rick_minter's avatar
Author:
Rick Minter
Login For More
Rate this article:
  • 0/5 Stars
  • Related Photos
  • Related Videos
SPEEDtv.com Store
Legendary Race Cars, by Basem Wasef
Through vivid, human detail, writer and photographer Basem Wasef brings to life more than two dozen racing legends.
Our Price: $35.00
Visit Button
Buy Button
Man-Made Thunder
The book examines the sport of stock car racing through the eyes and ears of the men behind the wheel and the wrenches.
Our Price: $49.00
Visit Button
Buy Button
Unisex Sandwich Cap
Unisex Velcro back hat with SPEED logo on front. PINKS logo embroidered on left and PAO logo on right. One size fits all.
Our Price: $24.95
Visit Button
Buy Button
Speedway T-shirt
Men's 6 oz. 100% Cotton Jersey Short Sleeve Tee. SPEED logo imprinted on the front center chest.
Our Price: $24.99
Visit Button
Buy Button
Ferrari Red Classic Hat
100% cotton twill. Ferrari shield embroidered on front, piping on the peak and Ferrari logo embroidered on back strap adjuster.
Our Price: $30.00 ($27.00 Member)
Visit Button
Buy Button
Footer Bg
  • Zoom More Photos Button
  • Camera Icon
CUP: Hall of Fame Has Many Good Candidates
Written by: Rick Minter
RacinToday.com   http://www.RacinToday.com
07/01/2009
Charlotte, NC
 
SPEED™ will air an exclusive one-hour special Thursday night at 8 pm ET from the site of the new NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, NC. (Image: NASCAR) » More Photos

As sports go, NASCAR is still relatively young. The first championship-winning car owner, Raymond Parks, is still making the rounds today. Richard Petty, whose race team won two weeks ago at Infineon Raceway, was on hand in 1949, when the first race of the series now known as Sprint Cup was run at Charlotte.

Still, some worry that as the official NASCAR Hall of Fame begins inducting members that some of the pioneers will be overlooked, at least in the early rounds.

Watch NASCAR HoF On SPEED Thu Jul 2 @ 8:00pm ET

Most of them have been inducted into the National Motorsports Press Association’s Stock Car Hall of Fame at Darlington, which until the latest venture came along, was regarded as the official place for deserving NASCAR drivers to be honored.

www.RacinToday.com

As the names of the nominees for
the inaugural class of five are released this week, many of them will be familiar ones to today’s fans – Petty, Pearson, Yarborough, Allison, Waltrip, Bill France Sr. and Jr., Dale Earnhardt. Soon, there will be new names to consider – Wallace, Martin, Elliott, Labonte.

Childress, Wood Hof Candidates

But what about the drivers who were the backbone of the sport in the early days? Will they be penalized by the passage of time? Will those who are deceased fare poorly versus those still around to recount their exploits?

Take the late Herb Thomas. He was the sport’s first two-time champion, and had a Jimmie Johnson-like points run, finishing either first or second for four straight years, from 1951 to 1954. He was the first three-time winner of the Southern 500, which in his day was like the Brickyard 400 and the Daytona 500 rolled into one.


Page 1 of 4
Next Page »
1 2 3 > Last »
View All Comments