CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- As someone who watched Jimmie Johnson's entire career, both as a Jeff Gordon fan and as press, I can truly say I witnessed one of the all-time NASCAR greats.
Dale Earnhardt Jr., Mike Stefanik and Red Farmer were voted into the 2021 class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame Tuesday evening. Earnhardt and Stefanik were chosen from the Modern Era ballot while Farmer will represent the Pioneer Era.
NASCAR announced today the inductees who will comprise the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2019. The five-person group – the 10th since the inception of the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2010 – consists of Davey Allison, Alan Kulwicki, Jeff Gordon, Roger Penske and Jack Roush.
“Our sport lost one of the most inventive minds and kindest personalities in Robert Yates. I’m glad I got to know him and proud our race team was able to honor him this year at Darlington. He leaves a strong legacy that is carried on by his son, Doug, and all of their employees at Roush Yates Engines. While Robert will certainly be missed, he will always be remembered.”
Ricky Rudd - Rudd is probably the best overall driver on the ballot. Bobby Labonte comes pretty close, being one of only two drivers to win XFINITY Series and Cup Series championships, but Rudd had more seasons as a competitive driver. Davey Allison also makes a strong argument, but it becomes an argument of being good for twenty years versus being great for five years. I’ll always take being good for twenty years.
This year’s NASCAR Hall of Fame class might just be the toughest to choose yet. This is the first list of nominees where nobody really jumps out as a slam dunk candidate; compare that to last season which had Mark Martin, Terry Labonte, and especially Benny Parsons, all kind of above the rest of the field.
You may think you know how NASCAR began but if you’re not familiar with Raymond Parks, you only know half the story. NASCAR took a huge step forward in correcting that misconception by inducting Parks into the NASCAR Hall of Fame Friday evening.
