WHEN A MISCONCEPTION IS A GREAT LOSS. NASCAR HALL OF FAME
Administrative
Randy
This wasn't meant as raining on anyone's parade. Just my humble opinion regarding, as a feel an ultimate transgression and there is more to the Raymond Parks story that hasn't been told and been twisted through history revision. I've always looked at three significant figures regarding Nascar's great history. Two got in on the first voting and one was left off. Without Raymond Parks there would have been a Nascar. When they sat at the Streamline Hotel in Florida to supposedly suppress the unscrupulous promoters. Men like Red Vogt, Parks and others were their own sanctioning bodies. Red Vogt with NASCR, which evolved to the current name of Nascar. Bill France Sr was broke at that time, Raymond Parks carried the sport in it's infancy. First championship car owner, with Red Vogt building those cars. Not only once but twice. Second was Junior Johnson who took the sport With RJ Reynolds to it's Zenith and Bill France Jr who had the foresight to see what Junior brought to the Table then Ran with ESPN to bring it in our living rooms on a weekly basis. These three men should have been first in the hall. Bill France Sr. didn't create the sport of Stock Car Racing actually he didn't take the sport as far as his son did. Bill France Sr. created a sanctioning body nothing more, nothing less. Nothing that Red Vogt or Raymond Parks hadn't already done. So why is the real reason Raymond Parks isn't in the hall?? That's open to argument, speculation and truth. There is only one surviving person today from the meeting at the Streamline and he tells a whole different story than what the current history revisionists say that were never there. Is the hall a great place, I'm sure it is. When a person like Darrell Waltrip is put in ahead of a pioneer like Raymond Parks it dilutes the integrity of what a hall of fame should be. Does Darrell belong there. Sure, but ahead of a significant figure like Raymond Parks?? I remember Waltrips quip about Junior being inducted in the first five, he said, "Well I guess that had to put a car owner in there." That told me all I needed to know. Nascar is running away from it's roots. The hall of fame is doing the same.