Over the Holiday weekend in Daytona Beach, NASCAR announced the 25 nominees for the Hall of Fame class of 2011. I believed the first class should have included the men that started the sport. To a point, it did. But also included big names after the sport got rolling. For the second class I still feel some credit needs to go to early pioneers but not necessarily chronologically dependant.
The new nominee list contained 20 from the original list who did not make it into the Hall in year one and five new nominees. I even feel the credentials of one of those five are good enough to go in this time around.
1. Richie Evans. This nine-time Modified Series champion was outstanding in his own right. Evans and fellow nominee Jerry Cook tussled for the tour title during the 1970s and 1980s from their cross-town shops in Rome, NY. This was the Petty/Pearson rivalry of the region. Each team would drive up and down the East Coast trying to race in a championship event without their rival. Trucks towing racecars would head out of town in one direction only to turn around and head to another speedway. Evans claimed his final eight championships consecutively. The last one was awarded following his death in a practice crash during the 1985 season finale. Evans was popular with the fans and left behind a partying and fun loving legacy that matches his trophy collection. He was one of the best drivers that made the decision to remain in Modifieds instead of moving up the motorsports ladder. Cup opportunities were available but he acknowledged the Modifieds were home to him. He is without a doubt, one of the best drivers I have ever witnessed steer a racecar in my life.
2. David Pearson. Ask ‘King’ Richard Petty who is the best driver he ever raced against and his response is Pearson. ‘The Silver Fox’ has three championships to match up to Petty’s seven. Pearson often ran limited schedules for the Wood Brothers and did not chase the crown every single year. This fact may slightly take away some wattage from Pearson’s career spotlight. He has about half as many race wins as Petty to accompany about half as many starts. Pearson earned his nickname for being a smart racer and being there at the end in a day and age where equipment was not nearly as reliable.
3. Dale Inman. Dale Earnhardt has seven Cup championships. Richard Petty has seven Cup championships. Inman has eight. As a crew chief he had a long tenure at Petty Enterprises as Richard’s crew chief and cousin. He guided that team and driver combination to seven crowns. During the 1981 season Inman resigned from the iconic race team and moved on. Three years later he added an eighth title in 1984 with Terry Labonte in a team owned by Billy Hagan.
4. Raymond Parks. The recently passed Parks was the last surviving member of the group that formed NASCAR in the Streamline Hotel in Daytona Beach, Florida. Parks also owned the first racecar to ever win a NASCAR championship. Red Byron drove a Parks prepared machine to the first Modified title in 1948 and the Strictly Stock crown in 1949. Strictly Stock eventually evolved to what is now know as the Cup Series. He did get to see his title winning car and likeness enshrined into the Hall of Fame when the exhibit finally opened. Parks’ induction into the Hall tips NASCAR’s hat to a man that had so much to do with the organization ever getting off the ground.
5. Red Byron. As mentioned with Parks, these two racers go hand in hand. Byron drove to NASCAR’s first championship of any kind. Including the first Modified and Strictly Stock championships. I felt the first Hall class should have included the first NASCAR champion in Byron. The sport is always looking for fresh, new, young talent, which is good. But too often the search for the future is done at the expense of proper respect for the past, which is bad. Byron would make an excellent choice to be inducted sooner rather than later.
(Patrick Reynolds is a former NASCAR team mechanic who hosts “Motorweek Live” Thursdays at 9pm ET. Listen at www.racersreunionradio.com)
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We’re lock and step on 3 of the 5. I think that being a crew chief, Inman will have a hard time getting in so soon, while there’s still a big focus on drivers, founders and owners. I think the challenge with Evans is the fact that his fame ws earned not at the Cup level, but the modified. With that said, it’s just a matter of time that they’ll get in. I think the questions is just simply a matter of “when.”
NO offense meant here, but honestly, Cale Yarborough and Bobby Allison and Lee Petty have done alot more for NASCAR than Richie Evans or Red Byron. Sure Byron is the first champion, but that is only one year, Yarborough won three in a row.
Leaving out Cale Yarborough, Bobby Allison, and Darryl Waltrip would be a bad. These drivers combined for 251 wins and 7 championships. By the way, David Pearson won three championships(1966,1968,1969) and should have been in the first five inductees.
Patrick, I totally agree that Richie Evans should get in soon. Just becuase he raced at the modified level doesn’t make him any less a great driver. To round out my five are Yarborough, Allison, Inman and Pearson.
1. David Pearson
2. Dale Inman
3. Tim Flock
4. Cale Yarborough
5. Bobby Allison
David Pearson all the way. Should have went first last time. Shame on the voters that left DAVID OUT.
Jim Baker, thank you for the Pearson facts that I made an error on. For some reason I had in my memory that he had won a single championship. The post has been edited to reflect the correct stats.
Thank you all for reading and sharing your thoughts.
Thanks about DAVID PEARSON.
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