NASCAR
Hall of Fame ~ Selections and Elections
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I bid
you welcome gentle readers, to the 2017 version of my annual NASCAR Hall of
Fame lecture on how it works and maybe how it doesn’t. Please note that ALL
data quoted within has been gathered directly from the pages of the NASCAR Hall
of Fame website.
Opinions
are vintage PattyKay unless otherwise credited.
If you
are not familiar with the workings of the Hall, it helps to know that although
NASCAR has been a race-sanctioning body for almost 70 years (since 1948), the
Hall of Fame has only existed for eight of them. Some gold-star calculus
student decided that 5 would be a nice round number to induct annually, so somewhere
around the year 2525, if man is still alive, things may even out, providing
that very few new stars appear in the racing sky between now and then. (In this
scribe’s considered opinion, a whole host of racing pioneers will simply be
forgotten eventually under this failed system. Those men and women from the
early days made the sport of stock car racing should… in the perfect world
according to PK, be grandfathered into the Hall as a group before another year
passes, then another, and then another…)
To
date, the Hall consists of 40 inducted members (or just over half an inductee
per year that NASCAR has raced), and as Mike Helton would say, “It is what it
is.” Our purpose today is not to say who should or should not be in that
number, as that is something no two people can agree upon, let alone many
thousands of us. That’s why they have a voting process, and that, dear hearts
and gentle readers, is why we’re gathered here today.
Each
year, there are two committees involved in the selection/election process.
http://www.nascarhall.com/_files/pages/2018-NASCAR-Hall-of-Fame-Nominating-Committee-Members-.pdf
NASCAR Hall of Fame Nomination
Committee Members - 2018 Nominating Committee (22):
NASCAR Hall of Fame (2)
1. Winston Kelley
2. Buz McKim
NASCAR officials (8)
1. Brian France
2. Jim France
3. Mike Helton
4. Brent Dewar
5. Steve Phelps
6. Steve O’Donnell
7. Jill Gregory
8. Scott Miller
ISC (2)
1. Lesa Kennedy
2. Clay Campbell
SMI (2)
1. Ed Clark
2. Eddie Gossage
IMS (1)
1. Tony George
Dover (1)
1. Denis McGlynn
Pocono (1)
1. Looie McNally
Historic short track operators –
one representative from each track: (4)
1. Bowman Gray Operator – Dale Pinilis
2. Rockford Speedway Operator – Jody Deery
3. Holland Motorsports Park – Ron Bennett
4. West Coast Short Track Representative – Ken Clapp
Media (1)
1. Mike Joy
Then,
as in several years past, with only one exclusion, there is a roadblock set up
as to what names will make up the Voting Panel for the current year. Don’t ask,
as I don’t know the answer. For whatever reason, it is almost impossible to
find who will be voting on the current year’s nominees… in this case for the
Class of 2018. Next year, the list will magically appear in time for the Class
of 2019. Really… I don’t make this stuff up. Please go to this page:
http://www.nascarhall.com/inductees/induction-process
When
you get there, this is the listing you will see. Of the years listed, which for
reasons unknown to me is not a complete list, all show the “Voting Panel
Members” with the exception of the current year. Only once has it ever shown up
where this scribe could find it before the actual Election Day came and went.
2018
NASCAR Hall of Fame Nominating Committee Members
2017 NASCAR Hall of Fame Nominating Committee and Voting Panel Members
2016 NASCAR Hall of Fame Nominating Committee and Voting Panel Members
2015
NASCAR Hall of Fame Nominating Committee and Voting Panel Members
2014
NASCAR Hall of Fame Nominating Committee and Voting Panel Members
2013
NASCAR Hall of Fame Nominating Committee and Voting Panel Members
The
data pertinent to our conversation here is dated 2018, which refers to when the
eventual 5 nominees chosen in May will be inducted into the Hall. Yes, the
dating system is confusing, but that’s why I’m here, hopefully to unconfuse!
