Nominee Announcement For 2011 NASCAR Hall of Fame Class Set For Thursday
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 28, 2010) – On Thursday, July 1, NASCAR will announce the 25 nominees for induction into the 2011 NASCAR Hall of Fame class, live on SPEED at 8 p.m. ET.
In anticipation of the announcement, NASCAR will roll out a series of “NASCAR Says” blogs featured on NASCAR.com, as well as highlight key information on its Twitter account, @NASCAR and Facebook page, www.facebook.com/nascar.
Each blog entry, which starts Tuesday, will feature a head-to-head matchup comparing historically linked legends, and even contentious rivals. Fans are encouraged to comment on each debate – and once again, their input counts. Like last year, a fan vote will be one of the deciding factors for induction into the Hall of Fame. Fans can vote for their choice on NASCAR.com.
The blog entries will run Tuesday through Thursday at noon, with six nominees released prior to the official announcement on Thursday evening.
Five members were inducted into the inaugural class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame last month, meaning there will be at least five new nominees.
Two of those new nominees will be announced over the next two days.
The blogs scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday will feature a matchup involving a member of last year’s nominee class against a new hopeful. Thursday’s edition will pit two legends who have been nominated for a second time.
SIRIUS NASCAR Radio (SIRIUS channel 128 and XM channel 128 with the “Best of Sirius”) will also have a nomination special from 7-10 p.m. on Thursday evening.
Additionally, a number of social media outlets will regularly update fans on the proceedings.
Fans can follow along with the announcement on SPEED’s Twitter account, @SPEED, and Facebook page, www.facebook.com/speed#channel. SIRIUS XM will also provide updates on Twitter, @SiriusXM128.
For more information, contact: Ramsey Poston, NASCAR Public Relations, (386) 310-6030 or rposton@nascar.com
NOMINEES ANNOUNCED FOR 2011 NASCAR HALL OF FAME CLASS
The second round of nominees, which again includes many of the sport’s legendary names, were selected by a 21-person nominating committee consisting of representatives from NASCAR, the NASCAR Hall of Fame and track owners from both major facilities and historic short tracks. The committee’s votes were tabulated by accounting firm Ernst & Young.
Joining the 21-person committee this year is Jody Deery, owner of acclaimed quarter-mile short track Rockford (Ill.) Speedway. She replaces Tom Blackwell, former owner of Greenville (S.C.) Pickens Speedway, who passed away in April.
The HOF’s inductees will be determined by the Voting Panel, which has 53 members – the entire Nominating Committee, media members, manufacturer representatives, retired competitors (drivers, owners, crew chiefs) and recognized industry leaders. In addition, the fan vote will result in the Voting Panel’s 53st and final ballot. Four new members will join the Voting Panel this year: Richard Petty, Kyle Petty of TNT, legendary media member Chris Economaki, and Jim Campbell of Chevrolet.
Following are the 25 nominees:
- Bobby Allison, 1983 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion and winner of 84 races
- Buck Baker, first driver to win consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup championships
- Red Byron, first NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, in 1949
- Richard Childress, 11-time car owner champion in NASCAR’s three national series
- Jerry Cook, six-time NASCAR Modified champion
- Richie Evans, nine-time NASCAR Modified champion
- Tim Flock, two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion
- Rick Hendrick, 12-time car owner champion in NASCAR’s three national series
- Jack Ingram, two-time NASCAR Nationwide champion
- Dale Inman, eight-time NASCAR Sprint Cup championship crew chief
- Ned Jarrett, two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion
- Fred Lorenzen, 26 wins and winner of the Daytona 500 and World 600
- Bud Moore, 63 wins and two NASCAR Sprint Cup titles as a car owner
- Raymond Parks, NASCAR’s first champion car owner
- Benny Parsons, 1973 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion
- David Pearson, 105 victories and three NASCAR Sprint Cup championships
- Lee Petty, winner of first Daytona 500 and first three-time series champion
- Fireball Roberts, won 33 NASCAR Sprint Cup races, including the 1962 Daytona 500
- T. Wayne Robertson, helped raise NASCAR popularity as R.J. Reynolds Senior VP
- Herb Thomas, first two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, 1951 and ‘53
- Curtis Turner, early personality, called the “Babe Ruth of stock car racing”
- Darrell Waltrip, winner of 84 races and three NASCAR Sprint Cup championships
- Joe Weatherly, two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion
- Glen Wood, as driver, laid foundation for Wood Brothers’ future team success
- Cale Yarborough, winner of three consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup titles, 1976-78
Detailed information about the 25 nominees is available at NASCARMedia.com, NASCAR’s media-only Web site.
For more information, contact:
Herb Branham, NASCAR Public Relations, (386) 681-4164 or hbranham@nascar.com.