Why 25 to 5?

NASCAR is doing a wonderful thing; in the spring of 2010, they will honor the greats of the sport by opening a NASCAR Hall of Fame to be located in Charlotte, North Carolina. I think a NASCAR Hall of Fame is long overdue. I am thankful that NASCAR will now have a place to call heir own, a place where they can honor all those who have sacrificed and helped make NASCAR the sport that it is today.

Last week NASCAR unveiled the list of 25 nominees that will be considered for induction into their Hall of Fame. The list of 25 includes 18 drivers, Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Junior Johnson, David Pearson, Darrell Waltrip, Bobby Allison, Cale Yarbrough, Glenn "Fireball" Roberts, Buck Baker, Joe Weatherly, Curtis Turner, Ned Jarrett, Red Byron, Tim Flock, Lee Petty, Benny Parsons, Richie Evans, and Herb Thomas. Five car owners in Bud Moore, Raymond Parks, Rick Hendrick, Richard Childress and Glen Wood; along with Bill France Sr., and his son Bill France Jr., both of whose accomplishments can’t accurately be put into words in the space I have here. The catch however comes in that NASCAR has determined that only five of the above names will be have the privilege of being inducted in the Hall’s inaugural class.

NASCAR has arbitrarily chosen five as the number of greats that they will allow into their Hall of Fame each year. This begs me to ask the question, why limit the selection to just five inductees, especially in the inaugural year? If it were up to me, and unfortunately it’s not, because Brian France, like a lot of my ex-girlfriends, refuses to return to my calls, the 2010 class would include all 25 names on the nomination ballot. To say that only five of the above mentioned names are more worthy than any of the others is misguided and wrong. If a person is a hall of famer, then they are a hall of famer pure and simple and they deserve to be included. They shouldn’t have to wait an extra year because NASCAR has imposed a five-person limit. To make someone wait an extra year when they clearly have the credentials, which all 25 obviously do, is in effect diminishing their accomplishments and their impact on NASCAR.

Let’s compare for comparisons sake the careers of two drivers who raced the majority of their careers against one another Dale Earnhardt and Darrell Waltrip. Earnhardt has the edge in championships, seven to three. But Waltrip gets the nod for career wins, 84 to 76. The question that some might pose is, would Earnhardt have passed Waltrip’s win total if he wasn’t tragically killed at Daytona? Who’s to say? Earnhardt was 50-years-old at the time of his death, and to be honest with you, I don’t know how many wins he would have gotten if he weren’t killed. The facts are the facts and we aren’t dealing with what ifs. What we are dealing with is that Earnhardt and Waltrip are among the best to have ever sat behind the wheel of a stockcar and both rightfully deserve to be honored by NASCAR by being in the 2010 Class. Unfortunately though, this isn’t going to happen, as Waltrip will more than likely be sitting in the audience rather on the stage where he deserves to be when Hall’s doors swing open in May.

Unfortunately NASCAR has determined that they will only allow five of the 25 deserving nominees in the 2010 inaugural class. Here is the group that I feel may be selected into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, one of the most hallowed places of all motorsports:

Bill France SR.: NASCAR begins and ends with Bill France Sr., and the bottom line is that NASCAR wouldn’t exist if Bill France Sr. didn’t create it. In my opinion if they named the whole Hall of Fame after him it still wouldn’t be a big enough honor for the Don Corleone of NASCAR.

Richard Petty: Arguably NASCAR’s greatest and most iconic driver. Petty’s 200 career wins and seven championships have set a standard that more than likely will never be matched. Undoubtedly in 2010 the Hall of Fame will have a throne awaiting the arrival of NASCAR’s king.

Dale Earnhardt: The only other driver besides Petty to win seven championships and for a generation of fans, Earnhardt was the very definition of NASCAR. If you’re going to induct Petty on the first ballot, than you almost certainly have to induct Earnhardt right beside him.

David Pearson: Some would say that he was even better than Petty, and I wouldn’t argue with them. Pearson is second in all-time wins with 105 and the owner of three championships in 1966, 1968 and 1969. If you aren’t going to put perhaps the greatest driver of all-time in the Hall of Fame on the first ballot, than in my opinion you really can’t call it a Hall of Fame.

Junior Johnson: To me the first four inductees are a no-brainer. The last pick though is a bit trickier. When looking at the list of 25 nominees I feel the final spot comes down to Johnson, Bobby Allison, Darrell Waltrip, Cale Yarborourgh, Lee Petty, and Bill France Jr. But in the end, I think it’s important to recognize a car owner and few did it as well as Johnson did. While footing the bill, Johnson’s cars won six championships with two different drivers, Yarborourgh and Waltrip. And it’s also worth noting that in his day Johnson was also a pretty good driver, some say perhaps one of the best ever, with 50-career wins, which is good enough for 11th all-time.

After much deliberating, thinking, and head scratching there’s my five who should get the nod come May; though in picking my final five, I feel as if I’m disrespecting the other 20 nominees that didn’t make the final cut. Here’s hoping that when the final ballot is announced this fall NASCAR changes its mind so all 25 legends get their rightful day in the sun.