Tables turned on Gordon, and Johnson should note (cont'd)

HALL OF FAME VOTING

The voting panel for the NASCAR Hall of Fame will meet Wednesday in Charlotte, N.C., to choose the inaugural class of five to be inducted in May 2010.

Conventional wisdom has three names set in stone: Bill France, Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. The remaining two will come from a pool that consists of Bobby Allison, Junior Johnson, David Pearson and Cale Yarborough ... at least that's the scuttlebutt.

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The Hall of Fame will bring NASCAR's history to life and preserves that history in the appropriate environments. The facility will allow fans to have the opportunity to relive the sport's greatest moments.

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I couldn't argue with any five of those men being in the charter class. The hard-to-swallow part is that many deserving names will not be called at 4 p.m. ET Wednesday, when NASCAR chairman Brian France announces the inductees.

I'll be honest: This -- settling on only five nominees -- may be the toughest decision I've ever had to make. I have been debating the virtues of each of these men for the past few months. I have made plus-and-minus lists. I have made old school vs. older school arguments, making the case for and against each of these nominees.

In the end, I made the decisions that I'm most comfortable arguing for among peers. And then the absurdity set in: Who the hell am I to argue with Bud Moore? C'mon -- these guys have forgotten more about racing than many of us will ever know.

I believe there will be a lot of spirited debate among the members of the voting panel. I believe the public debate will be much more mean-spirited. Face it: You want "your guy" to be part of the first class, and if he's not it's gotta be because the voting panel is comprised of stupid people. I'll let you tell that to Junior Johnson ...

Wednesday will be a watershed day for the sport. A hall of fame has been long overdue, and casting a vote for the inaugural class is a tremendous honor. At its simplest level, these are our heroes. We grew up hearing the stories or listening to, watching the races. These men were larger than life, and even today it makes me appreciate my position.

I've interviewed many of the nominees and have always been cognizant of thanking them not only for their time to talk with a redneck who grew up in small-town Mississippi, but also for their efforts to make NASCAR what it is today. As journalists covering NASCAR, we're not asked to dig ditches through the infield, or teach the sons and daughters who will be tomorrow's leaders, or do brain surgery in the grandstands.

We hang out a race tracks in some pretty cool cities across the country. We have almost unfettered access to some of the biggest names in sport. We also have unfettered access to some of the best folks you'll never meet because they aren't the biggest names. We take it for granted seeing Bobby Allison walking down pit road while others fortunate enough to nab a Hot Pass are trying to get their point-and-shoot focused on their hero.

My daddy has never really understood that I actually get paid (enough to make a house payment, in fact) to cover sports. Or that the company foots the bill from food to hotel. And Wednesday I'll be in a room with 49 other people who will cast their lot with Nominee X. I cannot wait to call my momma to tell her a) who I voted for, and b) I did it without having to change my undershorts.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.