Was Yarborough’s HoF exclusion payback from NASCAR?

Cale Yarborough

NASCAR seems to best like those who play for the team. They realize that image does matter and they work very hard to see to it that their image is what they want it to be. So, could it be the case that those who buck the system the sanctioning body holds as ideal are punished in one way or another?

For years, there have been people who claim that if someone says something negative toward NASCAR one week their car will have trouble getting through technical inspection the next. And just earlier this year it was revealed that NASCAR had secretly fined a couple of drivers who had spoken their minds and thus done damage to the image of the sport.

For a week now there has been all sorts of debate regarding who made the HoF second class and why. So, knowing that there is proof that NASCAR can levy behind the scenes reprimands, is it possible that Cale Yarborough was left out of this year’s NASCAR Hall of Fame class because he did not attend when Jimmie Johnson tied his record of three consecutive championships? [Did Darrell Waltrip get left out because he has spoken against NASCAR on some of the TV broadcast for Fox? NASCAR is a monopoly and a dictatorship. After Kyle Petty revealed to the media that NASCAR does make "the call", i.e. artificially influence who wins races, he never won or even came close to winning another race again. Was it because tech inspection never cut his team a break?]

Back in 2008 Johnson claimed his third consecutive title. Previously, Yarborough had been the only other driver in the modern era to have accomplished such a feat. Much was made of the fact that the retired driver did not make an appearance at the Miami-Homestead Speedway on that evening to be part of the ceremony.

Perhaps even more harmful to Yarborough’s Hall bid was the persistent rumor that he did not attend the Homestead race because he requested an appearance fee for doing so. A fee NASCAR and its partner, International Speedway Corp., refused to pay. More at RacingWithRich.com