I can’t
make up the missing list, so the best I can give you is last year’s electors
and point out that Jimmie Johnson replaces Kyle Busch as reigning Champion on
the list, and I’d say there is a good possibility that Robert Yates may once
again be recused as he continues to wage a battle with liver cancer. (Prayers
are with you Robert)
Voting Panel (36) Total (58):
National Motorsports Press
Association (1)
1. Kenny Bruce
NMPA President Eastern
Motorsports Press Association (1)
1. Ron Hedger
EMPA President American Auto
Racing Writers & Broadcasters (1)
1. Dusty Brandel
AARWB President Print &
Digital Media (7)
1. Holly Cain, NASCAR.com
2. Jenna Fryer, AP
3. Brant James, USA Today
4. Tom Jensen, FOXSports.com
5. Al Pearce, Autoweek
6. Nate Ryan, NBCSports.com
7. Jim Utter, Motorsport.com
Broadcast Partners (7)
1. Rick Allen, NBC
2. Jeff Burton, NBCSN
3. Eli Gold, MRN
4. Jamie Little, FS1
5. Dave Moody, SIRIUS/XM
6. Doug Rice, PRN
7. Marty Smith, ESPN
Car Manufacturers (3)
1. Jim Campbell, Chevrolet
2. Edsel Ford II, Ford
3. David Wilson, Toyota
Former Drivers (3)
1. Ned Jarrett
2. Richard Petty
3. Ricky Rudd (recused)
Former Owners (3)
1. Junior Johnson
2. Bud Moore
3. Robert Yates (recused)
Former Crew Chiefs (3)
1. Buddy Parrott
2. Waddell Wilson (recused)
3. Eddie Wood
Reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup
Series Champion (1)
1. Jimmie Johnson
NASCAR Community Leaders (5)
1. Paul Brooks
2. Mike Harris
3. Tom Higgins
4. Ken Squier (recused)
5. Humpy Wheeler Fan Vote (1)
Well
gentle readers, that’s the best I’ve got on that part of the process. Let’s now
take a look at who’s eligible for what this year. Those whose names were added
this past January to the list of now 40 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees, the
“Class of 2017”, included: Raymond Parks (Finally!), Benny Parsons, Rick
Hendrick, Richard Childress and Mark Martin.
Replacing
those gentlemen will be these five newly nominated candidates:
Among
them are two owners who have each eclipsed the 100-win mark (Joe Gibbs and
Roger Penske), a driver who combined for four championships in NASCAR’s
Modified and Late Model Sportsman division (Red Farmer), an extreme talent who
collected 19 wins before his too-soon passing (Davey Allison) and the 2000
premier series champion (Bobby Labonte). (More on each in the list below)
Following are the 20 nominees
for induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, listed alphabetically:
Davey
Allison
Buddy
Baker
Red
Byron
Ray
Evernham
Red
Farmer
Ray
Fox
Joe
Gibbs
Ron Hornaday Jr
Harry
Hyde
Alan
Kulwicki
Bobby
Labonte
Hershel
McGriff
Roger
Penske
Larry
Phillips
Jack
Roush
Ricky
Rudd
Ken
Squier
Mike
Stefanik
Waddell
Wilson
Robert
Yates
The
five nominees for the Landmark Award for the Class of 2017 were:
H.
Clay Earles
Janet
Guthrie
Raymond
Parks
Ralph
Seagraves
Ken
Squier
H.
Clay Earles was your Class of 2017 Landmark Award
Winner.
I bring that list back in order to show one of those
little sleights of hand we should by now be accustomed to. In this year’s list
of those eligible for the Award, not one, but two new names appear, and one
gentleman… and he was most certainly just that… has been quietly removed from
the list and no one has mentioned it anywhere that your scribe has heard or
read.
The five nominees for the Landmark Award, listed
alphabetically, are as follows:
Jim
France
Janet
Guthrie
Alvin
Hawkins
Ralph
Seagraves
Ken
Squier
The name gone mysteriously from the eligibility list
is that of Raymond Parks. Yes, Raymond was finally inducted into the Hall last
year, but the criteria for the award clearly states that a name may appear on
both lists, so being already a member of the Hall of Fame does not preclude one
from receiving the Landmark Award as well.
(Potential
Landmark Award recipients include competitors or those working in the sport as
a member of a racing organization, track facility, race team, sponsor, media
partner or being a general ambassador for the sport through a professional or
non-professional role. Award winners remain eligible for NHOF enshrinement.)
