| Resident 1/24 hater Feedback: 2 reviews |  Re: NASCAR HOF votes
In my opinion of who the first class should be:
Bill France Sr. No NASCAR without him. Or NCSCS either, for that matter. Prize for who can tell me what that stands for. Bonus prize for who can tell me the brand of pace car he was given.
Richard Petty is a given. You can't be the King for no reason.
Dale Earnhardt. The best pure talent I have ever seen race, and his legend is perhaps larger then the sport itself. Ask a random person on the street what NASCAR is, and they may know. Ask a random person who Dale Earnhardt is, and I would be surprised if they DIDN'T know!
David Pearson. 105 wins and three Championships. He only attempted four full seasons in a career that lasted from 1960 to 1986. I never got to see a full race Pearson has been in, but if he had attempted the full schedule in the same time frame as Petty did, odds are he would have more wins.
Tim Flock. Truly the sport's first Superstar. Remains to this day the driver with the highest finishing percentage of all time, despite the fact that his last full season was in the mid 1950s. His (later recinded) lifetime banashment practically ended his career too soon.
I think all but Tim Flock will make it. I expect Bobby Allison to get the final spot. I think it could also go to Darrell Waltrip (winningest driver in the second era) or Cale Yarborough. Too many people don't know who Tim Flock is, or remember him just for Jocko Flocko, his Rhesus Monkey co-pilot, and not for his amazing skills. I can honestly say, it is because of two people-Tim Flock and Dick May-that I have devoted so much of my life to learning the history of the sport.
I believe Robert Glenn "Junior" Johnson is also a worthy candidate for first class HoF. When he called it quits driving, he was tied for second place all time wins, and then continued as a car owner for another 29 years, winning well over 100 races and 6 championships, which is tied for third most all time, with Richard Childress Racing, behind Petty Enterprises (or Petty Engineering for Lee's days, but it's the same team) and Hendrick Motorsports.
Now, as for the list of nominees itself...I support it almost entirely, agreeing with 23 of the 25 candidates. And while the only two I disagree with, I do not disagree with their worthyness to the HoF, but with their nomination of first class over two other people.
In the place of Richard Childress and Rick Hendrick, I truly believe the Voice of NASCAR- Barney Hall- deserves a place in the HoF. He has called NASCAR races since my parents were children, and no other person who is not named France or Petty has seen as many races in person as he has, and I would suppose he even outranks the living Frances on that tally as well. This man is an Icon, and deserved the nod.
The other man who deserved a place on the roster, is Charles "Red" Vogt. While the majority of current NASCAR fans have probably never heard the name, he was an integral part of the beginning of the sport-the first master innovater, the first master crew chief, if you will. In fact, he even was a man that Big Bill France sought advice and input from. Few other people can claim that lofty distinction. I can't really put into words how important Red Vogt was to the foundations of NASCAR.
Keep in mind that I have nothing against Childress or Hendrick-I'm a proud supportor of both, for many many years, but there are others in the sport who outweigh their contributions. In my opinion.
The problem is, that every single man on that 25-count roster, deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. In time, this overwhelming problem will be less of an issue, as every year 5 more will acsend the greatness of NASCAR immortality, but not-and probably the next decade or so-the entire class would be worthy.
I am planning on voting for Raymond Parks. The man is 96 years old, and as near as my calculations can tell, the oldest living NASCAR driver. He has donated the very FIRST Championship trophy to be on display in the hall. I've read the biography of this man's life, and there is not a man more worthy of praise- in fact NASCAR might not even exist without him- but yet is mostly forgotten, except by the diehard few who refuse to let the past be forgotten. I want to see this man get one more moment in the sun, get the recognition he rightfully deserves-while he is still alive to appreciate it. As much as I hate to say it, he likely has less time left on the earth then any other living candidate-simply do to the fact that he IS 96 years old, and as such I feel time is of the essence, though seeing him would cast doubts on his actual age. (It is worth noting he is also a WWII veteran!)
|
|
