The 25 nominees for the 2014 class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame have been announced.
While 20 of the names on the list remain the same as last year, there are five new nominees for the 2014 class.
The new nominees are a mix of promoters, legendary drivers, past champions, and a grassroots legend.
Speedway Motorsports Incorporated CEO Bruton Smith, 1999 NASCAR Cup champion and ESPN analyst Dale Jarrett, legendary mechanic Maurice Petty, NASCAR’s oldest living Cup champion Rex White, and Larry Phillips who has won over 1,000 races in NASCAR’s weekly series are the new names up for nomination.
From the list of 25 nominees, five will be chosen to be part of the fifth class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Voting will be done by a panel of 54 which includes the entire Nominating Committee, media members, manufacturer representatives, retired competitors (drivers, owners and crew chiefs) and recognized industry leaders.
Voting for the panel will take place on May 22; the day the 2014 class will be announced at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in uptown Charlotte.
Fans will also be able to have a say in who gets into the 2014 class with a nationwide voting process done on NASCAR.com.
Here’s a look at the 25 nominees for the 2014 class for the NASCAR Hall of Fame, listed in alphabetical order.
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
Ray Fox, legendary engine builder and owner of cars driven by Buck Baker, Junior Johnson and others
Anne Bledsoe France, helped build the sport with husband Bill France Sr. Affectionately known as “Annie B.,” she is the first woman to be nominated for induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Rick Hendrick, 13-time car owner champion in NASCAR’s three national series
Jack Ingram, two-time NASCAR Busch (now Nationwide) Series champion and three-time Late Model Sportsman champion
Bobby Isaac, 1970 NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series champion
Dale Jarrett, 1999 NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series champion and three-time Daytona 500 winner
Fred Lorenzen, 26 wins and winner of the Daytona 500 and World 600
Raymond Parks, NASCAR’s first champion car owner
Benny Parsons, 1973 NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series champion
Maurice Petty, chief engine builder for Petty Enterprises
Larry Phillips, only five-time NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national champion
Les Richter, former NASCAR executive; former president of Riverside International Raceway
Fireball Roberts, 33 NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series wins, including the 1962 Daytona 500
T. Wayne Robertson, helped raise NASCAR popularity as R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company senior VP
Wendell Scott, NASCAR trailblazer was the first African-American NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series race winner, and first to be nominated for induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Ralph Seagraves, formed groundbreaking Winston-NASCAR partnership as executive with R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
O. Bruton Smith, builder of Charlotte Motor Speedway and architect of Speedway Motorsports Inc.
Curtis Turner, early personality, called the “Babe Ruth of stock car racing”
Joe Weatherly, two-time NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series champion
Rex White, 1960 NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series champion