And
there, guys and gals, are your 20 nominees eligible for induction into the
NASCAR Hall of Fame and the 5 names eligible for the Landmark Award. The
official vote this year will take place at the Hall of Fame on Wednesday, May
24, 2017 and will be announced live at the Hall and probably on NBCSN. Fan
voting has not yet begun, but I suspect that will be remedied soon enough. Once
nascar.com updates the page, you’ll be able to read more about each nominee and
cast your ballot(s). In years past, they’ve hidden the vote rather effectively,
but if it works as it always has, go to nascar.com, click on “more”, (the hamburger
icon), then on “discover.” Scroll the list and eventually you’ll find “Hall of
Fame Vote” or something similar. Go for it!
There
is no limit to the number of ballots any one person can cast, and I guess that
means that those really techie folks can rig their computers to vote
continuously, 24/7 until the deadline, which I haven’t been able to find in
print, but would guess might be at midnight on Tuesday, May 23, the day before
the Official Voting Panel, whoever they might be, meets to decide the final
nominees for the Class of 2018.
Please
allow your scribe to say a word or two about the Fan Vote by way of
explanation, in case anyone was thinking that their vote actually counts for
more than a cat’s whisker. There are 58 total votes cast in one day, and the
five receiving the most votes will be at the induction ceremonies next January.
The Fan Vote is counted as ONE vote, and yes, you will be competing with those
kiddies that will be attempting to weight and control that single vote with
machines and technology that might get one to the moon. Is it any wonder that
NASCAR does not allow the fans to actually control the bulk of the voting?
Vote
all you want. Come May 24, you’ll find out how much your millions and millions
of votes do for you. Yours, mine, theirs, everyone’s, all cast over a period of
almost 3 months this year, will be rolled up into a teeny little ball and cast
as one single vote. In that room, among the members of the voting panel, are
three members of the France family and many highly placed NASCAR officials, all
carrying fancy titles. In fairness, I am acquainted with and have questioned a
couple of the folks on the Voting Panel, albeit not in recent years, and they
swear there is no coercion to vote one way or another, and there probably is
not… at least that’s verbal or verifiable. Still, I know that if I were sitting
in a room with the aforementioned people, and my job depended on NASCAR in any
way, I’d at least be paying attention when pleas were made in favor of this or
that person. It doesn’t take much to get one’s point across, if one is seated
at the head of any table, anywhere.
In
conclusion, unless I think of more to say, I want to make mention of the usual
elephant in the living room… the name that is not, and may never be on the list
of nominees. There was a man; a very intelligent and ambitious man; a man who
cared more about the lives of the drivers than some of the drivers themselves.
He worked and worried and invented all manner of automobile-related things; he
built cars and he built engines. Those engines, coupled with the cars he built,
won races… lots of races. His racing stable included many of the best and most
recognizable names in early racing. As I look over those 20 good folks on this
year’s list, I see several crew chiefs’ and engine builders’ names… Ray
Evernham, Ray Fox, Harry Hyde, Waddell Wilson, and Robert Yates… some of the
very best, from several different eras. Still, I would guarantee that everyone
I named would defer his place to that one man, and do so with complete
understanding that he was at one time, better than any of them. I know it; they
know it, but that man, that genius, known nationwide as probably the best
mechanic ever to turn a wrench in an engine, quarreled with Big Bill France,
and some 50 or so years later, the newer generation of the France family does
not allow his name mentioned as a possible nominee for the Hall of Fame that
bears the NASCAR name.
His
name? Why, his name is Smokey Yunick. You’ve all heard of him. He is legendary
in NASCAR and IndyCar as well. He has been inducted into every meaningful
Racing Hall of Fame that doesn’t require one to be born in a certain state to
qualify for membership, yet his name may never appear on the list we deal with
today. Fair? No, of course it’s not fair, but it is true.
I
apologize for my digression, but it is stories such as this one that make it so
very difficult for folks of my generation to take this particular Hall of Fame
seriously. Just a single mass-induction of a given number of our pioneers… the
folks that made the wheels turn and the engines hum with the sweat of their
brow, the blood from their cracked knuckles and not much more… would have
changed so many bad things to good things, and it still could. It’s not too
late. It’s never too late to do what’s right.
Time
now for our Classic Country Closeout, and this week, let’s listen together to
Part 2 of “Queens of Country Music.” Here is more of the Grand Ladies of the
Grand Ole Opry at their very best.
Be well gentle readers, and remember to keep smiling.
It looks so good on you!
~PattyKay 
