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LEARY: My Top 25 NASCAR Nominees
Written by: Gregg Leary   
07/02/2009
Charlotte, NC
 
Richard Petty, the 71-year-old seven-time Cup champion is a nominee for the NASCAR Hall Of Fame. (Photo: LAT Photographic) » More Photos

(Prior to NASCAR’s Announcement of the 25 Nominees for the Inaugural Class)

I ended up picking 17 of the 25 NASCAR nominees for the Inaugural Hall of Fame class. Four others were on my “Honorable Mention” list. How did you do with your picks? Who SHOULD have been on the list?

My List:

1. Richard Petty (200 Wins, 7 Championships)
2. Dale Earnhardt (76 Wins, 7 Championships)
3. David Pearson (105 Wins, 3 Championships)
4. Bobby Allison (85 Wins, 1 Championship)
5. Darrell Waltrip (84 Wins, 3 Championships)
6. Cale Yarborough (83 Wins, 3 Championships)
7. Rusty Wallace (55 Wins, 1 Championship)
8. Lee Petty (54 Wins, 3 Championships)
9. Junior Johnson ( 50 wins as driver, 6 Championships as Owner)
10. Ned Jarrett (50 Wins, 2 Championships)
11.Bill France Sr (Founder of NASCAR).
12.Bill France Jr. (Brought NASCAR into “The Modern Era”)
13.Dale Inman (8 Championships as Crew Chief)
14.Chris Economaki (The Dean of Motorsports Broadcasting/Reporting)
15.Ken Squire (Named “The Great American Race”)
16.Carl Kiekhaefer (Perfected the multi-car team in the 1950’s)
17.Tim Flock (39 Wins, 2 Championships)
18.Buck Baker (46 Wins, 2 Championships)
19.Ralph Seagraves (Brought Winston into NASCAR)
20.Fireball Roberts (33 Wins, Superspeedway Superstar)
21.Joe Weatherly (25 Wins, 2 Championships)
22.The Wood Brothers (Perfected the blazingly fast pit stop)
23.Herb Thomas (48 Wins, 2 Championships)
24.Smokey Yunick (2 Titles
as Crew Chief who loosely interpreted the rule book)
25.Holman-Moody (Innovative team who manufactured “turn key” race cars)

Honorable Mentions

26.Wendell Scott (First African American Cup winner)
27.Red Byron (First Cup Champion)
28.Bob Welborn (3-Time Convertible Series Champion)
29.Curtis Turner (17 CupWins, Convertible master)
30.Cotton Owens (9 Wins as driver, 1 Championship as Crew Chief)
31.Fred Lorenzen (26 Wins)
32.Red Farmer (“Alabama Gang”)
33.Richie Evans (“King of the Modifieds”)
34.Benny Parsons (21 Wins, 1 Championship)

The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEEDtv.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or Speed Channel
Gregg Leary is a Researcher/Writer for 'Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain','The SPEED Report', book reviewer and columnist for SPEEDtv.com. (SPEED Photo) » More Photos

Gregg Leary is a Researcher/Writer for "Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain","The SPEED Report", book reviewer and columnist for SPEEDtv.com. Leary was track announcer for Hooter's IHRA Drag Racing at National Events in the USA and Canada and entertained event crowds during "down time". He was Marketing, PR Director and track announcer at Lake Erie Speedway. Leary covered Auto Racing, Major League Baseball, the National Football League, and the National Basketball Association. Leary has conducted motivational seminars and performed stand-up comedy around the country. Leary is available for motorsports consulting on a limited basis. Contact him via email at

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