NASCAR Hall of Fame or Hall of Shame?

by: PattyKay Lilley

Last night on Race Hub (SPEEDTV) at 6:00PM edt, race fans learned the names of the five new nominees for induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. As every good reporter should, I posted the complete list of nominees, which included the 20 names that didn't make it in last year and the five new hopefuls introduced this year, without personal comment.

In case anyone reading this has been asleep since then or dwells in a cave somewhere without communication, that list is as follows:

The 20 existing nominees:

Buck Baker,first driver to win consecutive NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series championships (1956-57)

Red Byron, first NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series champion, in 1949

Richard Childress, 11-time car owner champion in NASCAR’s three national series

Jerry Cook, six-time NASCAR Modified champion

H. Clay Earles, founder of Martinsville Speedway

Tim Flock, two-time NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series champion

Rick Hendrick, 13-time car owner champion in NASCAR’s three national series

Jack Ingram, two-time NASCAR Busch (now Nationwide) Series champion

Bobby Isaac, 1970 NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series champion

Fred Lorenzen, 26 wins and winner of the Daytona 500 and World 600

Cotton Owens, driver-owner, won 1966 owner championship with David Pearson

Raymond Parks, NASCAR’s first champion car owner

Benny Parsons, 1973 NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series champion

Les Richter, former NASCAR executive; former president of Riverside International Raceway

Fireball Roberts, won 33 NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series races, including the 1962 Daytona 500