The NASCAR Hall of Fame might be the most overlooked Hall of Fame in professional sports, however it is unique. This is the one Hall of Fame where an individual's impact on the sport is every bit as important as their actual statistics or the amount of wins or championships they had.
This years nominees are-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 and Robert Yates.
It is likely that all of these nominees will eventually be inducted, but if I had a ballot (which I don't), here is the five that I would vote for, and the five that just missed making my ballot.
JUST MISSED THE BALLOT
Ron Hornaday. Jr.
Hornaday failed to ever achieve success at NASCAR's premiere level, but he is arguably the greatest driver in the history of the Truck Series. After all, this is the NASCAR Hall of Fame, not the Cup Hall of Fame. Hornaday was a key cornerstone during the early years of the series, won the pole for the first ever truck race and won the series second race. Hornaday amassed 51 wins and 227 top tens in 360 starts and won series championships in 1996, 1998, 2008 and 2009. In 2009, Hornaday won five consecutive races, joining Richard Petty and Bobby Allison as the only drivers to accomplish this feat at one of NASCAR's premiere level.
Larry Phillips
Larry Phillips is undoubtedly the greatest NASCAR Weekly Series driver in the history of the sport, and as an announcer at a weekly NASCAR-sanctioned class, he has a special place in my heart. The Springfield, Missouri native is the only five time national champion in the history of the weekly series. Phillips won the five national titles in an eight year span from 1989 to 1996. During that time Phillips won 76 percent of the races he entered including winning 38 of the 40 races he entered in 1992. Phillips won thirteen track championships in three different states during his reign of weekly dominance.
Davey Allison
Would Dale Earnhardt had won seven championships if Davey Allison's life hadn't been tragically cut short? I don't think so, Davey Allison came from a racing family and rose onto the scene during a time in which many NASCAR drivers came from his home state of Alabama. Allison only made 191 starts in his career, but won 19 races, which equals ten percent of his races. Allison also won the 1992 Daytona 500 in dominating fashion, and won the All-Star Race that year in exciting fashion, Allison nearly became the series champion in 1992, but an accident during the final race of the season in Atlanta dashed his championship dreams. Allison was primed to be a future NASCAR champion before his tragic death in a helicopter before a race at Talladega in July 1993.
Ken Squier
As a fellow announcer, Nobody's voice is more recognizable in the sport as Squier's. He helped create the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and then served as the lead lap by lap commentator for CBS and Turner Sports from 1979 to 1997. His iconic voice is attached to memorable moments such as the 1979 Daytona 500, becoming the first ever play by play voice for the Daytona 500. Squier was the voice of 19 Daytona 500's during his career and is credited for giving the race the term "The Great American Race".
Joe Gibbs
Joe Gibbs is already a hall of famer, but in the NFL, not NASCAR. The three time Super Bowl winning head coach also built himself into a championship NASCAR owner, winning four championships with three different drivers at the sport's premiere level. (Bobby Labonte in 2000, Tony Stewart in 2002 and 2005, Kyle Busch in 2015). JGR has also won two Xfinity Series championships with Kyle Busch in 2009 and Daniel Suarez in 2016. His team has won two Daytona 500's. His team has won 140 races in the Cup series and 274 combined races between all three of NASCAR's premiere series. Gibbs team has also won the Brickyard 400 five times and the Coca Cola 600 twice. His stable of drivers has included Dale Jarrett, Bobby Labonte, Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch.
MY BALLOT
BUDDY BAKER
My step-dad once had a beer with Buddy Baker, he said it was one of the coolest things in his life, but that's not why he's on my ballot. Baker became one of the most recognizable faces in NASCAR running 700 races over the course of 33 seasons. Baker holds the honor of being the first to ever exceed 200 mph. He also holds the track record for average speed in the Daytona 500 dominating the 1980 race. The biggest knock on Baker is that he rarely ran a full season, only doing so three times during his career, but he was also a competitor when he did show up. He's also one of just seven drivers to pull of the "Grand Slam" winning the Daytona 500, Aaron's 499, Coca Cola 600 and Southern 500 during his career. Baker became a popular broadcaster for CBS pairing up with Ken Squier after his retirement from racing
ALAN KULWICKI
Alan Kulwicki was Jeff Gordon before Jeff Gordon. Never has someone been more of an outsider in the sport than Alan Kulwicki was when he burst onto the scene in the late 1980's and early 1990's. He came from the midwest, and had a college degree when both of those were a rarity in NASCAR. Kulwicki ran his own team on a limited budget and refused to be outdone by the owners of bigger teams such as Junior Johnson . He had a mind that no driver to ever run in NASCAR had ever had before. Kulwicki only won five races in his career that was cut short by a tragic airplane crash in 1993, but his most notable accomplishment was being crowned the 1992 Winston Cup Champion, overcoming a 278 point deficit in the final six races to snag the title away from fellow Hall of Famer Bill Elliott. Kulwicki is one of those who should be inducted more for his impact than his performance. His success led to a sudden rise of driver-owned teams and is one of only two owner-drivers to win a championship in the past two decades. Kulwicki would have likely won many more races and championships had his life not been cut short in 1993.
Ray Evernham
While Alan Kulwicki was Jeff Gordon before Jeff Gordon, Ray Evernham was Chad Knaus before Chad Knaus. Evernham might be one of the best crew chiefs in the history of the sport along with Knaus and Dale Inman. Evernham paired with Jeff Gordon from 1993 until 1999. During his time with Gordon, the duo paired up to win 47 races, two Daytona 500 victories, two Brickyard 400 victories and three Winston Cup titles. Gordon and Evernham teamed up to win 10 or more races each season from 1996 to 1998. Evernham also changed the modern pit stop by assigning his pit crew special tasks and choreographing pit stops, these innovations led to a decrease in the amount of time it usually took pit crews to complete a four tire pit stop. It's also worth noting that Jeff Gordon struggled to have the same success without Evernham that he did with him, only winning one championship without him. Evernham left Gordon in 1999 to form his own team. He also won 13 races as a car-owner with drivers Bill Elliott, Jeremy Mayfield and Kasey Kahne.
Robert Yates
I have Robert Yates on my ballot over Joe Gibbs or Roger Penske because he was a successful car owner and engine builder. As an engine builder, Yates built engines for cars owned by Junior Johnson. He provided the horsepower for many legends including Bobby Allison, Cale Yarbrough and Darrell Waltrip. Twice, Yates was the engine builder for championship teams, supplying the engines for Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip. Yates then became a car owner of his own team. His team fielded drivers-Bobby Allison, Dale Jarrett, Ernie Irvan and Ricky Rudd. Robert Yates Racing amassed 57 wins including three Daytona 500 victories. Yates was also the championship car-owner in 1999 when Dale Jarrett won the title.
Ricky Rudd
The Rooster was a mainstay in the NASCAR garage for the better part of almost 30 years. Although Rudd never captured a championship, he will forever be remembered for his consistency and his toughness. Rudd started 788 consecutive races from 1981 to 2005, the second most in NASCAR history. Rudd's 906 career starts are second only to Richard Petty. Rudd amassed 23 wins and 194 top fives during his career. He won the 1997 Brickyard 400 and won at least one race every year from 1983-1998. His sixteen consecutive seasons with a win, which is the third longest streak in NASCAR history. Rudd finished in the top ten in points 18 times.
No comments:
Post a Comment