Who Deserves NASCAR Fame?
3/23/2009Three - well, since we're talking about NASCAR, let's make that 3 - people are guaranteed, sure-fire, no-doubt-about-it picks for the NASCAR Hall of Fame's inaugural class: Bill France Sr., Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt.
Go right ahead and order those plaques for the 2010 induction ceremony.
But who should be the other two chosen for the unique and special honor of inclusion in the first group?
I've heard plenty of suggestions: Bill France Jr., Lee Petty, David Pearson, Junior Johnson, Cale Yarborough, Bobby Allison, Darrell Waltrip, Ned Jarrett, Fireball Roberts, Curtis Turner, Benny Parsons and the Wood Brothers, to name a dozen.
Those who want a crew chief point to Dale Inman. Those advocating a non-Cup honoree call for Richie Evans, or maybe, Jerry Cook.
With an appropriate level of respect for all mentioned, I think Big Bill France - he invented NASCAR, after all - should go first. I'd be willing to wager a few Brickyard 400 tickets (well, plenty of those available, so I admit it's not much of a bet) that Bill Jr. will go in in 2011. Along with Lee Petty, Allison and Waltrip.
For Class One, however, I believe it comes down to Pearson, Johnson and Yarborough.
I've gotta go with The Silver Fox and The Last American Hero.
Some say Pearson was the stock car sport's best-ever driver. I'm not so sure I don't agree. I was around for that era and, like many, delighted in the what-came-to-be-expected Pearson-Richard Petty jousts for the checkered flag. The 1976 Daytona 500 is the most famous, but certainly, not their only tango.
Anyone standing for inclusion in any Hall of Fame has to stand on his/her numbers. No problem for Pearson. Cup championships: three. Wins: 105 (second all-time to RP.) Poles: 113 (also runner-up to Petty.) Hot streak: 27 firsts and 30 second-place finishes in 1968 and '69 alone. Car number: Impossible to top Petty's No. 43, but Pearson in the Wood Brothers' No. 21 came as close as you can get.
For Johnson, it's as much legend as stats that should make the difference. Famed author Thomas Wolfe's epic 1965 Esquire magazine article dubbed Johnson "The Last American Hero." Think about it: That pretty much explains why Junior takes his place before Cale.
Johnson's personal story of moonshine runner-to-50 race winner-to-championship team owner and acclaimed garage-area "innovator" (to use a polite word) is NASCAR's story, too.
That's the class: The Founder, The King, The Intimidator, The Fox and The Hero.
It's as tight as a Talladega finish. But, sorry . . .
Hail Cale! will have to wait a year.
[ Next column: April 6]
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(I.N. Sider is the pen name for an independent motorsports business-person who has a quarter-century of professional experience working in almost every major North American racing series. The writer is not an employee of Valvoline or Ashland Inc. The column is intended to inform, entertain, and stimulate thought on the contemporary motorsports scene. The opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of Valvoline or Ashland Inc.)
BackAbout I.N. Sider
I.N. Sider is the pen name for an independent motorsports business-person who has a quarter-century of professional experience working in almost every major North American racing series. The writer is not an employee of Valvoline or Ashland Inc. The column is intended to inform, entertain, and stimulate thought on the contemporary motorsports scene. The opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of Valvoline or Ashland Inc.