richard Childress Racing, 6-time Cup Champion as an owner, 76 top-10s as a driver
Rick Hendrick 	Owner and driver 	Founder of Hendrick Motorsports, 13-time Cup Champion as an owner
Mark Martin 	Driver 	40 race wins, 271 top-5s, 453 top-10s, 56 poles, 2002 Coca-Cola 600 winner, 2-time Southern 500 winner, 2-time All-Star race winner, named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998), described by ESPN as the greatest driver to not win a championship
Raymond Parks 	Owner 	NASCAR's first champion car owner (1949), 2 wins
Benny Parsons 	Driver and broadcaster	1973 NASCAR Cup champion, 21 race wins, 199 top-5s, 283 top-10s, 20 poles, 1975 Daytona 500 winner, 1980 Coca-Cola 600 winner, named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998)
=== Class of 2018 ===
Person 	Image	Role 	Notes
Red Byron 	 	Driver 	NASCAR's first champion driver (1949), 2 race wins, 8 top-5s, 9 top-10s, 2 poles, named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998)
Ray Evernham 	 	Crew chief, owner and broadcaster	3-time Cup champion as a crew chief for Jeff Gordon, 47 wins, founder of Evernham Motorsports, 13 wins as an owner
Ron Hornaday Jr.	 	Driver 	4-time Truck champion, 51 race wins, 158 top-5s, 234 top-10s, 27 poles
Ken Squier 	 	Broadcaster 	Co-founder of Motor Racing Network, first announcer to give lap-by-lap commentary for the Daytona 500, served as lap-by-lap announcer for NASCAR on CBS and NASCAR on TBS
Robert Yates 	 	Owner and engineer 	Founder of Yates Racing, 1999 Cup owners champion, 58 race wins
=== Class of 2019 ===
Person 	Role 	Notes
Davey Allison	Driver 	19 race wins, 66 top-5s, 92 top-10s, 14 poles, 1992 Daytona 500 winner, 1991 Coca-Cola 600 winner, 2-time All-Star Race winner, 1987 Rookie of the Year, named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998)
Jeff Gordon 	Driver, owner and broadcaster	4-time Cup drivers champion, 93 race wins, 325 top-5s, 477 top-10s, 81 poles, 3-time Daytona 500 winner, 3-time Coca-Cola 600 winner, 5-time Brickyard 400 winner, 6-time Southern 500 winner, 3-time All-Star Race winner, leads drivers in wins at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (5), Pocono Raceway (6-tied), and Sonoma Raceway (5), 1993 Rookie of the Year, 1997 Winston Million winner, record holder for most consecutive starts (797), named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998), first driver to win $100 million in career earnings (2010), 8-time Cup champion as a co-owner of Hendrick Motorsports
Alan Kulwicki	Driver and owner 	1992 Cup Champion, 5 race wins, 38 top-5s, 75 top-10s, 24 poles, 1986 Rookie of the Year, founder of AK Racing, first person to win the premier series title as an owner/driver, named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998)
Roger Penske 	Owner and promoter 	Founder of Team Penske, 2012 and 2018 Cup Champion as an owner, 5-time Xfinity Series owner's champion, helped build Auto Club Speedway, former owner of Auto Club Speedway, Michigan International Speedway, Nazareth Speedway and Rockingham Speedway, owner of Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Jack Roush 	Owner and engineer 	Founder of Roush-Fenway Racing, 325 NASCAR national series wins, 8-time NASCAR Champion, 444 wins as a NASCAR Engine Builder, Pioneered NASCAR innovation such as the roof flap technology
=== Class of 2020 ===
Person 	Role 	Notes
Buddy Baker 	Driver and broadcaster 	19 race wins, 202 top-5s, 311 top-10s, 38 poles, 1980 Daytona 500 winner, 3-time Coca-Cola 600 winner, 1970 Southern 500 winner, first driver to exceed the 200 mph mark (Talladega Superspeedway 1970, 200.447 mph), named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998)
Joe Gibbs 	Owner 	Founder of Joe Gibbs Racing, 5-time Cup Champion as an owner
Bobby Labonte 	Driver 	2000 Cup Champion, 21 race wins, 115 top-5s, 203 top-10s, 26 poles, 1995 Coca-Cola 600 winner, 2000 Brickyard 400 winner, 2000 Southern 500 winner
Tony Stewart 	Driver, owner and promoter	3-time Cup drivers champion, 49 race wins, 187 top-5s, 308 top-10s, 15 poles, 2-time Brickyard 400 winner, 2009 All-Star Race winner, leads drivers in wins at Chicagoland Speedway (3) and Watkins Glen International (5), 1999 Rookie of the Year, 2-time Cup Champion as a co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, second person to win a Cup championship as an owner/driver (2011), owner of Eldora Speedway.
Waddell Wilson	Crew chief and engineer 	3-time Cup Champion as an engineer for David Pearson and Benny Parsons, 19 wins as a crew chief
=== Class of 2022 ===
NOTE: There will be no 2021 class because of the COVID-19 pandemic. There will be a set of three voted in July 2020 and a second set of three voted in July 2021 for the January 2022 induction.
Person 	Role 	Notes
Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Driver, owner, and broadcaster	3 championships in the Cup series as a driver, 56 race wins, 183 top-5s, 260 top-10s, 25 poles, 2-time Daytona 500 winner, 2000 All-Star Race winner, 2-time Xfinity Series champion as a driver, founder of JR Motorsports, 47 wins, 3 championships in the Xfinity Series as an owner, holds record for most consecutive Most popular driver award wins in the Cup series (14).
Red Farmer 	Driver 	3-time Late Model Sportsman champion, 1956 Modified Tour champion, 700 NASCAR wins (estimated), named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998)
Mike Stefanik 	Driver 	7-time Modified Tour champion, 74 wins, #2 of NASCAR's Whelen Modified All-Time Top 10 Drivers (2003)
== Dale Earnhardt & Richard Petty's Inauguration Shenanigans ==
Dale Earnhardt was the first inductee of the inaugural class of 2010. In Earnhardt's speech he made some jokes about how "Richard Petty would win 53% of our races against each other if we were both in our prime, but I'd win 8/7 championships." and "Richard Petty was the fiercest competitor when I started, and the icon of the sport when I retired, but he's always been a pest to be on or off the track with. Can't shake off the King even now."
When it was Richard Petty's induction time, he also had some jokes of his own ready for Dale Earnhardt. "When he started in this sport I wanted to kick Earnhardt's butt a couple of times, maybe I should have." and "Mr. Intimidator never intimidated me. Just wrecked me a couple of times. I'd look in my mirror and wonder how he'd do it this time. I never had a right guess."
This was all in good fun and both inductees toasted in respect of the other's competitiveness and reminisced together about when they used to race together on the track.
Category:Dale Earnhardt Survives