Bruce, Cain reveal NASCAR Hall of Fame ballots – Nascar
RELATED: Photos of Voting Day, inductees
NASCAR.com was privileged to have two ballots cast as part of NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Day on Wednesday. Senior writers Kenny Bruce and Holly Cain each submitted their five nominations for induction in the Class of 2017 and a vote for the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR.
A spirited discussion and voting process created one of the most intriguing classes in the stock-car shrine’s history with Richard Childress, Rick Hendrick, Mark Martin, Raymond Parks and Benny Parsons selected as Hall of Fame members. Martinsville Speedway founder H. Clay Earles received the Landmark Award.
Here are Holly’s and Kenny’s ballots cast Wednesday with their choices for induction:
Ron Hornaday Jr. No one dominated NASCAR’s Camping World Truck Series like Hornaday, the only four-time series champ. He remains the leader in career wins, top-five and top-10 finishes in Truck Series history.
Mark Martin. The working man’s racer; Martin finished second in the premier series points battle five times and earned 40 wins in 882 career starts. His XFINITY Series record wasn’t too shabby, either.
Benny Parsons. Folks who knew Benny the Broadcaster might not know just how talented Parsons was behind the wheel of a race car. The 1973 premier series champion, Parsons won 21 times, including victories in the Daytona 500 (1975) and World 600 (’80).
Raymond Parks. The Atlanta-based businessman not only provided much-needed financial assistance as the newly formed NASCAR governing body got up and running, but Parks was a successful car owner as well. His career as an owner peaked in 1949 when driver Red Byron won NASCAR’s first Strictly Stock crown. A year earlier, Byron had won the group’s first Modified title in a Parks-backed entry.
Robert Yates. As an engine builder, Yates helped power Bobby Allison, Darrell Waltrip and Cale Yarborough to 77 victories. As a car owner, his drivers won three Daytona 500 titles, 57 races and 48 poles.
Landmark Award
H. Clay Earles. His Martinsville Speedway was there from the beginning (actually before NASCAR was formed) and it remains a popular stop today as one of three short tracks on the premier series schedule. Keeping up with the changing landscape of the sport wasn’t easy, and no one did it better than Mr. Earles.
These are the Hall of Fame votes I considered the most worthy and timely, considering a ballot of 20 of the sport’s most deserving people. I tried to decide on a well-balanced group of drivers, owners and technical people and considered time on the ballot, too.
Some I did not vote for this year I feel like will be definite choices in the upcoming Hall of Fame votes.
Red Byron. NASCAR’s first champion should be in its Hall of Fame for historic reasons. He won NASCAR’s very first race on Daytona Beach in 1948, won NASCAR’s first “season” championship and then its first Strictly Stock title, which is the modern era Sprint Cup crown.
Raymond Parks. He owned the first championship car driven by Red Byron and for many of the same reasons Bryon needs to be in the Hall, so does Parks. Even after the two early titles he fielded cars for greats such as Bob and Fonty Flock. He is the sport’s heritage, its beginning.
Benny Parsons. Many current NASCAR fans know Benny from his ease and skill behind the television microphone and camera once he retired from driving a race car, but he was an amazing competitor, too, winning NASCAR’s two biggest trophies — the 1973 Cup championship and the 1975 Daytona 500. Perhaps most amazingly, he finished among the top 10 in 54 percent of the races he ran.
Waddell Wilson. It is impressive Wilson was so successful both as an engine builder and a crew chief. He built the motors that David Pearson and Benny Parsons drove to titles and as a crew chief led Buddy Baker and Cale Yarborough (twice) to Daytona 500 wins. He built the first engine that broke 200 mph — driven by Parsons in qualifying for the 1982 Winston 500.
Robert Yates. This is another example of the ultimate in successful multi-tasking. Similar to Wilson, he built championship-quality engines (1983 with Bobby Allison) and then Yates owned a championship team, fielding the car with which Dale Jarrett won a title in 1999. He owns three Daytona 500 wins as part of a 57-win legacy as a team owner and won 77 races as an engine builder.
Landmark Award
Ralph Seagraves. This was a tough category. My selection was based on his contribution really being a turning point for the entire sport. Under Seagraves’ leadership, RJ Reynolds provided top-dollar, high-promotion sponsorship of the sport that lasted for more than 30 years. It thrust NASCAR into another stratosphere as far as the American sports landscape was concerned and absolutely created a foundation that is still enjoyed today.
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