NASCAR Names New Class Of Inductees

Rick Hendrick

Richard Childress, Rick Hendrick, Mark Martin, Raymond Parks and Benny Parsons were elected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame Wednesday afternoon as the NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Panel met at the Charlotte Convention Center.

While these five luminaries were chosen for induction to the Hall of Fame next January, Martinsville (Va.) Speedway founder H. Clay Earles won the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR.

Fifty-four votes were cast, with four additional Voting Panel members recused from voting as potential nominees for induction (Ricky Rudd, Robert Yates, Waddell Wilson and Ken Squier).

Parsons, the 1972 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion was named on 85 percent of the votes, with Hendrick cited on 62 percent. The top vote getters not elected this year were Robert Yates, Red Byron and Alan Kulwicki.

Results for the NASCAR.com Fan Vote, in alphabetical order, were Buddy Baker, Alan Kulwicki, Mark Martin, Benny Parsons and Larry Phillips.

The five inductees came from a group of 20 nominees that included, in addition to the five inductees chosen: Buddy Baker, Red Byron, Ray Evernham, Ray Fox, Ron Hornaday Jr., Harry Hyde, Alan Kulwicki, Hershel McGriff, Larry Phillips, Jack Roush, Ricky Rudd, Ken Squier, Mike Stefanik, Waddell Wilson and Robert Yates.